Flyer, Flowers, F1 and Farewell

Singapore

Today was a sleep in and a slow bus ride around the city. We have done hop-on and hop-off buses in most cities and Singapore is no exception. It really gives you a different perspective and Singapore was a whole lot cheaper than London. 

We hopped off at Little India and the markets. This was far more intense than Chinatown and involved the local Indian population more than the other area. Lots of gold shops and tailors but also less affluent. 

This connection is playing up dreadfully so if this is to be our last post, there will not be anyphotos. Thanks to everyone for the interest and support, we know we have not been alone on this adventure.
Love to you all,
Poss and Pop

Sensational Singapore

Singapore

After our short stroll yesterday we had a good few hours sleep. The huge downpour did not prevent us from recuperating well and the drop in temperature and humidity were very welcome. We ventured out again and found our way into nearby Chinatown and the Mid-Autumn Festival. What beautiful scenes.

The markets were in full swing as well as the local temples.

This is the entrance to a Hindu temple and below the Buddhist temple was stunning in sight and sound.

We did not have a late night and prepared for our day with Celina with excitement.

Our day started with a taxis ride to a local museum of Peranakan culture and history. Celina is a very proud and knowledgeable Peranakan woman. This was a wonderful experience of local culture- we had been hoping for such an insight.

Peranakan bridal headdress

Poss loved the beading skills 

The museum is housed in a traditional style Peranakan house.

After a great tour, our personal guide took us for lunch at a beautiful Peranakan restaurant for some traditional foods - delicious and some hot and spicy. Celina took very good care of us and negotiated a great spread of flavors and textures!

After lunch Celina took us to the modern side of Singapore with a visit to the Gardens By The Bay. We explored only the domes of this huge garden wonderland filled with plants from all over the world. Just a few shots as the camera ran hot!

 

But really the true feature was not the human engineering as much as that of God.

 We finished our day after Celina left us, with a swim in the hotel pool and dinner again in Chinatown.

Love to all - home soon!
Poss and Pop

Singapore Stopover

Singapore

Our departure from Rome was in style, as we treated ourselves to a chauffeured private limo to the airport. Sleek and black, the luxury Mercedes (what else eh Mark?) Sped us through the streets like two movie stars. Our driver was appropriately dressed and built like a bodyguard. Oh the lives of the rich and famous!

Check-in was faultless as was the lengthy twelve hour flight. Movies and food both very good. Little sleep though.

After checking in at our hotel we had a short stroll around the vicinity.

We had forgotten how hot and humid Singapore can be. Also that nothing really opens before 10:00am. But we did find a little Chinese temple in a side street.

The evidence of a decadent holiday was pouring into our shirts and so back to the hotel, a shower and then some sleep. The heavens opened with such a downpour that we couldn't see the nearby buildings for a while. Thunder and lightening greeted our arrival in this high rise capital.

Tomorrow our dear friend Celina is meeting us and will show us around. Unfortunately, Lance is back in Melbourne at Camp I on college assisting with one of the programs. We hope to catch up with him again in Shepparton.

Love to you all!

Poss & Pop

Arriverderci Roma !

 Rome

Well we have just spent our final day on the Continent. There is a mixture of sadness at not seeing more, and a sense of inevitability that our homeward bound leg has commenced. It will be great to see you all again for it has been a long time. 

Today we had planned to go to the coast at Ostia Antico but our experience on the Metro put Pop off, and the weather turned cooler with several heavy downpours. We were fortunate to escape these by seeking refuge in a pizzeria and ice cream shop. (It could have been worse - a jewelry shop!). 

We wandered up to St.Peter's again thinking we might say a few last prayers, but the queue was almost as long as yesterday. So we tested God's hearing by offering them from the Square. Then we took an open topped bus for a tour of nearly two hours and got a few more pics and insights into this city's ancient past.

Castle Sant'Angelo and bridge over the Tiber

This is the church of Saint Mary of the Angels and is built incorporating the ruins of Roman baths and spa.

A nice villa in a nice neighborhood, near the Hotel Eden.

These ruins were in the vicinity of the Coliseum and the palace of various Caesars.

This place also incorporates ruins that look like the Colosseum but wasn't even mentioned by any of the guides.

Even the everyday streets hold numerous monuments and sculptures and are interesting just to sit and observe.  The city is also The City of  Dings which has nothing to do with bells. Nearly every car has some panel damage. Just in the one block from our B&B we saw a crash at one intersection whilst there was one being cleared from the next. Oh to be a tow truck operator in Rome !

Well it is time to say the final Ciao! A long trip to Singapore but looking forward to seeing our friends there and lying around in the hotel pool. 

Flight is 12 hours or so and we lose time so there won't be a blog tomorrow! 

Love to you all!

Poss and Pop

The Good,The Bad and the Unlucky

Rome

Sunday 31st August

Well we farewelled our traveling companions after a short breakfast, and packed our bags for the short taxi ride to our new accommodation. It is a lovely B&B a short stroll from the Vatican. We were very early but Simone heard us outside and came down to let us in. 

