:From a Room with a View

After a very distressing night – and one in which Mike got very little sleep because he was preparing emails and making calls – Mike set off for Singapore Airlines Terminal Three, again, about 7.30. We needed assistance to ensure that I was cleared to fly on our evening flight to Brisbane. Mike returned to the hotel around 9.15 with news that he had located the Medical Centre at Terminal Three. We’re completely baffled why no-one told us about it earlier. There was an offer to provide an ambulance to take me to the Miedical Centre, but thankfully MIke returned to the Hotel and I packed my bags, ready to travel, and we went to the Centre.

The care was excellent. I was taken to a small, private room where the attention from a doctor and a male nurse was amazing. An examination and swabs confirmed that I did, indeed, have food poisoning. I was given medications and a powder to make into a drink to rehydrate. By 2.30 I was able to return to our Hotel at Changi for a rest before returning to the airport for our flight home.They warned me that, under no circumstances, should coconut or dairy products be taken by a person with food poisoning, so my drink of coconut, which was SO refreshing, was the worst thing I could have had.

We set off around 5 pm for the last trip to Terminal Three. Check-in was smooth and we were able to check our luggage through to Norfolk, which was a huge relief. The wait in the Lounge was pleasant and relaxed although I still felt very fragile. The attention we received on the flight to Brisbane was ‘first class’ because the cabin manager took a great interest in my Milan / Singapore journey and the lack of support from the cabin crew when I was so ill. The movie I watched was “Love Happens” in which there was a really perfect quote about when one journey ends another begins. I wrote the quote on a serviette and then left it on the plane!! I need to watch the movie again to catch the real quote. It was SO perfect.

Our arrival in Brisbane went smoothly as transit passengers and although it meant a long wait in Brisbane, it was in comfort and we didn;t have to worry about luggage. Mike had his shower first and looked so refreshed despite the fact that he must have been very exhausted after all the attention he showered on me in Singapore. When I had my shower, I think MIke thought I had washed away because I was so long. The shower was hot and sooooo beautiful and it felt so good to wash away the past few days.

I really loved the carvings in Brisbane airport:

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All along the way, it was our plan to make a trip into Singapore city, on the local Changi bus, just to explore some of the parts of the city that we have not seen before.

We caught the bus, a very nice, red, double-decker bus and were lucky enough to get two upstairs seats in front, above the driver which gave a perfect view of everything! The route meandered through the suburbs and took about an hour to reach the city and even though it was raining gently, the rain made it look even more beautiful. MIke followed the route on his map (and I took a few photos) and we chose to get off the bus at Bugis Junction. What an interesting place!!

The Bugis people were traders, known as the “nomads of the wind and sea”. We discovered that they often had to sail to distant lands and fought indigenous tribes. They rarely lost, which gave them the reputation of being fierce warriors. Interestingly, this is how the first Europeans saw the Bugis people and how their name entered into the English language as the dreaded “Boogieman”.

Stamford Raffles first met the Bugis in Penang in 1808 and was impressed with their trading abilities and decided to incorporate them into his grand plan for founding Singapore. When 500 Bugis people took refuge in Singapore, Raffles made sure that a “Bugis Town” was laid out to encourage them to settle. Bugis Junction is the area in which they first settled. It is now refurbished into a very busy commercial area with modern malls, walkways and air-conditioned shopping zones.

Our visit was shortened because I was not feeling too well, so we caught the bus back to Changi and had a long drink of coconut juice. It was so refreshing and delicious but a BIG mistake and I’ve since learned that if you have food poisoning you don’t consume any coconut products or dairy.

I will never forget Mike’s concern, kindness and amazing compassion. I know he was very worried and went to enormous lengths to ensure that all options for our return to Norfolk Island were covered, spending much of the night communicating with home and airlines. He truly is an amazing mate.

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What a difference a day makes! Terminal 3 feels very different to the place in which we landed only a day ago.

Mike and I caught the Shuttle Bus from The Village to Terminal 3 for a couple of reasons: one was to report a suspected incidence of food poisoning that could have been very much more dramatic than it was; the others were to confirm bookings, be assured that we can check luggage from here, through Brisbane, to Norfolk – and to be certain that check-in is actually Terminal 3.

