3/9/05
Arrived once again in Paris , and found some cheap accomodation near the Station. Went for a lovely long walk and ended up at The Pompidou Centre Of Modern Art. .. had a great time looking around and also enjoyed the fantastic views from the roof. Found a really nice Restuarant with a Rugby theme , and had a good meal.
4/9/05
Against all odds (due to industrial Action from French Transport Workers!)- managed to catch a flight to Belfast with EASYJET. - Met at Belfast Int Airport by my mum , who took me back to stay at Killough , a small village on the Coast 40 mins away from Belfast. I enjoyed a good .. ''go on kill yourself'' fryup of bacon and eggs etc..only the Irish can do , and did lots of catching up about family and cousins I had not seen for years.
5/9/05
Spent the day visiting Aunties and Cousins in Ulster. Also did a bit of siteseeing in the area of the troubles. Took some photos of some of the big Murals on the sides of the houses. .. Many of them are being changed to Peace Murals now that the peace process is happening.
6/9/05
Went up into the Mountains of Mourn ans along the Coast. filmed some cheeky Seals waiting for the fishing boats to come in.
7/9/05
Flew to Gatwick and caught the train back to Poole and home and Rachel.... what an incredible adventure I have had , and what a shame it had to finish. I could of kept on going quite happily, but in real life these things have to finish... untill next time when I plan my next Adventure.

2/9/05
The Sunday is the last day of the St Just Festival. Sadly the Cartoonists eventually disperse; and then there is the huge job of taking down the Exhibition. This is done in the most incredible way. the whole town turns up and work at the most amazing pace to take down all evidence that the Festival even happened! The Cartoons are all carefully packed away in lorries and the structure dismantled. There is a big community spirit and I was proud to be part of it.The task finishes about midnight and then everyone participates in a big meal together with wine and singing. What a great way to finish an event.
The next day my lovely French Host family took me to the Railway station and we sadly said our goodbyes and then I set off back to Paris

27/9/05
Caught train to Limoges.(Beautiful train station there, like a Cathedral) Caught local bus to St Just Cartoon Festival... bus dropped off right outside Event. Introduced myself and was made emmediately very welcome by everyone. Met up at last with Bernadette who made sure I was sorted for a French Host family ..( and wanted to know what I had been up to over the weeks!)- French family I was to stay with were absolutely delightful on a lovely farm, and with teenage children all anxious to practice their English .. they were perfect hosts.
St Just Festival is amazing. It runs for 2 whole weeks and invites Cartoonists from all over the world to Exhibit their work. There were over 200 Cartoonists there all fed and lovingly cared for by our French hosts. There are musicians, dancers and so much food and red wine flowing. The atmosphere is so very friendly and inspiring. The Cartoonists are all drawing away franticlyand there are Cartoon displays every where.
I set myself on a table to draw for children, and had a great time with my poor French skills and the children miming what they wanted me to draw. My French improved rapidly, and the children were so cute . I was drawing
everything.. lots of dolphins .. cats .. dogs .. hamsters .. horses..tigers and funnily enough l 'escargots as well... It was cirtainly a good veriaty and the children kept me busy.

19th September

I caught the train from Genoa to Lugano; a high class town on the Italian/Swiss border, on a huge lake surrounded by the Alps. Lots of fast cars, designer shops and Swiss Banks. I managed to find a not so cheap CHEAP hotel and spent a couple of days on a boat trip around the lake, and also took a cable-car up Mount Bre for an ALPINE walk up the Mountain. They are well into their mountain walking and biking; lots of firm thighs and red cheeks - and the cheeks are mine!
I spent a couple of days here then hopped on another train towards France. Fantastic rail journey across Swiss Alps: the scenery is amazing.

23rd September

I arrived at Basal on French Swiss border. I was only there for one night but made time to visit the Cathedral and Old Town.

24th September

Caught train to Paris; found a cheap hostel in Montmartre area and found I was sharing my room with two loved up Swedes – ok, so long as they don’t ask me to join in!

25th September

AT LAST I GET TO THE LOUVRE! and I remembered to put the seat down afterwards! (!) Exhausting but fantastic; so much to see, saw many famous paintings; the Mona Lisa of course and the cheeky naked nipple-tweaking ladies as featured on Monty Python; I Feel really cultured now!

