Changi Pt 2

We all get our rooms by 12.15. The rooms are great, plenty of room, well appointed and air conditioned. Ann hits the sack straight away, as do everyone else. We agreed to meet up again at 4. I do not feel tired so I head over to the shops to grab a few beers. After I have brought them back and put them in the fridge I decide to have a swim in the infinity pool. The pool is on the 8th floor and looks out over the bay. The water is warm but refreshing. I rest up with great views of planes on their landing path to the airport as I am lying underneath the frangipanni. I head back to our room at 2.30 and Ann had just woken. Ann checked the tv programs and it looks we will be able to get the afl tonight. Not sure whether Ross wants to watch or not. We meet up and buy some more beers and then back to our room to watch the footy. Collingwood are all over GWS but are not scoring, their accuracy is not good. We have booked a restaurant for 7 pm so we have to leave the footy just after the start of the third quarter. We end up having 4 hamburgers, 1 chicken burger and a chicken parmigiana (Luggy has to be different!). The meals were great and we hear that Collingwood has won! A guuuud last night! We head off to the airport at 8 am tomorrow for a 10.45 flight which is due in at 8.15 pm to complete our longest tour yet. It has been great and we have been extremely lucky with the weather. See you all soon !!✈️✈️

Changi

We checked out of fawlty towers at 9.15 and our booked ride arrived at  9.25. We are all glad we booked the ride and don’t have to drag suitcases around. We arrived at the airport within 45 mins thanks to our lead foot driver. Only one car passed us the whole way. While he was quick we never felt in any danger. Everything was smooth through the airport and it was the best signed airport in Italy. The plane was delayed an hour due to a passenger not turning up and then having to find and offload their luggage, didn’t worry us as we will have to wait for a room at the hotel. The Lugg’s had their premium economy seats and we and the Johnstones were down the back. Ann and I were lucky as we had a spare seat between us and we could spread out.  We arrived in Singapore just before 8am and progressed smoothly through customs and passport control. The first available shuttle to our hotel was 9.10, so we can relax for a while. The flight had a couple of bumpy patches but overall pretty comfortable.
The van to the hotel was tired and bumpy which caused Ann some anxiety about the quality of the hotel, particularly as we passed a hotel we had stayed in previously which was about a 1 star equivalent.
We arrived at the hotel and it is quite large and seems very nice. Air conditioning in the foyer is very comfortable. It is 9.45 and we now have to wait a couple of hours to get access to our rooms. It is quite warm outside and very humid, I am feeling pretty good as I had about 4.5 hours sleep on the plane, so I go for walk to check the surrounds while the others waiting the foyer. There is a large market area not too far away where there are many food stores selling Asian food and cold beers. We will be able to stock up when we get our rooms!

Milan

The hotel we are staying in is not that flash. It appears at long last we have the best room, our air conditioning works, our fridge gets the beers cold, we have a shower rose that almost works! The room is spacious enough, but the decor is drab. The bathroom is clean but tile grout does not look good and makes the room feel grotty. If this is the best room imagine what the others are like. The one saving grace is it’s location, 200 metres from The Duomo. In addition we only have to spend one more night here.
The day is warm, crowded and noisy. We head off at 10 and wander around the plaza until it is time for our Duomo tour at 11. Our guide gives us the history of the Cathedral explaining it took nearly 600 years to complete only being completed in 1965! It is an impressive sight. The tour starts off in the Cathedral which is vast but not spacious. There are 52 pillars holding up the structure, one for each week. It is made of marble including the floors and over 3000 statues. We also go to the area below the Cathedral where the original church and baptistery were. Originally there were two churches and a baptristy in the plaza, but in 1386 archbishop Antonio da Saluzzo decided to build the Cathedral. In the 60s Milan was building subways and they came across remnants of the old church and baptistery. However at that time they were not interested in protecting such history and only a small part was preserved.
We then proceeded to the terraces. We took a lift to the roof and walked around the terrace. We were greeted with spectacular views.  By the time we had finished it was 1.30 and it was getting hot. We headed back to the hotel to have lunch and a cold beer. After lunch and a rest we headed off to The Duomo museum. A significant number of the statues on the Cathedral are replicas, with the originals being held in the museum, including those that were damaged during the war. There were hundreds of them, large and small, including scale wooden models of the Cathedral. After the museum we walk around the shops, but it is hot and crowded. We will meet up for beer at 5pm.
We finish off our beers and then head out for our last meal in Milan. I will not say any more about that meal!
Tomorrow we start our journey home.

