The last bit…and the left over bits…

My flight from Sevilla to Barcelona was early, but uneventful.  Charging towards to airport in the dark, my taxi driver informed me that he had been to Australia, and had worked in Roma & Rockhampton! Impressive, I had barely found anyone who knew where Queensland even was. And everyone is totally shocked when I tell then it is 25hours to get here.

My Ryan Air flight was…like any other Ryan Air flight. A low cost airline, they scrutinize your luggage weight (I was 2kg over my 15kg limit – an extra 40 Euros thank you!) and your hand luggage (1piece, max 10kg and MUST fit into the sizing rack). Thank goodness I had bought a cheap bag yesterday to throw my travel bag & camera bag in together. Then, everyone rushes to the gate because you don’t get allocated a seat. First in, best dressed. Bit of a mad house.

With time to kill at Barcelona airport, I did some shopping, but couldn’t help feeling sad. This part of any trip is sad, but it’s almost like a part of me will stay here. There is just something amazing about this place. All 3 cities I’d been to were distinctly different, yet it was the same feeling wherever you go… It really is an enchanting place.

Overnight in Amsterdam was uneventful, though it was nice to have a big hotel room. Most rooms here are small, big the Airport Novotel was quite big, and was situated in the middle of the tulip fields.

Then it was time to get on the big plane home! When you are at the end of a trip, at the point you are finally going home, it is exciting, and I was excited.

The trip home I got the biggest plane on the Emirates fleet, the ER (extended range) as it is such a long distance.  Sounds boring, but the bigger the plane, the more comfortable it is.  And I needed comfort – I had 25 hours of flying. 7 hours to Dubai (then 3 hour transit) 7 hours to Singapore (2 hour transit), 7.5 hours to Brisbane. LOOOOOOONG! On the plus side, I think I have seen every new movie out!

Arriving in Brisbane, I looked out for my sign (I have a thing about people meeting me at the airport with a sign!) and this one took the cake. Annabel picked me up, and her neice Bella had made me the sign to end all signs. It was wooden with sparkles – awesome!  Thanks Bella!  🙂

Some other random left over bits…


Customs. When you fly into the EU you go through customs. If you fly within the EU after that, there are no custom checks, yahoo! Getting into Amsterdam this time was much faster. The downside is that you don’t get as many stamps in your passport 🙁

Money and the cost of things. When I was in Europe 10 years ago, I had to get different currencies for every country. It was a nightmare! Now there is the Euro and it’s SOOO much easier! Big fan of the Euro. In Australia, we charge ALOT for everything. Many tourist places in Amsterdam & Spain were still cheaper than Australia. I think I averaged 3 Euro for a glass of wine (about $4). And yet in Australia you can pay up to $5 for coffee!

Bins. Me trying to work out how to use the bins in Spain.  Betty and Kath thought it was hilarious! Trust me, it was weird!

Travelling solo. While I much prefer travelling with someone, travelling solo does bring many more opportunities to meet people. In both Granada & Seville I met some great people who definitely added something to my trip.

Wifi. The more I travel, the more I see free wireless everywhere. Hotels, airports, guaranteed at every Starbucks and most McDonalds. In the middle of Asia I can get free wifi, yet we still don’t do this much in Australia (that I have found). We just like to charge for everything.

TV. Sounds bad, but one thing I do like about travelling is TV. You get to see the world from another perspective. The morning I left, I watched the world news on a French channel (in English). Its just another way of looking at things. And you get so many more channels! Though, in Spain English channels were harder to find – watched a fair bit of BBC! And in Sevilla, I didn’t get any. I did watch Knightrider with David Hasselhoff dubbed in Spanish. Funny!