Sue

19th September

Arived in Genoa. Lovely trainride along the coast, through Mountains, some of it underground so I guess I missed the best scenery. I decided, in view of time factor, I'd now skip spain and go on up through Switzerland.
Found a very cheap Hotel for the night, in a really dodgey area ... according to Lonely Planet and the lady at the Hotel, I was advised not to go out alone at night and to stay in the main areas. However, there many beautiful buildings and lots of steps leading into allyways... and, yes, they do look a bit suspect; even the muggers go round in pairs!
Looking at the Italian Cartoon scene, there is a big market in Adult Action Comics. Lots of sex and violence and good cartoonwork; the most popular comic is DYLAN DOG.. and it's a man not a dog!
Whilst in Genoa I made time to visit Europes biggest Aquarium; had a great time there admiring the fish and watching sharks being fed. Next day I hopped on a train to Lugano on the Swiss-Italian border.

Sue

16th September

I arrived late at Rome airport and was informed that accommodation would be a nightmare because it’s the weekend! I think the Pope had something to do with this! - Eventually found a grotty room with shared bathroom, for 80 euros!!!!! ROME CAN WAIT AT THAT COST.

17th September

Today I hopped on the train and headed out towards Pisa. LOVELY TRAIN RIDE. Mountains, lakes, the coast - oh how I love those trains! I could travel all day quite happily!
Arrived at Pisa. I am falling in love with the Italians. They are so nice - and ooooooh that accent... And the way they pronounce Burleigh - ''BEEAARRLAYA.'' - sounds quite romantic!
Pisa is beautiful and not too expensive either. Most of the tourists are day-trippers.

18th September

Today I visited the Leaning Tower and Cathedral. Took some good photos of the buildings but then started taking photos of the tourists as they pose to make it look as if they are holding up the tower. Some really funny pics; the Japanese are the funniest in karate poses; and the older the tourist the more enthusiastic they are to do outrageous poses! People don’t realise how funny they are!
Saw some funny graffiti outside a gun shop, “SAVE THE NATURE..., KILL YOURSELF!” (Has to be said with an Italian accent!)

Sue

15th September

My wallet heaves a huge sigh of relief as Rachel gets on the bus to Cairo Airport and on to Heathrow - where Rachel is detained for questioning due to her unusual travel plans. After explaining Toontrek they eventually let her go!
I’m still having problems contacting Egyptian cartoonists; I’ll have to catch up with them at St. Just in stead. The alternative is sunbathing and swimming - not difficult when the temp is nearly 40!

EGYPT BULLET POINTS
1. You drive up behind what you think is a huge lorry only to discover it’s a huge cart pulled by a donkey.
2. Dust .. Dust everywhere. A permanent film of it in your eyes.
3. Lots of manly hand slapping going on.
4. Time keeping? What’s that?
5. The time we spent with Dina at the Pyramids was the best.
6. Baksheesh and tipping - drives you insane!

16th September

Got a very long winded flight to Rome via Athens… Due to various cock ups and arrived late in the evening.


Sue

9th September

Am. Met up with Stavro Jabra - Lebanons No 1 cartoonist. We were to discover that Stavro is like a cartoonist rock star in Beirut. He does over 45 cartoons a week and appears on Beirut TV three times a day with the news. When you are out walking with Stavro everyone calls his name and wants to shake his hand. He’s a lovely and funny character and welcomed us warmly.
He took us, first, to Downtown Beirut where we had a coke and ice-cream in a lovely café opposite the parliament buildings. We then walked around The Place Of Martyrs and the place where former Prime Minister Hariri is laid to rest with his bodyguards (he was assassinated 210 days ago - they still count the days), the place was covered in flowers, music was playing and many people where paying their respects.
Pm. Stavro had to go to work so Rachel and I sunbathed and swam in the hotel pool.

10th September

Stavro and his lovely wife collected us and we drove to the area where Prime Minister Hariri was blown up. There was an amazing amount of destruction on the road and buildings in the area. Stavro took us to his house and showed us his photographs as a top international war photographer (incredibly powerful images); then as a photographer of celebrities (all this before becoming a cartoonist! - showed us his huge collection of brilliant cartoons). We were treated to a family meal and then, in the evening, we went back into downtown Beirut to a nightclub. At the end of the evening we said our goodbyes - we were very sad to leave Beirut - and, wow! What a cool dude.

11th September

We had a smooth flight to Cairo; the problem was finding a hotel due to the large amount of conferences going on in Cairo this week. We ended up at an Egyptian holiday resort - like an upgraded Butlins! - has the biggest freestyle swimming pool in Egypt, plus a health club. Very Nice.

