Rome, 9th March 2020

Monday, 9th March 2020

Well, today we docked at Rome, and this is where Bob and I get of the ship and spend some time in Rome, well thats the plan, but it seems that the virus is going to dictate what we end up doing.
We wait till about 11 to get off the ship, figuring that most of the others will have gotten off by this time, and there was no real hassles getting off. We had to stand in front of the thermal camera, before we left, and then off we went.
We had a car organised to pick us up at 1pm, so we waited for a while, and made a call to see if it could get us earliers, and it ended up being about 30 mins before we were due to be picked up.
The trip to were our next accommodation is, is about an hour and a half away from the Port, and the driver, Manuel, was very nice, and got us there with out any problelms.
We now have to get into the apartment, and follow the directions instructed to us. Eventually we gain access, and the unit is quite nice. It is on the 5th floor, and has a nice sun room.
After we have settled and had a rest, we take a walk to the shopping center, as I have no credit on my phone. We complete this mission, and check out the centre, and then head back to the unit complex. Underneath where we are staying is a supermarket, so we gather some items for dinner and breakfast, and then call it a day.

Tuesday, 10th March 2020

We didn't do a real lot today, as the government has closed Italy down, due to the Coronavirus. Bob did spend a lot of time trying to reorganise air flights and getting out of Italy as soon as possible. The end result being, we will be flying out tomorrow evening, to Munich, spend some time there, then head on to Berlin and fly out to Singapore on the 25th, then a day in Singapore, and then home to Australia.
 The decree for Italy, consists of no public gatherings, no sporting events, the schools are closed, Resturants can only open from 6am to 6pm. Supermarkets at to keep customers one meter apart.
We did go out for a walk and checked out the  local Pizzeria, and got a kebab for lunch.
The line up for the supermarket is a constant stream of people, who are waiting for their turn to get inside.
We have both had phone calls from concerned family members, Bobs sister Colleen rang, very concerned as did my sister Linda rang as well. We assured them that we are working on trying to get out of Italy as soon as we could.
There is no point staying here, as all the attractions are closed and the hop on hop off buses are not running due to the Governments decree

Wednesday, 11th March 2020

Went out for a walk to the shopping centre, as we had to get some cash for our taxi man, and just to get out of the unit. The shopping centre has the same restrictions as the one that is nearby us. They have taped of areas that people can't go over and have to talk to some cashiers from a meter back. There is added security about. They too, have a line up of shoppers, and some shops have choosen to close due to the virus. We have a cup of coffee before we leave the centre, and then we wander around other streets trying to find a ATM. There was one at the centre but Bob couldn't see the screen, due to the sun shining on the screen.
We do eventually find one, and again there is a bit of a line up, as only one person at a time is allowed inside where it is. The Italians have accepted these changes pretty well, better than the Australians would I think.
We head back towards our unit, and stop at the Pizza place and grab a couple of things to have  later on, as we will be leaving around around 4, but that gets changed to 3.30.
The time approaches and our taxi man has arrived, and we are packed up and in the taxi heading for the airport, ( so I thought,). After a little while, our driver Manual, said that he will take us past the Colusseum, and I thought I misheard him. But no, Bob has organised for him to take us on a bit of a tour guide of the area. I am so lucky, as I was resigned to the fact, that we were leaving Rome without seeing the hightlights of the city, due to the virus. But I was wrong. Manual, did a wonderful job, taking us to the hot spots, and letting us get out and taking pics. Everything was closed, so we were not able to go inside, but we got the pictures, and a history on each place. We learnt a lot from Manual. And big Brownie points for Bob for organising it. We went to the Vatican, and again, not able to go inside the area where all the people go, but got the pictues.
We head off to the airport after an hour or so, and we then go and check in at the airline. So far so good. We are concerned that the flight might get cancelled at the last minute. So now we go through customs, and head then up to wait at the gate number. We are a little early, but I don't mind. Our plane is set to leave at 7.45, and we all board at 7.20. Bob and I have separate seats, but thats ok, so long as we get in the air, and out of Italy, it will be good. And we do. The flight is an hour and 10 mins, and we have no hassles landing.
We disembark of the plane, and head over to the baggage collection area, gather our belongings and head for the taxis. Phew, we are now in Munich Germany. Our drive to the taxi is about an hour, and we find our lodgings for the next few days, and call it a day.

Thursday, 12th March 2020

This morning we go out and explore the area around us. Right at the end of our street is appears to be a large open space, with a gigantic statue in it. We wander down to this area, and it is a huge area, and we later find out that this is where the Octoberfest takes place in October. We continue to walk along the streets and find a lovely place to have a late breakfast or early lunch, as we have nothing to eat in the unit.
After we have eaten, we continue to walk around, and find where the underground trains are. We then head back to our unit, and on our way we call into the super market that is on the ground floor of where we are staying. So this is nice and handy.
Not much more is done, it is more a rest and relief day, from the stresses of the past couple of days.

