Done and Dusted

All good things come to an end and so it is for our 2023 European holiday.

On our last day here in Singapore the morning was used to pack the suitcases for the last time and thankfully they were big enough and the total weight was under the generous allowance given us by Singapore Airlines.

Late morning we took the metro to visit Haw Par Villa a unique park in south west Singapore and which contains over 1000 statues depicting scenes from Chinese mythology and folklore.

The park was built many year ago by Aw Boon Haw, the person who invented Tiger Balm - he built a villa for his brother Aw Boon Par in around the 1930-40s hence the name.

After an hour or so there we returned to the city and spent the remainder of the afternoon walking through a couple of malls.

An early meal, followed by a quick (he drove at pace) taxi to the airport allowed us to get rid of the suitcases and as I write this last post we are spending our last hour or two before boarding in the lounge.

We are done, it is done.

Kms walked 757.4

Penultimate Day

Our last but one day of our holiday today.

Mid morning we went out into the area around the hotel for a walk and ended up in one of the numerous malls in this part of the city and though we thought shopping had been finished the temptation was too much and a couple more items were added to the baggage.

In the area was one of Dean Brettschneider’s outlets. Dean is the kiwi boy from Rangiora who is now regarded as one of the world’s best bakers with outlets in Shanghai, California, France as well as this outlet in Singapore.

We thought he was worth a try for lunch so I had a steak pie and Sherry a salmon filled bagel but both of us were disappointed as neither stood out as a must have.

After lunch we took the metro to Harbour Front which allowed us to access the Mount Faber and Sentosa cable cars. From Harbour Front the car went first to Mount Faber station and then to Sentosa station. At Sentosa we transferred to the Sentosa line accessing it at Imbiah Lookout station and then travelling to Siloso station, Merlion station before returning to Imbiah and back to Harbour Front via Sentosa.

At each station you could get out a have a walk around but the best views were from the cable cars as they move from station to station

Leaving Harbour Front we then took the metro back to Bayfront and walked the mall a little more before having our dinner at the food court.

The metro back to City Hall delivered us back to our room at the Carlton Hotel.

Another enjoyable day.

Kms walked to date 750.1

Comparisons

The comparisons between Italy and Singapore are quite stark.

* Singaporeans seem still to have a fear of COVID if the number of people wearing masks is any indication whereas in Italy a mask was a rarity 

* Here the city is, as one would expect, almost spotlessly clean compared to Italy where streets are dirty, almost filthy

* The folk of Singapore are orderly in comparison to the Italians who are shall we say, less so

* I’m told that the quality of the shopping in Singapore is much superior to that in Italy

* As we were told by a Chinese couple from Shanghai who sat next to us in a food court, Singapore is very safe but Italy is not.

Sleep came easy last night and rather than waking at between 4.30 & 6.00 am as was the norm in Europe it was 9.00 before I stirred (Sherry was an hour or two earlier). After a hotel breakfast we took the metro and went to an impressive mall under/in Marina Sands.

As you entered from the metro there was a waterway in the centre of that area of the mall and folk were able to have a sanpan ride (at a cost).

The mall was over 3 levels and had every shop imaginable most leaning to the higher end of the market. The food court was an absolute mass of people enjoying predominantly Asian food and given the price in non food court outlets it was no wonder it was crowded - a meal here around $SGD12 whereas in a non food court around $SGD25 plus 10% service charge plus 8% GST.

There was also a digital light area where you (mainly children) could draw a picture, have it scanned and then beamed onto the floor so they could interact with it, then have their picture put on a carry bag or t-shirt.

Back on the metro and in short order we alighted at Orchard Rd and once again took in the shear scale of this glamorous shopping strip.

After a little shop ourselves it was back on the metro to City Hall and into Raffles City mall where we finished off (I hope) our shopping for the trip.

Later we went out to the restaurants in the Muslim area which has an exceptionally nice atmosphere and found a nice Turkish meal to finish off our day.