12th September

Visited the Pyramids and Sak Kara Tombs today. We had a lovely guide who came out with us to markets and CD shops to make sure we didn’t get ripped off.
In the evening we went on a small cruise up the Nile, with food and entertainment. The tour company manager said he was going to give us a surprise for the evening. The surprise was A MAN! We had his company, looking after us all evening - and the other surprise - was the $20 tip he wanted at the end of the evening!

13th September

To recover from the $20 tip Rachel and I spent the day sunbathing and swimming; then we went to a beauty parlour and had pedicure, manicure and our hair done along with our eyebrows and moustaches ripped off Egyptian style - done with a twist of cotton and a smile! (Total - £26 for both of us) I didn’t realise how hairy I was on my face - but I can assure you I’m not now!

14th September

I contacted Tame Youssef - with some problem! He didn’t turn up as planned so Rachel and I just sunbathed and swam. Temperature was 320C - we could get used to this!

Sue

Whilst we wait for more from Sue I've acquired some 'toons of hers that have appeared in the Bulgarian Communist Newspaper ПΑРДОН (No, I don't know what it means, neither do I understand the captions on Sue's 'toons!). These have come to me from Sue via her father.

Enjoy

6th September

We arrived at our Hotel 2am. ABSOLUTELY LOVELY!

7th September

Walked around exploring area of Hamra, looking around shops and along the beachfront. Everyday bustle just carries on, though this place feels less chaotic than Istanbul. If you look around you notice quite a military presence around the streets. There are many buildings still with bullet and bomb damage; they tend to patch the buildings up more near the hotels.
When we got back to our hotel room it had been decorated it out with balloons and there was a bottle of wine, roses and chocolates. It was a lovely surprise. We went for a swim in the rooftop pool, and in the evening Rachel and I went out for a meal at a nice Lebanese Restaurant.

3rd September

My daughter, Rachel, and friend flew in from Dalaman and stayed in the same hotel as me in Taksim. We spent some time catching up with news and showing our friend round Istanbul.
I visited Izels Exhibition in Galatasary, not too far from Taksim. It was excellent and in several locations. Photos, artwork, musicians, and food - many people attended. It was very popular.
One afternoon we went to the Grand Bazaar to a factory that makes dance costumes. We were there for hours; both Rachel and friend getting costumes that were tailored. We finished so late at the factory that the Grand Bazaar had closed and we had the unique and spooky experience of being led through the lanes of the Bazaar whilst it was closed.

6th September

We said our goodbyes to our friends and caught our flight to BEIRUT.

28th August

I stayed in the Taksim area of Istanbul for a couple of days. It’s a very modern and upbeat area with lots of shops and restaurants. I had my eyes tested and a new pair of reading glasses for 50 pounds!
Found the Irish bar - Happy hour from 10am to 1700hrs. AND I was their only customer.. AND, can you believe it? NO GUINNESS till October due to some problem with red tape and the Turkish Government only allowing bottles into the Country and not Casks. They were playing Irish folk music whilst I supped my diet coke. I then noticed a poster advertising some traditional IRISH FLAMENCO that night. It was actually a really nice pub and they made me very welcome as I munched on some Turkish/Irish apple pie. Then another customer turned up; a really nice funny American called Vincent Cooper. We got chatting and I discovered he was an Artist and had been staying in Istanbul for 3 months. It also turned out he was the descendant of famous British Cartoonist, Roy Wilson, and his family has a collection of many of Roys original Cartoons.
I then moved accommodation to stay with some very dear Turkish friends who live on the Asian side of the Bosporus. Since that move I have become very adept at using the ferries.

31st August

Did some more exploring in the Taksim area and also had a lovely meal with my hosts and swapped news about travel and families.

1st September

I caught the ferry to Eminonu and walked up to Sultanamet, the area of the Great Mosques. Visited the Blue Mosque and The Museum of Islamic Art, which had a magnificent display of Carpets and Folk Costumes. In the afternoon there was a display in the square at Sultanamet of Balkan Folk Dancing - and I enjoyed watching lively dancing from Bulgaria and Romania. I then took a long walk across Galatasary Bridge and back towards Taksim where I met up with Cartoonists Izel Rozental and Tan Oral. We went and had a meal and had lots of catching up to do. I hadn’t seen them for 3 years. They are both extremely busy preparing for Exhibitions and Izel has been organising a European Day Of Jewish Culture for Sunday, to which I was invited.

