We then showered, ate some breakfast then headed out on a big tour starting with Big Ben, Parliament, Westminster Abbey, Buckingham Palace, Southbank then to the Borough market for lunch

We got lamb wraps and beer and sat along the river Thames - bliss after our long walk!

We then went back to Ginny’ flat for a nap before meeting Penny and Mike for dinner at Mercato Metropolitano. We had beer, gins and Vietnamese salad for dinner - nice and fresh after all the plane food. We then went to bed after a massive day!

We then were in desperate need of a coffee and a quick google we found Taylor Street - amazing flat whites and cheap brunch in Mayfair!

We then continued down to Hyde park where we rented bikes around the park to Kensington Palace

We were then getting quick hungry so we made our way to Over under coffee as recommended by Rosa and we passed through some amazing suburbs!

We then got the tube back to Ginny’s flat to pack our bags and sort everything out before the big departure.

We left at around 2pm for the Eurostar which had super long lines!! On Ginny’s fab advice we went to M&S for snacks and processo for the train. They had to delay the train as all the passengers were so delayed getting on! We then had to wait outside Paris for another hour as there were some electrical issues - not ideal as we were seriously tired from our 5am start! We finally made it to Paris and got the metro to our airbnb in La Marais which was epic!

We then wondered past Notre Dame which was incred! We were both blown away at the detailing!

We then went to the meeting place for our Sandimans tour Fontaine Saint-Michel. Our guide then explained a brief history of Paris - French Kings, Nazi take-over and how Paris was nearly destroyed but the Nazi general disobeyed a direct order from Hitler.

We wondered over the bridges, and then to the Louve

The tour finished just after 12 then we wondered down to the Eiffel Tower. I put Max and I’s lock on one of the bridges, we purchased picnic items and found the magnificent Eiffel Tower!

We then wondered to the Arc de triomphe and climbed to the top for some amazing views of Paris!

Then headed out to the palace and gardens for Versailles via train which took about an hour.

Once we got there we walked through the town past the Sunday markets which were lovely

We then headed through the town to the Palace which was packed with super long lines. We lined up to get tickets and half-way through realised there were machines down another corridor you could buy them from - no lines! Once purchased we made our way first to the gardens which didn’t have a line to enter

They were so large! Over 77 hectares of formal groomed French gardens!

We had a ham and cheese baguette to keep us going then headed to the palace line which we waited in for about an hour..

The palace was truely incredible with every inch of rooms decorated which were extravagant. After the 10th room with a painted ceiling it almost became normal! One took 3 years to paint!

We then headed back into the Versailles township and had a wine and croquet monsoir (biggest disappointment)

Next up was watching the final stage of the Tour de France so we headed back into central Paris and found a viewing spot. The atmosphere was awesome - a real buzz around.

We then wondered down the river towards the Eiffel Tower so later we could see it lit up and sparkling! Along the river was buzzing with lots of buskers, picnics and casual wines for a Paris Sunday. We stopped for a Rose in a beautiful spot

We then wondered down to the Eiffel Tower and headed to dinner to try some Escargot (snails) and Creme Burlee. We found Le Wilson just behind the best viewing spot of the Eiffel Tower which was ok

The snails didn’t taste like much! The Creme burlee was delish!

We then headed back tot he viewing platform just in time for the 10pm Sparkling Eiffel Tower

It really was magical! Next stop BED! We walked about 25 thousand steps ~18km big day!!

We then headed to the louve and stood in an hour line to get in SO MANY PEOPLE.

Once in we got our audio books (which were randomly Nintendo’s) and headed straight to the Mona Lisa

It was hectic in the room with everyone taking pictures and two security guards protecting her alongside the bullet-proof glass.

We then wondered through the Italian art, Egyptian art then Napolians appartments (the whole first floor)

It was amazing, hot and crowded so after just over three hours we called it - had to get back to make our flight to Venice. Definitely somewhere you could spend endless amounts of time - especially if you were into art..!!

We had local baguettes for lunch in the park by our airbnb. Then I got salted caramel macaroon and a peach tart for a treat while en route to Venice

We got the bus out to the airport with plenty of time (although the bus was like a sauna!) and boarded our flight to Venice.

