A busy week of catch ups and farewells before we jet off on Monday. Managed to get everything tidied up and handed over at the office. 3 days to go 😀

So we are off. After months of planning and prep and multiple farewells we are finally on our way.

We had 2 long flights to undergo. \240firstly Sydney to Singapore which was 8 hours and we arrived at 12:35am Singapore time which was 2:35am Sydney time. I was worried about waking the kids up at that time but they took it in their stride and just watched more movies 😀.Then secondly 12hrs 30mins to Zurich on a big 777 which had an an actual fully flat bed on it !!

Didn’t sleep much but probably got 5 hours.

We’ve arrived in Europe !!! After the 2 long flights here we are. Checkout the alps in the background.

Grabbed our bags and jumped on the train from Zurich to Basel where cousin Rudi met us and after a bit of Tetris with the bags (we only just fit in) we headed to Kriszta and Rudi’s place where we will be staying for the next 3 days.

Dropped bags, had showers and headed in with Rudi on the tram to explore Basel. Everyone was feeling surprisingly ok given the long travel time and time change.

Got into beautiful Basel and had lunch at Papa Joes - Mila started to fade pretty quickly but we got a couple of kids “Donald Duck” meals into them after some debate with the waiter who said Mila was too old. Knocked back a couple of Wertek Beers and had a nice walk around the town. Kids had some very rich dark chocolate gelato and we crossed over the Rhein for the first time.

By now it was 3pm and Sonia and Mila were really feeling the jetlag (Thomas was surprisingly upbeat) so we grabbed the train back to Rudi’s and had a sleep. I knew the sleep would kill us from past experience and I wasn’t wrong. 2 hours later my alarm woke me up and I felt terrible, totally wiped out and after initially turning over said to myself “GET UP NOW” otherwise you will sleep until midnight and you’ll be all upside down with the local Timezone. So I got up and went for a walk to the local supermarket called the Migros, bought some essentials and then came home and woke up Sonia.

Rudi and Kriszta came home and we had a lovely feast of prosciutto, cheeses, bread and tomatoes. Kids managed to get up and we all stayed up until 11pm then off to bed for hopefully a nice looong sleep. Awesome 1st day.

Steps 22000

Expenses : 4

$456 AUD.

Early morning run (9km) around Rudi’s local area. Beautiful farmland and countryside.

The only problem is I’m getting really bad hayfever from all the pollen 😀

Found a lovely playground with an onstacle course on it. Kids loved it.

Second day of the trip and what a lovely day we had. After a good solid nights sleep I started off with a 9km run of the local area around Kriszta and Rudi’s place. It was beautiful up in the hills, quite sunny and warm considering the temp said 12 degrees.

Kids got up and did their maths homework and timetables. I purchased a day travel pass for Basel and we jumped on the number 10 tram into town but only after the kids had a nice play at a cool adventure playground I’d spotted on my run with an obstacle course, slide etc. Dad won the time trail video course but only just on Thomas !!

We arrived in Basel and went straight for a nice Japanese lunch which we had spotted the day before, poke bowls etc. Thomas tried Satay Chicken sticks and loved them 😀.

We then walked up to the main Basel Cathedral called the Munster which is a very old Cathedral circa 800 and had some old tombs and a crypt inside. We watched a pretty cool media show in the Crypt but it was in German so couldn’t understand much. Then we spotted that you could climb the tower/ steeple of the Cathedral for 6CHF so up we went. And up and up very tight and narrow stairways, we arrived a viewing point thinking we were as far as we could go then Thomas said “hey Dad here’s another door” sure enough another door and another spiral staircase and up and up. Eventually we finally got to the top and had some amazing views, then we had to use a rope that was provided to help us get down safely.

At the front of the Munster there is an old ferry that runs across the Rheine using only the current of the river. It has a rope tied to a 2nd rope on it that runs across the river and then the boat just moves slowly across - good value at 6 CHF for all 4 of us.

We walked down the banks of the Rheine and found nice hotel called Hotel Kraft where we had some strange very large coffees called “latte Machiato” not what we were expecting but the kids got hot chocolates that came out as frothy milk along with a sachet that the kids mixed together - they loved them and said it was delicious. While sitting there in the light rain Sonia remembered that we had seen that there is a Paper Museum in Basel which was supposed to be good fun so after a quick lol at google and the Swiss rail app (which I love) we had a short walk and the 14 tram from Rheinegasse to Nordstrasse and we were there. Time was tight as it closed at 5pm and it was already 15:50 but we bit the bullet and paid 48CHF for a family entry pass and so glad we did as it was really great.

We all got to make and keep our own piece of handmade paper , made out of cotton. Then we got to do some calligraphy and a lady made it into and envelope with a wax stamp. I also got to watch a lady make the typeset letters out of hot metal plus saw lots of of old printing machines and a page of the first document ever mass printed the Gutenberg Bible !!

Then we walked along the Rheine for 10 mins or so when the kids heard some loud band music off we went to explore and we saw a large military band playing for a farewell.

Jumped on the tram again into Barfusser platz a quick drink at an English pub called Mr. Pickwick to meet R&K and then we headed off to an Italian restaurant called Vapiano which was a cool concept where they make all the pasta freshly in front of you. Rudi very kindly shouted us dinner !!!

I’m not sure how I’m going to stick to budget, thankfully I revised from $300 a day to $500 a day as today was $326 and I didn’t have to pay for dinner. Ah well we always knew Switzerland would be expensive.

Back on the tram and off to bed at 10pm.

Tomorrow we are going to France for the day 😀

Steps ; 25,121

Totals: 225CHF = $326AUD and Rudi pad for dinner 😩!!

Today we went to France for the daywhy - well why not !!

We caught the tram from Rudi and Krizstas place into Basel SBB and then after a bit of messing around we organised tickets to Colmar in France which Rudi had told us was a beautiful medieval town in France.

Basel SBB station was a far upgrade from Central in Sydney I can tell you with amazing food on offer and a beautiful chocolate shop where we picked up some lovely macarones and had a quick coffee.

Just a quick 50 minute train ride on the TER and we arrived in beautiful Colmar. We headed down to Old Colmar “Vieux Colmar” and wandered around looking for lunch which with our 2 fussy children is challenging. We settled on a nice place called Jupiler Brasserie right next to the old Cathedral and Sonia had a lovely Salad Nicoise and I had my first Croque Monsieur - kids had nuggets and chips !!

Colmar is very very pretty with lots of old buildings and little streets. We wandered down to “Le Petite Venice” and found some amazing market stalls which made us wish we hadn’t picked a place for lunch so quickly. So many amazing fromageries and other delicassies. We picked up some lemon sugar and some smelly cheese !!

Then we headed to the Colmar Toy Musuem which was a bit meh and not really worth it although Thomas liked playing the old Nintendo from 1980.