27th August

There’s a day I wont forget in a hurry! I left Varna by coach at 10.30am - the only English speaking person on board. An hour into the trip along a winding country road, at speed, we had a tyre blow out (or ELASTICA BOOM!!.. as the Bulgarians kept telling me). The driver and some passengers helped to change the wheel - and indeed the ELASTICA had a huge 20 inch laceration going across it. There was a big round of applause for everyone, then we went on our merry way, through some very beautiful countryside I must add. Spent an hour at border control, were the cost of a pee suddenly increased tenfold! (For a hole in the ground and your 2 sheets of loo paper - but there is nowhere else to go so you just pay and pee anyway). Then on into Turkey we ventured. And then we had a very near miss at a junction with a Cement lorry. NOW I KNOW WHY I LIKE THE TRAINS!!!
Eventually turned up very late at Istanbuls International Bus Station. THE MOST INANE PLACE ON EARTH!!! It has to be the size of Heathrow. There are thousands of coaches, buses, taxis, traders, celebrations and parties, fireworks, beggars, passengers - people shouting, horns going. Complete chaos. I have never come across anywhere like it in my life. Due to it being very late and the size of the bus station I booked in at an on-site Hotel for the night.
Next morning caught the Metro into the centre of Istanbul to an area I know well called Takisim. Found some accommodation and some sanity!

Sue

Varna is a beautiful trendy seaside resort for trendy Bulgarians and prospective British holiday home buyers - as seen on channel 4 "A Place In The Sun". You see them every where. Varna is covered by the large 8km Primorski Park, the largest beach park in Europe. The sea is a lovely dark green with a black horizon, fed by the Med and the Danube along with other rivers. Up the centre of Varna is a large pedestrian boulevard with designer shops and cafes on either side. In the evening this is the place to walk and pose especially if you have a new baby. There are hundreds of cute designer Bulgarian babies on parade here! and all the 'beautiful people' come out... and the pensioners all line the Boulevard to watch.
The beach is lovely and clean and everyone really friendly. I spent most of my time just basking in the sun, apart from one visit to the Maratime Museum.

THINGS I LOVE
1. Heres one for the Ladies!!! .. THE BANANA SELLERS.. fit young men with 6 packs and tans .. selling bananas to the beach crowd. The equivilent for men would be Jordan selling melons! ( I havent bought any yet!)
2. Friendly stray dogs, tagged, well fed and loved by tourists and locals.
3. Sun , Sun, sun, blue skies and friendly locals
4. Cheap food drink and accomodation
5. and did I mention the banana sellers

THINGS I HATE;
1. Anyone over 60 wearing a THONG!
2. BEERBELLIES ... especially mine!
3. Smoking.. LARGE AMMMOUNTS even the dogs have a smokers cough here.
4. The fact I have got to move on tommorrow .. will be catching a bus to Istanbul

Sue

14th August

A really lovely train journey from Nis to Sofia, the scenery wonderful: sat next to an ancient old lady in black who chuntered on to me in Serbian for the whole way. She did a Paul Daniels and took out 2 china coffee cups out of her handbag and then poured me a cup of cold coffee from a bottle from the same bag! She was sooo sweet.
The Balkan Railways are very ancient but wonderful. The railway stations don’t always have a platform and you have to jump onto them from the track, quite an art with a backpack. The tracks are usually overgrown with weeds and the stations have ancient trusty old steam locomotives just standing around. On arrival at the station the train wheels are still checked by wheeltappers and any train maintenance is done on the platform. When you go to catch your train it has normally been sitting in the station for an hour, so it’s quite easy to find the train you need ... AND THEY RUN ON TIME. It’s got to be one of the best ways to see a country and meet people.

15th August

Arrived in Sofia, capital of Bulgaria. It’s a big cosmopolitan city, very modern and chic, a huge contrast to Serbia. I met up with Ivailo, a big strapping cartoonist with a beard and long hair (they do like their rock music out here!). Ivailo was the perfect gentle man and host. He took me to the newspaper office of DUMA, the leading political newspaper in Bulgaria. I was shown round office and introduced to other cartoonists and staff. We then went down to staff canteen for some food, beer and brandy. ( NOTE; in Bulgaria shaking heads means Yes and nodding means No. This could get a girl into a lot of trouble; and I think I had more drinks than planned!) The military correspondent of the newspaper asked me if I knew any British commandos! I had to disappoint him and say no; but my dad had been in the RAF. He then asked me if he was a Spitfire pilot! Had to disappoint him again and tell him he was an electrician. Then he asked me if I would do some cartoons for their newspaper. The afternoon continued with the 'socializing', we then caught a bus to another pub where the Cartoonists had rearranged their week to have their Cartoonists meeting on the night I was there, so I then met up with another crowd of cartoonists, including a very charming and talented lady cartoonist called Svetla Hristova. The cartoonists were a lively bunch and very generously gave me some cartoon books.

