The day started out grey and stayed that way most of the day. We travelled south west past Southampton to Portsmouth and the Historic Dockyard. We visited the dockyard to see the HMS Victory (Nelson’s Flagship from the Battle of Trafalgar), but also found the HMS Warrior which was the pride of Queen Victoria’s Navy in the 1860’s. The HMS Victory is the oldest commissioned warship in the world. It was very interesting to walk through this time capsule from the time of Lord Nelson. The Warrior is a huge ship, the first of its kind as a steel warship, both sail and steam powered. We listened to an interesting talk from a sailor who discussed the different small arms (firearms and blades) used by the different sailors and officers. Next to the Vifctory is the ... read more

We started our second day in Venice with that unique tourist experience, a ride in an authentic Gondola. Our Gondolier guided us around the canals of Venice with expert skill explaining the history behind many of the palaces, churches and other buildings as we passed. These included the home of the famous lover Casanova, the composer Vivaldi and the 9th Century Church where Marco Polo was buried. This 40 minute tour cost us a pretty penny, but you can’t come to Venice for the first time and not do it. The rest of our morning included a boat ride up the Grand Canal and more getting lost in the maze of walkways and alleys which is Venice. For our Final evening in Venice and Italy we wandered over towards the Rialto Bridge for a meal and ... read more

We awoke to another hot day in Florence, but had lots to see. We started at the Academia Gallery, the home of Michelangelo’s “David”. This sculpture dominates the gallery and it is very impressive to see. There were also other works from Michelangelo in the gallery including a number of unfinished works, and it was fascinating to see how the figures are released from the marble. You could still see the chisel marks on the unfinished sculptures. We then wandered through Florence towards one of the oldest galleries in Europe, the Ufizzi Gallery. This has hall after hall of sculptures and painting most hundreds or thousands of years old. These included Sandro Botticelli’s masterpiece The Birth of Venus. Now that we have been in Florence and understand what it has to offer, we would probably have ... read more

This morning we visited the Vatican with a tour of the Vatican Museums, Raphael rooms, Sistine Chapel and St Peter’s Square; followed by a walk through St Peter’s Basilica and the Crypts. The tour through the Vatican is just one amazing piece of art, architecture and history after another. It is room after room of sheer opulence which was never designed for the enjoyment of anyone other than the Pope, and was John Paul II who did the most to make the Museums accessible to the public. Once you have made it through the Museums including a room of tapestries which are hung in the Sistine Chapel only during conclave, you make it to the Raphael Rooms. These rooms which are amazingly painted are were a reception room, bedroom and dining room of one of the ... read more

We flew with EasyJet from Paris Orly to Rome Ciappino today. On leaving Paris, a few thoughts. I was given advice that the Parisians and French were arrogant and that if you did not speak the language or at least try they would not help you. I found them open and friendly. I don’t speak French much beyond hello, goodbye, please, thankyou etc, and found that they would speak English without concern. In Paris they seem a very friendly people on the most part. Unfortunately the city is full of grafters who are trying to get money off you. These extend from basic beggars (who are dressed well and in new/clean looking clothes) to others who try more creative cons. There are also a lot of pickpockets (given the number of signs around) but we didn’t ... read more