Too easy. And my beloved daughter, who criticised my blog titles for being out of date, this one's from Morcheeba, 2000. Rome wasn't built in a day and it takes longer than a day to get there from Australia 😞.
And with that dear reader WE ARE BACK. Our travels this time will take you to Italy. Specifically, Rome, Assisi, Florence, Riomaggiore (Cinque Terre) and finally, Venice. There will be side trips to places not mentioned, particularly beyond Rome but we are organising those later, hopefully with advice from our hosts and other travellers we meet. Given the summer has commenced we decided to move north away from the heat of the south. It will be warm enough where we are going and, in the first time for a while, we only needed to pack for one season. What a difference that makes, just one medium sized bag between us.
The southern parts of Italy will have to wait for another trip - maybe next year, if we don't visit Dan in Canada.
The southern parts of Italy will have to wait for another trip - maybe next year, if we don't visit Dan in Canada.
For once our bags are packed early so I am getting a head start on the first of the blogs. As the dedicated amongst you will recall I swore I would never be unfaithful to Qantas again after an ill-fated return flight to Paris with China Southern. Some nights I still wake in fright. But, but ... well, there was this great deal with Etihad in Business Class, so ... we'll see. So far all is good. Chauffeur service to the airport and transfers in Rome are all part of the service. It is actually a code share with Al Italia and we are going to Italy. I wonder if they serve pizza on the plane ... mmmm, pizza.
The chauffeur was a tad early which catered nicely to my punctual paranoia. A big, new, black, sleek Audi A8L. It was certainly a less stressful way of getting to the airport. The code share did not eventuate, at least not in the first leg. It was Etihad all the way, check-in, express customs line, Business Class lounge - where they come around and inform you personally that your plane is boarding. How do they do that? How do they memorise each guest and the plane they are catching?
Service on board the A380 was pretty good, although once the main meal is served if you want anything else you have to request it - they don't tout for business. To be fair, this could be a result of the turbulence we experienced for large sections of the journey. While it wasn't terrifying, it was persistent and consistent and I was glad I could stretch out in my flat bed. The champagne was delightful, the selection of meals was quite varied and there was a tidy little wine list to match.
We were in row 18 which meant the toilets were directly behind us. While I thought the sound of flushing toilets might be a new sleep deprivation technique for Guantanamo Bay, it proved not to be such a concern; most of the associated sound was absorbed by the usual noise of the engines.
Almost 15 hours later we arrived in Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates. It was just after 5am and was already 31° and sand as far as you could see in the morning half-light. The observation tower at the airport is quite an interesting piece of architecture. I'm not sure what the architects intended, but it looks like the blade of a short curved sword.
That is about the extent of what we will see here - the rest of our time is inside the airport. I have become quite blase about international travel as a result of work. This terminal is no different to all of the others, a never ending series of designer label stores and places to eat easily digested, over priced food. Thank heavens for the Business Lounge where the crowds are smaller and the food and wine is reasonably priced, as in free. Yes, yes, dear reader I know you pay for it in the price of your ticket, but it's like the NSW government linking all of their toll fees to your credit card - it's not as noticeable and much more palatable.
As an aside, while we were whiling away the minutes until our next flight, this fellow Aussie traveller comes up to me and asks have I ever" been told that I look like Malcom Turnbull"? Um, yeah, well a couple of times. I'm not proud of it, but it has happened. He laughed. "I've never voted Liberal in my life" I'll bet you don't hear that often in the Business Lounge.
The next leg was also all Etihad. I have no idea why a code share was even mentioned to us. The 777 300B isn't as young or as well decked out as an A380 but for just under 7 hours it will do. Sadly the movie selection was the same and the service was, once again, attentive as you came on board but after that you needed to call. I guess I've been spoilt by Qantas.
There was another Etihad chauffeur waiting for us in Rome and he managed to negotiate the traffic safely and deposit us at our accommodation in good order. The apartment was recommended by friends (cheers Santo) and it didn't disappoint. Two great balconies, or terraces as one refers to them Rome, perfect for a Roman summer and we overlook St Peter's. It was a pity that the apartment hadn't been cleaned as scheduled but that was soon rectified.
Discussion then ensued about the remainder of the day. It was hot 33°, well, compared to Sydney, and humid. We investigated places for dinner, other places to visit and thought we might just wander the streets of the city of love. Instead, we walked across the street to the local supermarket and stocked up on the necessities. You've got to love supermarket shopping in Rome; it was a deli by Australian standards with supermarket items. A short time later armed with cheese, crackers, wine and other nibblies we settled on the balcony to enjoy the afternoon and check our plans for the week.
Energy restored, we set out for the meeting place for tomorrow's tour of the Vatican and Museum. That will be an easy 15 minute stroll and we can arrive early and have breakfast at the cafe next door. Next was dinner at a recommended restaurant that turned out not to exist anymore. Ah well. So we settled on a restaurant around the corner and based our decision on the number of customers.
