When in Rome … don’t forget the insurance

G’DAY from Rome, the Eternal City, I feel I’ve been eternally in the Eternal City, and wonderful it is, with bells ringing in a Sunday morning, and every day the churches on every corner welcome the faithful, the curious and the lost.

After our recent adventures, I really wanted to mention this to you, whether it’s Giru or Greenland, take travel insurance, though it may be difficult to get insurance for Giru.

I’ve been travelling since I was a kid, and as important to me as my backpack and passport, was travel insurance.

Now I’m a little older, I still take it, never ever without it, and I’ve never ever used it, up until now.

This was a special holiday for my girl and I, as the last time I was off work we spent every day in hospital with mum, so I promised her a trip to Greece and Rome.

Wonderful it’s been up until a week ago when she caught bronchitis and simply can’t fly, we’ve had ‘Doc To Your Wallet’ come three times and they won’t let her fly, she’s very sick.

Insurance have been fantastic, and with doctors charging $280 for a quick visit it really ads up.

The huge issues are flights and accommodation, there’s nowhere to stay here, we’ve packed up every two days, we move again tomorrow, really hard on her, but it’s the way it is.

But insurance at this point, have taken over the bookings and done most things, and if we get a clearance from the doc, we're heading home.

It’s easy when budgeting to sometimes forget about insurance for a trip, but these kind people from the insurance company have been terrific on the phone.

I can’t thank them enough for the peace of mind. Having said that, I’m still here and it’s time to come home to paradise, not the one spoken about in churches here by the way.

Though it’s been 40C in this amazing city, with more tourists than you can poke a Visa card at, its euphorias bedlam.

From the 700BC temples of Delphi to the Feast Of Saint Peter and Saint Paul with the Pope (yes, the dope and the Pope) it’s been a marvellous adventure, but I might go back to the room and see how she is.

I wandered up here to the rooftop deck that all these little hotels have, to say “g’day” to you.

I’ll wander off and take her to breaky before the doc comes, I bet that doctor arrives by Wormald! They don’t miss you.

I can hear the bells once more, it’s wonderful, I can see the dome of Saint Peter’s, and dozens more, a glorious place, but with very sad history.

We can go out for an hour or so each day, and yesterday I took her somewhere I’d wanted to since they found it, the prison of Saint Peter and Saint Paul. It’s open now, it’s called the Tallianum in Antiquity.

Truly moving, interesting though as I walked out into the bright sunshine from this sad place, I look over the ruins of the might of Ancient Rome, and think of the dreadful things they did to the faithful of an early religion … but who runs the show now, eh!

Happy Days. Carpe Diem, indeed.