Then more strolling the streets, Mila got her first Nutella Crepe (the first of many I’m sure). We had already done quite a bit of walking and Sonia was pretty knackered so we stopped for a beer / wine, wrote some postcards before heading to catch the 7pm train back to Basel.

Once in Basel we finished off the day with a burger at Hans um Gluck where I misread the menu and thought I was getting a great deal then ended up paying through the nose again !!

27000 steps.

Expenses :$550 AUD

Time to move on from Basel and today we headed to Grindelwald in the middle of the Swiss Alps. I was very nervous about picking up our hire car for a couple of reasons.

1). We have a lot of big luggage and I was worried about how it would all fit and

2). This is going to be our car for the next 40 days so I wanted it to be nice and comfortable.

I had ordered a Golf Sportsvan, specifically for the boot which I had researched and knew was very high and capable of fitting in our 4 big bags. When we got to Basel airport the guy told me I’d be upgraded to a Seat Leon Combi as I luckily have Elite status with Europcar thanks to Virgin. Rudi was very worried that while a nicer car it would have a smaller boot and we’d be stuffed anyway long story short the car is awesome - it’s the GTi version and we got all the luggage in the boot no problem and it has Sat Nav, Cruise control all the bells and whistles.

We followed Rudi on the autobahn to Grindelwald. Had a quick pitstop at an Autogrill which are apparently all over Europe. Sonia and I groaned when we pulled in thinking it would be shit but it had plenty of nice options for food. Rained heavily along the way, so we were worrying it would be crappy when we got to Grindelwald. After many, many tunnels through the Mountains we arrived into beautiful Grindelwald at the foot of glorious Mount Eiger which I remembered from watching the Eiger Sanction with Dad as a kid. We checked in at Griwarent and our Apartment is fantastic. It’s called Barhag and we have 3 Bedrooms upstairs, 1 with a balcony and a view overlooking the Eiger and then a very spacious downstairs with a lovely balcony and kitchen etc.

Then all of a sudden all of the clouds went away, the sun and blue sky came out to play and it was lovely and warm. Rudi went to collect Krizsta from the train and we went down to the supermarket to pick up some food and wine.

I made an Asparagus Pasta with some lovely fresh asparagus I spotted and we enjoyed some sundowners on our balcony with tunes, mezze plate and that amazing view.

Let’s hope we get good weather for the next 5 days and can get some of the hikes and cable car trips around the mountains in.

Expenses : $400

Not so many steps = 18,000

Grindelwald first !!

Woke up early today to our amazing view and some speckled rain so was worried that the weather would stuff our plans.

Mila and I had a nice Dad/ Daughter hour or so as we went for a reccy around Grindelwald Village until the supermarket opened at 8am to buy some pancakes. It was fresh at 14 degrees but not unpleasant.

We wandered around the village which is very quaint but also modernised and of course with the Swiss very organised and clean. We grabbed some fresh bread from the backery and some pancakes and waffles. I rustled your some omelette and Rosti for everyone, which Rudi needed as he had a migraine, we are not sure if it was from too much booze or not. He said he gets it when he travels due to changes in pressure ??

Got out of the house and went to buy a portable backpack as my normal one is way too big for day to day trips. Got one that folds down to the size of a pack of cigarettes from Mont Bell, very happy.

Then we headed up the Gondola to First which was a 30min ride with spectacular views. Then once at the top we decide to make a bee line for Bechonsee which are the lakes at the top as we were unsure if the weather would close in or not. It was a 6km return trip and the kids handled it in their stride, excited to see and touch snow for the first time. We stopped at the lake for 30 mins or so for some pics and a snack then walked back to First to do the cliff walk which was cool but a little unnerving due to the height.

We then got the Gondola down to Bort station where there is an amazing kids playground in the middle of the alps. We had a lovely lunch - I tried a Bern Rosti with bacon and an egg which was delicious, Sonia had a cheese fondue and Thomas tried a pork snitzel for the first time - delicious.

Went back up the gondola to try and do the gravity carts but the wait was 70 mins so canned it and headed down into Grindelwald.

It was very hot when we got down around 27 degrees - we were heading home to our place when we head some German music and turns out there is a music festival on this weekend so we had \240quick beer while the kids played in the neighbouring playground.

We then went home got showered and changed and headed out to dinner at Barry’s restaurant which is named after a famous St. Bernard dog. Sonia still suffering from jetlag and after a short sleep was hard to motivate. Dinner was really lovely - Rudi, Thomas and I shared the Eiger Rock steak x 500g which was an eye fillet brought out on a rock with 9 different sauces and some salad an chips delicious. Kids got given complimentary Barry’s dogs !!

On the way home we went back to the music festival which was now pumping and Rudi and I had a couple of cleansers 😀. Then home to bed at our lovely chalet.

Steps : 22,000

Expenses :$740

Woke up a bit dusty today after too many beers & wines with Rudi at the music festival after dinner. Rosti again for breakfast, god I love that stuff wish we could get it in Oz and you can buy all different types with pancetta in them etc Bern Rosti is a local specialty.if I keep eating like this I’ll be the size of a house when we finish.

Weather wasn’t looking great so we decided to drive to Trimmulbach falls which was about 45 minutes away. Trummelbach is a series of 10 waterfalls coming off the 3 glaciers. You take an elevator up the inside of the mountain and then you walk up inside the mountain and see all the different falls. It was pretty spectacular and very loud !!

We then drove down to Lauterbrunnen where we parked the car to get the train up to Wengen which is a Swiss village famous for skiing and no cars allowed at all. We caught the train at 1pm which then pretty much went straight up the Mountain with some more spectacular views. We got off just a a huge storm came rolling in, the temp dropped about 10 degrees and it was very windy and wet with thunder and lightning so we quickly donned our waterproof and warmer gear and made a beeline for a hotel for some lunch. We tried a traditional lunch in this region which was a flamekuchen which is basically a very thin pizza style base with sour cream, bacon and onions - all 4 of us ate them and they were delicious. Kids didn’t have any lunch other than the free bread they give you in all restaurants here as they couldn’t find anything they liked.

There was a music festival on that Rudi wanted to check out but it had been changed from a marching band parade to inside due to the weather. We had a quick look at the traditional bands and then Thomas had an impromptu game of soccer with some Swiss locals which he loved. Then we found a slack line in the park so that became the next challenge for us all to attempt - Mila and I managed to get across after quite a lot of practice. Then train back down and back to Grindelwald.

Kriszta is making us a pasta dish for dinner tonight and tomorrow we are booked to go up the Jungfrau which is the Top pf Europe.

Steps: 14,000

Expenses: $95 😀

Today we are heading up the famous Jungfrau. At this stage weather looking great so now we just need to get the kids up and out while we can.

Jungfraujoch !! Adventure at the top of Europe. We were out of the house by 8:55am which is a record for the Prices. No journals this morning but the kids are ripping into them now.