We headed to a local cafe for breakie and had our first Italian coffees!

We then walked past the bridge of sighs which connects the prison to the interrogation rooms in Doge’s palace

We then walked to Rialto bridge which is the oldest of the 4 bridges spanning the grand canal.

Lovely sweetly glow going on...

After reading a blog we also saw the tip to go up to the terrace in the T Fondaco dei Tedeschi by DFS mall which is very high-end in a historical building. The view was amazing and free!

We then went and had an Aperol Spritz to cool off near the water and the owner have us a free bag of spaghetti pasta!

We then walked back through the alleys to find some pasta for lunch. I had seafood spaghetti and Liv spaghetti bolognese - delish!

We then brought some postcards to send back to NZ and walked back towards San Marco for some Gelato

They have so many flavours!! It was the best gelato I’ve ever had!

We then sat in the square and people watched before we headed off to find pizza and more Aperol

First pizza in Italy and it was deeeelish!

We then watched the sunset and headed back to the hostel

The bus took about 5 hours I watched a new Netflix series Versailles (since we had just visited) and Liv read. THere was aircon, wifi and a bathroom and we were ready for a break from all the walking!

We arrived at about 8pm and got on the local bus to our airbnb. We were staying a local Italians apartment (Nunzia) she was lovely and our room was quite separate with its own bathroom, entrance and deck.

We had some gelato then went to bed to prepare for a big day of walking the Cinque Terre.

This was one of the smallest and as we were there quite early felt like a sleepy town!

We hopped back on the train for 2 minutes to our next stop Monarola which was a cute little town

We had museli and espresso here (a nice change from croissants!)

We then got back on the train and headed to Cornigilia which is in the middle of the 5 towns but is not built on sea level but on a cliff. There were a lot of steps to walk up from the train... which is where we started out hike to Vernazza (the track was blocked between the first three towns due to slips)

We walked about an hour to Vernazza - it wa super hot and there were a lot of ups and downs with the path made of stones you had to watch where you were going at all times!

We were pretty stoked to arrive in Vernazza after about an hour hiking and get in the water ASAP

We walked through this cave and had a very refreshing first swim of the trip! We didn’t stay long as it was very hot and we were hungry! We headed to the center of Vernazza in the hunt for some pesto pasta which the Cinque Terre is known for. We also wanted to try Campari Spritz as recommended by Max’s work mates as an alternative to Aperol!

The pasta did not disappoint - Liv’s best pasta of the trip so far! We ate rather quickly then topped up water and sunscreen and set off on the hike part 2 to Monterosso

It took us just over an hour to get to the next town Monterosso but the heat was extreme and we were VERY sweaty...

We got changed then gelato and a swim!

It then very surprisingly started to rain! It was around 330pm at this point so we decided to go back to our airbnb in La Spezia for a shower and relax before dinner.

We went back to Vernazza for sunset and dinner which was lovely.

(Attempted to get some yummy vegetables and ended up with this..)

Gelato for dessert then back to the airbnb! It’s still quite hot at night so even with the fans in our airbnb it takes awhile to get to sleep!

Next stop Pisa and Florence!

We then had pizza and some fruit some a local restaurant then headed back to the train station to get a train to Florence (about another hour). This went super quick then we had a short walk to our Airbnb which was like a bed and breakfast.

The owner was very welcoming and gave us an overview of all the top spots and things to do in Florence.

We went to a nearby Piazza (like square) for an Aperol Spritz which had a lovely atmosphere with music and lots of people around

The Aperols were delish! We then ordered some grilled Vegas and dough balls with a cheese and prosciutto which was surprisingly delish!

We then headed back to the airbnb a little tipsy after a few aperols and went to sleep.

We then walked to the famous Florence Cathedral Duomo

It was quite different to other churches we had seen with the green and pink touches. Next up was a bronze statue of the boar which you rub the snout for your return to Florence and put a coin in its mouth that drops into the drain for good luck

We then wondered around the old streets towards the river

The river was very green! A few people rowing. We wondered down the river to the oldest bridge in Florence across the Arno (river) Ponte Vecchio. It was covered in jewellery shops and very busy!