Priscilla from Singapore Airlines was helpful. It will be interesting to see if there is a follow-up on the food issue. Looks like we can check luggage all the way home from here. Relief!

Terminal 3 is a beautiful building, just a year old, and for an airport terminal it is almost serene. There are pretty reflections everywhere because even the floors are glistening. There are four levels, lots of orchids, shops, food outlets and silence! I guess that most aircraft arrive at night because Singapore is in the middle of the world! That might explain why it was so quiet! However, whilst we were waiting for the Shuttle Bus back to Changi, we met a Very Important Man! His job was to walk from one end of the Terminal to the Information counter to collect us, to walk us all the way back to the parking area for Shuttle Buses – and to WAIT with us until the Shuttle arrived! He walked very slowly. No other passengers. Half an hour or more to wait!! It was obvious that he FELT very important and he loved it when I took a photograph of him with the bus driver.

The new Airport Crowne Plaza hotel was on the left as we departed Terminal 3 and it looks really classy, very expensive – and is, of course, handy to the airport. I hope the people staying there have had as good a time as we have had today but can imagine their day would have been very different to ours. We’ve walked through Changi Village, observing local people living their everyday lives, had lunch at the Hawkers Market with millions of others and been amazed at how crowded, yet organised, they are in serving customers. We enjoyed a delicious and refreshing drink of coconut juice straight from the coconut! That was good! I wish I had a photo of the old man who was sitting, cross-legged, on a tiny stool close to us, drinking his coconut juice. He was in heaven!

There is a lovely little Ferry Terminal just behind the Hawker’s Markets. It is where ferries depart to all parts of Singapore, including a small island not far from here. Pulau Ubin is one of the last remaining traditional communities, and a long time ago, Mike and I caught a boat the Pulau Ubin and pedalled through lush growth where mangoes and coconuts peppered the roadways and the pace of life is very, very slow. We watched men and children catching crabs from the jetty and were more than happy to wait, at the end of the day, for a boat back to Changi. Boats only go when there are twelve passengers. It is still the same!

Mike had checked out a hairdressing place where he could get a haircut of S$10 (around $A7.50) which is even better than the “deal” he has at home. He came home with a great haircut and another huge grin! Not only did the guy have a very clean workspace but he had a vacuum cleaner mounted on the wall. Mike thought that it was used to keep his work area clean – and, in a way, it was! When he had finished cutting Mike’s hair, he got down the nozzle and vacuumed Mike!

Yep, a day can make such a difference! I feel so much better than yesterday and not nearly as good as I’ll feel tomorrow.

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Eleven and a half hours in the air, hundreds of miles and even time to sleep. All the time I am amazed at the number of people who are moving around the world, all the time. In airports, on aircraft, in airport lounges, waiting for buses and taxis and trains. I’ve observed more aircraft in the air, zooming below us, above and across the sky, than on any other journey. There can be four or five vapour trails at a time, criss-crossing across the clouds.

As the sun came up, it shone through my window and looked so, so pretty. As we came into Singapore, I captured a few great pictures of small islands and one of them, I discovered on the Discovery Channel, is being used to recycle Singapore’s waste. I’ll find out more about this but my understanding is that they have created an artificial, sealed “boundary” into which they pour the ash so that it can’t leach into the sea and when it is full, they plan to create small islands of grassy parklands.

Our arrival, immigration, baggage collection went really very smoothly. Singapore’s Terminal 3 is a magnificent place. The only thing that did not go smoothly was me! It was all a bit of a spacey, nauseous blur. I have the greatest admiration for Mike’s patience, kindness and concern. I wonder if this is all some sort of psychological thing about “resistance to returning to routine”?

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Don’t know why we worried about a view of the Italian Lakes the other day!! As we took off from Milan’s Malpensa Airport, I was able to crouch up to the window near my seat to take photographs as we flew north-west out of Milan and there, clear as clear, I captured Como, La Garda and Iseo and, as we flew parallel to them, the Alps. No fog. No mist from up there! The images are so clear that we have been able to identify the Lakes from our maps.

