Michelle's Journey to USA, Middle East & Europe

October 12:
This morning I watched the remainder of "My Fair Lady" - the digitally remastered version, before packing my suitcases to head home.
Caught a lunchtime flight from Melbourne to Sydney, and slept most of the way.
Unfortunately it was very overcast when I arrived, but I got a nice view of the city as we landed.
Mum picked me up at the airport... and took me to my apartment, to get ready for Kol Nidre/Yom Kippur (aka Day of Atonement) - it's the holiest day in the Jewish calendar where you fast 25 hours and go to synagogue tonight and tomorrow morning.

Wow, I'm back in Sydney... Home Sweet Home!

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It's all over... I can't believe it! I've had an amazing time travelling round the world. Lots of surprises, eye-opening experiences, made a whole lot of new friends with whom I plan on staying in touch, learnt a lot more about various countries' history, their way of life, culture and language. Can't wait for my next journey!

Thank you to all those people who have been reading my blog, emailing me, calling me and providing an outstrecthed hand full of love, friendship and support. Travelling alone can sometimes be a scary experience - you never know what is in store!
But to anyone who thinks about doing it, there's no need to think twice - just do it! I had the time of my life, believed in myself, took advantage of the opportunities that were out there for the taking, and met a bunch of wonderful people along the way, who in many ways were my strength when I needed a boost.

I can't wait to share my photos, stories and experiences with those in Sydney, and for anyone else I get to see again soon.

In 139 days, I have been to the USA, Canada, Israel, Greece (and the islands), England, Scotland, Wales, Republic of Ireland, Spain, Portugal, Gibraltar, back to New York, London, over to Barcelona, Singapore, Melbourne and Sydney.
Leading up to that I was also in New Zealand for just under three weeks (but didn't write a blog for that). In total, I was away for just under 6 months.

Anyone thinking of travelling to these places, before consulting a travel guide feel free to seek my guidance too.

No idea what life now has in store for me... will I stay in Sydney, what work will I do... who knows?! But life is full of mystery, and I have realised I can do anything I like with it - even without a plan.
All you have to do is 'act' upon your words or thoughts, as otherwise it will be too late, and you'll always be saying "I wish..."

Love to all of you... and I look forward to being in touch by email or phone in the future.

October 11:
My last day on holidays... I can't believe it's really at the end. Would love to go back overseas, but must head home for the meantime.

Slept in, then headed with my grandma to two cemeteries... the first, where Lili, her very good friend is buried (she died while I was away), then over to another one, where my grandfather, Marek and my great-aunt Miriam lie to rest. Miriam died in 2003 and Marek in 1996. I haven't been to the cemetery since my grandpa died, so I decided it was important to pay my respects, especially seeing as though now is the 'High Holidays'.

Had lunch at Vera's, grandma's friend, before saying a brief hello to a good family friend, (Lili and Abrasha's granddaughter) Sheli, who is visiting from Israel, and was not in town when I was there in July.

Popped into Tracy to say farewell to her and Deisel, then had dinner with some of my relatives at an Italian restaurant in the evening, to celebrate one of their birthdays.

Said goodbye to my Israeli cousins tonight too - they're heading to New Zealand, very early tomorrow morning.

Hired a video earlier today... "My Fair Lady". Watched some of it this evening with grandma, but it's very long.

October 10:
Slept in a little yesterday, then headed to the Australia Open office at Melbourne Park to meet with some of the team. While I was away, I interviewed for a paid Media position during the event, and got it. As the interviews were all via the phone, I arranged to go in and meet the people behind the voices.
My contract is waiting for me in Sydney. I will be working for three weeks in January, before and during the grand slam event.

Then headed to Glenhuntly Road to catch up with a friend, Mark, for lunch, before taking a stroll up to South Caulfield, where I caught the bus home.

Took the afternoon easy, before making my way into town, to Southbank to have dinner with Lou, a guy from my Greece Contiki tour.