We then went to Piazza della signoria to see a replica of the statue of David and Gucci garden

The Gucci garden it a museum dedicated to the iconic Italian fashion house. They had a gift shop which we wondered around.

Then then walked to the famous pizza shop Gusta pizza which is known to be the best and ordered a spicy sausage pizza.

We then went to the beautiful Boboli gardens which had sculptures dating back to the 16th century. We also read our books for an hour which was a nice break from all the walking.

We then went to get some recommeded gelato by our airbnb host and went home for a break before sunset.

We tried unsuccessfully to get the bus up to the Michaelangelo piazzale for sunset so ended up walking about 35 minutes with our bottle of Rose. Most things in Florence are within 15-20minutes walk which is ideal!

Lots of people were at the spot for the beautiful view over the city at sunset. We then bused back to where we were staying at went to a local Italian for dinner as recommended by our airbnb host. It was $25nzd each for water, 2 glasses of wine, 2 mains and a side dish! Such good value for money! We had some delishious cheese, bruschetta, gnocchi, spinach and beans to share.

The cheese and gnocchi were standouts - delish! We have become true Italians having dinner late as we didn’t arrive at the restaurant until 10.20pm!

We then wondered home to bed after a big first day in Florence.

I then brought a dark green small leather handbag for $20 euro (just under $40 NZD) which I thought was quite a good deal!

We then headed back to the airbnb stopping at the supermarket for some breakfast supplies and other snacks before our Tuscany wine tour!

We decided to go with the small group wine tour (max 20 people) as reading the other tour reviews they sounded very rushed with 65 people!

We did the tour with Prestige Rent “small group wine tasting experience in the Tuscan countryside” and absolutely loved it. The tour guide gave us some great background info on Chianti wines (the area in Tuscany we were tasting wines) before we got to the first winery 45 minutes away.

The winery was beautiful and we got a tour of the cellers under the house

The rooster symbol means the wine is officially Chianti classical which means at least 80% Chianti grapes used.

We then sat down to try three different reds and two different olive oils. I liked the Chianti classical mixed with 20% cap sav the best.

We shared our table with 2 couples our from NZ and one from California.

We then headed off to vineyard #2 which was very close and named Casa Emma!!

We tried two reds, a rose and a white alongside olive oil, balsamic vinegar, cheese, meats etc!

We had a blast and sat with the same people from the first winery which was fun! Wine was rather expensive however!

We were all a fair few wines deep when we had to load back on the bus to Florence!

We then bid farewell to our new friends then headed back to the airbnb to have our pesto pasta and watch in the Tuscan sun. It was a boiling hot night so we didn’t sleep too well with just the fan..

Our airbnb host was very lovely the highlight had to be when he showed us the building terrace!

The best view possible!!!

We then had a quick rest before we went out for an Aperol, some supermarket supplies and to a local wine and pasta bar!

A bird pooed on Liv en route to dinner - however I means good luck in Italy (v funny moment for me)!!

We had a lovely dinner at divine ostila wine bar (however the pasta was a tad too cheesy for us). We had delicious bruschetta with cheese and truffle, beautiful local red wines and tiramisu for dessert!

We then headed home - big travel day and have a day full of tours ahead...

We then went to the Sisten chapel with world famous art by Michaelangelo

It was truly amazing but you were not able to take photos inside and had to be quiet. We did get 20minutes in there which was awesome to have the time to absorb what we were seeing.

We then went to St Peter’s Basilica which was so grand it was hard to comprehend!

We then walked past the Swiss guard into the main area and finished the tour at a shop. I sent a postcard then we headed back to our airbnb which is near the colosseum where our next tour started at 2.15pm.

We had lunch at a local pizzeria (Trattoria Luzzi) which was delish! Then headed back to the airbnb for a quick break before the next tour.

We again found meeting our group easy as the company was a well oiled machine at organising everyone. Our guide was a lovely Italian man where once again we skipped all the lines which was awesome as it was super hot and the lines were very long!! We walked up to the second floor to see the view. A few facts I found interesting

- 18 elevators which were operated by slaves hoisting up gladiators were used to entertain the crowd by the gladiator appearing from under the stage.

- restoration - only 30% of the colosseum is original the rest are restorations. This is mainly due to humans pulling down the marble to re-use to build the new city (Rome).