Spot the creature!

Today we had 3 trips on the metro for the total sum $SGD3.17 (approximately $NZD4)

Kms walked to date 739.8

Singapore

Arrived in Singapore at 5.50am, promptly through Customs and into a taxi and arrived at hotel at around 6.30am well before the city had awoken.

We hoped that like an earlier trip we would have access immediately to our room but the checkin receptionist was adamant that room wouldn’t be available until 3pm, so the challenge was what to do for 8.5 hours while absolutely dead tired as sleep didn’t come to either of us on the flight so by this time we had been awake for 30 hours.

Spent some time in the hotel foyer and as the sun came up we went for a walk to the Muslim area where there were some delightfully decorated shops and restaurants 

We then thought we would find the salon where Sherry got her hair trimmed on a previous trip but rather than find it we got horribly lost and as we tried to work out where we were the heavens opened. We were under the canopy of a multi storey building sheltering when a taxi dropped off someone so we took that taxi back to the hotel- as Sherry said it was the best fiver spent during the holiday!

Stayed in the foyer until the rain had almost passed and then walked across to the Raffles City mall for lunch (geez Singapore seems to be expensive) and then with bearings realigned found the salon to make an appointment and as they had capacity Sherry had her trim on the spot.

Back to the hotel to see if the room was now available (by now 1.30) and were pleased that we had been upgraded to a premium room and could have immediate access.

After unpacking I had a lie down while Sherry went back to Raffles City and later we went for an early evening meal so we could hit the bed before the sun set!

Kms driven 5423 (estimate before trip 5200)

Kms walked to date 727.0

Spent on Diesel €340.53 (estimate before trip €479)

Highest price paid for diesel €1.84/L Matera

Lowest price paid for diesel €1.479/L Freiburg

Spent on tolls €118.40 (estimate before trip €103.00)

Heading south

Up with sparrows this morning and packed up to get to the airport to start the trip home but not before we found that the kettle in the apartment had for some unknown reason sucked the kūmara while resting overnight.

As luck would have it we had a kettle of our own so not only were we able to have a brew but we were able to find a new home for ours.

The drive to the airport and return of the car was uneventful with the low fuel light coming on around 5kms from the car return site which suggests we had not overspent on the diesel!

The car folk drove us back to Terminal 3 and it wasn’t too long before we had checked in our bags and were in the lounge to get morning tea, the selection in the lounge being very poor.

With some time to kill we had a walk around the retail and duty free outlets, not unsurprisingly there were most, if not all, of the high end Italian fashion outlets available e.g. Hermes, D&G, Prada and this made me wonder with the majority of flyers being “ordinary” or not necessarily high worth individuals how successful their businesses are in these high cost locations.

Our plane ✈️ left on time and as I post this blog we are 6 hours into our 12 hour flight.

Not tooting my own horn but quite pleased with how our estimates for diesel, tolls and mileage actually worked out and the kilometres driven would have been even closer had it not been for that afternoon in the Black Forest two months or so ago where we spent quite a few hours driving around in circles 🚘🚘

We have commented negatively quite a few times on the Italian personality, particularly when behind the wheel, but we have spoken to quite a few who have either been very helpful or very engaging none more so than the waiter in the restaurant we went to last night.

He, we didn’t get to exchange names, served us when we went there on our first night in Rome (I referred to him in an earlier blog as a comedian) and in that visit he took an interest in where we were from, how long we would be in Rome etc.

When we walked in the door last night he thanked us for returning to the restaurant on our last day (good memory) and after we had dined he spent sometime chatting to us & also commented on NZ (good memory).

He had been a waiter all his working life, he now is 60, he works from noon to midnight, rides to and from work on a scooter (“I go slow as everyone else is on the run”), sleeps from around 2am for about 3-4 hours and then starts his new day - he told us on our first visit he was at the restaurant every day other than Christmas Day but on reflection he may have meant the restaurant was open those days.

