Home in Melbourne

Arrived home in Melbourne on Sunday morning 24th August. What a return journey. Left Turin on Friday 22 nd August for Barcelona. My concern about the misspelt surname was wasted energy. Only one letter( LWong instead of LEong) was accepted by Vueling without concern. Just as well because I had tried to correct immediately in July and only got a response from Opodo about the 12 th August! I had tried to contact Vueling but could never get through on any phone numbers from Croatia or Italy. Little goody goody as the kids would say but airlines are always so strict usually. It is nice to know they accept human mistakes occasionally. 

Barcelona is such a nice airport, so modern but I only had a  hour and a half before the next leg to Madrid. Madrid is huge. I had a four hour layover here but most of the time was taken queuing for check in and then trying to find my boarding gate. I thought I would get my VAT tax refunds here but the queue was too long by the time I found the boarding gate. I had to ask for help eventually to find the gate because I hadn't quite grasped what the Emirates check in person had explained. Down two floors and catch a train sounded straight forward but I had missed the part about RSU on my boarding pass being the gate area. I had to take a train for 20 minutes to get to the area and then a further 8 min walk to boarding gate. There had been plenty of signs directing me to RSU! Madrid to Dubai was pleasant and I met Matilda from Sydney on a gap year after finishing her VCE. She had had some interesting times in Thailand when she had her passport and wallet stolen had been visiting relatives in Holland and was off to South Africa to stay with friends who own a game park. A lovely, lucky young Australian. This was a two hour stopover in Dubai.

 I then met Judy from outside Mildura and believe it or not, we talked for the whole leg (6 hours) from Dubai to Singapore. A few small bottles of wine were consumed in the process, a small indulgence I haven't engaged in beyond 1 glass of wine with dinner for a few weeks. She was a very interesting woman who had been on a three week holiday in Italy and Germany. The time went so quickly we hardly noticed it was time to get off. An hour at Singapore and then a 7 and half hours to Melbourne. We decided to nap this leg and  I finished reading the book Burial Rites. I didn't watch one movie over the whole return journey. That is a first for me.

We landed at the freight terminal at Tullamarine and were bused from the plane to the international terminal. As we were at the back of the plane  we were the last off and had to wait for the disabled passengers before the bus could take us to the terminal. Judy was getting cross because she had booked a shuttle to take her to Bendigo where her husband was meeting her to drive back to Mildura and she was going to miss it. The next wasn't till 11:00 am. Once at the terminal however we were processed pretty quickly.

 I quickly bought some duty free goods which I had been putting off all the way home. I had felt so overwhelmed by choice and lacked enthusiasm for shopping. (It is hard to comprehend but I really haven't bought much and haven't wanted too either, except for the shoes I haven't really seen much I wanted. I hope that feeling lasts!!). I used the electronic reader with my passport and customs asked about my wooden frogs and waved me through. In all it was about twenty minutes that part. Poor Judy missed her bus by 3 minutes though! 

I was greeted by Jonathan and Ziggy who made me feel really glad to be home after he called out 'Gramma!Gramma! ' when he saw me. He couldn't do that before I left. We went back to their place and Clare cooked a fabulous omelette and we all ate breakfast together. I played with Ziggy for a bit and he was quite taken with his George the pig soft toy ( a character from a preschoolers English TV  series called Pepper the pig). On to home and Nick and then alone at home with 15 piles of mail neatly stacked on the floor for me to review! REALITY.

Being so warmly greeted by my family and my friends reinforces my feelings of gratefulness and appreciation for the privilege of being part of their lives. I am a lucky woman.

Now for the next phase of my life: Living as a retired from work but not LIFE person. I have a head full of plans but for once I don't have to squeeze them in around a job . I am making a list to work through steadily over the future weeks with babysitting Ziggy top of the list starting tomorrow!

Clearing the study so I can start writing, organising my photos, and keep in touch with all my new friends is another priority.  But first the mail. Arrgh!

Thanks to everyone who followed my exploits and encouraged me to keep the blog. It has been a wonderful way to keep communicating with you and new friends met along the way.

Turin 21st August

I solved some of my technology problems this morning and then decided to go to Palazzo Varenia Real  just on the outskirts of Turin. I took the local bus instead off the shuttle that apparently goes there too. Local bus was half the price but I needed to let the driver know where I was going. I didn't want a repeat of Superga where I missed the stop and had to go to the end of the line and back again about five stops! This time it was easy to see the destination straight ahead from the bus stop. I followed the signs to ticket office and Info. The shuttle bus was there before me but the queue moved quickly. I paid €25 to see everything and get discounts off food and activities but it didn't include the cost of the little train so I walked everywhere. It did include two exhibitions; one of photography and another of couture costumes for theatre productions.both were fantastic.

There is a musical fountain show in the entrance courtyard that was rather enchanting but hard to photograph. Should have used the video.

 

The palace was quite lovely especially the long room which was so light and almost frothy in decoration. This was a place for relaxing! The gardens were so extensive with swans and even gondoliers on the pond and canal. There were parterre gardens for flowers and vegetables as well as a wild wood for hunting. 

The church was built a little later but is of a Baroque style and impressive. It seems rather like the Basilica on the hill. 

There were massive stables and carriage cartouche (garages). It was very impressive and modelled on Versailles. I covered kilometres around the palace grounds and within the palace itself. I am tired tonight. 

I haven't been sleeping as soundly as usual. Probably excited about coming home.

Last night in Turin

I have finally got some of the photos of Turin that I took earlier. I loved the Archiprlego Beach on the banks of the river.

