IN STRANGE LANDS

Dominion, Volume 25, Issue 293, 6 September 1932, Page 4

IN STRANGE LANDS

New Zealand Girl’s Flight ENGLAND TO KENYA Vivid Account of Journey Some of the fascinating sights she saw on a pleasure flight from England to Kenya in October last are described interestingly by Miss Aline Barton, a New Zealand girl, who was trained at the Masterton Aerodrome, In a letter to relatives in the Wairarapa. Miss Barton, who had been given a Gipsy Moth of her own, became tired of flying round English aerodromes, and decided to investigate “the skyline where the strange roads go down.” She found a willing passenger, a surveyor by profession, who proved a considerable help in locating aerodromes and new land. Farewelled by a large number of friends, Miss Barton flew from Heston to Cologne the first day. Here she was held up for three days because the Germans demanded her certificate of airworthiness'. Her next stop was Nurcnburg, a fascinating medieval place with alluring fairy-tale houses and nn old castle perched on a rise overlooking the town. Night in the Mountains. The next day. the pfirty left Nurenberg and flew down the Danube and lunched at Vienna. In the evening they dined in Budapest, arriving there just as it was getting dark. Budapest was most attractive. Belgrade they found rather dull aud set off for Sofia, 200 miles distant. Losing their way, they landed, at dusk, in a valley 1000 feet up among the mountains. Peasants came buzzing up like flies. By the time fresh petrol supplies had been brought up It was too late to go on, and it was decided to spend the night in. the plane. Two civilian guards kept watch over the machine. It was a lovely moonlight night, but there was a bitterly cold wind blowing off the snow-covered mountains. At sunrise the party made preparations to fly off, but were kept hanging about with all the good weather going, waiting for some official to arrive from heaven knows where to give permission to continue the journey. Eventually they go away at 10.30 a.m., landing at Sofia half-an-hour 'before heavy rain set in. Precious and Lovely Jewels. Next day they reached Constantinople. Some of the country between Sofia, tho Turkish-Bulgarian frontier, and Adrianople, was very beautiful. On Saturday they visited St. Sofia, ’a huge mosque with the third largest unsupported dome in tho world. Its enormous floor was covered with small squares of prayer rugs on which the Turks kneel facing Mecca when praying. The Palace was a wonderful sight. In the treasury, which is insured for £200,000.000, was to be seen the largest emerald in the world. It just looked like a great green bead, as it was uncut and had a string suspended through it. Miss Barton also saw a Persian throne studded with pearls, rubies, and emeralds worth seven millions, and another one of beaten gold also studded with masses of emeralds. There were some marvellous prayer rugs embroidered all over with jewelled handles, and ■ inlaid with jade, ivory, and tortoiseshell. The market they found a ■most amazing place. Here, in four square- miles of underground shops packed together and lit by electricity, almost anything in the world could be bought. Tombs of the Dead. Flying on, the adventurers had a most marvellous view of the Bosphorus, the Golden Horn, and tho .Sea of Marmora. It was fearfully cold on the journey from Constantinople to Eskirhikr, a Turkish military aerodrome in Asia Minor. Snow was on the mountains, and the wind was bitter. Miss Barton feared she would die of frostbite. Passing over desert of most wonderful colours and villages dotted with strange domed roofs, the party felt at Aleppo that they were truly in the East. Damascus, reckoned to be the oldest city in tire world to-day, was very fascinating, and amazingly clean. From the air the view of it was charm-ing-—a huge oasis of olive groves and orchards with great moutnains in the west and desert stretching away in the east. While at Cairo Miss Barton saw the Great Pyramid, Inside of which she had to stoop while walking along low tunnels and a slippery ledge. It all seemed rather terrifying, as one felt completely shut away in this tomb of the dead, from sun, air, and all living things. From Cairo they flew to Luxor and saw its temple with its lovely pillars of Papyrus carved capitals. Passing over the Valley of the Kings they saw the entrances to the tombs. Equally fascinating was the rest of the country visited on the way to Nairobi, their destination, and the objective of their thrilling and interesting trip. .