Flying home from Rome via China

On Sunday morning, 29 July, we rose early to clean our Airbnb apartment, pack our bags and head for the Airport. We had to walk to the tram stop, catch the number 8 tram to the Trastevere Station, then catch the train to the airport. Then checking into China Southern Airlines was relatively painless. We were at our boarding gate in plenty of time. We needed to have one last Roman coffee and a final croissant before boarding and admitting that it really was time to leave Europe.

The first leg of our journey from Rome, leaving at 11:30am, took us to Changzhou in about 11 hours flying time. In Changzhou, we had a three-hour layover. Then our second flight took us about 10 hours to Sydney, arriving at approximately 7:45pm on Monday night, 30 July.

We have taken nine flights in the last month. We have visited nine counties and four continents, not including Australia. We have enjoyed a northern summer with temperatures in the high thirties degrees Celsius. We have swum in the Meditteranean sea. It has been enriching in so many ways. There are so many memories that have been created.

It seems incredible that a month has passed since we first left Sydney on our European adventure. We have seen so many wonderful places and shared some amazing experiences. We are thankful for the opportunity, Sam and I, to travel this journey together. What a blessing.Read more