Three Coins in a Fountain

This is a short post, as by the time we reached our hotel it was five pm. The hotel is a boutique place with overblown european decor (think gilt and dark wood), dodgy lifts and a lot of marble. We have five rooms on various floors. Its’s very hot here and the air-conditioned room, a shower and a change did wonders for our morale. The views from the rooftop bar are incredible, but so are the cocktail prices, so after we ate the free snacks we walked up the street for our first Italian meal  - pizza and pasta of course at a little local restaurant. The road crossing is challenging and we were ignorant of the crossing protocols. Do the pedestrian stripes gave us right of way? Do we just wade into the traffic boldly? With impressive stamina, Flynn and Eve headed off to a concert after dinner . The rest of us navigated our way down the hill to a Uniqlo to buy long pants for the short wearing Starrett boys. We’ve discovered that adults need to wear long pants in the evening at a few venues. Whilst Josh may be able to pass as a 15 year old, it would be a stretch for Cam. Of course, in Rome a 10 minute walk to anywhere takes you past amazing sights, so we checked out the column of Marcus Aurelius, and the Trevi Fountain (referred to as the “Trevor Fountain” by team Starrett when we were in Rome the first time). My mother had come prepared with an envelope of various global coins from her travels and handed them out to all our freeloader group except for Amanda, who had impressively come prepared with coins too.   It was absolutely packed with people but we wriggled in and threw our coins. It was very hot and we were pretty tired, so bed beckoned and we said Buena Notte. 

Cloud Nine

Broadmeadow station provided entertainment while we waited for the train, with three police officers arresting a drug dealer who had booked an XPT seat using his real name. We know this detail due to a stealthy but casual saunter to the action end of the platform by one Josh Starrett. The train leg went smoothly other than a potential station mishap where the group exited the train at Asquith and quickly piled back on again till we reached Hornsby. To Josh’s great disappointment, we did not have 9 separate limousines to pick us up, and arrived at the airport courtesy of a couple of lowly Mercedes/Audi mini vans and two shiny black sedans. The Emirates Lounge  provided a good selection of dinner food and the open bar was a hit with our group but it was late and some of us (mainly me) were sleepy. 

It was really fun getting on the plane and watching everyone discover the business class setup. Moet, pyjamas (“we’ve joined a cult”) and his&hers amenities bags (“Mecca party bags”) were all a hit. Campbell also discovered that we can telephone each other from the in-seat phones. Our party of nine took up about half of the section, and I suspect we MAY have been a bit noisy, as some poor guy sandwiched between our rows asked for earplugs. I took advantage of my favourite part of luxury travel, the lay-flat bed, and went to sleep as soon as we took off. We all managed some sleep, and had various catch-ups and chats in the onboard bar area over the  next 14 hours.

After breakfast, the flight crew gathered our group behind the bar for a photo (sans Flynn who was asleep and Eve who was locked in by her breakfast tray). We assumed it was a nice gesture to celebrate our group holiday but in a strange lost in translation moment they then gave me a decorated dessert plate with “happy anniversary” written on it, a signed card from all the flight crew and two glasses of champagne. We had the giggles but ran with it. 

Once in Dubai we embarked on a grand tour of the A, the B and the C Emirates lounges, due to both our deficiency in navigation and to a delayed connection in Dubai. The Rome flight has a lot of nuns on it - sandals with socks abound. When we finally boarded it was a treat to swan past the crowds to the good seats upstairs- lucky they were comfortable as we then sat on the tarmac for an hour. Delays aside, the flight crew was delightful, the service good and we had some hilarious group games of trivia on the entertainment system. Shout out to Cam with two wins, Bene with the highest score win and me for winning one despite the name shenanigans (see how many Annas with various spellings are on the scoreboard…) We landed in Rome completely exhausted but upbeat. Our little group has bonded nicely over the past 24 hours and we are ready to explore Italy together.

Memories are made of this

We head off today to Italy. This is a trip of many parts. It’s an adventure - a wonderful time exploring and discovering. It’s family time - extended family. There are a LOT of us on this excursion, but more about that later. It’s normality- back (after a Covid hiatus) to the annual overseas trip we’ve done every year since that very first one back in 2011. That leads me the final part of this trip- it’s a pilgrimage. Italy was our first overseas holiday as a family back in 2011 when the boys were 7, 9 and 11. The thought of going back again without Jase has made me pretty fragile this week and I’m sure there will be a few emotional moments and memories on the journey. 

We’ve been talking about a family holiday for about a year but it was difficult to pin down team Starrett due to Uni and social schedules. Once we had decided on Italy, things seemed to fall into place and the guest list started to expand. I’m bemused but delighted to be team leading a group of nine. As well as myself and the boys, we have Flynn’s girlfriend Eve, my mother, my niece Benedicte (my sister Kate’s daughter), and my sister-in-law Amanda (Jason’s sister) with her husband Richard. 

Team Starrett is now adult and managed their own packing. Well…perhaps. They still sought some parental input to help with questions like: 

“What do I need to bring that I wouldn’t have thought of” (my suggestion of swimmers was well received)

“What food can I bring on the plane”

“How many days till we do laundry”

Two of our party, who will remain nameless actually thought we were leaving yesterday, with one of them packed waiting for a car pick up. I had a text check in this morning from one relaxed traveller - did I have his passport. I’m not sure what would have happened if I said no.  Anyway the extended team Starrett is on our way to Bella Italia. More soon. 

