ROAD TRIP
Salaam, which she says “was full of the most wonderful expats, who for three weeks wined and dined me, and flew me to Zanzibar and the disappearing islands”. Another standout was Lalibela in Ethiopia, where a group of professors took her under their wing, showing her what can be done through dedication and hard work. She had 10 travelling companions
joining her at various stages throughout her trip. “My son-in-law, who spent Christmas and New Year with me and got me out of a very tricky situation, is the one who stands out.”
THE FINAL LEG:
communication is universal. Like when I slept in a cafeteria with seven Egyptians over New Year. We didn’t speak much, but we said a great deal. All we did was smile at each other, but we knew what each other meant.” Another highlight was in Tanzania, when she met two brothers and their old car, Matilda. “They were 73 and 74 years old and they’d returned to climb Kilimanjaro 50 years to the day since they’d last been there, for old times’ sake.” Julia’s favourite places include Dar es
GREECE TO THE UK Tracy travelled ahead of her owner to Greece, where she waited in customs until Julia’s arrival in April. From there, the pair – along with their travel
companions – traversed Greece, Croatia, Germany, Holland and finally London. The highlight of the European leg
was travelling around Croatia with Dan Putar, whom she befriended on the shores of Lake Naivasha, Kenya. He was so taken with Julia that he flew to Greece to show her his homeland. “I also met the most wonderful people following me on my blog and Facebook, who invited me to stay with them,” she says. Julia spent her 81st
birthday (and Tracy’s 21st) in London with a good
friend. She’d hoped that tea with the Queen would be on the cards, but
unfortunately this wasn’t to be, despite numerous written requests. “Because of the nature of the trip and not knowing enough in advance, these things take a lot of time to organise, and she’s very busy at this time of year.” Having travelled through 11 African and nine European countries, Julia’s now on the return leg. “I’m going to follow the same route and revisit all my friends along the way. This time my grandchildren will each join me for a leg. I can’t wait to get on the road again!” Her advice to anyone who’s
inspired by her journey? “Go with no hesitations!”
FOR A GOOD CAUSE Julia’s done this trip to promote literacy and education. “Until the age of 18, I was dyslexic and couldn’t read a book, so literacy’s close to my
heart,” she says. She distributed books and offered reading lessons to children along the way, helping to raise awareness of the Shine Literacy organisation in Cape Town. On the European leg of her trip, she collected toys and books, generously donated by old and new friends, which she’ll be dispersing at orphanages on her route home.
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