16th August

IIvailo and I met up again and he took me for a tour round Sofia. We visited St Alexander Nevsky Cathedral and the National Gallery. In the evening I joined him with some friends at a café.

17/8/05

I met up with Ivailo again. We visited another newspaper office where the newspaper boss gave me a gift box with a keying and lighter. I got more cartoon books and I gave them my cartoons for the newspaper. They then dropped me off at the Station and we said our goodbyes.
There were problems with the trains due to severe flooding so I eventually caught a bus to Plovdiv.

18th August

Stayed at cheap hotel painted throughout in orange! It HAS to be seen!
Walked around Plovdiv town centre and explored the Old Town.

20th August

Met up with Nik Arndauv and his lovely Daughter who acted as translator. Went down to the local newspaper and gave them an interview about the Toontrek Project. In the afternoon I did more exploring around the town
In the evening I was collected by Nik, his charming wife and daughter and lively son, Richie, and went into town for a meal at a restaurant followed by a walkabout.

21st August

Went out with Nik and family. Visited a Sports Complex, walked around a lake and had a drink. Lots of chatting and laughing, especially at my own published cartoons in the paper. In the afternoon I found a post office and posted the newspaper to my Dad.

22nd August

Caught a train down to Varna by the Black Sea. It’s a lovely place, sandy beaches, sun, cheap food and a lovely little hotel. Might slob here for a couple of days and work on my pasty body - Oh, it’s a hard life, this cartooning on the run!

Sue

12th August

As I have had limited access to the internet I haven’t been able to keep up to date with any emails, but I decided not to go into Romania due to travel advice about floods, and instead headed for a place called Nis (pronounced 'Neesh') in Serbia . The scenery is amazing! Staying in hotels due to the fact they are cheaper than hostels. So far I have been to the Istanbul fort and a Hamam Restaurant (an old Turkish bath converted to a lovely restaurant) and then to a place called Kulahora where there is a tower of skulls from the time the Turks decapitated the Serbs for the revolt to set an example. I also met a German and Serbian couple who where interested in archaeology and took me to an old roman palace. Then we drove 40km into the mountains to see a fantastic gorge. From there I caught the train to Sofia in Bulgaria and I’ll give more feed back when I arrive in Istanbul!
All the best.

Sue

Thought I'd keep you interested by posting a couple of Sue's toons whilst we wait for the next update. She is well but can't seem to find an internet-ready computer.

10th August

Got up early and went exploring down town. The shops are very quirky; the non-brand shops just sell a hotch potch of everything: I suppose due to the economy or maybe left over from communism. Belgrade has a nice old-fashioned feel about it. I found Kalemegdam, a lovely old fort ruin, surrounded by park and fountains and a display of tanks. There are several buildings in the town that have been left in their bombed state from the American bombing not so long ago. The country will take a long time to recover from this.

11th August

Met up with Branko Najhold in Zemun. I last met him at the Ayr Cartoon Festival in 2002. His only is he now has a beard but I recognized him straight away. We did a walking tour of Zemun and Branko was the Perfect Man for the job as he has written most of the books on the towns history. We then climbed a big flight of steps to the Millennium Tower, then over the hill to the loveliest part of the town where Branko lives. It has windy cobbled streets and little houses on the edge of the Danube. We went to his charming house where I met his partner, Bojana who was a delight. We went on to a fishermans café where I had Catfish Soup, Fried Fish and Potato Salad. It was delicious! We then went back to Brankos house where he showed me an impressive collection of archaeological artifacts, lovingly treasured and cared for by both of them. Branko also gave me a lovely book of cartoons from Zemun and the surrounding area. Zemun was a pleasant surprise, a little diamond of a place so near a big city, with a character all its own.