Nice sunny day today...

October 9: Slept in, feeling tired and run down from my cold.
Hope it goes away soon!
My Israeli cousins (that I saw in Israel in July) decided to visit Australia. They were in Sydney during the week, but this morning they arrived in Melbourne. Grandma's house is now a little full, but guess we'll have to manage.

Headed to my favourite cartoon gallery on High St, Armadale - Silver K Gallery - to talk to the owner about my Disney World experiences and to see his latest collections. Bought enough in the USA, but always interested in what's out there.

Big mazeltov to my friend Joel and his girlfriend Anna, on their recent engagement. They've been living overseas the last 18 months, so looking forward to their return in the next month or two.

Had a huge afternoon tea today with a whole lot of relatives I hadn't seen in many years... plus some I saw the other day too. Was great seeing them again, and rekindling the relationshops. Hope to see them more often from now, especially with them all living in Melbourne.

In the evening, went out with my Israeli cousins, Ainat and Zafrir, and my Melbourne cousins, Michelle and Leon. They took us out for a look at Melbourne at night... something I thoroughly enjoyed as I don't usually get time to play tourist. First, we went to the Shrine of Rememberance (the memorial in honour of fallen World War I soldiers), then drove over the West Gate Bridge, through Lygon Street in Carlton, went up the top of the Rialto Building for a great view of Melbourne's lights, and then to Crown Casino for a walk around, late night coffee and a look at the floral display in the hotel foyer in celebration of Melbourne's Spring Racing Carvinal which started last week. Had a great time... should do this more often!

October 8:
Turns out I still have a bad cold! Just wish the weather would be warmer and the rain would cease!
Spent time with Grandma's friends, Ann, Vera, Zula and Abrasha (who is having his birthday tomorrow), before catching up with my cousin Adam and his fiance Jess (they got engaged while I was away).
Then saw my friend Tracy, her husband Michael, and their gorgeous 15 month-old son, Deisel. He's grown a lot since I saw him last in February, and he's now walking too - very cute! They're also building a new house, so it was nice to go over and see how it's going.
Headed to the movies with my friend Stephen and his wife Naomi, to see "Must Love Dogs". Very sweet romantic comedy!
Busy day, but great seeing everyone.

October 7: Arrived safely in Melbourne, Australia... 4.30am. Didn't manage to get any sleep on the 7-hour overnight flight from Singapore, but did get to watch the movies, "Crash" and "Cindererlla Man". They upgraded me to a seat in the class between economy and business, but unfortunately as I was not near a window to lean on, having a bigger seat was of no advantage (when it came to getting any sleep)!

Customs wasn't a problem which was a surprise, so I headed straight for the taxi line to head to my grandma's place. Arrived there around 6am, so decided to have a nap till lunchtime.

Can't believe my adventure is all coming to an end!? Melbourne is my last destination on the long list of cities to visit!

After lunch, I headed to a mobile store to get a SIM card and reactivate my mobile phone (since it was stolen in Athens). So for anyone who wants to call me and has my old number, I am back online!

Despite being freezing cold in Melbourne today (about 14 degrees C and rainy too), I walked home from Chapel Street in South Yarra, back to Toorak.

Unfortunately the plane's air-conditioning and cold weather (huge climate change!) seemed to get the better of me, as by the evening I had a bad cold.

Went to my relatives' house for dinner to catch up with cousins, and my mum's side of my family. Great seeing them, telling them the stories and showing the few photos I'd had printed along the way.

October 6: Spent the day in Singapore:
Went to Suntec City in the morning to check out the shops, and Feng Shui architecture of the complex, including visiting the 'world's largest fountain' and touching the flowing water for good luck.

Walked around the Esplanade (theatres) - which look like fly's eyes - then over to Raffles City and Hotel, and to the top of the Swissotel The Stamford Hotel, to the New Asia Bar on Level 71 to get a great view of Singapore city.