Well, dear reader, here is a life lesson. The decision should have incorporated other factors, not the least of which is the demographic of the customers and from perspective, the number of cigarettes they consume. Anyway, we've had worse meals. The service was great and they provided a lot of extra treats along the way and they didn't charge us for Jayne's dinner. That was probably fair since she didn't eat it. And now we are at home watching the colours change in the sky as the sun sets.
Tomorrow is a new adventure beginning with a Vatican tour.
Until then ...
The chauffeur was a tad early which catered nicely to my punctual paranoia. A big, new, black, sleek Audi A8L. It was certainly a less stressful way of getting to the airport. The code share did not eventuate, at least not in the first leg. It was Etihad all the way, check-in, express customs line, Business Class lounge - where they come around and inform you personally that your plane is boarding. How do they do that? How do they memorise each guest and the plane they are catching?
Service on board the A380 was pretty good, although once the main meal is served if you want anything else you have to request it - they don't tout for business. To be fair, this could be a result of the turbulence we experienced for large sections of the journey. While it wasn't terrifying, it was persistent and consistent and I was glad I could stretch out in my flat bed. The champagne was delightful, the selection of meals was quite varied and there was a tidy little wine list to match.
We were in row 18 which meant the toilets were directly behind us. While I thought the sound of flushing toilets might be a new sleep deprivation technique for Guantanamo Bay, it proved not to be such a concern; most of the associated sound was absorbed by the usual noise of the engines.
 |
| Interesting architecture at Abi Dhabi airport |
That is about the extent of what we will see here - the rest of our time is inside the airport. I have become quite blase about international travel as a result of work. This terminal is no different to all of the others, a never ending series of designer label stores and places to eat easily digested, over priced food. Thank heavens for the Business Lounge where the crowds are smaller and the food and wine is reasonably priced, as in free. Yes, yes, dear reader I know you pay for it in the price of your ticket, but it's like the NSW government linking all of their toll fees to your credit card - it's not as noticeable and much more palatable.
As an aside, while we were whiling away the minutes until our next flight, this fellow Aussie traveller comes up to me and asks have I ever" been told that I look like Malcom Turnbull"? Um, yeah, well a couple of times. I'm not proud of it, but it has happened. He laughed. "I've never voted Liberal in my life" I'll bet you don't hear that often in the Business Lounge.
The next leg was also all Etihad. I have no idea why a code share was even mentioned to us. The 777 300B isn't as young or as well decked out as an A380 but for just under 7 hours it will do. Sadly the movie selection was the same and the service was, once again, attentive as you came on board but after that you needed to call. I guess I've been spoilt by Qantas.
 |
| The view from the lower terrace at the apartment |
There was another Etihad chauffeur waiting for us in Rome and he managed to negotiate the traffic safely and deposit us at our accommodation in good order. The apartment was recommended by friends (cheers Santo) and it didn't disappoint. Two great balconies, or terraces as one refers to them Rome, perfect for a Roman summer and we overlook St Peter's. It was a pity that the apartment hadn't been cleaned as scheduled but that was soon rectified.
 |
| Looking onto the lower terrace |
Discussion then ensued about the remainder of the day. It was hot 33°, well, compared to Sydney, and humid. We investigated places for dinner, other places to visit and thought we might just wander the streets of the city of love. Instead, we walked across the street to the local supermarket and stocked up on the necessities. You've got to love supermarket shopping in Rome; it was a deli by Australian standards with supermarket items. A short time later armed with cheese, crackers, wine and other nibblies we settled on the balcony to enjoy the afternoon and check our plans for the week.
Energy restored, we set out for the meeting place for tomorrow's tour of the Vatican and Museum. That will be an easy 15 minute stroll and we can arrive early and have breakfast at the cafe next door. Next was dinner at a recommended restaurant that turned out not to exist anymore. Ah well. So we settled on a restaurant around the corner and based our decision on the number of customers.Well, dear reader, here is a life lesson. The decision should have incorporated other factors, not the least of which is the demographic of the customers and from perspective, the number of cigarettes they consume. Anyway, we've had worse meals. The service was great and they provided a lot of extra treats along the way and they didn't charge us for Jayne's dinner. That was probably fair since she didn't eat it. And now we are at home watching the colours change in the sky as the sun sets.
Tomorrow is a new adventure beginning with a Vatican tour.
Until then ...
Ok...so Brad, such an eloquent piece, informative yet personal, a touch of tongue in cheek as well as drama. I'm hooked. Can't wait for the next instalment and don't forget "When in Rome ... " apologies to your daughter. I'd recommend a little restaurant just on the outskirts of the Vatican but sadly it was 20 years ago... it's probably a souvenir shop now.
ReplyDeleteThanks Don, it's nice to hear back from people. It's been a labour of love writing the blog because it's easy not to be disciplined when on holiday. No doubt we'll have a big day at some point and I'll miss a deadline, but hey, I'm in Italy, relax.
DeleteAnge and I were only chatting the other day as to when the Italian blog entry would appear - glad to have some entertaining holiday reading! We both agreed that if we had to pick 1 cuisine to live on for the rest of our lives it would be Italian! Salute!
ReplyDelete