Sue

6th August

Met up with Marie Plotena and her group again today and had a lovely day. We caught a boat up the River Danube.... and it’s not blue! Beautiful trip, Austria on one side of the river and Slovakia on the other. The river is very deep and fast flowing and makes its way down to the Black Sea. We saw a couple big commercial boats on their way there. We then arrived at the lovely ruin of Devin Castle. It’s very old and has been occupied by Celts, Romans and Hungarians so has had a varied history. It’s high up o the hillside surrounded by woodland.
We arrived early evening back in town to watch some free classical music in one of the squares. There is a nice culture of free entertainment in the town squares. Then I came back to hostel.

7th August

Walked into town ... did some touristy things; museums etc and in the afternoon met up with Marie Plotena again and her cartoonist friend Olga Pazerini. We walked along the Danube and found a lovely cafe. Olga couldn’t speak any English but we still had a great laugh together. The joke about 2 monkeys in the bath went down a storm. Maria could not stop laughing. We then went up into the UFO Bridge tower and had a birds-eye view of Bratislava, then unfortunately had to say goodbye to Maria, but Olga and I went on to a cafe for a hot chocolate. We communicated entirely by cartooning ... it was great fun and we were in fits of laughter! We then said our goodbyes. I loved Bratislava

8th August

Traveled down to Budapest. It’s a pleasant enough train journey. Had a terrible job finding the hostel, just a brown door in a wall not sign posted. The Mafia owns most of the hostels and they make it very difficult for the independent hostels to advertise or be visible. I had picked an independent one. It was in fact really bad. Paint and tools everywhere. No Internet or luggage store. A homemade spiral staircase to a room with 3 bunks and mattresses on the floor, and some very rude Americans to add to the charm! One night was enough there. The next morning I booked out. I advised them to get at least 1 smoke alarm … It was a real deathtrap if ever there was a fire. Unfortunately due to a big music festival, it was difficult to book another hostel.

9th August

I walked a little around a local market and took a photo of the Danube then hopped on a train to Belgrade … Serbia. Wonderful train journey with a lovely Yugoslavian chap who kept me entertained for the journey. Arrived in Belgrade after 8pm and booked in at a cheap hotel - which was heaven compared to my last nights experience.

Sue

SLOVAKIA - BRATISLAVA (ex capital of Hungary)

3rd August

... Long but beautiful train ride down. Arrived late at my hostel and, due to a mix up, ended up sleeping in a dorm with 7 hairy blokes!! 2 Americans and 4 Geordies (wy ay man!!!!!). What a site for sore eyes first thing in the morning ... all sparked out in their bunks, their g-strings and y-fronts with their hangovers.. Good job I’m made of stern stuff!!

4th August

Next day I met up with Marie Plotena; a leading cartoonist from the Czech Republic. She’s here in Slovakia with a group called the International Ecumenical Fellowship. They are spending a week here and they welcomed me to join in their itinerary. We caught a coach to a town called Trnava. We visited an old Synagogue that’s now an art gallery, the town cathedral and had a general walk about. In the evening I had a meal Marie and friends and also attended a wonderful classical concert. Marie kindly gave me some of her Cartoons for Comic Relief, some cartoon books and a lovely broach.

5th August

Today I spent time in the Old Town. It’s very beautiful, a little like Prague but much more compact and calmer.
I visited another cathedral, and saw some flamenco dancers in the Square. It’s lovely here.

Sue

Beautiful train ride from Stuttgart to Prague, if not a bit basic and archaic.
I stayed at a lovely hostel 17 miles out of town on the river. I was looked after by old ladies.

1st August
Explored the streets of Prague; very beautiful and full of lovely old buildings. Went to see an impressive exhibition by a famous Art Nuevo artist called Alfonse Mucha. Wonderful statues all around. There was a great one of a splattered Superman in Wenceslas Square.

2nd August
Interesting Day!
Went to the Museum of Communism; a history of Soviet Occupation and the Velvet Revolution in 1989. Some interesting anti-American cartoons of the time. It all happened in Wenceslas Square - Riot Police, Tanks etc.
In the Afternoon I went out to Kutna Hora. Visited the Church of St Barbara, and the old mint, and my favourite - the Bone Church. Spooky and very eerie - decorated with Human Bones!
Arrived back at Wenceslas Square and, bizzarly, a demo was starting. People lighting candles, placards etc... I found out that only last week there was a techno party ... rave... there were 5000 kids and 1000 police with tanks and water canons turned up. 100 plus injured and one death .. the Czechs were protesting against the police brutality and were comparing it to 1989! I learnt much about Europe and history today.