Our Business Class seats were very comfortable, with all the gadgets you could ask for – a bit like a grown-up cubby, really. There was a place for a laptop, ledges for magazines, a holder of my handbag and shoes, little bins, racks to lay things in and even a place for the continuous supply of bottled water …. with even a place to keep my camera handy. Television, videogames, movies, computer ports for charging, three USB plugs for uploading and downloading, music, lights – the lot. And after the meal, staff converted the nook into a really comfy bed.

Mike and his Financial Review have a good arrangement on plane flights. He puts the paper over his face and he sleeps. It has to be the Financial Review though. Perhaps it’s the smell of the print or the feel of the pink paper. Not sure about that, but for him, it works. My sleep was not restful and it became pretty evident that all was not well with my tummy. I thought of Greg and how we used to fight not to sit next to him on planes because he would, invariably, say “my tummy hurts” and then he’d throw up. My panic began when I knew I needed a bathroom and they were all occupied. Thank GOD the man came out of the bathroom when he did – and he’d left the seat UP!

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Pretty mixed feelings this morning.

Early morning breakfast at the hotel then by shuttle to the airport for an early check-in. The fog, that had been so thick yesterday afternoon, had lifted and the sun was shining. The Star Alliance lounge was pretty ordinary with some most unusual art:

We were able to send some emails and there were lots of things to look at!! People on the move … people talking in so many different languages … and flights going to all corners of the world.

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Talk about an evening of not having enough eyes!

Even though we are close to Malpensa, the area is actually Somma Lombardo and, as Mike has mentioned earlier, the fog was really thick. Mike discovered “La Quercia” this afternoon, right next to our hotel. It seemed so much nicer to walk out to dinner than eat in the hotel. “La Quercia” means “The Oak”… sounds so much more attractive in Italian, doesn’t it?

The brothers have been operating the Restaurant for 46 years and the place was full of people, mostly business people, we suspect. Plenty of accents. We also suspect that the two of them are rolling in Euro..They have perfected the art of service, pouring wine and wheeling trolleys of desserts with aplomb! Not much of a female touch anywhere .. and the lights were very bright .. but the meal was, once again, delicious.

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Mike returned from the airport this afternoon with a grin SO wide and related a story to me that I could never re-tell because I was snuggled up in our warm, comfortable room. So, here, in his words, are the events that occurred when he returned the car to Hertz. Thank Goodness we did not leave it until morning to return.

“– there I was trying to navigate my way — (without my navigator Trish beside me — she being back at what was cutely called the “FIRST HOTEL” which was nowhere near the airport mind you!!!) — to Hertz drop off at Malpensa Airport in fog so thick that visibilty was down to no more than a few metres without any hope of seeing the directions signs at what were two VERY VERY complicated roundabouts going in different directions — a choice of either back south on an autostrada to Milan of about 20 plus kilometres or north to Varese of about the same distance — when after the second attempt around the roundabouts — actually, I do have to admit, when in doubt roundabouts do come in handy — I pulled into a side road to “settle my direction” when I noticed a police car pull up opposite me at the side road intersection — so seizing the moment, I leapt out and called out to the policeman if he could speak English —
RECOMMENDATION BEING, never speak Italian to a policeman. Anyway, after responding to me in perfect English and in response to my query that I was lost, he replied very pleasantly, that I should follow him and that I should bear right — adestra — when he flicked his lights — so I pulled in behind him —- and the fun started from there because as we waited and waited for the long line of
approaching traffic to break so that we could enter the stream — on came the blue strobe lights of the police car with the result that EVERYTHING STOPPED and I mean EVERYTHING !! with the consequence that he and I moved out in style and moved to the point where he flicked his lights and we parted company — my only regret being, that he didn’t put on the siren!! A small “moment” in what has been a marvellous — esperianza italiana!

Con affetto

Zandegiacomo della Morte, Michele ”

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Lunch today was the most memorable lunch since our Fondue in Zurich all those years ago! It’s one we will recall because of the hospitality of the hosts, the location and the opportunity for one last Italian experience.