When the party’s over

On my last morning I took an early walk to get a coffee. All the Christmas decorations and lights are up and it’s very peaceful and pretty to wander about, although pretty cold. It’s Jason’s birthday today and it was nice to to sit with my memories in a cosy coffee shop. 

Before heading to the airport I lashed out to actually have breakfast at the Savoy. I tried to get Winston Churchill’s favourite table (table 4) but it wasn’t available, so I made do with a window seat. 

I’ve had a lovely time and feel refreshed and relaxed, ready to drop back into my life. It’s a long way home - something like 38 hours door to door but I was sitting in the “good seats” so slept for much of the flight. As we were landing in Perth, Bruce Springsteen’s Dancing in the Dark was playing on the Qantas media loop. 

Thank you for following along, the comments and notes - it’s been lovely to read them.  

Pure Imagination

After a cheapie breakfast at Pret I walked it off with an hour trek  to buy a customised Liverpool strip for Cam. Liverpool was Jason’s  favourite team and it was a bit of an emotional walk back to the hotel. I then caught a cab to my morning destination, Sir John Soane’s house/museum. This turned out to be one of the favourite parts of my  trip. John Soane was a 19th century architect. He demolished three houses and rebuilt all three to accommodate a house, a studio and a space for his incredible collection of historical artefacts. The house itself was spectacular - light wells that go from five stories up right down to the basement, coloured glass and beautiful spaces. I also loved the contents  including the sarcophagus of Seti I and hundreds of statues , bits of marble and artwork. He was a magpie collector. I was imagining how beneficial it would have been for his students to work surrounded by all of the beautiful inspiration although I’m wondering why some of the pieces have not been reclaimed by the original countries of origin. Sir John gave his property to the nation as a gift on the proviso that nothing was changed - the property was to be opened “as is” with free entrance. I wonder if he foresaw how much enjoyment future generations would derive from experiencing and admiring his creativity.

 For lunch I took the opportunity to try Gordon Ramsay’s “Street Burger” restaurant. He claims they are the best burgers in the world. Hmmm. Not bad, and some creative options (Butter chicken burger with chill lime pickle) but I’m not sure they are the best in the world. 

I went to see Matilda in the afternoon. Great show with a quality set and excellent casting. Lots of fun. I had equal enjoyment people watching all the small children in the audience. Since it was the matinee, the place was as packed with kids and I could hear from the discussions around me that it was a first theatre experience for a number of them. I love that even though Britain is struggling economically, people are still willing to spend on the arts. 

Roll up roll up..

Today’s plans needed revision due to my poor attention to detail about what was open and closed on which days. The revised plan included a trek to a highly reviewed breakfast restaurant in Neil’s yard. Google maps was not playing nice so there was a fair bit of wandering around the narrow cobbled streets. Despite an unprepossessing start (the waitress told me to stand in a corner outside and wait two minutes till they were open) it was a great choice. I opted for 5 grain porridge with banana, tahini, honey, cinnamon, sesame seeds & cacao nibs. Next level. I spent the rest of the day wandering through a few different shopping locations including Bond Street, Fortnum and Mason, some gorgeous covered walkways and the cute streets in Covent Garden. 

The great disappointment of the day was Harrods. A confusing maze of brands each in their own little sections. No natural daylight, over the top decor, confusing lift and escalator locations and a general crass, overcommercialised feel. Like a casino for shopping not gambling. I had to ask directions three times to find the way out. 

The highlight today was the dinner experience. I asked the doorman (Rob) to call a cab to take me to dinner, and he instead offered the “House car”, a Rolls Royce. The driver, Victor,  was lovely and took a roundabout route to the restaurant to extend the experience. He said that he’s instructed to exclusively play classical music unless the passenger asks for something different. I asked for rap and had him giggling, but he stuck with the classical. I arrived in style at Lina Stores for a wonderful Italian dinner. It’s a very small local restaurant in Soho with excellent prices and even better food.  I walked back to the hotel via Covent garden which was feeling very festive with an event to turn on the Christmas lights. 

Empirical exploration.

I woke early and walked up the street for a coffee, spotting a fox in the process. I believe they are quite common in the city but I was really surprised to see one. 

Breakfast was at my favourite Indian restaurant, Dishoom. It’s a must visit place for me every time I’m in the UK. I had  a sausage with chilli jam wrapped in a naan, washed down with a spicy chai tea. So good. The Indian cusine in London is amazing, no doubt due to the long association with Britain. 

I then embarked on a history immersion day, with a badged British tour guide, Alexandra. We spent most of the morning in the Winston Churchill War rooms (very well done). His influence and impact on England’s success in WW2 is so significant and I loved all the exhibits and the stories. I’m only sorry I didn’t get a photo of the velvet onesie that he wore. The War rooms visit was followed by a walk around St James. The ability of my guide to identify specific interests, coupled with deep knowledge of the area made it a fascinating day. Below are the “last” for making Queen Victoria’s shoes at Lobb’s, the Enigma machine at the War Rooms (Turing, by the way was from Kings College at Cambridge) and some shots from Berry and Rudd, a wine merchant that started in the 18th century. So much history of the British Empire. 

I sat in the American Bar at the Savoy for a drink (only two in deference to my budget) before a reprise at Dishoom for dinner.