Thursday, 30 October 2014

Monday 27th October, 2014….Rome…..Fine morning with another 20 degree day…..the restaurant we had dinner in last night was great, one of our most enjoyable meals….there are so many restaurants and they are all so busy, and not just tourists, the Romans seem to enjoy eating out!  Walked the streets of Rome…..went inside the Basilica of Santa Maria, the grounds of which we were in a couple of days ago…..wow…what a cathedral/church…..a lot of information inside and in English…more like a museum….Michael Angelo was the architect……such an amazing structure…..we  had packed the camera so didn’t get any pics…..not sorry to be leaving Rome this time as we both feel Rome is tired and dirty these days…seems to have lost it’s spark…..so much money needs to be spent to maintain their monuments etc but there is no money…..oh, and how could we forget……when we ventured out of the hotel last Saturday we got caught up in all the protest marches …..the people are protesting against all the welfare cuts, raising the pension age etc…..we didn’t have the camera but when we got back to the hotel there it was on the TV on BBC and CNN exactly what we had just witnessed in the streets……and so back to the hotel as it was time to collect our baggage and walk to the Metro station then take the train to the airport….as I have said before these train stations are getting so like ariports….so many people and really good shops at Roma Termini in that you felt you were in an airport…..about a 30 minute ride on the express train to the airport….unfortunately Emirates were very slow to open up for check in so we had to muck around as you do in airports…..eventually on our flight from Rome to Dubai…M & F
Tuesday 28th October, 2014……Dubai…..Arrived here about 5.15 am this morning….temperature 28 degrees…… after a bad flight for me from Rome…I was sick but managed to avoid going onto oxygen on the plane…..Michael was worried, I think he thought  I really was going to the pearly gates!!!! However checked into our hotel and had some rest and then went walking in the vicinity of our hotel….we are in a great spot this time, opposite the Dubai Museum and overlooking  Dubai Creek…we are on the 8th floor of our hotel so the view is great…..M & F
Wednesday 29th October, 2014…..Dubai…..And another hot day…we took the boat across  Dubai Creek to the Souk Market…..we wandered and haggled and had lots of fun…..we weren’t really looking for anything but it was fun wandering, looking and haggling!! We took the boat back and then found a nice tea house near our hotel and so we indulged in high tea, salmon sandwiches, cucumber sandwiches, cakes etc….most enjoyable as we have not had a high tea on this trip…..M & F
Thursday 30th October, 2014….Dubai……And another hot day…..today we opted to take a ferry from  Al Gubaiba Water Station to the Dubai  Marina Station….about a 1 and ½ hour boat trip……it gave one quite a different perspective of Dubai, seeing it from the water……no good for pics as the windows on the boat were dirty and the heat haze come pollution just made things look like a distant blur!  It was another experience though and very interesting when we got near to Jumeirah Beach, Burj Al Arab (the big building like a sail boat), not to mention the super yachts……once on shore we went and checked out the Dubai Marina Mall….we are over shopping so it didn’t hold much interest for us….Dubai is just Mall after Mall and if you enjoy shopping this is the place for you!!!! And so we took the Metro back to our hotel and oh boy it was peak hour traffic on the Metro, even standing room was at a premium, we certainly didn’t have it this busy when we were here before but the temperatures are cooler in October (still very hot by our standards) thus there are lots of tourists here……then it was time to go back to our tea house again and drink more tea, so refreshing in this heat….
And so this is where we sign off…..our 75th Blog entry……5 months 5 days on the road…..22 countries…..we don’t know how many beds and how many kilometres….it has been a long but very memorable journey even though it has been challenging and tiring at times!  We have not been to a Laundromat the whole time we have been away…..it has been a matter of keeping up with the washing in the hotel hand basin or bath and our rope clothesline has been tied up in some strange places!!!  On reflection we both feel that South America and Africa are more enjoyable places to  travel than Europe……everyone is heading to Paris, Venice, Rome, London etc and I guess if it is your first visit to these places you would enjoy them but we just feel that all these places are becoming tourist destinations rather than the real place!!!! Perhaps it’s our age but it was interesting in the Rome Airport an Australian lady struck up a conversation with me and she said I don’t want to sound ungrateful but it just hasn’t cut it for me this time……I was so interested in her comment and replied, interesting you should say that but that’s how we are feeling too!  Africa was marvellous, probably because we did more out door things and got away from the big cities but the biking and boating in France we enjoyed as once again we were away from the big cities……BUT something that has really got to me this time are the beggars…..in Africa, the poor people seem to work together in that they help one another, a sort of team thing but if you’re poor in Europe, you are an individual, you’re on your own!!  Well that is how we saw it…..we reckon that if we had given every beggar a Euro each day we would probably have been out of pocket each day by about 50 Euros but if everyone passing had given the beggar 1 Euro, we can’t imagine how much they would have collected by the end of the day….the answer to this I don’t know but we witnessed some very sad situations which will always stay in my mind……and one last thing….pedestrian crossings…the little green man which gives you the ‘go to walk’ means nothing in these parts of the world……in Europe and Dubai, you get the green man but the traffic keeps coming but we live to tell the story…..
Tomorrow 31st October, 2014 we fly Dubai to Sydney, arriving in Auckland on the 1st November, 2014……
A big thank you to all of you who have commented on our blog and sent emails….we have loved hearing from you….I apologise for my grammar as things often written in haste and just generally trying to keep up with things….we hope you have enjoyed the word and pics and it will be a diary for us on our return as so many things to remember……Thank you….M & F

The view from our bedroom window overlooking the Dubai Museum and Dubai Creek.....


As above....

Water Taxis going across Dubai Creek......just 1 Dirham to take the boat across Dubai Creek (Approx. NZ.35 cents)

As above.....

The Spice Market section in The Souk......

Taking the boat across Dubai Creek.... 

Waiting at the water transport station to go across Dubai Creek.....

Park of the Old Souk.....beautiful woodwork......

Enjoyng our high tea....Dubai...

Our doorman at the hotel....don't you love his shoes!!!!!

The working boats on Dubai Creek...the loading seems to go on 24/7......

Passing the Heritage Village en route to Dubai Marina......these people are statues but look so real.....

Dubai sky line...en route to Dubai Marina......see what we mean about it being a haze!!!!

En route to Dubai Marina......

As above.....oh the super yacht......

En route to Dubai Marina.....

As above......

Arriving at Dubai Marina.....

The ferry boat we travelled in to Dubai Marina...very diffenent from the little boats that take you across Dubai Creek.... 


5 comments:

  1. Certainly a fabulous journey. So glad you were well enough Faye to enjoy Dubai. Lovely pic's too. Especially the one of you both enjoying the high tea's. Superb posting and finale. Well done!

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  2. Welcome home. Will catch up once you have had time to rest up.

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  3. Its been terrific following your blog through all those countries. Looking forward to catching up in whanga once you are over your jet lag. Li's & Geoff

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  4. Welcome Home. I guess you will be using the washing machine now. Looking forward to catching up with you when things get a little more normal for you. Loved the blog. Wow what a journey and amazing memories xxxx Bill and Francine

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  5. If you are planning for a trip nice stay hotels add comfort to your journey..

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