The idea, initially, was to find a place near one of the Italian Lakes which are not far from here: Maggiore, Como, Varese and Bodia, but the day dawned with heavy mist and fog. Choices were to stay here at the Hotel or drive and see if the weather cleared, find a nice restaurant and have lunch before Mike returns the car to the airport. The weather did fine up and we really enjoyed the drive but views of the lakes were obscured from every vantage point – except one illegal jaunt down a beautiful little lane amongst very exclusive homes! What fun – and I have a few great photos to prove it!

Executive decision was made to return to Malpensa and have lunch at a place we found last night – the alternative to our dinner choice then – in the tiny village of ***. Instead of having a long drive, Mike could relax a bit, enjoy lunch and wine and be home along a straight lane-way in no time at all. GOOD decision!!

Il Maniero is a really busy family concern, a Ristorante they have run for twenty years. One son was our host, another was the chef. Father was the “overseer” and Mother, we suspect, has been looking after the accounts every day for the past twenty years! Not only did we have a delicious lunch but they offered us some of their special home-made red wine vinegar for the Insalata Mista, which was served in a Chianti bottle with “Aceto” handwritten on the label – and hand made chocolate with our caffe.
We’re not too sure what the outlook is over the balcony because of the mist, but the cypress trees and the fog created a magnificent “feel”.

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The plan for today was to get closer to the airport and it seemed like a very good idea to spend an evening near one of the Italian lakes. The plan changed shortly after leaving Feltre because signage was very poor. Although we did not lose time, the idea of moving from one place to another before our flight out on Tuesday seemed a bit silly.

So, here we are in Malpensa – settled in for two days – and tomorrow, we will spend the day at one of the Lakes. Sounds lovely!!

Overnight there had been a gentle dusting of snow and the roof of the building across from our room looked so pretty with the terracotta tiles dusted with white.

The temperature was 1 degree, so quite mild really. It was 8.30 when we drove out of the Hotel Doriguzzi to find out way to Milan via Treviso, Altovole, Castelfranco, Cittadella, skirting around Verona and Milan to Somme Lombardo, around and around the airport and, ultimately, to Malpensa.

Some of the observations Mike and I made on the trip down today were: changed terrain and geology, of course, but the mountains seem “scruffy” and look a bit like an unshaven man; very confusing signage, unattractive buildings; lots of cyclists on the roads because this flat part of Italy hosts World Cycling championships; Agriturismo is big, not only in the wide valleys we’ve been through, but also all over the Alps; a magnificently festooned pink house (with roses and streamers and balloons and signs) to welcome a little girl to their family. Castelfranco looked interesting with some huge homes and buildings and an Avenue of architecture. I found a bit of information about it from a brochure:

“Castelfranco was founded in 1199 by the town of Treviso and was meant to be a bulwark against the town of Padova. It is a medieval walled town enclosing the remains of a 12th century castle. In 1477 it became the birthplace of the famous Italian painter Giorgio Barbarelli, better known as Giorgione.”

“Within the 18th-century cathedral of Castelfranco there are frescos by Paolo Veronese (whose art can be seen in the church at Monte Berico in Vicenza), but also one of Giorgione’s finest works, the “Madonna and Child with St Francis and St Liberale.”

Might be a place to explore one day.

By 10:00 am we were on the autostrada and, goodness, do the cars go FAST!!

We had a lunch break around 11.30 at one of the huge AutoGrill restaurants that breach the autostrada. Thinking that we would beat the lunch rush it was amazing to see how busy it was – and to see the delightful display of food that was on sale, not just the fast-foods and coffee.

By 2:00 pm we had settled into the Hotel and decided to explore the area and find a place for dinner this evening, rather than eat in the hotel. Despite the fact that we are close to the airport, it is a heavily wooded area with a National Park close by with marked walking tracks everywhere. It was 5 degrees – and siesta time, so there was no other option than to join them for a very welcome rest.

Still need to write about our evening meal at Trattoria Concorde but will put a couple of pictures in here:

I just HAD to take a photo of the Mother who was our hostess. She was really lovely – but SO tired! At least she did not wrap the tablecloth around her shoulders, Celia … but she did sit close to the fireplace! Asking for the photo really put a smile on her face.

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