So we walked from Grindelwald down to Terminal which is a leisurely downhill stroll for about 15 mins. Then we caught the Eiger Express cable car up the North face of the Eiger, it was a brand new Gondola, very comfortable (seated 21) and there were no queues at all. So you take the Gondala up to EigerGletscher approx 2500m and then there is a small walk to the train up to Jungfraujoch. I had been warned about getting a seat on the train so prepaid 10CHF per person to get guaranteed seat on the train only problem was we were early and my reservation was only valid on the 10:45am not the 10:15 - spoke to the lady but in true Swiss fashion she said “Oh OK so you need to join the queue with everyone else” - $50 bucks down the swanney. Like I said no people anyway so the queue was tiny and we got on easily.

Then the train heads up to the Jungfraujoch which is 3500m above sea level - amazing that they have cut these train tunnels throughout the mountain and also have such a large structure on the top.

-2 degrees at the top. It’s quite a big place so first stop was the viewing platform, quite busy with amazing views lots of Chinese and Korean tourists but we got some great shots then the kids were chomping at the bit to get out into the snow, so that’s where we headed. It’s the first time the kids have seen proper snow and they loved it, we had a snowball fight, made a snowman and Thomas did some huge jumps into quite deep snow. Unfortunately I started to feel quite average with altitude sickness but I pushed along. After about 45 mins on the slow we started to head back in and I noticed a zip line that came down over the Glacier, so we signed up Mila and Thomas. Thomas loved it but Mila hated it and was pretty scared !!

Next back inside we explored the ice cave and tunnels which had lots of different sculptures inside. I was still feeling average so wanted to head down, caught the train back down and almost everyone fell asleep on it so I think I wasn’t the only one suffering. Met Rudi and Kriszta for a farewell lunch on the Mountain at Kliene Shuedeg, still felt like shite 😩.

Gondola back down to Grindelwald Terminal and then I made a bad judgment call to walk to a place called Landi to buy and esky for the rest of our time here in mainland Europe but it meant a pretty steep walk back up into Grindelwald and Mila was not happy at all !! But at least we have something to unpack the fridge into on our way to Annecy in 2 days and beyond.

Staying in tonight, pork sausages for the kids and us along with a burrata salad. Rudi and Kriszta have left now so Sonia and I moved into the front suite with a balcony and that Eiger view 😀

Last day in the Swiss Alps tomorrow think we might go and do some tobagganing and other activities as the weather looks ominous. If the weather turns then we will go to a famous Swiss lake, apparently the most beautiful in Switzerland.

Kids writing journals now but hard to motivate them and they feel like cutting out things and printing out rather than actually writing in them, getting cloudy and overcast now but we can’t complain.

Steps: 13,700

Expenses: $502

Loving it !!!

Woke up to a rainy morning and very overcast, temp 11 degrees. Sonia spent the morning trying to solve our Port Douglas issue, however once I called the agent they had managed to restore power so at least the next tenants due on Friday can check in.

Kids spent 2 hours getting journals updated and doing some maths homework (well Mila anyway). I have to say I read both journals this morning and I’m impressed with how well they are doing, they will be an excellent keepsake of our time away.

So once the rain broke at 11am we decided to head back up First so we could do the Trotti bikes down the mountain. They are basically 3 wheel go kart style carts with 2 brakes. The cable car up suddenly went from quite clear to absolute white out amongst the clouds. We got off and it’s started raining again then the guy at the desk dropped the bomb - Thomas was 2-3cm too small to go on, the guys said he’d potentially be unable to brake and could break his ankle. Thomas was very upset but I explained that maybe it was a blessing in disguise as it was cold & wet and no doubt heading down the mountain in an open cart would not have been great fun.

So we caught the cable car back down and headed over to Pfingsbergg where they have a Tobaggan run and a Tree zip line thing. Pfingstegg is not part of the Jungfrau group so our 5 days passes didn’t work, must be privately owned I’m guessing. Paid for a 1 way trip only as the guy told us it was an hour hike back down. Got on the old style cable car for a quick 5 minute trip.They a slide there and Mila had a massive stack off the end and hurt her knee - lots of tears. \240Had a debate about whether or not we should eat at the restaurant up top before doing the rides but turns out the Tobaggan was closed due to the rain so we just said let’s go quickly on the tree zip line and hike back down for a Lateish lunch (it was already 1.15pm).

Kids loved the tree thing, I wasn’t overly fussed to be honest it was pretty slow and boring. Had a really nice hike down the mountain which we did quickly in around 35 mins.

Sonia picked a place for lunch called Bernie’s which she fancied. Thomas and I shared a meat fondue !! Turns out it was a bit of a cheapie backpacker type place and Sonia’s salad was shite 😩.

Quick wander around town, picked up some dinner to make at home an enjoy our fantastic view and chalet for one more night. Need to pack up all the bags and get ready to depart as checkout is 10am tomorrow.

Heading to Annecy tomorrow but on a fun route that Rudi recommended via both a chocolate and cheese (the Gruyère Factory) - where we might pick up a few supplies before checking into our Airbnb in Annecy. Our place comes with complimentary bikes for us all, so looking forward to riding around all the pedestrian old town of Annecy.

As I write this it’s 5pm and now the sun is back out an lovely and warm sitting here enjoying a Chopfab with some tunes on - loving it 😀

On the move today.

Grindelwald - Cailler - Gruyère’s - Annecy = 277km / 4hrs.

Got up early to an amazingly clear day and view of the Eiger and Jungfrau, we will certainly miss this view and chalet, we’ve had an amazing time.

We had already pre packed as knew getting everything done for a 10am check out would be too hard so we had brekkie and Sonia took the kids and the rubbish down to the park. In Switzerland we have to take all of our rubbish with us, everything all separated. Normal rubbish goes in barcoded prepaid bin bags, quite painful really.

I packed up the car and we just fit in especially with the new Eski that I bought to allow us to unpack the fridge, that had to go in the backseat with the kids.

Checked out and then spent about half an hour trying to get our first TiKTok dance video of the trip done with the amazing backdrop of the EIger, I have to edit it so stay tuned and I’ll upload it.

So we drove and headed for Cailler which is a famous chocolate factory, Rudi had recommended we take the scenic route via the Jaunpass and it didn’t disappoint. Beautiful winding roads going through a valley and gorgeous view of the mountains. We stopped at the top so Sonia could finally get a picture with a Swiss Cow with a Bell 😀. I’d made packed lunches so we ate the at the top overlooking the gorgeous view.

Then we headed down the valley into Cailler, I nearly crashed as I went over to the left side of the road by mistake at one stage - but scary the whole driving on the right but I’m getting betttr.

The tour of the Cailler factory was fantastic, it was actually more like a Disney ride than a tour. We were all given little phones to hold up to our ears with an narrator in English and then we went through a series of rooms which had the history of chocolate from the Aztec days through to the start of Cailler and other famous chocolatiers such as Nestle (who merged with Cailler after the Great Depression in 1930’s). Really informative and well done. Finished with watching a chocolate line being made from start to finish and then of course lots of free tastings.

