Events

Our last day in Madrid started with a visit to the Serrano district of high end retail shopping. Features included shoes and shirt for Vicky and a funny three course lunch for both of us. The Spanish are big on lunch out and we had to try several places to find a table. we also visited an exhibition of the latest work by Roy Liechtenstein which was very strong and eyecatching.
After siesta we made our way back to the centre of Madrid for sangria and calamari in the Plaza Mayor and then a sentimental final visit to our favourite mushroom house.

The homeward journey started in the dark with a taxi ride at 150km per hour along the empty freeway to the airport. A 6:30am flight means a 4:30 arrival which means a 3:30 wake up! The first flight was to Roma, then after a three hour wait, we flew to Singapore to arrive just as dawn broke on ANZAC Day.

We had booked a room at the Swissotel the Stamford which would have to be the best hotel room we have ever had. Our deluxe room with two double beds, 28 floors of view over the harbour, desk and leather chair, etc etc. They gave us a hospitality room until our room was available at ten. This included access to pool and ablutions. This was handy given that we had a Breakfast plate number 3 at a joint down the road. The place seemed very busy ergo you might think popular which should equal good. And you would be wrong. Two five second boiled eggs and some sweet apple jam in a toasted sandwich really was quite vomitous considering our lack of sleep and the sudden impact of 32 degrees and very humid.

Singapore was a great diversion, and a great way to break up a very long trip that had caused some consternation on our previous journey four years ago.
Features of our visit include:
Getting lost in a maze of passages that link hotels and metro stations and shopping malls.
Visiting the Changi memorial and Kranji War Cemetery for ANZAC day.
Having a suit made.
Eating very cheaply in Chinatown and riskily in Little India - Marsala Chicken knees seems to be the most adequate description.
Finding that designer clothing is about double the price for the same article in Europe.
Dodging tropical rain storms that come out of nowhere.
Finding everything very clean and well organised especially the excellent metro system.
Singapore slings in the Long Bar at Raffles Hotel with peanuts that you shell and toss on the floor.

And all of a sudden we are home. Bags just over the limit but hand luggage that managed to fill up one and a half of those overhead locker things.

We have almost got over changes in time and climate and food and traffic and money and the way the way the water goes down the drain. But don't be suprised if we look a bit peaky at recess time, try to change 5 euro at the canteen, take a siesta and miss yard duty or drive the car out the in gate.

Farewell and thanks for visiting our site. Please feel free to retun in about four years when we do it all again.

We had a great drive 400 Km across southern Spain to Granada. The scenery improved from the skyscraper apartments of the tourist coast to the beautiful scenery of Andalucia where it is very like Australia but the valleys are deeper and the mountains higher.

We drove into Granada and stopped at a busy intersection being managed by a traffic policemen. Although the lights had just turned red the policeman waved us through and we set off in search off our hotel. Soon we were accompanied by two Spanish policemen on motorcycles who followed us closely for about 200m until signalling for us to pull over.

A stern faced young police officer came to the window and spoke in gruff Spanish tones, something that sounded like;
" ¡Madrid aranxa sanchez vacchario paella!"
Graeme replied, "Me no speaky Espanole kind signor"
The policeman gestured for Graeme´s license which unfortunately did not satisfy his official requirements. He managed to convey that he required an international driver´s license which, wouldn´t you know it, was in the hand luggage in the boot. After some rummaging the aforementioned license was located and then followed a conversation between the two officers.
The first officer then said to Graeme, "Fernando alonso barcelona sangria", which we took to mean, You went through a red light you knob head.
Graeme responded with, "But oh handsome and erstwhile officer, I was signalled through by a gentleman wearing similar clothing to yourselves".
To which both officers responded with a succinct, "No"
The first officer then gave us a lecture that went something like, "Placido domingo seville tapas flamenco!"
We shook our heads and they shook theirs and then we shrugged our shoulders and they theirs.
They then decided that we were a dead loss and that the only way out was a stern warning, " Penelope cruz pamplona antonio banderas!"
Graeme, now on a winning streak, pointed to the name of our hotel on a piece of paper and asked, "Where, oh kind senor, would we locate this place?"
The two chaps conferred, shrugged their shoulders and gestured to follow them.
We then were whisked through lanes way and boulevard, street and plaza and, can you dear reader believe it THROUGH A RED LIGHT with pòlice escort, one in front one behind, for about fifteen minutes to our hotel.
With a brief gesture they were off, and we didn´t even get to thank them.