Boxing Day

26th

Met others for a tour of Vatican and Museums at 9am. South African couple from yesterday also there (he's an underwater mapping geologist and she's in advertising for a woman's surfing magazine). It took 1/2 an hour to line up to get in and get headsets. Ryan a great tour guide, so much to see so he picked out some interesting bits was a 2km walk from the Pinecone statue at the front to the Sistine Chapel at the end. Turns out there were a lot of dodgy Popes. Loads of people crammed into the Sistine chapel lots taking illegal photos, poor guards didn't stand a chance. St Peter's Basilica, touched St Peter's right foot. Had lunch in the square then some more people watching, before walking back to Enjoy Hostel for rosemary potatoes, stirfried veg and meat + dessert (room 4 has a table and benches) then early to bed.

Ryan at the Jubilee Door

Tivoli Fountain

27th

Used my new wheelie bag to move to Stargate Hostels, closer to train station and Peter's Hostel. Turns out the wheelie bag was not a great success, the wheels are too close together so the bag keeps rolling. Has a kitchen (the hostel not my bag) but turns out there's no utensils cos they keep getting stolen.

Went to Pantheon where we got an audio guide but turns out we weren't that impressed with it, amazing feat of architechture or not.

Looked everywhere for a photo shop to clean Peter's camera of stray hairs showing up in photos. Took lots of photos at dusk of the birds coming in to nest, very cool but not very good for photographing! Caught a bus home for free to save our feet.

28th

Nice day walking to the Spanish Steps and Tivoli Fountain then on to Circo Massimo and St Maria in Cosmedin (the mouth of truth) then the metro home for €1

Threw this one in as am practising reducing the size of Peter's photos so it doesn't take so long to load, I think it's working!

29th

Phone calls today, sorting Egypt Air tickets and Kumuka for Peter so he can come to Egypt lots of time spent on Internet printing and photocopying then had to find office of Egypt Air to book. Whew! Ate a lot the last few days at our favorite place with the best calzone ever, absolutely huge and more like a pie than inside out pizza with loads of chicken or beef.

Merry Christmas!

Bacon and eggs for breakfast, I love how that sounds so great, but we ate standing in the tiny kitchen at my hostel, cooked over tiny camping stove and no hot water to wash up in. But still tasted good. Problems with phones so ma and pa couldn't ring, wasted the morning and missed our meet-up with the kiwi's from last night, and were late to St Peter's so missed the Pope's speech. Pete did manage to talk to his family though which was good! Sat and people-watched, eating croissants, chocolate and mandarins, lots of happy people photos (children chasing pigeons).
We stopped for a strawberry and lemon Gelato and a Tartufo (chocolate ball with cherry and rum centre) in Piazza Navona on the way home. Delicious!

Me in Piazza Navona seconds before getting kicked off the table because we weren't eat-in!

22nd December

Pete to Sienna
Train to Rome for me via the slow route €15 11am - 3pm
Met a lovely Greek Couple, helped me with my bag when we arrived but unfortunately my dodgy strap broke (they we very sorry poor things!) so it was a long walk to the hostel which was a long walk away anyway! Back a bit sore now! The Bank was closed wandered around some markets and found a big Supermarket so could buy some proper food.

23rd Bacon and eggs for breakfast cooked in hostel. Rome dirty but a sunny day, wandered around some sites Colosseum etc.
8pm Pete arrived he's stayng at Pop Inn, my choice and better than mine (which I booked months ago) go figure. Always remember to Validate your tickets, buy a ticket get it stamped in the box before you get on the train and then it's checked by the conductor on the train, no validation = big fine!!

24th Sunday Christmas Eve
Checked out:
Republica Fountain
Vittorio Emanuelle Monument & Museum
Colosseum - did a tour so skipped the lines took 3000 photos then had a super expensive cheese sandwich and drink €9 they charge that much because the tourists pay it!
then did Palentine Hill Tour with bro Ryan (awesome) Pete's tip: Don't back slow race horses.
Met nice South African couple
Piazza Navona to see markets. Potato pizza and veges for dinner then on to Vatican City where we met some kiwi's Susie, Kylie and Alex, stood around in St Peter's square for hours while those with tickets lined up for entrance to Christmas Eve Mass.
Walked home at 12:30 not long after it started (big screens set up outside to watch)