Friday, 13th March 2020

Today, we have decided to go into Munich centre and explore our options in there. We are taking the train into Marienplatz which turns out is only two stops from where we are. We find the ticket machine, and get one ticket, and then it decided it doesn't like the next note that Bob puts into it, so we look about for another one, and there are a couple there using one, and we ask for assistance and we end up using the one that they were using.
We get off at Marienplatz and orientate ourselves to where we are, and there are many tall spires in the skyline. We head to one that has double spires, which is Frauenkirche, and is part of the Church of our Lady.
We continue to walk along the streets and follow the people, and find more amazing and wonderful  and historical sites. Everything is so beautifully decorated. There are many pictures taken, and we are both taken with what is around us.
We find a hop on hop off bus stop, after we have walked some of the streets, and after we have had a cuppa and a bite to eat, we are ready to get on the bus. We wait for a while, and then we get our tickets when it comes and do the circut. There are three circuts, and given the time, we only get to do one today. Munich is a beautiful place, and there is so much to see.
After we get off the bus, we now do a little more walking and find the most amazing plaza, which has a huge, and ornately decorated building, It is the new town hall. It looks very old, but in fact it was built in the 1900's. The Old town hall, is a large white building, that is over 400 years old, and it is right beside the new building.
We eventually make our way back to the train station, and head back to our place, stopping on the way to get some frozen vegies to have with the chicken for our dinner tonight.
We have had a wonderful day exploring Munich.

Saturday, 14th March 2020

Today,  we got news that our flight from Berlin to Singapore has been cancelled. So now we have to try and book another flight from somewhere else to get back to Australia. It is getting very worrying with all the travel restrictions that are happening, and we can only hope that Germany wont be excluded from Australia's traveling ban. Bob manages to secure a flight for us from Munich to Australia, via Dubai, and has booked it for tomorrow evening.
We decide to go into the city centre again today, to look about more, instead of being enclosed inside our room for the day.
We head back to where we know the bus stop is for the hop on hop off bus, and after some time a bus comes, but it is not the route we want, and we ask the driver when the next one is, and we are informed that it is at the city centre.
So we head into the city centre, and once again Munich is a wonderful place, and we walk about the streets again and see some very good busking happening. We also come across the local markets, that is a sea of food stalls and bars and flowers. We continue to walk through these stalls and find a stall that is selling all different flavoured spreads, and we get some to take back to the room. We don't do the bus today, as Bob is not feeling like it. But thats ok. It is good just to look about.
We head back to our lodgings and enquire at a local resturant if they will be open tonight and if we need to make a booking, and we do, and so we do.
We will have our last meal in Munich tonight eating out. Our reservation is for 7pm. The staff inside the resturan are all dressing in traditional German costume. 
We spend the rest of the afternoon lounging and trying not to be to stressed about what is happening in the world with the virus.
At ten to seven we head out for our dining experience, and I have all german food, Sausages, Saurkraut and Apple Struedel, all washed down with a very nice drop of German beer.

Sunday, 15th March 2020

Today after emails have been checked that no other flights have been cancelled, we decide to take a walk in the local area, and investigate the huge statue that is at the end of the street where we have been staying and to get some fresh air. It is a lovely day, and there are a few families out and about enjoying the day. The momument at the street is huge as we get closer to it. It is called Bavaria statue, and is of a woman and a lion. It is 18.5 mtrs tall and weighs 87.4 tons. It was cast between 1844 and 50 and  is cast entirely of Bronze. There is a staircase that is inside the statue, that you can go up, but it was closed at this time, and wouldn't be open agan until April. We continue our walk and eventually head back in the direction of the unit, stopping at a coffee shop to have a cuppa. The vib from this place was great, and we very much enjoyed our stop.
We have a taxi booked for 5pm and our flight is scheduled to leave at 21.30, but we are not sure how long it will take to the airport, or what is ahead of us at the airport. So being a early could be a good thing. The taxi arrives on time and we are organised after much packing and repacking to get weights right for the flight. Our taxi driver gets us to the airport in just over 30 mins, and at times the speed was in excess of 170kms.
Germany has areas where there is no speed limits, and as fast as we were going, there were other cars just whistling past us, and you could feel the gust of wind as they flew past. Bob insisted on telling me the speeds, and I did tell him it was not neccessary. It is a little  daunting knowing that one is travelling at that speed.
Anyhow we arrive at the airport, and head to the Emarites desk to check in our luggage, and there seems to be some sort of problem with the check in process, as it is very slow, but eventually we get to the counter and check in our luggage, and Bob's bag gets caught in the shute and the counter person has to call someone to lift it out. After this is all done, we now proceed to go through the usual routine of going through customs and passport check.
At the required time, we start to board our flight, it is great that we are finally heading back home, but it is also sad that we are leaving here the way we are. Our flight, is a  6 hour flight, and the plane is not even half full. So there is plenty of room on board. We depart on time, and have a good flight to Dubai, at which we land at 6.30