Sue

30th July

GERMANY STUTTGART
Arrived Stuttgart around 11.08. Marlene Phole was there to great me with her Argentinean flag. Caught the metro to her flat - really nice - and studio and had a bite to eat, then Marlene had a very patient hour whilst I used her computer to send photos: not easy as computer has German instructions! (I have problems with the ENGLISH ONES!)

PM. Walked into town centre to see a St Christophers Day parade. Neither of us was quite sure what it was going to be ....... TURNED OUT TO BE A BIG GAY PRIDE FESTIVAL!!! A fantastic opportunity for photos. We were clicking away with our cameras with 6 ft spangly transvestites all over the place in mardi-gras costumes all clamouring to have their photos taken. Some great ideas for cartoons! Observed - there is no such thing as a short tranny. They all tower over 6ft!
Marlene also got busy sketching: she is a wonderful cartoonist and draws from every day people, who she then puts into her cartoons. Marlene made me so welcome and even organised A PACKED LUNCH FOR THE TRAIN TO PRAGUE ... Which took 9 hours (journey time, that is!). Very beautiful through forests and hills on A RICKETY OLD TRAIN THAT WAS OLDER THAN ME!

Sue

28th July

9:55 am. Caught the Brussels train from Paris, arrived at 11.30 am at Midi Station. Went to book my reservation to Stuttgart and got chatting to a very charming elderly gentleman called George.

He insisted on showing me where the town centre was and gallantly led the way! We wound our way through lots of little back streets ‘til we eventually arrived at the Main Square. We then went for a pint of beer and some cheese. The beer came in a jug and was like no other beer that I have tasted - a little like lemony cider - it was very refreshing. There goes my no-alcohol pledge, but I couldn’t offend him. He was then the perfect gentleman and walked me up to the hostel and also showed me where the Cartoon Museum was. We parted with a peck on the cheek, swapped addresses and I gave him a Toontrek pen, which he kissed and put in his pocket. What a lad. If only he were 60 years younger!!!

Brussels has a completely different feel to Paris; a lot calmer, cobbled streets everywhere and big gothic squares. There is a large Tunisian and African population with many of them begging on the streets.

I got some sad news from Bob Vinke. He said he would not be able to meet me as he’s had bereavement. Hopefully I’ll be able to catch up with him in St. Just later on so I explored on my own.

In the evening I walked up to the main square where there was a concert going on. Brazilian music I think.

29th July

I got up early and went on a cartoon trail round streets. You get a map and walk round the town experiencing the Cartoon logos painted on the walls around the town.
In the afternoon I spent hours at the Museum of Comic Strip Art. Managed to get in free with my FACO press card! Artwork and displays of course by Hergé’s
Tin Tin, The Smurfs, Felix the Cat, Baba Papa and many originals by well-known Belgian strip cartoonists. Brussels is definitely Cartoon Capital of the World!
In the evening I walked up to the Square again and got caught in a massive Thunder Storm. Got drenched right through to my undies!

Had a fairly early night as the train for Stuttgart leaves at 6:30 in the morning!

Sue

26th July

Walked and Metro’d around Paris all day… Gawd - my feet are killing me. I tried to go to the Louvre but, can you believe it? Closed on Tuesdays! So went everywhere else instead.

Wise words from a 'wiser' woman!
1. Drink plenty of H20
2.When lost ask a tourist for directions... these French rascals have a naughty habit of sending you in the wrong direction for a joke! ... happened to mio twice. They are still getting their own back for Trafalgar
3.If you want to lose weigh fast spend an hour on the Metro getting lost ... eventually rescued by some Americans.
4 walking long distances .. expect chaffed thighs (maybe if I lose some more weight this problem might solve itself) I have been applying a herbal cream which has turned them Green. Not very sexy!!!
5 when testing out your CSE French language skills on a French person ... expect a long answer that you cant understand at all... just nod and thank gratefully then slink sheepishly away

HEY!! Walked up to the naughty MOULIN ROUGE .. lots of sex shops and peep shows... I had nothing I could offer, what with ' CHAFFED THIGHS AND BLISTERS!
- I TRIED TO PLUCK UP COURAGE TO VISIT a sex museum.. but chickened out..(maybe tomorrow!) Also visited TRADITIONAL COCKNEY Bar for a Guinness, everyone there was French and no one spoke English!
Also saw a very weird sight ... some Evangelical Christians were singing and dancing.. ave. age about 14 yrs old.. Suddenly riot police turned up with about 10 police cars to disperse them with batons.. All finished peace fully but very strange!