Quick coffees / hot chocolates for the kids in the cafe and bought a couple of things including a little box of chocolates for our Airbnb hosts in Annecy.

Then drove just around the corner to head to the Gruyère’s cheese factory 10km or so when we spotted this beautiful chateau up the top of a hill. We parked and did the very steep walk to the top, walked around the quaint town of Gruyère’s and then did the Gruyere castle tour which was fun and again informative, some very old tapestries dating back to 1400’s.

Parked next to Cheese factory and had decided we wouldn’t do the tour but instead just grab some yummy Gruyère cheese. Popped in for max 15 mins and grabbed 2 large slabs of 2 different Gruyère cheeses - bargain at a total of 20CHF for nearly a kilo so I was well chuffed that is until I got back to the car and we had a parking ticket for 40CHF!! - bastards. It was 1 hr free but I hadn’t realised you needed a ticket with your rego on it, tres annnoying.

Drove into Annecy via lake Geneva and as it was rush hour there was pretty heavy traffic. Finally arrived at 7pm into Annecy amidst heavy rain and nowhere to park at our new Airbnb. Dropped Sonia and the bags and did a few laps in rush hour, stressful and trying to reverse park the wrong way as left hand drive not easy especially under pressure with cars up my ass, anyway got lucky as a spot opened up right out front and after 3 attempts parked, phew!

Our apartment is on the fringe of Annecy Vieux (old town) and is very comfortable. 2 bedrooms, little old school elevator, large living space and well equipped kitchen. Jo & Geo our hosts speak very little English, but we managed the the check in OK. They have provided us with 4 x bikes so looking forward to exploring Annecy on those in coming days.

Sonia cooked some pasta, I popped out and grabbed some beers /wine and we just had a cheese plate and actually watched TV for the first time in 10 days, then off to bed. Weather forecast looks crappy for tomorrow but then after that 3 days of 30 degrees so bring it on.

Steps : 14,916

Expenses : $210 + $60 for parking fine ($&$!!)

Day 1 - Annecy

Woke up early at 6:15am so had a quick coffee and got out of the house for a morning run. Haven’t seen anything of Annecy yet due to our late arrival so it was cool to run through the old town and down to the lake even though it was quite overcast and cold it was still pretty stunning and I ran along the lakeside in a easterly direction, past lots of little families of ducks / ducklings and little boats and some nice cool looking waterfront restaurants.

Grabbed some freshly baked croissants and bread on the way back and then Sonia headed out for a walk while I supervised the kids doing their maths and journals. Kids being slightly challenging to get them to knuckle down and just get it done so we can get out of the house - given the weather a little shit I didn’t mind a later start but when it’s sunny as per the forecast the next few days I don’t want to dilly dally at home. Mila managed to summarize everything we did from Grindelwald - Annecy in 10 lines, we’ve told her she needs to do better.

So finally got out of the house around 11:45am and went for a walk all around the old town. Sonia found lots of nice clothes shops, especially kids clothing so this could cost me 😩. Raining on and off and a little cold so not the most pleasant meandering around. Started looking for lunch and got extremely frustrated as the kids simply refusing to try anything new which precludes Sonia and I from picking any of the nice little brassries all over the place. I mean we’re not asking for much - hot dog and chips in one place, small pizza in another but no they wanted nuggets or steak for Thomas. So we picked a brassrie /pub which has a broad selection of foods. I have the Moule Mariniere and Son the flamekuchen again. Have decided that’s it and from now on we will make kids a lunch box and they can eat it in a park prior to us selecting whatever brasserie or cafe we like - we’re not letting them dictate the restaurant selection anymore.

Walked back home to collect the complimentary bikes the Airbnb had given us, unfortunately the bike for Mila was quite big and she couldn’t do it - melt down. So Thomas and I took 2 of the bikes and rode around the lake to one of the swimming areas with a slide and back. There are bike paths everywhere so very easy.

Dropped the bikes off and headed to a pub if spotted for a beer in the old town with Thomas then the girls came to meet us.

Popped into a nice cafe on one of the canals and had a couple of drinks before heading to the supermarket to buy some dinner ingredients. Cooked Thai Basil Chicken and Rice for everyone and then off to bed. Tomorrow forecast looking good so hopefully we’ll rent a bike for Mila and do some riding around the lake and have a swim at one of the beaches.

Steps : 31,000

Expenses : $275

Day 2 - Annecy

Woke up to perfect blue skies and headed out for my morning run, absolutely gorgeous and there were some hot air balloons floating over the lake and mountains. Had a quick catch up with JB which was good while walking.

Got home, Sonia headed out for her walk and I got the kids up and out of bed 9:15 still getting adjusted to going to bed at 21:30 I guess. Brekkie, 2 pages of maths each and a journal update and then we headed out with swimmers, towels and yes a packed lunch for each child 😀

Headed down town after all the homework and journals were completed. Thankfully it’s the weekend so no more for a few days ! We only have 3 bikes we can use as I’ve previously mentioned so I gave Thomas a “backy” as we used to call it back home and we rode down to the bike shop. Got Mila a bike for the day for 16€ and off we went to the beach. It wasn’t too far maybe 2.5km and all very easy on the bike paths everywhere - parked the bikes and found a spot on the grass then straight in for a dip - brrrr it was pretty bloody cold ! I went in, Thomas went in and Mila kind of skirted on the edges. Mum definitely did not go in, way to cold. So we stayed there for a couple of very nice chilled hours in the Sun(24 degrees). The kids found a playground nearby and didn’t see them for a while and they smashed their lunch boxes 👍.

Then we all headed back into Annecy Old town for lunch (well for Mum and Dad at least). Found a lovely little cafe/ brasserie right on the canal and I ordered my first Escargot plus a Entier Sausisson while Sonia had a Italian Salad. Escargots were delicious and basically like a calm coated in garlic butter. For my saussicon I got a whole sausage for €9:50 with bread, cornichons and salad - delicious. 6 x Escargot was €6:50, 1/2 a bottle of Chardonnay €10. Spent the end of lunch trying to teach Mika and Thomas how to order and ice cream in French.

Kids have run off now with Sonia to get an ice cream from a place that has 76 flavors. Gorgeous weather and feel extremely lucky to be sitting here.

Caught up with the family after Thomas apparently dropped his first ice cream. Spoke to Uncle Robbie briefly who was in Bangkok airport and we’ll see him on Sunday for lunch in Annecy. So we then took the bikes about 5km east round the lake where I had run one day 1 and found this very cool waterfront bar called Oasis.

We got deckchair seats right on the water, and I mean right on the water. Had a couple of drinks and the kids and I watched some lads playing Boule which was cool. Had to get the bike back by 18:45 so we hightailed it back into Annecy Vieux and made it with 5 mins to spare. Found a lovely little restaurant on one of the canals and had dinner. Steak Frite for Sonia and Steak Tartate for me , portions were huge.

Rode home on the 3 bikes - with me giving Thomas a backy again while he whined his Penis was hurting 😀.