- After the gladiators and animal fighting a family took over the colosseum as their fortress then it became a religious grave yard!

- We then headed to Palatine hill and the Roman forum which had some incredible ruins - all so old!

Then time for an Aperol Spritz to cool down after a massive day! They were huge which we appreciated

We then had a picnic dinner on the airbnb terrace with a girl from Kazakhstan also staying in the accom. Beautiful sunset! We struggled to open the red wine as of course all the wines has corks in Europe! Luckily Max had given me an army knife which came in handy!

We loved the area around the Spanish steps - quiet fancy with high fashion shops everywhere and beautiful streets

We then wondered through the alleyways looking in a few shops and headed in the direction of the Trevi fountain.

It was quite busy but not extremely so!

We then went to get lunch from a sandwich far which was quite delish and cheap. Next up the hunt for the best gelato! The Californian couple we met on the Tuscany wine tour gave us the name of the best gelato they have ever had.. and it did not disappoint! Definitely the best we have had so far!

Next up the Patheon which is a former Roman temple. It was free entry with no line which was a welcomed change.

The sun coming in from the roof works like a clock!

We then walked the alleys which were very beautiful looking for a nice (and cheap-ish) place to have an Aperol Spritz.

Found an ice cream place that also served as a bar close to the fountain.

We stayed for a few drinks as the square where the bar was had quite a nice atmosphere. We then headed to Origan Trevi about a 5 minute walk away to get some delicious ravioli. They had a happy hour deal for $9 euro you got a wine and unlimited access to the snacks buffet which was epic!

Our spinach and ricotta ravioli also didn’t disappoint - it was super fresh.

We then walked back to the Trevi fountain so we could see it lit up at night - quite beautiful!

Then got the metro home to bed for our lat night in Roma!

We had some Peroni’s on the boat which was delightful! A windy trip with some beautiful views along the coast and of the super yachts! We then arrived at met our airbnb host very easily and checked in.. it didn’t disappoint!!!

^the view from our deck!!! We went for a swim straight away, had pizza and an Aperol from the local beach bar which was quite cheap!

We then swam some more.. went back to the airbnb to shower and chill then headed out to explore the town and find something for dinner.

We went to a restaurant recommended by Sarah Fitz who had recently been to Amalfi. We were craving some seafood so ordered the clam and scampi spaghetti with a side of grilled vegetables

There was even a live Italian band playing bangers like that’s Amore!

A really great atmosphere! We also had some house red wine which was delicious!

We then walked back through the town to meet Millie and Sydney who are joining us for the Amalfi stay!

We found them easily and went up to the airbnb all were pretty shattered so we had an early night!

And of course had to end the night with some gelato from Savo

We then went to the free part of the beach (without umbrellas and chairs - although not outrageously expensive - 20 euro for 2 chairs and umbrella for the whole day) to swim, read our books and relax!

We swam out to the net (maybe for sharks?) and the sea temperature was truely perfect! You get pretty hot quickly (dry off from the sea and start sweating straight away..!)

We then went for lunch is the town square down an alley and had a beautiful cod dish with a salad

We then went back to our airbnb to have some home made aperols on the deck which was truely delightful!

We then went for another swim then showered and got ready for dinner!

We went to de meme as recommended by the airbnb host for seafood. We had amazing bruchetta and grilled veges to share which were delish! I then had a prawn pasta!

And of course had to end the night with some gelato from Savoia- known as the best in Amalfi! We walked along the water to where all the boats moar - it is really beautiful at night.

Then off to sleeeeep!

Sydney went for a swim and did some rock jumping while the rest of us read. We then got the bus again to a beach club for the day called one fire in Priano. The roads were tiny and we often met another bus or bug truck which meant cars had to reverse to a part of the road where the two buses could pass each other - it was very hectic and made me realise I will never drive around Amalfi!!

We then got off the bus and walked down the beach club which we could see easily by the notable orange umbrellas!

We spent the day here which had a beautiful spot for swimming and was $20euros for the day. Maria who I had been talking to over what’s app to make the booking gave us free processo to welcome us! We then had lunch (pizza, salads and Sammy’s) which was delish and multiple swims!