27th July
I have been staying at Le Village Hostel. Very arty and full of Aussies, Americans and Italians. My favourite are the Aussies - very friendly and chatty so it doesn’t take long to get to know people. Haven’t met a single Brit yet!

Walked up to the MOULIN ROUGE area again - went into a sex museum - what a brilliant place! With a huge collection of high quality rude cartoons (amongst other things). Then walked up to the Montmatre Cemetery - very gothic and spooky - great place for photography.
In the afternoon met up with Richard Erikson. He is a cartoonist and also runs a website on Paris called The Metropole. We walked up to Le Plage, a length of road alongside the Seine which has been closed off and made into a beach! It has sand, swimming pools, musicians and dancers. A lovely place and all free!

Sue

Arrived at Le Village Hostel Monmarte, PARIS ... really lovely ,oodesigned by an artist , so very Arty decor. Lovely room with a roof patio that looks accross to the Sacre Coere Cathedral. ... AND I am sharing the room with an American man... what would my mother say!!!!! - seems really nice though not my type! - Been up to the Cathedral twice , afternoon and when its dark ... you can see the whole of Paris from there, Inside the building its full of burning candles and great statues of the Saints .. very impressive!

Sues journey has started! She arrived in Dublin on Friday accompanied by her daughter and spent some time sampling some Irish hospitality. They were joined by Sues mother on the Saturday and on Sunday met up with Rachel Fallon (Cartoonist). Rachel showed them all some more of Dublin which they all seemed to enjoy.

Hello all.
Let me introduce myself. I'm another Ian but to save confusion I'll go under the title of Rentman - coz that is what my family name sort of means!
I work with Sue at Blandford Hospital and she has asked me to disseminate her postings whilst on her trek. Also where appropriate I'll be posting toons she sends.
Sue has given me one to post - a self portrait - and she tells me the joke actually happened to her. Poor girl. Her Trek starts this week.
Watch this space.

This month has been HECTIC!!!! So far.... have arranged Travel Insurance ; Booked Hostels up to Belgium ; booked Currency and Travellers Cheques; sorted Eurorail Tickets ; been Vaccinated for everything ; Arranged Mobile Phone cover; Sorted my daughter out for travelling ( shes joining me for 2 weeks from Istanbul onwards!) ; have been e-mailing Contacts Abroad franticly.... and also ruunning a full time job and squeazing in a very enjoyable weekend in at Hastings for Cartoon South. - it will be great to get going on the trip just for the rest!
.... also been getting accustomed to the blog - not at my best with these technical things.. but my blog and I should be good friends by October!

Sue Burleigh is a Staff Nurse at Blandford Hospital, Dorset, UK and also works part time as a cartoonist.
Some of her past work includes The Stour Valley News and Western Gazette.

Sue has worked on various freelance projects including educational projects for the NHS. She is a long standing member of the Cartoonists Club of Great Britain and is also a member of the Federation of Cartoonist's Organisations (FECO), an International Cartoon Body.

Sue's other passions include Landrover's and Travelling.

Sue will be residing at Hostels; the odd studio or two, and on a few Cartoonists sofas as well!

She will also be doing a bit of site seeing, and tracking down as many Cartoons and Exhibitions along the way as she can...
so there should be plenty to report back.

The TOONTREK route will start in Dublin on 22nd of July and will go on to PARIS ->BRUSSELS ->LUXEMBUORG ->GERMANY ->CZECH REP
-> SLOVAKIA -> HUNGARY ->YUGOSLAVIA ->ROMANIA ->BULGARIA
->TURKEY ->IRAN ->EGYPT ->ITALY ->SPAIN ->FRANCE (St Just)

...and then home!

Along the way Sue will be reporting back adventures with this TOONTREK DIARY.

They're Bendy!
They're 20cm across!
They're made of Real (sort of foamy) Rubber!
They're Yellow, like Cheese, so your mouse will love you forever if you buy it one!
If you throw them at a window they stick! (well, most of the time and it depends how clean your windows are!)

They're only £1.50 - and that includes the postage!

Go on, you know you want one - and all the money goes towards ToonTrek.

Just send a Cheque or Postal Order, made out to: S. Burleigh and addressed to:
ToonTrek,
C/O Andy Fryer,
20 ARRAS BOUV'D,
HAMPTON MAGNA,
WARWICK,
CV258TY