When we were speaking about family we asked whether he and his wife, who though not working now due to sickness was also a waitress, had any children and his delightful reply was “No, they didn’t want us”.

As we left he was taking orders from a table on the terrace but he didn’t hesitate to excuse himself from them and come across to us, thank us for coming, wishing us a safe trip home and we departed with a handshake - a delightful individual, one of many who made our holiday that much more enjoyable.

Kms driven 5423 (estimate before trip 5200)

Kms walked to date 719.1

Spent on Diesel €340.53 (estimate before trip €479)

Highest price paid for diesel €1.84/L Matera

Lowest price paid for diesel €1.479/L Freiburg

Spent on tolls €118.40 (estimate before trip €103.00)

Via Appia Antica

On our last day in Rome we chose to get a little out of town and find the Appian Way.

This road which was regarded as Europe’s first super highway was built in 312BC and connected Rome with Capua in the Provence of  Caserta and initially was used to move military troops.

To get there we caught a train from Roma San Pietro station and changed to the Metro at Valle Aurelia and got off at Colli Albani to walk the 750m to the start of the road - well that is what Google Maps said,  but after walking and walking for a couple of kilometres the only street we saw was the one we were walking on.

We got to an area where there was a mineral water bottling plant, Egeria, where folk were driving in with crates of empty bottles and filling them up

Even the bird enjoyed being sprayed with water 

By now we had tongues hanging out so stopped there and brought a couple of bottles to sustain ourselves and asked a gentleman how to find the Appian Way. He kindly gave us instructions and suggested we were about a 15 minute walk away, so we set off again.

Sure enough we finally got to it but by now it was lunchtime so we gladly sat down at a very rustic cafe to have a bite

Replenished we then set off along this cobblestone road (not easy walking) back in the direction of Colli Albani (or so we thought)

On the route there are various catacombs and we planned to visit one. We arrived at the first but chose to pass that one by 

So continued onto the next

and went to buy tickets but you can only enter with a guide and the next English tour was not for another hour so with another only 500 metres down the road we set off again but when we got there this one was closed for a siesta break so in the end we didn’t get to enter any catacomb.

Off we trundled to get to the metro at Colli Albini but after some further walking one started to get the feeling that the metro was some distance away as the built up area to both sides of the Appian Way were well away in the distance so when we came to a bike rental outlet the sensible thing was to ask where (t… f…) were we.

The metro we came on was the red line but we were advised that to get there we would need to get a bus, however the blue line was a 30 minute walk away so off we went again to get to Garbatella station, catch the metro which seem to run around every 7-9 minutes and after changing to the red line at Termini got back to the Vatican area and finally into the air conditioned apartment.

We can now tick off walking on Italy’s 2300 year old super highway and it was also nice to get away from the crowds and out into the country even if it was a 38 degree day.

As we reflect on our stay in Rome we think we can safely say that we have seen most of what it has to offer tourists.

We fly out of Rome at midday tomorrow (10pm Monday NZT) and arrive in Singapore 10am Tuesday NZT for a 3 day stopover before flying out close to midnight Friday night getting to Auckland just after midday on Saturday.

Kms driven to date 5389

Kms walked to date 713.2

Spent on Diesel €340.53 (estimate before trip €479)

Highest price paid for diesel €1.84/L Matera

Lowest price paid for diesel €1.479/L Freiburg

Spent on tolls €118.40 (estimate before trip €103.00)

The Eternal City…

….remains eternally hot and a couple of oldies were starting to feel it today but nevertheless we mapped a different area of Rome to walk to today.

It didn’t take long after we started to realise that I had left my cap in the apartment but there was no turning back as there are many souvenir shops selling them. We stopped at the first, a street vendor just outside the square and I asked how much was he selling the caps for.

The exchange went something like

€20

Thanks and we start to walk away 

€15 as we were a few steps away

€10 he called after us but we kept walking 

Around the corner was a shop selling caps for €7.90 and it was they who got our custom!