Then at 4pm the atmosphere was hyping up and a bit of a dance party started and a massive watermellon chopped up for us all to enjoy!

We left at around 5pm to head back to Amalfi on the bus. We had definitely all got some sun and decided to do a platter for dinner - and some aperols

We there then quite tired after a long day in the sun so went to bed!

We met a group also doing the walk from Venice who were lovely and we followed them to the start of the track. The views were incredible!

We then had to walk down what felt like thousands of steps to Positano where we had lunch

Positano was busier than Amalfi and built on hills so we immediately preferred Amalfi! We had lunch by the beach which was ok.. bit of a tourist trap! Then got the ferry back to Amalfi for an arvo swim. I got a rash from the sun which was unfortunate.. we had a few aperols on the deck and enjoyed the view! Then went to get some dinner and do some shopping. We had some delish “fish n chips” including squid and prawns!

Then of course some gelato!! Had an awesome kinder surprise flavour!

We had a look through some of the beautiful shops with Italian linen - Liv got a dress and a top!

Then home time for one more Aperol then a movie and bed!

The bus was not a great experience.. It took 75minutes and was on the windy Amalfi roads in a badly airconed bus.. We both felt quite sick by the end of it!! Nothing some burgers and fries couldn’t fix in Salerno pre-train! We were very glad to be travelling by train to be Naples!

Once we got to Naples we had to get another train then walk about 10minutes to our airbnb.

Very Italian alley ways!! We met the airbnb’s mother in law Maria who checked us in. She was very Italian and didn’t speak much English but was lovely! She said if we had any problems just to go into the courtyard and yell “MARIA!” Hahaha

We chilled in the room sorted how we would get to the airport tomorrow and where the best pizza in Naples was - after all it is the birthplace of pizza!!

We then went for a walk down to the port where we think we could get a bus to the airport tomorrow - the map led us to a slightly wrong direction so we were glad we checked before the morning we found the stops and the schedule and walked along the port.

We found Naples very dirty and a bit scary with intimidating people everywhere. We had an Aperol near the famous pizza place Julia Roberts ate at in eat pray love but the pizza shop was closed

Random fantasy shop opposite our airbnb!

One good thing about Naples was they gave you three different snacks with a drink! We then went to the next pizza shop on the recommended list but that was also closed! Third time lucky we went to Imperatore and the margarita pizza was seriously amazing! We also got told off for talking too loudly which was awkward.. but also hilarious!!

We then watched eat pray love and went to sleep with an awfully early alarm (630 to get to the airport)!

Italy facts:

Pizza is served whole - never sliced

Cheap wine is good - including the house wine at restaurants

Service was generally poor - never asked if you want another drink, hailing waiter to order

We then got on our flight to Athens which went quite quickly (only 1hr 45min) then got the metro to our airbnb which was very easy following their instructions

I had a quick nap as was coming down with a cold while Liv tried to sort out her phone which had decided to wipe itself..! We then walked to the Acropolis which was only 10minutes away. We got frozen lemonade and pringles to keep us going then climbed to the top.

We then made our way through the streets around the Acropolis for a place for dinner and drinks. We found a place with an epic terrace and view back over the acropolis. The food was a welcomed change - to our surprise we did get a bit over pizza and pasta every day.

We both had a classic kebab with sides of hummus and tzatsiki - quite a large meal and we got only through half of it. We then wondered through the touristy streets back to our airbnb.

We brought some museli and fruit from a shop then went home to sort the ferry to Mykonos the next day. We realised the ferry was quite expensive (48 euro) and they really only leave in the morning at 730!! So an alarm at 530 was set... not ideal! We also booked our other ferry’s around Greece which added up to quite a lot!

We finished the movie eat pray love and went to sleep.

We then went to a restaurantT along the beach which was really nice - first halloumi of the trip!

We were very happy when we finally arrived in Mykonos and found our free transfer to Paraga hostel!

It only took about 10minutes from the port to our hostel which was in an epic location

We got a seafood platter and two coronas and were very happy! I had a nap and we had multiple swims - delightful!

Our room was definitely - no frills! But had a fan at least, we compared it to a prison cell. All about location!

We then went to a restaurant Taverna Tasos along the beach which was really nice - first halloumi of the trip!