Returned to the hotel to collect my bags and catch my evening overnight flight to Oz (I arrive in Australia - Melbourne - very early on Friday morning, October 7).

Can't believe I'm almost nearly home!

Was hoping the flight was with Qantas, but due to the code sharing arrangements, it ended up being with British Airways. Doesn't matter - will have to wait for the "G'day" in Melbourne rather than on the plane there!

October 5: My last full day in Singapore... before heading back to Australia. Can't believe my holiday has gone so fast, and is almost over!

Did a city tour this morning... went to Merlion Park to get a view of the city (including the Esplanade) and the half lion/half fish statue, which is the icon of Singapore. Had a stop at Little India briefly to look at some shops (they are celebrating the festival of Deepavali - festival of lights - so the streets are decorated very nicely), then onto Chinatown to visit the Thiam Hock Keng Temple (Buddhist/Taoist).
Stopped at a handicraft centre where they make jewellery and amazing pictures out of semi-precious stones... before heading to the Botanical Gardens and a magical walk through the National Orchid Garden. Very enjoyable, shame it was a little rainy!

Then on my own, walked through Arab Street (via the Sultan Mosque) and Little India, before catching the train and cable car over to Sentosa Island.

Went to Underwater World where I got to see the usual reef fish, sting rays, sharks etc... but also got to learn about the 'angel baby' which lives in the northern Arctic waters, and saw the trainers feeding sea turtles too. Caught the island shuttle bus around to the Dolphin Lagoon where I saw the Indo-Pacific Humpback Dolphins (aka Pink Dolphins) perform in a show. People also got the chance to have photos with the dolphins and pat them for a small fee.
Had a walk around Siloso Beach before sunset, then headed to the Ferry Terminal and main gardens, to walk along the path up to the Magical Music Fountain show. It's a half hour production where the water from the fountain, fire, and laser lights 'perform' to music and a person pretending to conduct it all. Very cute and enjoyable for all ages.

Caught the cable car back over to the 'mainland' of Singapore, taking in the night sky, before buying some last-minute souvenirs and making a few other stops on the way back to my hotel.

Long day, but loads of fun!

October 4:
Woke at a decent hour despite not getting much sleep overnight, to discover at breakfast that the jet lag totally hit me there and then... so headed back to bed for another hour.
(Singapore is two hours behind Sydney, six ahead of Spain, seven ahead of London.)
In the morning, I went to two synagogues (right near each other) to celebrate Jewish New Year. Like last night, I was able to also get a yummy lunchtime meal, with internationals and members of the congregation - far more people attended today than last night.
Then in the very hot, humid weather (typical Singapore), I took a walk along Orchard Road and popped into a number of the shopping centres, but decided that I didn't really need anything and well, my suitcase is full enough!
Also stopped in at the Tourist Info Centre to book a city tour for tomorrow.
Caught the train (MRT) down to Chinatown and had a brief look around at the local food and arts/crafts stalls, renovated chinese terraces, a small tea house and the Sri Mariamman Temple (Hindu) - which was very interesting.

Caught a taxi back to the hotel to catch a connecting bus to the zoo, only to discover that I'd lost my camera, and that it was most likely still in the taxi. Due to a number of miracles and luck on my side (note, the lady in the tourist office who booked my tour said my numbers were good and I had luck on my side... I never believe in superstitions but this was a miracle!)... I managed to track down the taxi driver, and within half an hour it was back in my possession. Nice to know some people in Singapore are very honest and friendly! Long story about the exact details... that's a story for me to tell you in person!

Headed to the Night Safari near Singapore Zoo. Did the three walking trails, tram ride and saw the 'Creatures of the Night' show too. Got to see lots of animals in their natural environment... and in the dark too!
Saw tigers, leopards, lions, giraffes, native animals, bats, deer, otters, elephants, hippos, rhinos, racoons and more.

Returned by shuttle bus to the hotel. Jet lag was still in force so found it hard to go to sleep.