Train to Milan

We are all up early to begin our homeward journey. It is fine and sunny! We get the luggage down the stairs and then it is downhill to the station. At the station we have to go down more stairs to pass under the railway and then up more stairs to our station. Because we are early we get the 9.03 train to Monterosso, we split up and we squeeze on to the train. It is barely 20 mins to our stop and after the first two stops the crowd has thinned out. We have a 90 minute wait for our connection to Milan. It is quite warm and the sea looks very inviting at Monterosso. Our train eventually arrives and we struggle on and stow our luggage. It is 10.55 and our arrival time in Milan is 1.55, so we have time to relax. At the next station, Heather and her parents get on, there are 8 carriages on the train and she picks ours - what are the odds!! It is a pleasant journey with great sea views as we run along the coast before turning inland. The sky is clear and blue and the sea is calm and blue.
We arrive on time and say goodbye to Heather and make our way out of the station. It is hot - 30 degrees. We pick up two taxis and head off to our hotel. Milan is big and crowded, it is a bit of a shock, a major contrast to our last few weeks. We check in and then go for a walk. The Duomo Cathedral is barely 150m from us and the Cathedral and square are spectacular and off to one side is the famous shopping area. The buildings are beautiful and we walk through the strip. We buy some beers and will meet for drinks at 5.30.
The beer we bought is still not cold so we head off to a cafe/bar across the road. Start with beers and Aperol Spritz, then more beers and some bruschetta and then more beers and hamburgers. Our waitress is great and we have a good night.  It is so hot, crowded and busy. Ann and I go for a walk after dinner at about 8.30 and all the shops are open with people everywhere. The buildings are majestic and Milan is an incredible city.
Tomorrow we have a tour of the Duomo Cathedral which will be exciting.
We have all agreed to book a transport to the airport as we are over dragging suitcases onto trains!

Riomaggiore last day

Very quiet day today. Weather still great, fine, sunny and warm to hot, expected top of 26. Great nights sleep, must have been all the walking we did. No one is suffering any new aches or pains, so that is good news. After breakfast we pay for our rooms as our host has advised us that if we intend to leave early he may not have opened up.  Kaye suggested we should also buy our train ticket for tomorrow in case of any rush at the station. Having bought our tickets we go on a walk from the station which takes us towards the port area along the sea side. We get some great views but then we are faced with steps leading upward. We all know once we get to the top we will then have to head down! There are a lot of narrow steps but we all make it safely.  We decide to have some free time and meet up for lunch at 1pm. Calamari and chips goes down well. Ross and I are contemplating having a swim and we walk around past the ferry terminal where there is a rocky bay that is very popular with lots of people swimming. Unfortunately there is no shade for the girls. Because of the walk there and back we decide to give it a miss as we would just get hot again on the walk back. We book a restaurant for 7pm for tonight’s dinner and take a break to pack our luggage and agree to meet up again at 4pm.
Riomaggiore and Cinque Terre has been fantastic, perfect weather. Scenery is incredible, two minus points are the pigeons which are everywhere and fearless when it comes to picking up crumbs. The other is the number of people that smoke in restaurants. We know we are in Italy, but smoke becomes really annoying when you are trying to enjoy a meal!
At 4 we meet up talk a lot of rubbish, have a lot of laughs and drink two bottles of rose between us. We are being very responsible and not drinking beer today!
We head off for dinner at 7, it is a lovely warm evening (24 degrees). Our food is delicious and dessert is fantastic. We are back at our rooms by 9.15 and we finish off packing. We will meet up tomorrow at 8.45 to start our homeward journey via Milan.
One last comment on Lake Como and Cinque Terre, their gelato is delicious.