We then went back to the hostel to meet Abbey who flew in from sziget!

We then had an early night - Charlotte arrived the next day also to join us!

The water was really nice and refreshing! We all read our books for a few hours then headed to the bar for a pina colada!

We then headed back to the hostel to meet Charlotte who had flown in from London to meet us!

We had Gyros from the hostel and sat on the hostel beach chairs for the arvo! Had a few Aperols.. life was very hard

We then showered and got ready to go to the famed Scorpios bar/beach club for sunset. It was very sceany and we had a feeling it was a little out of our price range!! We got the cheapest Rose (9euro each) and watched the sunset from the free area (other areas you had to pay to be in!)

After sunset we headed back along Paraga beach for dinner - we decided to go back to Tasos Taverna as it was so yum!

Liv and I shared mussels and zucchini fritters - so delicious!! I now love mussels (who would have thought!)

We also shared 1L of the house wine between Abbey, Charlotte, Liv and I which was actually great and so cheap!! About 6euro!

Abbey then headed back for an early night while we had a few more wines then followed suit!

We stopped for some coffee and breakfast - we loved the Greek yoghurt!!

We continued exploring and stumbled upon the famous Petros the Pelican who roam freely around the streets!

We then headed back to the hostel and parked up on the beach chairs for the afternoon before heading to Paradise beach for dinner and drinks. It is known for the beach clubs and it was pretty crazy!

We had the best Gyros for dinner (quickly becoming experts)

We continued on into the night and got pizza from the hostel bakery on the way home!

It was a serious upgrade from our prison cell hostel and the views were seriously breathtaking!!

We went to get a Gyros for a late lunch and some snacks to make a platter. Charlotte was staying at a hostel in Thira and was coming to meet us with a sav. I got a bubbles (of course!)

The feta is really delish here and not as strong which we liked! We then walked 5mins to the castle where lots of people watch the sunset (around 8pm)

We then walked to get an ice cream (which was bad timing as the little streets were packed!) had a few more wines then went to bed!

Charlotte came early from Thira and we had museli with Greek yoghurt and fruit with coffee for breakfast on the deck.

Charlotte and I then went for a stroll along Oia looking in the shops.

We then picked up Liv and continued around shopping in the little boutiques and on the hunt for somewhere to book for a sunset drink (to avoid the crowds!)

We booked in at Sun Spirits which had a 45 euro minimum spend which wasn’t too bad! We also booked dinner for 9pm at Melitini as recommended by Rosa - Greek tapas place.

We had Greek for lunch then continued shopping. We weren’t very successful on the shopping front but got some extra nibbles for a platter and a rose to share pre-sunset

We then headed to sun spirits and Melitini for dinner - a really amazing night!!

The tapas dinner at Melitini also didn’t disappoint!

*breakfast in paradise*

We then got on the 4 hour ferry to Paros. This ferry was considerably nicer than previous ones! We had a couch area all to ourselves! We mostly read and Charlotte napped.

We arrived in Paros just before 4pm and bumped into Ben Duckworth Charlottes friend! We then checked into Hotel Paros (right on the water). Charlotte was at Jimmys rooms just around the corner which was ideal.

Liv and I dropped of some laundry and went and got some museli and yoghurt for breakfast then headed back to the hotel to find somewhere for dinner. We landed on Koralli which had great seafood reviews. I had mussels and we all shared some grilled veges!

The restaurant was a great place for sunset.

We then headed to bed for an early night - travel days seem to take it out of ya!

Then off to golden beach further round the island we took us around 25 minutes

We then explored Parikia town on the hunt for a quad bike (turns out you have to book in advance!)

We then gave up on the quad idea and started to hunt for a car hire - easier than 2 quads anyway. We ended up with a Suzuki soft top!

It was a manual, driving on the opposite side of the car on the opposite side of the road..and I was the only one that could drive however luckily no issues and we opted for full insurance.. haha

Map in hand we were off to our first stop Kolimvythres beach!

We had an amazing swim in the crystal clear waters then lay in the sun for a bit - really lovely!

We then headed off to Naoussa for lunch and a look around the little fishing village

There were lots of octopus and fish out drying!

