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Italy Etc 2026
  • Tony and Ursula
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  • Tony and Ursula

Italy Etc 2026

Slightly different from the last trip. Detouring into Southern Europe and some more new parts of Italy Read more
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    🇮🇹 Milan, Italy
    Tony and UrsulaItaly Etc 2026Traveler
    Milano Centrale. Railway station. Shabby chic.
    Milano Centrale. Railway station. Shabby chic.

    Milan

    September 9 in Italy ⋅ 🌧 21 °C

    We first flew over the UAE and Saudi Arabia for a while before heading up the Persian Gulf. Looked very hot and desert-like. Again no signs of the war.
    Arrived in Malpensa (Milan airport) at 7pm which is much more civilised than the usual early morning arrivals into Europe. The new fingerprinting entry system isn’t quite perfect. Took ages. Caught the familiar train into Milan then found our hotel easily. Short walk. Compact and comfortable for our first night in Italy.
    Easy walk through the light rain for breakfast in the morning. Then we catch a train to La Spezia which takes about 4 hours. Italy isn’t all that small.    Read more

  • Tony and UrsulaItaly Etc 2026Traveler
    Muscat from the plane
    Muscat from the planeHot dusty Muscat AirportOrnately decorated lounge at MuscatAround the airport

    Muscat

    September 9 in Oman ⋅ ☀️ 38 °C

    A daytime flight took us there. Comfortable, and highlighted by tasty food and wine. Unfortunately there was quite a heat haze as we flew over the entrance to the Straits of Hormuz. Could only see a few ships; fortunately no missiles or drones. Hot. 40 degrees when we arrived. Fortunately we only felt a short sample of the heat while walking along the air bridges.
    Flying over Oman was interesting, very barren and one big desert, except for buildings along the coast in and near Muscat. Not unlike the countryside around Abu Dhabi which we saw last year. No really tall buildings that we could see. We had about 2 hours in Muscat airport in the beautifully decorated and very comfortable lounge. Unfortunately not hungry.    Read more

  • Tony and UrsulaItaly Etc 2026Traveler
    Inside KL airport. Not many customers in the early morning.
    Inside KL airport. Not many customers in the early morning.KL airport. The 'shooting stars' are reflections of the internal lights.

    Kuala Lumpur

    September 9 in Malaysia ⋅ 🌙 26 °C

    After having several small tastes of Malaysian curries in the Sydney lounge, we were very pleased when on the flight at this late hour we were served only a small dish of some satays. There is a nice-looking breakfast menu and at the end of this 9 hour flight we enjoyed it. (Shouldn’t mention that with Qantas flying back from Bali there was a large dinner served after midnight which less than half the passengers ate. No breakfast nor tea/coffee for the 6am arrival into Melbourne. Who organises this?)
    We managed a few hours’ sleep during this night-time trip.
    Finding the right lounge in early morning KL airport proved to be quite the adventure. Our first advisor sent us to another terminal via a train ride. No luck there. Back by return train to where we had been. Here’s the lounge. Only allowed entry 3 hours prior to the flight so we relaxed for 40 minutes. Into the lounge. Time for nice coffees, comfortable seats and some small samples of tempting morsels, before the next flights; this time with Oman Air.    Read more

  • Tony and UrsulaItaly Etc 2026Traveler
    Flying in to Sydney
    Flying in to SydneyIt would have been interestingBunya pine in the GardensBlackwattle bay from the Fish Market

    Sydney

    September 7 in Australia ⋅ ☀️ 21 °C

    In a desperate attempt to get FindPenguins to show something realistic on the map, Tony is creating “Footprints” for every step of the way. Some very short.
    We have about 24 hours here; staying with Katherine and Geoff at Cammeray. Time for some Sydney touring on Tuesday utilising the (very handy) Senior Opal cards. First stop is the “Alchemy of a Rainforest” special exhibition at the Botanic gardens. As a tourism bonus we use the Metro (brand new suburban rail system to us) which is wonderful. The exhibition is closed. “We have to re-pot many plants”. Still, nice to see the gardens. Then, as we hadn’t yet visited the new Sydney Fish Markets, we went there for a thorough look and to feed Tony his GOOD fish and chips lunch. Success. In another transport first, we had a trip on the Light Rail before relaxing and completing our final packing at home.
    Flight leaves at 11pm. Our trip is split into 3 roughly equal parts, stopping at Kuala Lumpur, Muscat then Milan. Let’s see how it works on our ageing bodies.    Read more

  • Tony and UrsulaItaly Etc 2026Traveler
    Sunny departure morning. Tamar Valley from our front decking.
    Sunny departure morning. Tamar Valley from our front decking.3Tony's potatoes. Just planted in a new bed. Fingers crossed while we are away.

    The Start

    September 7 in Australia ⋅ ☀️ 17 °C

    "You may have the universe if I may have Italy." Giuseppe Verdi

    This year we're going to Italy. Again. Surprise! Once more Ursula will be studying Italian for a fortnight. Tony has declined. More intense this year; 4 hours instruction each day. Too long for Tony to put up with being the dunce of the class. He will most probably be able to amuse himself.
    Packing was enlivened by having to fit in cycling helmet, shorts, water bottle, lunch box. Yes, we have booked a 'Barge and Bike' tour. It's ok, we are experienced. We did a 'Cycling for Softies' tour in France not long ago. 1994! And a more challenging cycling tour in Provence in 1998. What could possibly go wrong?    Read more

    Trip start
    September 7, 2026