2011 Rome and Paris | FindPenguins

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Trip start
September 21, 2011
2011 Rome and Paris The World on Two Wheels
Arrival in Rome
September 22, 2011 in Italy ⋅ ⛅ 21 °C
After the cyclin component of the trip was completed, I was in no particular hurry to return to Australia, therefore I decided to take the long and slow route home, with stops in Rome, Paris and Singapore.

The flight from Dresden to Rome went smoothly and I time. I had previously booked a nice looking 2 star hotel on the Internet and was looking to settling in and exploring the surroundings.

I gave my taxi driver the address of the hotel and watched some of the famous sights of the city pass by from the back seat of the car. After 45 mins or so, we reached the hotel. I unloaded my luggage and dragged into the foyer of the hotel, then introduced myself to the young man behind the counter.

He tapped away for a few moments and then put on a sad face. "There is a problem with your room", he said. "It has a water leak". This was not the sort of welcome I had been expecting.

"But we have some good news", he added. "We have found another hotel, just as good as this one, and very close".

I have since learnt that this is a common scam in Rome, where hotels overbook their rooms and then fob you off to some inferior alternative (at the same price). At the time I was too tired to argue, and I was directed to take my luggage to the substitute hotel.

To my relief, the substitute place was not as bad as it could have been. Although the room was tiny, at least it had a bed - and I could see no signs of a water leak. It became my home for the next four nights.Read more
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2011 Rome and Paris The World on Two Wheels
Rome - Day 2
September 23, 2011 in Italy ⋅ 🌙 21 °C
This was actually the first time I had been in Rome and, like any other tourist, I walked out from the front door of my hotel, and somehow manage to find my way to the Forum and the Coliseum. I then spent quite a few hours wandering the ruins and trying to imagine what the place would have been like in its heyday.

By the middle of the afternoon, the combination of hot sun, crowds of people and a LOT of walking, sent me back to the hotel in search of a rest and some cool air.Read more
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2011 Rome and Paris The World on Two Wheels
Rome - Day 3
September 24, 2011 in Italy ⋅ ⛅ 21 °C
My aim today was to wander a little further afield. I spent a long day exploring the Vatican, the Pantheon, Trevi Fountain and many other sites of interest. It was another hot day in Rome.
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2011 Rome and Paris The World on Two Wheels
Ancient Pompei
September 25, 2011 in Italy ⋅ ⛅ 21 °C
Today I had booked a day excursion to the ancient city of Pompei, in the south of Italy near Naples. It was an early and a long drive in the bus. As we travelled south, it became evident that the region was struggling economically, with so many buildings decaying and falling apart.

After a short time in Naples, we drove to Pompei, situated close to the famous Mt Vesuvius. It was a fascinating wander through the extensive streets of this doomed city.

We did not get back to Rome until late in the evening.Read more
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2011 Rome and Paris The World on Two Wheels
Bonjour Paris
September 26, 2011 in France ⋅ ⛅ 22 °C
Today I left Rome and took a short flight to Paris. My hotel is situated in Montmartre, the elevated part of Paris known as the 18th Arrondaisement,

Upon looking at the confusing array of streets, seemingly heading off in all directions, I was not at all confident that I would ever be able to find my way back to the hotel.Read more
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2011 Rome and Paris The World on Two Wheels
Paris - Catacombs
September 27, 2011 in France ⋅ 🌙 22 °C
It was a busy day today as I wandered around the city, visiting the underground catacombs, Sacre Coeur Cathedral, Notre Dame, the Louvre and the Tuileries Gardens. Somehow I managed to learn how to use the Metro and found my way back to the hotel at the end of the day.Read more
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2011 Rome and Paris The World on Two Wheels
Eifel Tower & Moulin Rouge
September 28, 2011 in France ⋅ 🌙 23 °C
When I booked this trip I also booked a Paris Package. Included in this package was a dinner at the Second Level of the Eifel Tower and an evening show at the famous Moulin Rouge.

The Moulin Rouge Show did not start until quite late in the evening. Looking around at the hundreds of people all crowded together in the old building, I could not help but think of how bad it would be in the case of a fire.

I had assumed that I would be transported back to my hotel at the end of the show. This turned out to be a wrong assumption. This is how I found myself wandering the dark streets of Montmartre at about 1 am in the morning. I looked in vain for any sign of something that I could recognise from the daytime and began to fear that I would be spending the night huddling in an alleyway.

To my great relief I finally found a familiar Metro station. I had got off the train at that station earlier in the day, and cautiously retraced my steps to the hotel, When I saw the familiar awning outside the hotel door, I was almost ecstatic. It had been an interesting experience, but I vowed that in future I would always bring a GPS with me.Read more
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2011 Rome and Paris The World on Two Wheels
Last Full Day in Paris
September 29, 2011 in France ⋅ 🌙 23 °C
After my trauma of the previous night, I decided that a restful day was in order. I kept my wanderings to the area of Montmartre and gradually started to feel more at home in the maze of streets.

Tomorrow, I leave Europe for Singapore.Read more
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2011 Rome and Paris The World on Two Wheels
Goodbye Paris
September 30, 2011 in France ⋅ ☀️ 26 °C
Since I had flown to Europe with Singapore Airlines, it was easy to arrange a stopover in Singapore on the way back to Melbourne. It had been almost 20 years since I had been in Singapore and I thought that a short stay would serve to break the long journey home.

Early in the morning I packed my bags and headed off to CDG Airport, Shortly after 12 noon, I was lifting off and beginning the long journey home. After the time spent cycling the Danube and Elbe Rivers, and my stays in Rome and Paris, I was looking forward to being safely home in my own bedroom again.Read more
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2011 Rome and Paris The World on Two Wheels
Singapore
October 1, 2011 in Singapore ⋅ 26 °C
Leaving the air conditioned cocoon of the airport terminal building, you are immediately hit by a wave of super heated and very humid air. The temperature of Singapore is always about 30C and 100 per cent humidity, regardless of the hour of day. They say you eventually get used to it, but I think I would rather get used to the dentist's drill - I just find it exhausting.

I made a beeline for the airconditioned hotel and was content to observe the city through my window. The room was cool and the bed was comfortable.Read more
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2011 Rome and Paris The World on Two Wheels
Free Day in Singapore
October 2, 2011 in Singapore ⋅ ⛅ 31 °C
My time in Singapore was short, and I did not want to spend that time in the hustle and bustle of the city. I looked for an alternative place where I might be able to at least have some personal space. And so, I headed for the famous Singapore Zoo. At least there was plenty of gardens, trees and some interesting animals as well. It turned out to be an ideal place to spend my final free day, before heading back to Melbourne.Read more
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2011 Rome and Paris The World on Two Wheels
Home at Last
October 4, 2011 in Australia ⋅ 20 °C
My flight from Singapore safely landed at Tullamarine at 7.30 am in the morning. Maggie was waiting to greet me and then drive me home to Emerald. It was a good feeling to be back in familiar surroundings.Read more
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Trip end
October 4, 2011