We had a cheap lunch at a local restaurant - fried calamari and wedges - yum!

We then headed out to Santa Maria beach which was quite busy and windy! We read our books and went for another swim

Then off to golden beach further round the island we took us around 25 minutes

There were heaps of windsurfers on this beach and lots of beach clubs - great for people watching! We once again read our books and went for swims - the hard life

We then forgot where we parked the car so that was quite a mission to find it but Char managed to map us there in the end.

Next stop Aliki for dinner - as recommended by our hotel for fresh seafood! We drove about another 20minutes from golden beach.

Touch decisions for the day..

10/10 we would recommend - dinner was truely delicious! Fish tavern Mouragio!

We then drove back to drop the car off. By some miracle we found the car park and parked the car in the same space. \240We returned the keys with a very relaxed “all ok? Any scratches?” To which we said “no” and that was it we walked away! No actually check of the car!

We then got mars ice creams for dessert and said bye to Char who was flying back to her nanny job early the next morning!

We then grabbed a few things from our room and jumped onto the 20min ferry to Antiparos a nearby island

It was a pretty bumpy ride (9 euro return) but quite quick!

We had bagels at Elia Kafenes which were delish!

We then got ice creams (mine mars of course) and walked 5mins to one the beach’s Agios Spyridonas - it was very shallow which was quite nice to relax in!

We then went for a wonder through the Main Street - I brought a handbag to take to Central America and Liv brought a dream catcher!

We caught the 5pm ferry back to Paros went back to the hotel to shower and chill then had a relaxed dinner at a local Greek place (Gyros, Greek salad and bad cheese chips for dinner).

Then a relatively early night!

We then walked down the road to the quad rental place to pick up our ride for the day. We opted for the beach buggy so we could both have a front seat

We headed back to our favourite beach Kolimvythres for some relaxing sunbathing and swimming

We then headed to a local retaurant “On the rocks” for lunch - it was owned by a New Yorker and was delicious! Calamari, summer salad with goats cheese and prosciutto and hummus with pita.

We then headed back to the beach for another hour of swimming/sunbathing!

Next Liv dove us to Marcello beach which was near where we were staying. It was quite beautiful and we went for one more swim for the day

We then drove back stopping at an awesome view point looking back over Parikia

We dropped the beach buggy off, got a mars ice cream then went to our hotel room to shower and freshen up before our last sunset drinks on Paros.

We had very waterfront seats! Sophie, Hunter, Mimi and her friend joined us for a drink and dinner

Katerina Taverna - good food at the standard prices. Mussels and feta in the oven were fab!

We then went to bed - finally nailed the aircon settings so managed to get a good nights sleep!

We then got the 11am ferry to Mykonos and then the public bus to the airport. One last compared getting on the bus to the hunger games! Everyone was very pushy and there was a rush to get your bags on the bus then actually get on the bus itself! We luckily both made it and found a secret compartment to put our bags in that wasn’t initially opened but the driver. Once on it took awhile to get to the airport with all the traffic. Mykonos airport is a bit of a mess and not dealing with the volumes!! You weren’t allowed into the airport until check-in opened and then all the lines were very unclear! We managed to find the Eurowings line - which took about 1hr! Then lined up to drop off our bags then go through security.

Once through security we got some food then waited until boarding for our first flight to Munich. That was delayed and never called over the loud speaker but we made it on the plane! Then the plane sat on the ground for a further 2hours because of an oncoming storm...

Once we were finally in the air we realised we were probably going to miss our connecting flight from Munich to Amsterdam. The staff were not helpful at all giving us no info and not letting those with transfers get off the Planck first! Once we landed in Munich we went straight to the nearest info board which said our flight to Amsterdam had been delayed 30mins and was now boarding. We ran (for the first time in weeks) to the gate and made it just in time!

It was only just over 1hr to Amsterdam - we could see lightening out the windows! Once landed we went to the baggage claim but our bags never appeared - turns out Eurowings (our airline) are not good at quick transfers so our bags didn’t make it. We then spent a good 40mins with the baggage service team - after landing at around 9.45pm we found ourselves at Burger King at 11.30pm for dinner.. there was also a small supermarket in the airport so we got toothbrushes and some chocolate - the essentials while our bags were MIA! We got a taxi to our airbnb (as there were no Uber’s available) then had to wait 20mins in the rain and cold in our shorts and t-shirts for our host to meet us.