Walking the Cinque Terre

What a day! As I said yesterday we planned to go to Manarola and have lunch at Nessun Dorma, a cafe recommended by Kate Hoy. Well, it is another beautiful clear sunny day with hardly a breeze. Karen suggests we might get the train to Vernazza and then back to Corniglia and then Manarola. So we decide to get a day ticket which also gives us access to the national park in case we might want to walk a trail (as if). We head off at 10.15 and get off the train at Vernazza. The girls are checking out the shops and I see a sign to Corniglia. I head off up the steps to see how far it goes and to get some good views of the village. Ross and Luggy follow and I call back to Ann jokingly that if we are not back in an hour and a half. they should get the train to Corniglia and we will meet them there.
We keep going up with great views back over the village and to Monterosso. After about 15 mins of climbing we reach the start of the trail and there is a park officer to check hikers have the pass. We show ours and I ask him how far and how long the trail goes up. He says it continues up for another 15 mins, then flattens out and it is then downhill, all up about 90 mins. It is 11.55, so we head on. There are spectacular views of the coastline whenever you round a bend or clear the vegetation. The park officer lied, because it is at least another 30 mins of climbing, some of it gentle, but lots of rocky steps. We eventually reach the top and are rewarded with magnificent views. We are 700 feet above sea level and after a short flat track we head downhill. We can see Corniglia well below us! The track down for me was worse with a lot of pressure on my knees, some of the steps were fine but others were quite a big step, and when I say step it is just big rocks laid in the steep descending track.
We eventually make it into Corniglia and look for the girls. Can’t see them so we head to the railway station. The station must be 500 metres below us and there is a never ending zig zag of steps heading down to the station! The girls are not at the station, so we figure they must be at Manarola. We let one train go in case they are on it but they don’t appear so we will take the next at 12.46. While waiting for the train, Ross sees Heather right in front of us. Heather was our guide from Berlin! We have a great chat as she is with her parents and we did tell her we would be in CT at the same time she was - what are the odds!
We catch the train to Manarola, have a quick look for the girls and then head off to find Nessun Dorma. We walk down to the port area and turn right and Luggy sees a cafe/restaurant high up on the side of the hill so we head up there. It is the place but we can’t see the girls, so we stand in line to get a seat thinking they may be inside. We get to the front of the line and then Ann and I see each other, with Ann on the upper level just above the restaurant. She calls the others and joins us just as we get a table. It is a fantastic site with views over the harbour. We order food, beers and Aperol Spritz
and have a great afternoon.
It turns out the girls did try to get to Corniglia but trains were cancelled and they ended up going to Riomaggiore and then coming back to Manarola. Incredibly the times worked out and we met up and had a great afternoon - thanks Kate for your recommendation. We thought about coming back tomorrow night for dinner but it is closed on Tuesdays. After a late lunch we headed back to Riomaggiore and for a rest! We had a quiet night and tomorrow we pack again for Milan. While the path to the station is downhill, there are stairs to carry the luggage down from our rooms and also on the station.
It was a great day and we are proud that we walked the Cinque Terre, or at least one part!

Riomaggiore Day 2

This morning is fine and sunny with an expected temp of 25. Today we plan to take the ferry to Monterosso and back. The ferry departs at 10.30 and it is a beautifully sunny day with calm seas. The view from the sea of the coastline and towns are spectacular. The sea is a vivid deep blue. It takes 50 to get to Monterosso as the ferry stops at Manarola and Vernazza along the way. Monterosso is a much larger town than Riomaggiore, and it is more crowded and touristy. We have a look around the shops in the part area and then head off to the beach area. This area is packed with umbrellas and lounge chairs and you have to pay to go on the beach, which is some sand but mostly crushed rock. It is very hot so we head back to the port area for lunch and to wait there for our 2pm return ferry. We are very happy that we are staying at Riomaggiore. It is a very pleasant cruise back to Riomaggiore. We rest up for 90 mins and then meet up for drinks. It is Sunday and most bars/cafes are busy with minimal seats available. I suggest we head over to the bar over the railway station where we had a drink yesterday. We head over and get seats in the shade. Shortly after we order our drinks two tour groups appear and the place is packed. We spend the next 90 mins enjoying our drinks, great friends, great ambience and annoying pigeons!!
We are tired after our big day so we have a light dinner of takeaway calamari and chips.
I don’t think we will be doing any walks as the easiest on, the way of love from Riomaggiore to Manarola is close and will not open until 2021. The rest of the walks look too strenuous for our levels of fitness.
Tomorrow we plan to take the train to Manarola.