Athens, Greece Wed 13th and Thurs 14th June It is 5.30 on Thursday afternoon and I am writing this from the deck of the roof-top pool whilst Tom is having a swim and spa. I have a clear view across to my right of the magnificent Parthenon sitting majestically on top of Acropolis rock. At … More Athens: first two days

Sorrento, Italy Monday 11th June: Isle of Capri We woke to another hot, clear and beautiful day and made our way down to the wharf to catch the 9.30 ferry to the Isle of Capri. Capri is a spectacular limestone island rising out of the ocean with sheer cliffs bordering most of its coastline and … More Isle of Capri

Sorrento, Italy Sunday June 10th: Pompei I went for a walk in the morning with Mark, back down to the fishing village. We all went to Pompeii at about 10am and got home by 4pm. We had a dud guide but he was of some mild amusement. Mark and I headed out at about 5pm … More Pompei + Napoli soccer win!

Sorrento, Italy Saturday 9th June Mark and I woke to another warm and beautiful sunny morning for our last early walk through the streets of Rome. We went back to the Fontana deTrevi, Pantheon and Spanish Steps and again, no crowds! On our way home we passed some road barricades and Polizia and noticed the … More Sorrento Day 1

Rome, Italy Hi. Just put this up to show some photos. Have been very busy…on the go. Will scribe more later. Off to Vatican today, Friday, our last full day in Rome. We head to Sorrento tomorrow.

Rome, Italy Monday 4th June: Florence to Rome Mark and I woke early on a clear and sunny morning to have one last walk through the old town of Florence which allowed us to experience the beauty of this magical place without the crowds. This is a ‘must’ for whatever city you visit; well it’s … More Rome

Florence, Italy Friday 1st June The train trip from Stazione Santa Lucia, Venezia to Stazione Santa Maria Novella, Firenze was an easy journey of about 2 hours. The long distance trains used throughout Italy are modern and very comfortable with power outlets, handy for Nintendo DS, waiter service moving throughout the cabin, dining cars and … More Florence

Venice, Italy Tuesday 29th May We woke in Bellagio on Tuesday morning to grey skies but at least no rain. We headed for the ferry to make the trip to Varenna where we were struck again by the spectacular views -villages nestled amongst lush green vegetation with rugged, limestone, snow caped mountains behind them. I … More Venice

Bellagio, Italy Sun 27th Travel to Bellagio: Train from Nice to Milan (5 hrs). Train from Milan to Varenna (1hr). Ferry from Varenna to Bellagio (15 min). It was nice to have a day off where we could just relax and read and watch the beautiful scenery pass us by. We were all struck by … More Bellagio

Nice, France Fri 25th May Our arrival into Nice last night was similar to that into Madrid; a stuff up. I will never pre-book airport transfers again. We arrived at 11.35pm on schedule into an airport that was surprisingly busy and filled with glamorous people due to the Monaco Grand Prix being staged next week. … More Nice was Nice!