Tuesday 19th and into Italy

Drove into Nice to drop the car off - do NOT recommend anyone, ever, drives in Nice, although since it seems you can park anywhere (ON a corner included) I guess you don't have to walk far!! Stayed the night in a super cheap deal of a hotel, breakfast included, turns out it was cheap due to the main road right outside but after a stressful day and a bath I slept well.
The next morning we caught the train to Florence, changing trains in Genova (Genoa) and had lunch in our first Italian Bar (pasta and salad). Then a train to Pisa where we walked to the Leaning Tower, quite hard to get good shots in the dark, but cool to see.
In Florence we stayed in a dodgy hotel, with no lights in the stairwell (3 flights up) but a lovely evening walk around the city all lit up with fancy lights.
21st January
I went to the Academia Museum, to see David, then to the Uffizi Museum which was absolutely amazing, so much great stuff, rooms of displays of Da Vinci's experiments and drawings, books and paintings, as well as a great range of sculptures and paintings. Bought a book on Da Vinci for my Uncles (will have to borrow it off them to read!!). I left Pete to his own devices and he spent most of the day lost. I even managed to climb the Michaelangelo Hill for a great view of the city and a bronze replica of David but Pete couldn't find the hill!!??!!
We met up for dinner just down the street from the hotel (Hotel La Noce) at a restaurant called Zaza lovely little place with great pasta.

15th - 18th

Stopped in Begnac and climbed the hill to a church where the bells didn't stop ringing, discovered a funeral so didn't go inside, headed back down the hill and met an old man fishing the river, spoke no english but was very friendly showing us the fish he had caught and posing for a photo.
Across the river was Castlenaud, stopped in Sarlat, Domme, Caussade and Galliac on the hill, Castres where we stopped at the information centre to find a place to sleep. Finally made it to Carcasonne and after a few wrong turns and repeated phone calls to the hotel for directions we arrived at Balladins, possibly the most run down hotel we've stayed in, long day driving.
Shorter drive the next day to Orange, stopped along the way in Nimes to see the arena. Found a great B&B the other side of Orange in a tiny place called Camaret, the woman had made a 6 foot tall christmas tree with chicken wire and paper napkins, must do this next year.
Had dinner at a restaurant in Prange called La Rom'Antique, for the two of us; a tomato sorbet and carrot soup for starters, chicken with lemon potato and salmon for main, crepe and creme brulee for dessert.
The next day we drove to Grenoble at the base of the French Alps where we stopped at yet another information centre and then walked the streets, bought cheese, fruit and bread from the markets. Then drove to Vizelle to eat lunch and visited the (free) French Revolution Museum. Stayed at the Pavillion Hotel in Gap, B&B we had hoped to stay at (and Pete read the map perfectly to direct me there easy as) was closed (Murphy's Law).
Mon 18th drove to Barcelonette with a plan to continue over a pass before heading down to Nice. Unfortuantely all the passes in the area were closed with snow so we had to back track a little along the Napoleon Road. We drove 10km up the side of a mountain (30min later) arrived at Croix-Roudoule a tiny place with a population of 25 people in winter. Unfortuantley this meant the two B&B's we had been given the names of were closed. We met a nice lady that spoke a little english and helped us out with calling other places around about but we couldn't find anything so headed down the hill again and managed to find the information centre just as it was closing (timing!). Found a little place that was a restaurant too and bad pizza and salad for dinner (best French pizza so far, but not hard to beat the others we've had). Then we tidied the car and vacuumed and packed all our stuff in preparation for our last drive tomorrow!

14th Dec

The post names have become very boring, when I have time I will be more imaginative - i promise!
Drove from Cerveix Cubas through Hautefort and Le Lardin to Montignac, was a bit foggy stopped at the tourist office and had had some polish toffee (fudge), the dog from the restaurant warming himself there. Picked up some bread sticks so I looked like all the locals . . .

Pete got dog poo on his shoes (sorry no photo of that!)
The town flooded in 1960 to 11 m, marked on a building by the river. Old man walking past (with his bread stick) told us this, reinstating our faith that the french really are lovely!
Drove past some rock caves on our way to Les Eyzies unfortunately Grotte Grande Roc and Laceaux were closed (for christmas).
Found a bed at a B&B in Tursac - a nearby village, as it was still quite early (yay found somewhere to stay while still light!) went for a tiki-tour to Manaurie and La Bugue. Waited for restaurants in Les Eyzies to open for dinner but no luck (doh!) so headed back to Le Bugue for the crappiest dinner possible. Alphabet soup (would you believe!) with bread, then a slice of pate (?) and the main of cow and vegetables, the waiter tried to explain but we ended up thinking the meat was from the cheek of a cow, it was nasty. Then cake and custard for dessert (sounds ok but they still managed to mess that up!) . I had some red wine and Pete agreed to drive, coffee came free so he had some (small super strong shot). Unfortunately the coffee didn't stop Pete taking us the wrong way, it did mean that we got to see a deer though (quicker reflexes with the coffee too!!) .