The impressive entrance to our accommodation. It shares the building with other businesses, but nonetheless we feel special coming into it.

The internal courtyard, no doubt for the carriage!

Situated on a lovely quiet street but then it is Sunday.

It has everything we want including a novel use for the bidet. Other hotels in Italy did not have tea and coffee in the room, but this little establishment does.  Simone went to great lengths to provide us with information about local eateries and transport in the area.

But the one thing we really wanted to do this trip was mass at St. Peter's Basilica. We had to hot foot it past the huge lines waiting to enter the Vatican museum (we discovered that it was free today), but our hearts sank when we entered the Square. The line to enter the church was even longer. Surely they can't all want to go to mass??? But the majority simply wanted a look inside and the faithful had to queue up with them. So we took our place and made the almost complete circuit of the Square, before finally entering. We just about sprinted up the have and pushed and angled our way into a spot in the mass of worshippers. It was a mass in Latin, sung and concelebrated with at least one cardinal several bishops, a few Monsignori, and dozens of priests. We would not fit such a throng in St.Brendan's in Shepparton! We respectfully did not take any pics during the mass. The less reverant guy beside Pop did try but had his arm tapped by attendants frowning fearfully at him with very clear instructions that deterred other would be photographers. After mass was OK to photo, Si !

Under the dome almost over where we stood for mass. But afterwards it was back into the Square for Pope Francis' Angelus Address. There were thousands and thousands. What a view we had.

There, building on the right second window from the right.. What? You Don' t see him?  Pop use the zoom!!!

That is much better! We didn't understand what he said until he came to bless us - and the few others gathered there. That was special.

We decided to go to a lovely pizza restaurant recommended by Simone. It was delicious - the best yet. Then decided to reconoitre the public transport for a trip to Ostia Antico tomorrow. 

On the way back in a very crowded train with much jostling and pushing as the train lurched, Pop was relieved of his wallet!!  Did not feel anything and I thought it was secure in a leg pocket held down with Velcro tabs!! What an expensive lesson and I guess unlucky to be the target. Money and a card they cannot use (immediately suspended) but a sour edge to our day.

Need to go and have a drink next door!

Well done Hawks!

Ciao you lovely people.

Poss an Pop

Trafalgar Termination

Rome

This is the last day of our Trafalgar tour and the group is already beginning to disperse. Last night our new friends from NZ said their farewells. They had an early start to take the train back to Venice and board a cruise ship for the Adriatic and the Greek Isles. They are a lovely couple in their late seventies,with health problems and tons of heart.

The rest of the group headed out to explore not only a great museum but also a great church at the one site - the Vatican. We didn't see Pope Francis today but we are coming back tomorrow and you never know.

The amazing museum first but only the highlights as it would take weeks to cover the full collection.

Castle Sant'Angelo once the Papal fortress.

The scarf in green and yellow is the" flag" of one of the tourist guides. They enable us to follow our guide in the crowds.

This reminds you of the opulence we have already seen in the palaces of Paris and Venice, but their religious themes give the nature of the place.

One gallery had accurate and detailed maps painted from an aerial perspective centuries prior to any flights.

The highlight was the Sistine Chapel. Because of the nature of this, the world' s largest fresco by Michelangelo, no photography, no flash, no speaking. You may suspect that this means a dark and dull hall of frescoes... Wrong!!! The art work has been cleaned and very recently the stained glass replaced to allow more light into the chapel. It brought tears to our eyes.

Although we are not able to provide pics of this experience you can take a tour and see the wonder of what we saw.

vatican.com/tour/sistine_chapel_3D

So we then passed into the great basilica of St.Peter itself. We were not prepared for the dimensions of this sacred space - enormous or huge really does not do it justice. We recalled the great council of VaticanII and now realize how they could fit over two thousand bishops into this space. Each statue is in itself a monument. 

It is in many ways surreal. To be here were so much of the Church's focus has often been. The sense of grandeur and ritual which is kind of nice but at the same time out of touch with the real mission of our church - that is the option for the poor and marginalized, which is the call o f the current Pope.

Here again the timeless work of Michelangelo in the Pieta 

Here the symbol of God's Spirit shining from the most central position on saints and sinners alike.

And in this side chapel we paused and prayed for each and every member of our family, our friends both living and dead, and for our world which is in need of some help at present.

As if understanding our solemn mood the Vatican provided people for some light relief. As Bailey calls Bendigo Cathedral "the prince's castle on the hill" , she will no doubt love these 'clowns'. But they did not do anything but simply stood there.

This is our last night with Trafalgar. Our dinner overlooking Rome was again top quality. We finished with a few drinks on the terrace of our neighboring hotel.  Tomorrow on our own again. If you want to do the major sight of Europe and not drive, hassle with luggage, long lines queueing to get in then you must  get a tour guide or company for extended travel - not an advert but we have been very happy with our Trafalgar experience. End commercial!

Pick up with you all in a day or so. Tomorrow we intend transferring to our B&B near the Vatican and going to mass in the 'Big House'.

Love to you all,

Poss and Pop