Home now, kids going to bed it’s 21:05 and the view from our balcony is awesome. Drinking a Kirsche that Rudi left for us - don’t know why as I’ve had enough but it’s Friday night and also so cool just sitting here looking at our \240awesome view.

Steps : 16,000

Bike: 10.4km

Expenses: $344

Day 3 Annecy.

Sonia was up early and out for a walk, so I had a lazy lay in until around 7:30 and watched a bit of Obi Wan on Disney. Sonia home at 8 and I headed out for a run, absolutely gorgeous morning - went left around the lake this time for about 5km and found another sandy beach compared with the park style we went to yesterday. The plan today was to basically repeat yesterday as it’s going to be 28 degrees.

Hired a bike for Mila (cash only today they said - more on that later). Left Sonia’s drivers license as collateral and off we went heading for the sandy beach this time with a full picnic including beers in the portable ice mule that Son bought me for met birthday. \240it’s basically a roll down soft eski you can swing over your back. It’s very cool that this Airbnb provides bikes as otherwise we’d be up for close 80€ a day to hire for all 4 of us and I only paid $200aud a night - such a great apartment, location and view.

The beach wasn’t packed but was busy. We got a great spot close to the water but under a tree so we had a bit of shade. Had a swim in the lake (still fresh) and just chilled. Went for a walk to a little shop nearby to buy some wine for Sonia, it was such a cool little place with so much Saucisson - 3.50€, so many cheeses yum.

That was our afternoon really, picnic, Son polished off half a bottle of Pinot Gris. Kids make a volcano, played in the sand, got ice creams. By 5pm when we left it was packed and so was Annecy town, people everywhere - I’m guessing a lot of people from Geneva come for the weekend. Sonia spotted a nice brasseries near a park so we are going to try that for dinner.

Had a nice dinner at a Brasrrie next to a park, which had some cool balancing swings which the kids enjoyed. Thomas had steak hache and Mila had Jambon Blanc & Frites which is basically 2 slices of ham rolled up with chips. Mila polished off the whole lot so at least we have another dish other than chicken nuggets to eat 😀.

Wandered around the town after dinner and the place was absolutely buzzing and packed with people. There is a big film festival that kicks off in 2 days and apparently brings 150,000 people so not surprising it’s busy.

Expenses:$285.

Steps: 23,000

Cycling:7km

Last Day Annecy - Sunday

We wanted to visit the markets this morning so only a quick run around the lake this morning. Got down to the markets around 10:15 and had a nice wander around, today it was fresh food markets and there was so many Saucisson and Olive and cheese shops, so we grabbed some fresh Olives and then went off to grab a bike for Mila so we could all ride to lunch. Went to a new bike place much closer to home today which we spotted yesterday and Mila got a very Classy aqua Colored bike with a basket she was super happy.

Today we were meeting Robbie and Jim and Lou at a restaurant called Auberge Du Lac. It said 20 mins bike ride on Google maps so we thought that sounded good. Unfortunately we left a little late at 11;45 and it was a bit more of a slog than we had expected up some hills. Thomas and I made it there around 12:15 but no sign of Sonia & Mila. Somehow they had missed the turn off and gone too far, they finally found us at 12:57 ! Nightmare. Jim and Lou were worried we might get kicked out of the restaurant at 2pm as they have been told 12 midday sharp, but it turned out OK and a lovely meal.

Annecy TikTok

Quick stop grab some snack and off again.

The one the only Freddie !!

On the road again.

Todays trip is Annecy - Lausanne - montreaux, through the Great Saint Bernard Pass and then down into the Aosta Valley.

260km - approx time 3.50 mins.

Woke up early again at 6:45 and went out for a short walk / run only 30 mins a I know what it takes to pack up the 4 of us and get us on the road. Spoke to Jason who is staying at our place in Sydney at the moment with Hannah and he told me we’ve had an Ant invasion !! Lucky there were there and have cleaned up the place and laid some new traps.

Picked up some croissants / pain au chocolat and a large french loaf for sandwiches. As I mentioned we’d already packed the day before so we cooked some brekkie, cleaned the house and we were out by 10:10!! Good work team.

Headed down to the old town once the car was packed to find a place for the next Installment of the prices TIKTOK video this one is Dragostea !! Found a spot near a nice little bridge and after 5 takes we were off stay tuned.

So easy enough drive around Lake Geneva (lake Geneva is 73km long) to Lausanne. We stopped briefly just to go to Coop to pick up some snacks and drinks, so didn’t really see much of Lausanne - Onward to Montreaux which is only 30 mins away. Found a park in the Fairmont Montreaux Palace hotel car park which looks like an amazingly lavish hotel. A nice leisurely stroll along the lake foreshore took us to our goal = a picture with the Freddie Mercury Statue.

We had our picnic, near a nice park with a lovely lake view and then grabbed a family photo with Freddie before heading off. Next stop the Grand St. Bernard Museum where they raise and breed the famous dogs of the same name. It was interesting and the dogs lovely but 30CHF hmmm not sure. Anyway enjoyed readings about the history etc. the dogs are now used as therapy dogs given modern tech is used to rescue people lost in the Mountains, no more Hennessy around their necks 😀

So then up and up and up into the Grand pass. We had a bet what temperature it would drop to as it was 28 at the bottom, Sonia won with a guess if 12 degrees ! It was a very windy road up and up and up to the top. Initially I made an error and nearly went through the Tunnel for the princely sum of €30 but realising my error at the Toll Gate the nice man let me reverse back and turn back onto the road to the summit “Col”.

It was lovely drive and at the top there is an old monastery converted into an Hotel / Restaurant, which I had considered staying in at one stage instead of Aosta. Quick photo at the top, kids ran in the snow, Mila slipped in the mud and looked like she’d pooed herself and down we went. It was very, very windy about 24km descent in total. Both kids said they felt I’ll from the drive.

Got to Aosta and had to park in a public car park as no parking at this apartment. Wheeled 4 heavy bloody bags 100m down an old cobbled street and then had to lug them up 3 flights of stairs and we check out tomorrow at 11am - PAINfUL. We should have just packed one bag for the night but we’ve heard about bags being stolen out of cars in Italy so better to be safe.

5 min change and we were off into town which is at the bottom of our stairwell as we are in the middle of old town. We had a quick walk around and then headed for a place that Sonia had spotted as soon as we got out of the car called Bataclan Restaurant, Pizza , Music. We got table in the beautiful garden out the back and had a lovely dinner of Pizza and Carbonara, Tiramisu and a lovely (and cheap) bottle of Aosta Valle Chardonnay. \240Kids played in the garden and met a girl called Mathilda who spoke English.

Home to the apartment late at 10:20 and off to bed.

First time in my life I think I’ve done 3 different countries in 1 day 😀😀

Expenses: $300

Steps :20,882

Sonia up and out of the house at 6:30 for a walk and explore. I think we both enjoy our walks / runs in the morning at new places as a good way to check out new towns without kids holding you up and whinging about too much walking.

