Gap Year Day 5

Hi Readers

Well Readers

We left Singapore after just a day of exploring but saw so much in just one day. We have another day there on the way home in a few weeks so we still have time to plan what to do there on our next visit. At the pace we are already going at, we may just want to book a room at the hotel at Changi Airport for a few hours and just sleep!
9ur next flight was just over 12 hours and we landed in.....

Milan!!

We have spent a few days here before, so today was only just for a few hours before we boarded a train to take us to Bern, the capital city of Switzerland.
The trip was really nice and the scenery just amazing. So many small towns and villages perched on the edges of mountains, with massive snow capped peaks as backdrops.
I must confess that I dozed for a bit of the trip which was a shame as I missed a fair bit of some of the best scenery.

Just a few shots along the way from Milan to Bern. One thing that really struck us at the railway station in Milan was how many people smoke over here. The platform was continually enveloped in a haze of smoke which just did our heads in, as we are both ardent non smokers.

Two days in Bern was just not enough. This is just one of the most beautiful cities we have visited for sure, and would not hesitate to come back again to see it in more detail.

We spent yesterday exploring the streets and markets, and were just amazed at how much 

there is to see in this city.

There are a number of cities in Europe that have historical clocks that draw crowds by the hundreds when they chime at different parts of the day, and Bern was no exception.

This particular clock was partly influenced by Albert Einstein, who lived here for quite a while.

We did the obligatory viewing and were not let down, and then managed to find a particular Indian restaurant that my wife had found out about that served really good gluten free meals, which she needs to eat. We were both famished and ordered with gusto. It was only after my first few mouthfuls that I remembered how I react to spicy foods. While I really love them, I always break out in big 

sweats whenever I eat en the mildest spicy foods. Today was no different, and we could see the couple on the table next to us glancing sideways to check me out as I was trying to subtly wipe the 

sweat from my face and forehead while at the same time trying to pretend that all was normal!!

After a great day wandering Bern we were up early this morning and onto a train to Zurich.What really surprised us today was that in Switzerland, everything is closed on a Sunday, and I mean everything! I must admit, by lunchtime a few places were open serving food, but that was it. We couldn’t even head out for tea, so did the room service tonight.

I did find it odd however that one of the few places open near us was a gym that runs in conjunction with the hotel we are staying at, so at least I was able to get a workout squeezed in, something that I was hanging out for for sure.

So, tomorrow is New Years Eve, and from what we have been told it is huge here. A big fireworks display is planned at midnight, and last year they had more than 200 000 people around the big lake that is here for it. As our hotel is walking distance to the lake, we are in a prime position.

Tomorrow is a Tuk Tuk tour of Zurich which should be interesting. The last time we were in a Tuk Tuk in Lisbon, we nearly choked on the fumes, whereas these ones look like they run on electricity. 

Totally quiet!

A few more snaps from today of this beautiful city, there is so much to love about Switzerland!

Y'

 

Tomorrow is our last day here before we head off to our next destination, and of course you are right in knowing that I won’t reveal it here.

Suffice to say, we will soon be doing something on this trip that we have never done before, it will be a first for both of us!

So Readers, until my next post...

Cheers!

( And a Happy New Year to you all!!)

Gap Year Day 2

Hi Readers

Well here we are in beautiful Singapore, very tired after an overnight flight that left Melbourne at 1.05 am and landed here at around 5.20 am local time.
Let me say it has been a long day, but we have done a lot of things because we were able to start so early!
First of all, the thing that struck us like a slap in the face when we left the airport was the humidity. The temp was around 29degrees, but with the high humidity we found it very sapping walking around the streets.
Nonetheless, we powered on and got to see a lot of the city. We even mastered the local train system which is incredibly efficient and well run. People who visit Melbourne must die of shock when they use our rail system!
Something that struck us quickly also, was how clean the streets and trains are. We felt so safe wherever we went, and the people are just so friendly.
After a bus tour around the city ( which I dozed through quite a bit of😴) we headed back to the airport and booked a room for a few hours to have a quick snooze, a shower and a bite to eat.
Amazing how a simple shower and nap can reinvigorate us so much!
We are currently sitting in the airport waiting for our next flight, but as you know, I won’t say where it will be to. Which means you’ll have to read my next post to find out!
The next few days will be busy to say the least, but we are really looking forward to exploring new places.
Short and sweet tonight Readers, as my battery life on the iPad is decreasing rapidly.
Better posts to hopefully follow in the coming days.

My Gap Year Begins!

Hi Readers

Yes, I know I’ve been slack again with posting to my blog, but now there is no excuse!
After spending 2018 as the Co-Principal at St Francis of the Fields, I have decided to have a break in 2019.
I’ll be taking long service leave until the end of March, and after that I’ll try to contribute to the family finances by doing a bit of CRT (Casual Relief Teacher) around Bendigo.
It’s a big step into the unknown as I have left the security of a well paid job for a year to explore other options and to see what else I may find that interests me (and pays me too!!)
We have only been on holidays for 5 days and I can already feel an immense load off my shoulders.
The last few weeks at school were flat out as I needed to clear the decks somewhat for my ‘Sabbatical ‘ and complete tasks that needed to be done before another Principal steps back into the driver’s seat.
As well as organising rosters, hiring staff, taking on enrolments etc, I needed to find buyers for our pigs and get them tagged and removed for sale.
That became a huge task, and in the process I hurt my back when loading the pigs into a truck and missed a few days of school as a result. But at least we got rid of them!!
Then, a few weeks later we needed to reduce the size of our sheep flock, so myself and a beautiful farmer who works part time for us rounded up about 60 of them. Of these, 40 were tagged and ready for sale, so we then had to pull 20 of them out to return to the paddock, leaving us with just the 40 tagged ones to take to the saleyards.
This was easier said than done! Once we had them all penned in a small yard, it was my job to separate the tagged from the untagged. When one sheep bolted around the pen, the rest followed, so I had to jump on the ones to take out one at a time and drag them to a gate where Doug let them into a smaller pen. But when this happened, one or two untagged ones would sneak through as well.
Eventually, after a few hours we got two loads into the trailer and delivered to the saleyards, all the time while there was rain, thunder and lightning.
I mustn’t have learnt my lesson with the pigs, because I did the same injury to my back again, and missed the next day of school as a result. But at least we sold the 40 sheep, which then paid for some much needed hay that we bought for the remaining sheep and cattle.
Not what I’d normally think are the tasks for a school Principal, but that’s how we roll!

So what’s next??

Well, as I’m writing this I’m sitting in the departure lounge at Tullamarine Airport in Melbourne Ready to go on a trip with my wife.

Where to I hear you ask?

You’ll just have to read my next post to find out for sure.
Looking forward to some serious R&R after a very tough year, and looking forward to whatever 2019 brings.

So Readers,

Until my next post...

Cheers!!