Today was Sharon’s birthday so we are meeting up with Leonie and John (our villa companions) for pre-dinner drinks at our apartment, prior to us all going out to dinner. This morning we went to the Spanish Steps early, to see this landmark. From there we walked to the Trevi Fountain, to The Pantheon and Piazza Navona, where we had a birthday brunch for Sharon. This consisted of a triple gelato (for Sharon), coffee and tea. After this, we walked to Campo dei Fiori, where we had a look at all the market stalls and were enticed into a café to sample a 6 EUR special consisting of a Spritz and bruschetta (olive and artichoke). We did some food shopping for our pre-dinner drinks antipasto plate and then walked back to the Tiber, crossing at the ... read more

We all had a slow start and about 10am we went for a walk to find the daily markets in Piazza di San Cosimato. It is only a small market but the fruit and vegetables were beautiful, both in terms of looks and freshness. We could smell the aroma of fresh peaches before we even saw them. Breakfast was in the Caffe di Marzio on the Piazza di Santa Maria, with a view of the Basilica di Santa Maria in Trestavere. After a rest during the heat of the day, we went for a walk at 2pm to find the meeting point for tomorrow’s Colosseum tour. We crossed the Tiber on Ponte Garibaldi, where we had a great view of Isola Tiberina (a tiny island in the middle of the river). We walked past some spectacular ... read more

Today was the day to pick up the Christmas tree Ron had ordered so we all drove up to Redhill to collect it and bring it back. It was left outside for a few nights to drop any excess pine needles before being brought inside. Christine and Jean were going to a Christmas Lights event at Kew Gardens and managed to get an extra ticket for me so I could go with them. We all met up at Victoria Station at 2:30pm and caught the tube to Kew on the green District line and went for an early meal at a restaurant called Antipodean. Our tickets had an entry time of 5:40pm, so we left the restaurant at 5:30pm and walked down the street to the entrance to Kew Gardens. There was a special trail set ... read more

On Monday, after a quiet day at home, Ron drove me to Coulsdon South railway station where I caught a train up to London Victoria to meet up with Jo, Jess and Martin. We had a quick drink at a bar in the station and then caught the train up to Piccadilly Circus and walked up to Gerrard’s Corner in China Town for a pre-show dinner. The Phantom of the Opera was being held in Her Majesty’s Theatre in Haymarket. When we came out of the theatre, we walked along Regent St to get to a tube station for the trip back to Victoria to connect with a rail service back to Coulsdon South.... read more

During the night, we finally had snow so we woke up to about an inch of fresh snow on the ground outside. The trees were also coated in a dusting. The morning was about minus 3 and we had no activities booked so we decided to have an easy morning lazing in our room, repacking our bags and enjoying the views through the ceiling. Around midday, we walked into the village and went for a walk around the lake – about 2kms in length. The scenery was really pretty with the snow on the fir trees just like on Christmas cards. Shelley even lay down and made a snow angel. After our walk, we went to the Bistro at the Luostotunturi Hotel for lunch. The afternoon was spent relaxing in our igloo, watching the sun go ... read more