Our apartment in Aosta is lovely. Kind of done up like a hotel suite. We have a very nice king bedroom with a balcony overlooking one of the cobble stone streets and the there is a kitchen / living area where they’ve made up the sofa bed for Mila. Check out isn’t until 11am so the kids will do journals and the we head off to Lake Garda. It should be about a 4hr drive pending how bad the traffic is around Milano. Luckily it’s a Tuesday so hopefully the roads will be clear. Apparently they is an ancient Roman Amphitheatre here in Aosta so much check that out first.

Got the car loaded after a couple of trips to the car park 😩. Then had a lovely walk around the town, so old and pretty and we went into the Notre Dame Cathedral that dated back to 1576 !! Some amazing murals and a huge organ, I love these old churches and the history that they eminate.

Got on the road and headed for Desenzano Del Garda our destination for the next 2 nights. We headed via Milan on the paid toll freeway which was interesting to say the least. Firstly as you arrive at the Toll you take a ticket, the gate opens and off you go. 150km later you reach another gate and you pay - in this instance 28€. The speed limits is 130km but nobody in Italy gives a shit about it. When it says 60km they go 100km, when I’m going 140km in the outside lane, they go past at 200km easy - oh and indicators don’t exist. We had no traffic and Leon our Seat estate Turbo are up the kilometers such a lovely car to drive with the cruise control but also the radar etc, makes everything a lot easier. We were very lucky we were following a UK Disco 4 who was going a nice regular 140km, next thing the funny Fiat Ute that was in front of the Disco whole back cove flew off an hit the Discovey windscreen then cascaded in our direction - it was like a massive Esky lid !! Luckily I avoided and on we went but it was a bit hairy. I’m not sure what’s worse coming down the Great St. Bernard Pass or driving on Italian Motorways - so many big trucks and a merge from 8 lanes to 4 after the tollway. Eek.

Stopped at a Autogrill just after Milano for some lunch, thinking this will be good as Rudi had told us they were great. Got in - lots of lovely Baquettes, Sandwiches and upstairs a really nice restaurant with freshly cooked hot food, a fresh pastas station and salads and Poke bowls. Unfortunately by the time we found the restaurant we were behind a tour bus and a queue of about 80 Italians queuing for food !! Mila didn’t want to try Amatraicana Pasta which is just tomato pasta sauce with crispy bacon, so I ended up buying them 2 x chicken snitzel burgers and myself a prosciutto baguette. Sonia got a lovely fresh salad. Brought the food up, small amount of a mustard / mayo sauce on the burgers so kids refused to eat them. Had to give Thomas my baquette sans prosciutto which I kept. Afraid to at I lost it at them and just walked off and had to sit on my own as I was very pissed off. 30€ on food and just a waste, it frustrates me so much they won’t try new things.

Grabbed some cheese and biscuits and a focaccia for Mila and drove the last hour to Lake Garda. Checked into our Airbnb which is huge and right on the front of the lake. It is a bit tired but it has a pool and was half the price of the hotel I originally had booked in town which is 10 min walk away along the promenade and now we have lake front views and a huge Terrace plus kids have their own room and we have a kitchen whereas in the Hotel we were paying $700 a night and we’d all be in a 50 square meter room - here $350 a night so happy with my decision.

Unpacked and had a swim just soaking up some sun and I’ll head to our Terrace to work on the TikTok video then we’re off for dinner in town. Here for 2 nights.

Took some lovely photos on our jetty which is right outside our Terrace as the light was terrific then walked into Desenzano which was only 7 mins along the lakefront. Thomas spotted some fancy cars like a Ferrari and McClaren. We headed for a restaurant called IL POSTO as the people staying Nextdoor from the UK Alan and Mel had said it was great. Had a short wait but then they gave us a great table upstairs on the balcony right at the front overlooking the port, lovely.

Mila and Thomas both had a pasta dish they loved and I was happy they both smashed up a full nutritious meal while we were out. Sonia and I shared a seafood pasta as our starter which was delicious - only 7€ for a Negroni and 5€ for an Aperol. I had a warm seafood salad for main which I was a bit nervous about but it was superb. Had a local bottle of Red from the Guarda region and then we went for a walk around the town, lots of lovely little streets. Everyone had a gelato at 10:30pm and we walked home to bed and there was a massive blood moon.

Just had the best dish. Warm seafood salad.

Writing it down so I can recreate.

Prawns

Slices of squid

Slices of octopus’s

A few mussels

Cherry Tonatoes

Parsley

Butter

S&P

Olives

Basil leaves

Desenzano Del Garda !!

What great impromptu day we had today this is one of the great joys of travelling.

Woke up early and went for a long 12km run/walk around the beautiful lakeside. Thought I might make it to Sirmione where there is a famous old castle but unfortunately it was too far. Came back and Sonia was chatting to Alan and Mel next door who are checking out today. They kindly gave us some washing up liquid and washing powder and told me where the supermarket with very cheap beer was as well as a Japanese very close that did all you can eat lunch 😀.

Sonia went for a walk and kids did journal after brekkie sitting on our lovely lakeside Terrace which is just such a lovely view.

Plan was to hire a boat on the lake today so I popped up to the INNS supermarket and bought some suppliers. Alan was right 500ml can of beer for €0.55 !!

Bumped into Alan again on the way back and he said he thought there might be a car show on in town we should check it out. So we wandered up into Desenzano and OMG they was like 200-300 of the most amazing Ferraris all parked in the main streets with numbers on them. It turns out that today I’m Desesnzano is the 2nd stage of the Miglia 1000 which is called the “Most Beautiful Car show in the world” !!! We wandered around the cars taking some photos and found out that at 2.10pm the cars all head off out of the town and at 3.10pm the 2nd part of the race is on with all the Mille Mille cars which is all the old style Ferraris and Bugattis from the 1930’s.

so we changed the plan and booked the boat for a 4pm pick up. Hightailed back to the house (only 7 mins) and went to Japanese. All you can eat is truely that €12.90 for adults and €5.90 for kids. Lovely setting outside overlooking the lake. So we ate like kings - the kids have sushi, snitzel (2 portions) Bao buns, snitzel salad. Great value and we have no idea how they make money, have discussed coming back tomorrow before we leave to Bologna as we know it will be pasta pasta pasta after that.

Packed the esky and bags and stared heading back for a view point of the cars. We could already hear them zooming through town. We found a spot and just watched as all these beautiful Ferraris started winding through the town streets - really fun.

Walked into town and grabbed some ice creams. Dad got a Mille Mille T Shirt and mum got a hat. We tried to get across the street so we were on the lake side and close to boat pick up and I got told of by a Carabineri female officer who looked like a supermodel - welcome to Italy !