When we finally got to bed we were exhausted and very gutted to not have our bags with clean clothes and toiletries..!!

The room itself was quite cool - and we realised nothing nad happened on our trip yet so I guess it was probably time something went wrong..!

We went to a Kiwi cafe and had a great flat white and brunch! We both felt quite out of whack though!

We then wondered to the shopping area as we were freezing in our shorts and Liv only had a light layer!

Liv very happy with her new jumper and jeans purchases - and round 2 coffee! We then headed towards to Van Gogh museum and the I am Amsterdam sign

We then went to the Van Gogh museum which was a tad confusing at first as the ticket office closest said you could only buy tickets online - and they had sold out for the day. However when we walked over to the main museum ticket office by the I am Amsterdam sign we could get them there..quite odd!

We loved the Van Gogh museum - it was really well laid out with the right amount of explanations!

The level of detail in some of the paintings was amazing - he had quite a tragic life story which you read about as you go through the paintings

We then wondered back to our airbnb for a quick nap/relax before dinner! Our airbnb hosts had a French bull dog puppy called larger stout - gorgeous!

We then walked through some beautiful streets to Foodhallen - a food hall which was highly recommended! It was buzzing with everything from Gin+tonic stalls to sushi!

We had some delicious g+ts, prawn sushi, Kumara fries and some pork buns! We chatted to locals around us - the place had a great vibe.

We had a nightcap then had to deal with our missing bags which were supposed to be delivered but had gone to the wrong address.. they turned up at 11.30pm.. a long time without our bags!

We had showers and felt amazing it a full fresh set of clothes!

Flower markets outside our airbnb

We had the most delicious waffle Benedict! We then walked to do a boat canal tour that Lucy Granger recommended Boat Amsterdam

It was well worth the $20euro for all you can drink and to see the city from another perspective!

We then walked across the city to see the Anne Frank house. Unfortunately we couldn’t get tickets for the dates we were in Amsterdam but went for a look

We then walked back along the canals stopping for some lunch - Dutch pancakes poffertjes, spring rolls and chips

We then got our bags from the airbnb and got the train to the airport - Citymaper a great help again!

Our plane was delayed - we had booked the Stansted express in to Liverpool station where Penny works to pick up the key for her flat. Her instructions were perfect and we got in no issues. We went to tescos express for dinner - $2.5pound spaghetti and a salad - bargain!

Off to sleep - big day of travel!

Conveniently there was a classic red phone box close buy - had to get the standard pics!

We then headed to Harrods for a look around - we couldn’t get over how big it was and all the massive brands that were there!!

The kids floor blew us away the most - every design mini versions and a seriously cool toys section.

High tea here added to the bucket list!

We then headed to Neal’s Yard for some pizza for lunch as recommended by Charlotte

Big slices of pizza! They were delish - along with the local beer!

We then headed back for a rest - still tired after the travel day from Amsterdam! Then Liv met up with a school friend while I went to Ginny’s flat for dinner!

We had to stop in to get a treat from Ottolenghi’s deli!W

On the 40th floor - the lift was super speedy!!

The view was awesome and gave us some perspective!

The duck and waffle combination with their mustard maple sauce was delish! You got heaps of duck also - the bubbles and flat white also went down quite nicely!

We then walked towards the water then along to tower bridge which was quite impressive with the castle near by

We then walked over the bridge just like Bridget Jones and caught a bus to Liverpool station we we met Emma Haggis, Liv’s old colleague now living in London.

We had a small lunch as we were quite full! Then got the tube to Notting Hill!

The houses were really beautiful!

We had to stop in to get a treat from Ottolenghi’s deli!

We went with the carrot cake and brownie!

We then wondered past the portobello markets to find the famous Hugh Grant bookshop!

Looks just like the movie!

We got the tube to shoreditch to meet our friend Lucy Granger for a drink and dinner. We went to box park for drinks then a Peru fusion restaurant Andina for dinner - it was great to catch up with Lucy who has been living in London for almost a year!

We then walked back to Penny’s for our last night sleep in London!