After stopping for lunch at a restaurant just off Piazza del Popolo we then headed for Villa Borghese which in tourist guides is touted as one of the best parks in Rome and while it was “nice” it was nothing startling and didn’t draw us in for a long stay, though it gave a great view of Piazza Del Popolo and also in the distance the Basilica 

The Basilica is the nipple sitting centre on the skyline

 

and this is her in close up

Some shots of the park

We left the park through Piazzale Brasile 

 

 and went down via Vittorio Veneto which housed some of the city’s grander hotels as well as the US Embassy

And in time (but no longer in step) we reached Piazza Della Repubblica which was the area we stayed in, in 2011 but the area lacked the atmosphere that we thought it did on that visit - memory is obviously deteriorating!

As we could see the Monument to Victor Emmanuel II in the distance we decided that rather than take public transport to get us home we would walk down to the monument and follow the route we had followed yesterday to home. At times on the way we did query why we had chosen to do so as the limbs were very weary but keeping as much as possible in the shade we took our time to get home, with the pedometer for the trip clicking over the 700km mark!

One full day in Europe remains.

Kms driven to date 5389

Kms walked to date 702.5

Spent on Diesel €340.53 (estimate before trip €479)

Highest price paid to date for diesel €1.84/L Matera

Lowest price paid to date for diesel €1.479/L Freiburg

Spent on tolls €118.40 (estimate before trip €103.00)

A day in Ancient Rome

The hot weather continues as does our walking tour of Rome.

Today after leaving the apartment we passed by the Vatican and walked through the tunnel at the end of Porta Cavelleggeri towards the Tiber and then down to the Trastevere area.

Trastevere is written up as a chic, arty place to visit but from our perspective it was anything but unless the write up was referring to all the graffiti on every building, well almost every building 

We crossed the river at Ponte Sisto and continued alongside the river to Bocca Della Verità

 After lunch in an air conditioned restaurant (air conditioning was a specific criteria in choosing a place for pranzo) we then continued along via Del Cerchi with the Palatino on our left

and Circo Massimo on our right 

It was then onto Colosseo

and the Roman Forum

The area from Bocca Della Verità to the Foro Romano is a total immersion in Old Rome with for example the Colosseum dating from 72AD.

Continuing back towards the Vatican we passed what we regard as the most impressive of the “more modern”buildings in Rome, Monumento a Vittorio Emmanuel II, construction of which started in 1855 to celebrate the unification of Italy that year

 A slowish trudge back through St Peter’s Square and a stop at a McDonalds to get us out of the heat got us back to the apartment and finished off a 2 day walking tour of most of the significant monuments in Rome, a very good refresh of our memory of them from our previous trip to Rome 12 years ago.

There was however one we still had to visit and that was the Basilica of St Peter’s which required good timing to avoid the queues so around 6pm tonight we went back down and got in the queue hoping we would make the cutoff at 7pm.

The queue moved reasonably fast and we were inside the Basilica in around 20 minutes, so our timing (at Sherry’s suggestion it must be recorded) was very good.

Putting to one side religion and extravagance this cathedral is simply outstanding and gives off the wow factor with a capital W. It’s internal size is difficult to gauge but I suggest Eden Park would comfortably fit in.

As we left I played Pope and took a photo of what he must see as he stands on the balcony

and also of a couple of Swiss Guards

There is also a bronze statue in the square, which was not there at our previous visit, depicting migrants and refugees moving across the world. It was installed in 2019, the first new statue to be installed in the square in the last 400 years!

A perfect ending to our day.

As I said after our first visit, Rome is the greatest outdoor museum in the world.

Kms driven to date 5389

Kms walked to date 691.3

Spent on Diesel €340.53 (estimate before trip €479)

Highest price paid to date for diesel €1.84/L Matera

Lowest price paid to date for diesel €1.479/L Freiburg

Spent on tolls €118.40 (estimate before trip €103.00)