Watched the old cars for 15 mins or so and the. Jumped on the boat. 100€ for 2 hours and you get a 40HP speedboat with suncover and lounges at the front. He didn’t even ask for a credit card, just held onto my license. 2 minute crash course and off we went, I’m glad I know how to drive a boat otherwise if would have been nerve wracking.

Blitzed it up the lake to Garda Island as recommended by the boat staff and wen.T around the island and then into a little cove for a swim. Dropped anchor and jumped in but then I got nervous that we weren’t anchored properly and there were some pretty fancy boats nearby so we moved out a bit and just floated while kids swam and jumped off the boat etc. then blitzed it across to Sirmione to take pics of the famous castle. Started heading back for 6pm which was our time and got totally lost ended up driving around in circles for about 30 mins - eventually worked out where to go and made it back late. Was worried I’d get pinged for another hour but the dude just said “one hundred” very happy.

Walked home, chilled for a couple of hours while kids played on our private jetty. Headed out for dinner at 8:30pm (seems to be our new time) and tried to located a place called Il Gardenia which Alan had recommended. Could not find it for the life of us and after walking around for an hour or so everyone was getting tried and hungry. Settled on a place by the Piazza and had pasta, Pizza - Mila has decided Bolognese is the way to go now instead of Napoletana - no surprise there - even Mum got in on the act and had Bolognese.

Walked home and moved the kids into the main room as Sonia and I couldn’t face sleeping on the rock bed again.

What a brilliant impromptu day so fortunate to have seen the Miglia and all the cars.

Steps :33.329

Expenses : $430 (includes boat hire)

Woke up to a beautiful morning in Garda, had a better nights sleep as we didn’t sleep on the rock bed ! We will miss our amazing lake view.

So up at 7am and Sonia and I had to start the massive task of packing and the place was a mess ! We have decided to consolidate into 2 bags so when we arrive in Bologna we can leave 2 bags in the car as our hotel in is the Historic Pedestrian area with no cars allowed.

Got packed, I quickly went for a run along the lakeside and had a chat with Robbie. We have made a plan to go to Portofino (well nearby town) next week for 2 nights.

Checked out at 11am and headed for Verona. Sonia wanted to see the Banksy exhibition and I wanted to go to Juliet’s house and see the balcony from Romeo and Juliet.

Easy enough drive from Garda to Verona only 45 mins on the crazy freeways. Parked at the main station of Verona as that’s where the Banksy thing was on. Walked around the exhibition which was pretty cool and then deities to get the bus into Verona (2km away) and leave the car as worried about parking in town. It was all a bit complicated but worked out how to buy a 90 minute bus ticket and jumped on the 11 bus into Verona, 6 stops Google maps told me. Google Maps is so clever and handy to use to get around. It tells you the bus timetable, where to walk etc.

As the bus drove into town we passed some beautiful buildings including a colosseum. Walked to Juliet’s house and there was a massive line so I suggested we grab some lunch and come back. Wandered through the Piazza and eventually found a little place in an alleyway that seemed to Accomodation all diets 😩. Thomas tried a Misto Salumi as did I. Sonia wasn’t too happy with her salad and Mila surprise surprise nuggets.

Wandered back to Juliet’s house and got the obligatory shot of the balcony. By now it was severely hot - 35 and we started to walk towards the Colloseum but ended up giving up and getting the bus back to the station to collect the car and get into some air conditioning !!

Verona to Bologna was 90 mins in the car, crazy freeway time again !! I had prebooked a garage spot with the hotel for 30€ a night and we had to follow some very detailed instructions including photos to navigate the tiny, one way pedestrian streets. Sonia did well with the instructions and we found the place pretty easily except we just missed the final part and then I ended up illegally driving in a piazza - getting a lot of strange looks. There was a huge screen set up in the Piazza for a film festival starting today. Left Sonia with car, found the hotel 1 min away and the valet came and helped us bring the car back to the correct place, unloaded bags and then directed me to my funny little private garage round the corner. I’ll have to take a pic to show you.

Quick changed and out we went exploring, still very hot. Had a beer next to Neptunes fountain while kids played and Sonia got ready. Walked around trying to find a bank as it seems most of the little bars / cafes prefer cash so the waiters can get small tips. Sonia came down and located this amazing little laneway full of Salumi restaurants, so we headed there for dinner. It had a cool vibe, very buzzy. We had a massive Salumi plate, Mila Bolognese and Thomas tried a new dish(without knowing it) which was tagliatelle with cream and cheese - he smashed it. I am working on him to get him to try Carbonara. Unfortunately Mila isn’t feeling well and has a tummy ache.

Walked back to the hotel, dropped kids and I went back to a little bar in the Piazza and watched the start of the film festival which was all about a famous Italian actor and in black and white while I searched some Airbnb Accomodation \240in Camogli - 15 mins from Portofino, Robbie has some Italian friends there and says they will show us “The real Italy”. Got a place which looks really nice, great ratings and views we head there next Wed.

Off to bed now.

Steps : 21,216

Expenses:$350

Friday morning. Had a long night…. I woke up at around 2am with terrible indigestion and feeling sick, luckily had some tablets in my wash bag but for at least an hour thought I was going to be sick. Must have been too much salami for one day. Just falling back to sleep and heard Mila - the poor thing is sick with terrible diarrhea and has been up and down to the toilet all night.

Had our first Italian breakfast at the hotel which is lots of cakes, croissants and then cold cuts, fruit etc. your typical continental breakfast. Off to see some of the sights of Bologna now but it’s super hot again so we need to take it easy, especially as Mila unwell - need to keep her hydrated. Hoping to go and see the famous Towers, The Monastery and a museum.

Wandered around Bologna and found the famous 2 Towers. The city is very beautiful and full of history. It is famous for its Porticos which are all over the city and so lovely to walk under out of the sun. We then decided to walk to the Geology Museum to see the 25m Diplodoccus that they have on display - it was super hot and further than we thought- arrived at 12:55 and they were closing for the day !! Fark.

Strolled back into town and found the other Museum we wanted to see which was the history museum, it was supposed to be really interactive and was nice to get out of the heat but as it turned out the Museum while interesting for adults wasn’t that fun for kids. The only cool thing was an underground canal installation that they had done with UV lights and mirrors - Mila walked into the Mirror confused ha.

By now we were all very Hungry now and 14:30. Sonia really wanted a Poke bowl for a change from Italian but that wasn’t going to work for us all and I had spotted a lovely little place called RosaRose Bistrot with some really fresh looking pastas dishes. So we split up. Mila had the best Bolognese she’s ever had, Thomas had a lemon butter pasta and I had Fresh tomatoes with Burrata and Orrichette - all very delicious.

Kids now writing journals to catch up with the promise and allure of gelato and we might go on the Open bus tour of Bologna afterwards, but the heat 33 is quite sapping.

Edit. Couldn’t get kids to do journals, maybe it was too hot who knows. We went into the Basilica of Bologna which is absolutely huge, I have no idea how they would have built this so long ago. Sonia wasn’t allowed in because her shorts were too short !! So Sonia left and went shopping and now I’m sitting in the Library with the kids doing journals in a very old historic building.

