That's all folks.

M: Sunday is a work day in Dubai, so the boys and Jayne were all off to school. Anne and I opted for a quiet day 'at home' - final washing of clothes, downloading photos, drafts of blog to publish, and scheming how to cook the evening meal. Despite not having been able to do so on either Qantas or Emirates apps, I managed to check in on line using the website.

I spent a bit of time trying to get my head around the next couple of weeks with some emerging work commitments, a car to buy, a family gathering on the 11th and a wedding on the 10th.

The workers were all home around five - an unusually early finish. Anne made us a delicious version of risi e bisi which you may recall from Venice, all that time ago. More chat, some TV, packing and off to bed for the last night of this wonderful trip.

We said goodbye to Jayne and the boys as we got our 6.50am taxi, about the time they all had to leave. After a quick trip to the airport, we breezed through passport control and security and settled down for breakfast in the lounge. All very civilised. Signage for boarding was not very clear, so we ended up not being at the most convenient entry and spent ages making our way to our part of the plane. Those A380s are massive!

Despite being a little late boarding, we were all set to get away on time, but got bumped in the queue for take off, so sat on the tarmac for an extra 45 minutes. For some reason that was never explained, meal and drink service was quite late, and seemed to be done in quite a flurry. As I write this about four hours out from Dubai, the only real hassle is that the woman next to me has the most dreadful cough. I'll be lucky not to get something!

As we approach Sydney, it's probably time for a few reflections on this amazing experience.

Seven 'home' cities, five flights, umpteen train trips, several buses, a little over 500km walked at an average of about six km a day, hundreds of photos, scores of coffees, six different apartments, a thirty seven week jury summons, a handful of exceptional meals (for all kinds of reasons), more churches than we might see in a decade at home, one job interview, nearly a score of museums and a catalogue of wonderful sights, sounds and people. What a blast. What a way to celebrate forty years of marriage. And after two months of uninterrupted companionship, we're still talking!

My overall impressions? Venice was magical. Rome continues to reward careful attention. Bari was a fantastic base for exploring a fascinating region. Naples was exciting and not at all scary. Special mention for Pompeii and Agrigento- to have had these places almost to ourselves after all the stories about crowds was a gift. Southern Italy and Sicily, with their dirty streets and decaying buildings (not the historical ones!) reveal the less appealing side of Italy, but also have some of the wonderful local customs and foods that make Italy Italy. My Italian held up remarkably well, but Italian politics still baffles me. Malta was a revelation . The last six years have seen her scrubbed clean and restored. Our apartment there was every bit as glorious as we remembered and the Grand Harbour sparkled. And it is always good to catch up with family. And last but not least, crazy Dubai. Family was why we came, but the visits to the Opera House and the Louvre in Abu Dhabi were memorable.

And so, until next time, with thanks to all the friends, family and strangers who made the trip possible, grazie e arrivederci!