What a fluke....after purchasing our week transport card we waited for the bus to Valletta along with a mounting number of people. Waved it down on approach & it stopped at our feet...so we boarded first....swiping our card...the driver shut the door on the others saying only 2 people...full up. He basically didn't let anyone else on at the next stops unless someone got off. So with that we felt lucky to get to Valletta today. Very busy with tourists & groups of people from the enormous cruise ship berthed in the terminal in the Grand Harbour. Valletta is a well used stop for ships & other large vessels due to it being one of the world's deepest natural harbours. Great to see the typical limestone Maltese houses in the Capital. Even though there is an ... read more

A great start to the day we left our apartment at 6.45am...all is quiet in Palermo! Good seats on the train leaving 7.27am on our way to Catania via Enna set high in the hills of mid Sicily. An absolutely amazing train ride through Sicily. Very hazy early morning. We were in the first carriage & were entertained by the 3 staff in the drivers compartment up front....a constant banter & the toot & hurrahs to the friends passed along the way. Everyone knows everyone so there was alot of it!! To hear the laughter & the exchange at beyond normal decibel range of most we appreciated they enjoy their life/job! The countryside looking very dry now at the end of their summer. Most crops have been turned over getting ready for the next. Burning of ... read more

9am walking start...through the Piazza Marina & onto the Marina area. Began to really heat up at 10am...29° daytime & 23° overnight...had to resort to the aircondioning a few times...which neither of us really like we prefer the open windows! A group of artists painting the boats & water scenery. We moved on round the waterfront & headed back inland through Porta Felice & caught the cute free bus..which takes you on the residential route mainly for locals but anyone can use it. Disembarked at Indepenzia & ventured through Porta Nuova to the gardens of Piazza dei Normanni. Wandered down Via Castro (where we stayed once before) & onto the Variety Ballaro markets.....this was all go! Saturday for the locals! Home for yummy lunch & cool down! The Cloisters outside our apartment were celebrating something...quite a ... read more

Our feet have done some walking! Lots of places to sit down which suits us just fine. Set off to Quattro Canti corner which is part of the block we are in. Directly opposite on Maqueda we found the Norman church 1160 open, S.Maria dell Ammiraglio. Fantastic mosaics! Via Maqueda, another padestrian street was starting to come alive so we mooched along on the shade side & found our way through a side Alley to the Ballaró fish markets. Talk about vending outloud. Just enough room for people to stop at stalls & to give way to opposite travellers....mind where you step...uh oh.....now there comes a scooter amongst it all...sit on the tomatoes...not quite:-P ...away we weave again....then another scooter...aubergenes this time. The Markets are so entertaining! We carried on to the Palermo Centrale Stazione & ... read more

The alarm didn't need to wake us this morning, we were well & truely up at 6am. Already packed the night before so we were on our way at 7am. The weather has been perfect in Rome which made getting around easy. Off to the Metro & it was already packed with workers...a plan was made if we got separated... The prearranged Ryanair bus transfer with SitBus shuttle went without any problems...a bit of a tour in & around Roma...good time to be on a scooter if you are trying to get to work. Arrived at the Airport at 9.20am & as we had checked in online we were basically able to head through customs check. A bit of a wait until boarding at 11.05am. I had put Brian down for priority boarding so he could ... read more