 

The grandeur of the streets built to impress the European community in the 17 and 18 hundreds.

 

The tallest building in Europe in the 19thC which houses the history of cinema.  One of the exhibits. Quirky.

Turin is a city of film and cinema.

Turin 20th August

'Today I set off to see the Basillica Superga on the hill overlooking Turin. It was built after the Duke of Savoy used the position to observe the French forces who were besieging Turin and had prayed to the Virgin Mary in a little chapel already there that if he won the battle against the French he would build a great church in her honour. So the Supergra was conceived and built in grand Baroque style. The original statue of the Virgin Mary adorns a side chapel altar. Inside is not as lavish as expected but it is of grand proportions and has cloisters and the tombs of the kings are below the church.

 The view from the top is expansive but very hazy on this day. It is perched on the hill and from the city looks almost like an eastern Stupa. The best way to get there is to take the rack tramway built in the 1930s and still operating.

At the back of the Basilica there is a shrine to the football team killed when a plane returning from a friendly game in Lisbon crashed into the mountain killing 31 most of whom were the champion football players. The team was a premier winner but due to the Second World War it was not able to rebuild yheir championship status for many years after. It has become a shrine to football fans and sports people from Turin who make a pilgrimage every May 4 th, the anniversary of the accident.

The whole hill is dotted with walking tracks amongst the forest. 

Turin 19th August

It is a bit rainy today. I stay inside to check flights and bank accounts, send emails to the family about my impending reurn. I have a FaceTime session with Jonathan and Ziggy who now actually calls me grandma! It souns so old to be grandma but no doubt after a day in that little live wires company I WILL feel like a grandma. 

My goal today is to visit the Palace complex. It is imposing from the outside but not outstanding however the inside is so grand it reminds me of Versailles somewhat.  The ceilings are so tall and completely decorated with frescos and  gold guilt. In fact guilt is the theme throughout. It is quie beautiful in an elaborate way. The armoury display has stuffed horses fully kitted out in medieval fighting gear which has much more significance to me now I am a Game of Thrones reader!  It is all impressive.

 

 

The palace was the home of the Savoys. They had a kingdom stretching to Sardinia and were aligned with Spain at one time. So many Kingdoms in Europe, which is hard to keep straight withou a map. No countries as we understand modern Europe- it was a game of thrones.

Lots more people around today and I fitted in coffee at an iconic cafe, Cafe Torino which has a golden bull set into the footpath outside the entrance. It is supposed to be lucky to stand on the bull's  bollocks so of course I did.  I wasn't the only one to do so either.

 

Venice photos

I succumbed to the Apple store and bought a card reader. I am excited that I can now download some photos again. I know I will be home by Sunday but then I will have other priorities. Venice is relatively empty of locals because they are on holidays and because the 15 th August is the Feast of the Assencion ( of the Virgin Mary) and lots of things are closed.

 View from Bell tower into San Marco Square. 

Gondolas on the Grand Canal € 100  for a night time ride

 Yours truly at the top. Note new hat to replace floppy.

Turin 18th August

The train trip from Venice was fantastic. It stopped several times but I didn't have to make any changes. 2nd class was very comfy too and not packed with people like first. I saved €30 by taking that ticket. I rang the hotel for instructions on getting there but the reception omitted to say his directions were from the front exit of Torino Porto Nuovo not the side, so I found it necessary to ask directions from a passerby. I wasn't far out. After Jan tried to cancel this booking but was not able to I decided to take the four days as I am committed to fly from Turin airport to Madrid. Now I am really keen to go home it feels like I am just killing time. 

 

Turin is very grand. The buildings are quite lovely, not unlike Paris in their conformity of design but everything looks shabby and as if it needs a good scrub. There is a lot if tagging and bad graffiti around  which makes it seem rather depressed. It was 2:00 pm and the streets were empty. The reception says they have an afternoon break but come 7:00 pm I still didn't see too many people around. One sales assistant said it is the tourist part and locals are further out. It makes for a sombre feel. I could barely find a restaurant for dinner. It seems the locals do a kind of tapas and aperitifs between five and 8:00 pm. I found a place close to the hotel and had pasta for the first time in weeks.it was good.

I wandered down to the river Po which is wide and green and fast flowing. They have created a beach on the banks with sand and umbrellas and deck chairs which seems a fun thing to do but there was hardly anyone there. I feel like it is the end of the world almost.

I finally come across the grand street of colonnades. It is wide and truly elegant but no people. There are trams here but they don't seem full.  I found out that because of the Feast of Assuncion on the 15th August a lot of places are closed as well as it being holiday time for the locals. It is like Melbourne in January. That was a relief because I thought the place was in some sort of crisis.

Turin was an important town in Roman times and later it was the capital of United Italy. Power was signified by magnificent buildings. I came across the National Centre for Cinema which is housed in the most beautiful building. It is like a wedding cake. Just as I try to take a photo my camera battery fails.   I decide to visit the tower above the Museum and that gives a wonderful view of the city and its layout. The Dolomites loom large on the horizon and you can see to Lake Maggiore where Jan is. 

The Cinema museum was fantastic! They have the whole history of film making and photography as well as lots of film clips. Presently they have a special exhibition celebrating women Oscar winners. It was too much to take in in one day but well worth the money even so.

I was very tired from walking all day and my early start again! Tomorrow I will sleep in, perhaps. I wake at 6:00 am without trying still! Lights out at 11:00pm.

Still can't get the photos from the phone to transfer now. I think every device is too full!

 Towards the Palace Real