Brilliant sunshine greeted us as we woke up in Sorrento. The campsite at Nube D'Argento was lovely - bouganvillea everywhere and a fantastic pool and restaurant which we had taken advantage of when we arrived very late. The pizza was wonderful, and the cafe terrace looked over the pool and on to the sea. It was great to meet up with the Mathews family, who had travelled a little before us to Rome, and who had been spending some lazy days by the pool waiting for us to arrive. Steve had sussed out a boat trip to Positano which took our fancy, so after a quick breakfast we set off down to the bay in Sorrento. We wound our way through little lanes that later in the day became packed with shoppers. I was fascinated by ... read more

Our day started early today as we had tickets for the Vatican Museum at 8.30am. I had stayed up very late getting organised to check out, and of course, woke up at 4.30am then couldn't get back to sleep. It didn't matter at all though, as somehow the energy of Rome keeps you going. We set off to find a taxi with one last stop at the Trevi Fountain as one can never get enough of it, really. We love this place, so it will be hard to tear ourselves away. If there is ever a 'next time', I will know that we should spend at least a week here! Our taxi driver was a bit of a rogue, but nice all the same! I had forgotten to check whether he had a meter (and therefore ... read more

Well, we walked our feet off today. After leaving the hotel, it was only a short stroll to the top of the street to the Spanish steps (Spagna). At 8am there were hardly any people there, but it was already hot! We met a gladiator along the way, and had been warned to negotiate first before taking a photo - good tip. I loved cutting through gorgeous Via Frattina and window shopping, as there was no time at all for the real thing! (Note to self: don't forget to allocate shopping day next time you plan a trip!). Green is the big colour at the moment, and the Roman women with their dark skin and hair wear it well. We we took our lives in our hands every time we crossed the street - the drivers ... read more

Hugo's reaction when the Travelex agent explained he would get only 312 Euro for his $500 pocket money was priceless. (He has been working for well over a year to earn it, so he felt as though he was being scammed). He argued the toss with the agent and the upshot was that we negotiated a rate that got him 350 euro. Until now it never would have occurred to me to bargain a rate with a currency exchange! We ran into the Chapman family buying pounds for their trip to the UK, and the children were really pleased to catch up with Robyn and Tom. Otherwise, today has been a whirlwind of organising International driving permits for Italy (Apparently we'll need them but who knows!), organising cash cards, making sure we have a spare camera ... read more