2025 - Switzerland - Italy

Sun-Mon 12-13 Oct 25: Singapore to Melbourne to Home Our last day abroad was a long one. After finally getting some sleep last night we had another late breakfast, before going for a walk along the Singapore River to the Merlion and back along the other side. With checkout at 12:00pm and our flight at 8:15pm, we had plenty of time to kill, time that was taken up with another walk and sitting around some more. We eventually caught a taxi to the airport at 3:30pm, and less than 45 minutes later we were sitting in the Qantas lounge waiting yet again. Although we booked our flights through Emirates, the last 2 legs of our trip from Singapore to Melbourne then to home in Canberra were (disappointingly) with Qantas, and as we soon discovered Emirate and Qantas standards (food and service) are poles apart. Even based on previous experience flying with Qantas, the standards have fallen dramatically. Nevertheless, the 7h20m flight to Melbourne was smooth, comfortable and on time, sadly sleeples...

Sat 11 Oct 25: Singapore Time zone adjustment and medication is seriously messing with my sleep - but I managed to get through the day with almost no sleep and no napping. Noel is well and truly on the mend, and I am also picking up - i just need more sleep. We went down for another late breakfast, then I took Noel out to Orchard Road for a day of Retail Therapy. The first few department stores we visited were way above our target price range (Tiffany &Co, Prada, Burbery, Cartier and Armani to name a few), but we eventually stumbled across one that satisfied both our interests. For me it  included a sports store with a fantastic range of cycle gear, bike accessories and fold-up bikes. At 2:00pm, feeling a bit peckish, I introduced Noel to dining at a Singaporean Food Court - just how I remember them, a good variety of simple but tasty asian foods at a budget price and delicious. Singapore has become very expensive in every aspect, but it was nice to stumble across this small fo...

Fri 10 Oct 25: Singapore Due to our body clocks being put of sorts and keeping each other awake coughing all night, we got very little sleep. We managed to doze off and get some sleep early in the morning, then eventually pushed ourselves out for a late breakfast at 08:30am. After breakfast, I grabbed a backpack then we caught a taxi out to the Singapore Zoo for the day, This was my third time visiting and Noeleene's first, and we both enjoyed it, me as much as times before. We wandered (slowly) around the Zoo for about 4hrs before deciding we'd had enough, then returned to the hotel. It was about 31 Degrees and overcast, but thankfully not too humid or demanding. On return to Clarke Quay, we sat for a while in Starbucks (note GW Green Tea for me...), then headed to a pharmacy to top up with some cough medicine and other medication. While we were out, we found a small restaurant for a light dinner before before returning to our room for an early night - hopefully with a better ...

Thu 9 Oct 25: Dubai (Transit) to Singapore We left Dubai and arrived in Singapore on schedule. With customs and Immigration processing very fast and efficient we were quickly hurtling down the highway in another black Mercedes to our hotel for the 3 nights. The Paradox Singapore Merchant Court at Clark Quay our choice, is a massive hotel, and conveniently located. We checked in to our rooms, then shortly after at 5:30pm, we went out to stretch our legs with a walk through Clarke Quay and along the Riverside Walk, and some nearby backstreets. We had a bite to eat at Clarke Quay, then returned to our room for an early night and to catch up on some sleep. A380 from Dubai - how these things get off the ground is beyond me.  Walk along Clarke Quay on a not too hot - not too humid afternoon. Very pleasant Walk along Clarke Quay - Nice to be away from the noise, pollution and crowds in Rome  Walk through Clarke Quay Afternoon Walk Marina Bay Sands from the Riverwalk  The Riverwa...

Wed 8 Oct 25: Rome to Dubai (Transit to Singapore) What a horrible night - time for me to see a doctor for a script to get some antibiotics. At 9:00am I sent a request for a doctors video consultation via 'Doctorsinitaly' and 15 minutes later, after selecting one of six doctors available, I was on a video call with doctor Polidoro. 20 minutes later after being assessed, I had received a script by email and bought medication from a pharmacy across the road. Unbelievable service and only  € 35 euro for the Dr consultation and  € 34 euro at the chemist. We packed up and checked out of the hotel at 11:00am, met by our Emirates driver, and soon we were flying down the motorway to the airport in a lovely Black Mercedes limousine at 155km/h. Although we were glad to be leaving Rome, we weren't in that much of a hurry to get away, not that he was driving dangerously. Check-in at Rome airport was a breeze, business class making the process so much smoother, then we parked ourselve...

Tue 7 Oct 25: Rome Not how we planned to spend Noeleene's birthday and our last full day in Rome, but little we can do about - some things just happen and can't be controlled. Noel is making slow progress, but still not well enough to do the guided tour I had booked for this morning. Instead she spent most of the day resting in our luxurious room. My ailments worsened overnight and I had very little sleep from coughing, but, as much as I wanted to stay in bed, I decided to go ahead with the tour regardless. I probably would have pulled the pin too if I hadn't paid so much for it, and sadly can't get a refund. I don't plan on coming back to Rome again, so I really wanted to see what I could while I'm here. I had a quick bite to eat at breakfast after getting myself together, then caught a taxi a very short distance to the Colosseum tour meeting point. At 9:00am we set of for the short walk to the Colosseum. Its an imposing site, which you can't appreciate the...