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Heard the Wests Tigers won the NRL Grand Final. Well done!

October 3: Today will be pretty much spent on a plane... flying from London to Singapore.
Hopefully I will get some sleep on the overnight flight.
Arrive in the early evening in Singapore.

Happy New Year to my Jewish friends out there!

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Managed to get some sleep on the flight despite having a terrible seat! The 13 hours weren't too bad, watched the movies, 'War of the Worlds' and 'Madagascar' too.

Checked into my hotel, then quickly showered and headed off to the nearby synagogue to catch the last of the prayers for Jewish New Year. Was also able to stay for the meal which was nice. Met a few people from Sri Lanka and Vietnam who work in those countries (from Israel and Canada originally) but came to Singapore to celebrate the holidays. Got to have local fruits, plus the typical raisin challah, apple in honey and head of a fish... was delighted I got to share in the usual celebrations despite not being in Sydney and with the family.

Returned to the hotel in hope of sleep, but the jet lag played on me. Ended up falling asleep to the TV!

October 2:
Today is the day of the National Rugby League Grand Final. Heard Wests Tigers are playing the North Queensland Cowboys. Haven´t really followed the season this year, so will be interesting to see who wins!

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Didn't really do much in the morning... but asked my taxi driver to go passed the Contemporary Art Museum (MACBA) so I could see the architecture of the building, before dropping me at the bus stop, to head to the airport.

Caught a mid afternoon flight, and had no problems with the weight of my luggage which was good. Was able to check my luggage directly through to Singapore which was great, despite have a 7-hour transit in London.

The flight was with Iberian Airlines (code shared with British Airways)... no food, but got a good 2 hours sleep!

Wasn't sure if I would be allowed to leave Heathrow Airport while in transit, but managed to get clearance, so caught the train into town, and caught up with my friend James briefly for coffee. Then headed back to the airport in the evening to catch my very long (13 hour) overnight flight to Singapore.

October 1: Can you believe it, it´s October!?

Today is my last full day in Europe, and well I am hoping to do a walking tour round the Gothic Quarter of Barcelona in the morning, then visit the cathedral nearby and Picasso museum too. Hoping to take the afternoon easy with maybe a look at other buildings of interest of take a walk along the waterfront.

Okay, what I actually did follows:

Nice sunny day today. Did the guided walking tour around the Gothic quarter (Barri Gothic) but as it turns out most buildings that used to be Gothic have now been redeveloped into modern ones, so there wasn´t that much to see. We did see where the city walls had been, a few buildings, mansions and ´palaces´ with some parts of Gothic architecture remaining, and strangely, an apartment building with four columns in its courtyard which are hundreds of years old from this time!
Also went passed the main cathedral, Palau Real Major (Palace where the king and queen of Aragon used to live... hundreds of years ago when Arragon/Catalonia was a separate kingdom), Placea del Rei and the royal chapel nearby.
Something was going on in Placa de Sant Jaume, but we got to see the main political buildings too such as the Generalitat and City Hall.

After the tour, I went inside the Cathedral and saw the many chapels and naive and headed to the roof terrace to get views of the city, once again.
Also took note of the 13 geese inside the cathedral grounds... they´re there to protect the building (early form of fire alarm they say). The geese have been there for hundreds of years. 13 signifies the age a particular girl, Saint Lucia, was when she died.

Spent my afternoon exploring the many works on display at the Picasso museum. Mostly paintings but had some cermaics too. A good cross-section of his work including the early Malaga, Barcelona and Paris periods, the Blue and Pink periods, and then the time when he copied some of Velazquez´s works (another artist). Also learnt about his history... he was married a number of times and had children with each of his partners except one (whom he only married at age 80).

Took a walk passed the Arc de Triomf (a present from the French) and main music hall (known for its facade architecture) before returning to the hostel to relax.

Not sure what I will do tonight... will tell you later...

PS. Had to swap rooms in the hostel tonight... now in a room of 8 not 6... doesn´t matter.