See You in Omonia

A nostalgic travel memoir of the adventures of two young, almost penniless, Scots who decided to fulfil their ambitions by hitchhiking their way across Europe in 1969. Step back to a time long gone when a courthouse encounter in Hawick launched a friendship that was to blossom with the help of an East London flat and an occasional flirtation with pints of warm bitter, one of which triggered a trip that lingers in the memory more than forty years on. Meet the multitude of characters who dipped in and out of the lives of the Borderers as they made their way to the warm sunshine of Crete. French, Belgian, German, Swiss, Italian and Greek ... all characters generous to a tee who left an indelible message that people are the same whatever their creed, colour or language. From an impromptu thunderstorm-enforced beer tent party in the Rhine valley and a frightening encounter in a late night beer keller to the warmth and friendliness of a young Swiss woman, the trail winds its way into the Alps. A summer snowstorm almost buried the duo who ended up in sun-drenched Milan that same day, still dressed as if for the Arctic. A night time spent next to a motorway in the city heralded a hairy trip to Florence and a lunchtime introduction to Chianti. A Communist councillor with a dodgy command of English; an amazing car ride conversation that consisted of the names of footballers; a first view of beautiful Taranto; and a bowl of spaghetti to die for following a wonderful weekend as guests of a honeymooning couple at the tiny seaside town of Vieste, left lingering lovely memories of Italy. Onward to Greece, a country still under the control of the military, a fact that generated a plethora of scary rumours about the fate awaiting long-haired hitchhikers, all of which turned out to be unfounded. A beautiful country which introduced the pleasures of family life in the Mediterranean; the ups and downs of sleeping on a hotel roof in the ancient capital of Athens; a chance encounter and short friendship with a wealthy Ethiopian who moved easily in the areas frequented by the city's elite and had no problem in taking hippies along, even to a rooftop restaurant said to be favoured by the great and good of the world; chocolate milk and souvlakis; and the ferry to Crete. The hippy cave colony of Matala awaited along with an evening of the huge yacht of a Greek millionaire; contrast that with the gun-toting farmer who didn't take kindly to people helping themselves to his pomegranates before a final split by the pair and a return trip to London via the Magic Bus. All will doubtless strike a chord with free spirits from a time when life was much less intense and the confidence of youth was paramount. See You In Omonia reflects a character-forming episode in the lives of author Doug Archibald and his long time friend Fred Landels.
About the Author: Award-winning journalist Doug Archibald was born on the 4th June 1947 at Teviotbank, a small estate on the opposite side of the River Teviot to Denholm, a village five miles east of Hawick in Border Reiver territory. His formative years were spent at Hawick High School where he says his education was skewed slightly by the arrival of the Rolling Stones. He was taught rugby by Bill McLaren and ended up with six O levels, four Highers and a job as a cub reporter at the Hawick News. In 1964 he moved to London where he landed a job as sports editor on a weekly paper in Wanstead. Doug then worked on newsdesks in Fleet Street, Stratford, Hackney and Spalding, before returning to south-west Scotland in 1975 where he still lives. Doug loves rugby and Scottish History. He is vice-chairman of The Bruce Trust and the proud grandfather of four.