Sep 15, 2018 - Day 1/2 Doha to Rome

All went well on the next flight. We all managed to get some sleep so dint feel too bad when we arrived in Rome. We passed through immigration and customs very quickly and then went looking for our driver. We wasn't at the meeting point when we got there so we wandered back and forth a few times. After about 10 minutes I called the company and was told he was at the airport, meeting point 4, just where we were standing. I looked around again and there he was. Never been so happy to see my name on a sign. Our car was a comfortable Mercedes...

Apr 20, 2018 - Arriverderci Italia

Welcome to my final entry for this trip. It was lovely to be back in Italy especially after the disappointment of Malta. Bologna is a very interesting city. Over 43 kilometres of porticos. Terrific food. Old interesting buildings. Good food markets. Surprisingly they are famous for mortadella as well as bolognese . Although weather forecast was for rain and cold the whole time it was sunny and warm - short sleeves the go. My apartment was terrific with everything one could wish for and very convenient to everything. Bologna is the capital...

Sep 5, 2017 - Underrated Doha

As our journey in Asia was coming to an end we started looking at various options of getting back to Europe. We decided that we didn't want a route which took us to a place we had been before (many of the options went through Hong Kong, China, Thailand etc) and we didn't really care which European country we ended up in. This was when we stumbled upon a flight which took us through Qatar and onto Frankfurt. It ticked both boxes as it's not somewhere we have been before and we had always talked of visiting Germany before our travels came to...

Jun 15, 2016 - Doha en 72 heures

Après un beau vol de 12.5hrs, on se voit atterrir au milieu du désert pour un temps clément, selon les locaux, de 41C. Nous sommes arrivés en plein Ramadan (diète forcée et aucun alcool de disponible pour ce cours séjour) ce qui a ajouté une touche culturelle a notre aventure. La ville était complètement fermée du levé jusqu'au couché du soleil. Des lors, la ville s'animait en grande pompe et les commerces pouvaient être ouvert jusqu'a l'aurore. Nous avons été agréablement surpris par l'accueil et la gentillesse de la population du Qatar....

May 23, 2016 - Day 1 Perth to Doha and in Doha

Jane dropped us to the airport in p,entry of time for our flight. We checked in and headed for departures. We had an uneventful first flight with Qatar Airways however, like all economy flights, were a bit cramped. They looked after us well and as we left at 11pm, it was pretty easy to get off to sleep. We had a strong tail wind so arrived into Doha at 4:30am where it was 30C. Thank goodness we were inside the terminal. We checked into the business lounge as we upgraded for the flight to London and had something to eat before booking onto a...

May 2, 2016 - Last day in Cambodia

Our last day in Cambodia today. Nothing too exciting. After a late breakfast in our little apartment we sat around the outside spa overlooking the river and watched life go by. It is a public holiday here today so not as much traffic as usual. Wandered down the street to get our last $5 foot massage for a while. Mid afternoon caught a taxi to the airport. Phnom Penh airport is not too big, so we were quickly through check-in and customs. While we were having coffee, we met an English lady who was working here. She was a research assistant...

Oct 17, 2015 - Shopping Day in Doha

Saturday 17th October A whole day to do nothing today except shop. Maureen and myself took a cab at 11am to Villaggio Shopping Centre about half an hour away from our hotel. Lots of high end shops and we looked in every one of them. We also found Marks and Spencer, my second favourite store after Debenhams. Spent about an hour in a children's wear shop oohing and aahing over cute outfits. I managed to get myself the rest of my summer wardrobe but we only had remnants of summer gear left. Autumn and winter gear has hit all the shops although...

Oct 16, 2015 - Hello Doha

Friday 16th October John woke both of us ladies at 9am – we were still out to it. He was hungry and breakfast stops at 10am. Quickly showered and dressed. John went ahead of us to the 42nd floor for brekkie in the executive lounge we are entitled to. Maureen and I couldn’t remember which floor it was because we were so comatose in the early hours when we checked in. Maureen rang reception, gave them our room number and they advised us to go to the 3rd floor restaurant which we did. Finally got a message from John asking where we were. We...

Sep 16, 2015 - Good morning to Doha, Athens and Good afternoon Santorini

Arrived in Doha, Qatar at the ungodly hour of 5.30 am where it was already 36 degrees. Off to the Business lounge again for another breakfast after those fantastic blueberry pancakes onboard. Very impressive lounge with an Olympic swimming pool sized fountain in the centre before heading upstairs and another breakfast. In no time at all we were ready to board our next flight en route to Athens, Greece. Business class on this one was a little more cramped and certainly no where nearly as comfortable as the previous plane. I had yet another...

Aug 3, 2015 - Final leg of the trip

Well we eventually left Singapore after several delays - seems to be common at Changi Airport lately for some reason (maybe they need another runway - being the airport expert that I am). We arrived in Doha and the flight was just over 7 hours which was pretty good. We were so impressed by Qatar the food, the service, the flight (so smooth and fantastic takeoff and landing). We now know why they have won best airline in the world 3 years running - they do know how to treat travellers. Even the disgruntled travellers that missed their...

Apr 4, 2015 - Almost There!

I'm almost there! On a six hour layover in Qatar before flying into Kathmandu, so I decided to test out this journal entry feature. I just want to give a shout out to my family, friends and co-workers who supported my desire to make this trip a reality! I am so grateful! More to come. Only about eleven hours to go! 𯘊

Mar 26, 2015 - Qatar with Katie and Casey

How amazing when plans made a year ago come to fruition! I vividly remember Katie Walker and I, huddled in my office at Sexton Mountain Elementary School, looking over her schedule at her new Qatari school and trying to figure out the best time for Fran and I to visit. And here we are! Start to finish, we felt absolutely pampered during our time in Qatar. Not only were Katie and her husband Casey, the consummate hosts, but former Beaverton buddy April and her husband Paul Gouldsbrough were the ultimate tour guides! They all took such good...