6pm - got Journals finished and walked back to Hotel, quickly showered and changed while Sonia was shopping. I took kids down to the local bar and had a couple of beers while the kids glued stuff into Journals and printed pics, very windy but we love the little snacks they give you for free with your beer - see pic.

Sonia came down around 7:45 and we headed off to a find a restaurant that is in the book she is reading now by Kate Lanbroek called La Traviata, found it and it was run by a lovely old Nona who was very good with kids and spoke enough English to help us. She showed us 2 big tubs of fresh mushrooms and recommended to try the Funghi Pasta so we shared that. Then I had the roast young pork (also recommended) and Sonia had the eye filler from Ireland. It was all absolutely delicious and along with dessert and a half bottle of Sangiovese only €115. Still trying to work out the service charge thing and whether you tip on top but pretty sure you don’t.

Then we googled best Gelato in Bologna and we’re walking to it when a random bloke who heard the kids talking said “wow I haven’t heard an Aussie accent in a while”. \240He was from Adelaide and came over just before the pandemic - quick chat and he told us where he thought the best Gelato wa and it was only 2 street away so off we went.

Found it and saw a massive queue but decided it was worth the wait. Got chatting to 2 nice lads from UK and Argentina and they recommend Pistachio so I had that. \240Everyone loved their Gelato and it was extremely good.

5 min walk home to the hotel and bed now, really enjoyed the evening and meal. Siena tomorrow !!

Steps : 18,835

Exp: $385

Last day in Bologna today we head to Siena and our base for 20+ days. I have found a very cheap Airbnb just out of Siena which I booked for a month and got a 30% discount meaning it cost us $70 AUD a night or 45€!! It will hopefully allow us to slow down a little and have some nights in at home while we van explore and do activities during the day as we can’t keep up the pace we’ve been doing. I’ve already planned 2 x 2 night trips away Rome and Portofino and who knows maybe we’ll do 1 more.

Got up early and packed while Sonia walked, then had a run around Bologna - lovely running through all the Porticos and quite busy considering it was 7:15am but I guess it’s Saturday.

Woke kids, and were out by 10am. Sonia took kids to do journals at the library while I collected car and loaded it. Headed off to find the Madonna Di San Luca of Bologna which is the famous Sanctuary on the hill. There is an amazing famous Portico that is 2.5km up from the town to the top of the hill but given we are on a schedule and also that it’s already 30 degrees we drive there. I get lost in the busy streets of Bologna again and get a bit short with Sonia as it’s quite stressful. Find it and are very happy with our choice to drive as everyone arriving at the top is super sweaty and red faced who walked/ran/rode.

Park the car and walk over. We pay €5 to do the “sky experience” which allows us acccess via the stairs to a 180 degree viewing platform where you can see the whole of Bologna and we get a couple of good snaps.

Back into the car and off we go to Siena. The GPS takes me a weird way and for 18km we drive around these windy streets in the hills before finally arriving on the freeway to Firenze. Yet again we are not very well prepared for the drive and have no lunch or sandwiches - we do have some snacks which keep us going. When I do finally stop at a motorway stop about 1hr from Siena it’s packed (it is Saturday after all) and instead of proper food we just grab some muesli bars and chips and push onto Siena. We hit a queue at the toll gate exit for Siena just as Mila and Thomas are dying for a wee !! Next thing Thomas is pissing in a bottle in the back of the car OMG.

Arrive in Siena around 3pm and spot a very large Coop Supermarket. It’s huge and the biggest we’ve seen yet so grab some lunch there before heading to our Airbnb.

Well trying to find the place is a challenge to say the least we find the street OK but finding the house is impossible, a lot of the reviews had mentioned this. Eventually I message Stefania our host and she sends her husband Duccio on his scooter to get us and we follow him back.

Well Turns out we are a bit further out of Siena then I’d expected more like 15 min drive. We have a lovely little place though, kids have their own room and beds- well equipped Kitchen and the most amazing country views off the balcony.

Unpack the car which is nice knowing it’s the last time until Croatia on July 11. Obviously for our little trips we have booked we can just take 1 bag which will be great. Duccio who is lovely but has little English tells me where the nearest supermarket is - 1.5km away and I head off to get some supplies while Sonia unpacks and the kids explore.

I return at 7pm and we get ready for dinner in Siena. \240Thomas is loving hanging out with Duccio on the farm walking through the veggies and he gives him 2 freshly picked cucumbers.

Head into Siena and find a park at the bottom of the hill. You then take a series of escalators up to the town, maybe about 7 as Siena is a fort town built on top of a hill. We walk to the famous Piazza Del Campo and it’s packed with people as Siena university jas just had its graduation in the square. Quickly pick a restaurant in the square and Thomas has his first Cacio Pepe or Cheese and Pepper pasta which is a Roman specialty and seems to be on all the menus I’ve looked at. It’s quite salty but he wolves it down. Sonia likes her Octopus but is underwhelmed by the service and I can knot have 2 beers as I’m driving the 15 mins home. We’ve ticked the box now for eating in the Piazza which no doubt is touristy and more expensive we will find some hidden gems in one of the many back lanes moving forward. Sonia googles best Gelato and we wander the streets to find it, good but not as good as Bologna.

Drive home and it’s discuss hat we will get Taxis into Town if we do dinner again as quite dark and windy plus I would like to try some of the famous Tuscan wines. . Bed at 11:30pm.

Steps : 25,564

Expenses : $375 including a €100 supermarket shop.

Siena day 1 !!

Woke up very early at 5am not sure why but the sun was up and I quickly popped onto the balcony and got a great early morning pic of our view with some dew on the grass then went back to bed.

Day 3 Siena - Part 1.

Sonia up early as desperate for some exercise and yesterday too hot for her so off she goes at 6:45am. I then get a lovely 9km run in around the surrounding \240hills this time only problem with hills is you have to walk back up then.

I did some research before I left on books to read while in Tuscany so I’m doing a double whammy. I’ve downloaded “The Tuscan Secret” on my kindle and I’m listening to “The Talented Mr.Ripley” on audible while walking back up those bloody hills 😀.

Home by 9.15 and while we don’t have a plan for today after 2 hours of going though the rigmarole of kids doing journals and not much getting done (mainly Thomas this time) I’m getting frustrated. I don’t really want to drive today and looking at how far it is to the Thermal Springs and you pay for a morning or afternoon session - afternoon doesn’t kick in until 3pm so seems like it would be a waste to leave at 1pm. So I suggest to Sonia we just go to the local swimming \240pool in Siena. Unfortunately

I don’t feel I’ve relaxed into proper holiday / travelling mode yet. I’m forever worried about missing out on seeing these amazing places we are and I know I need to just chill the fuck out - read a book, get lazy - I’ll get there.

So finally after I pack lunches for the kids and make a salad for Sonia which she eats before we leave as it’s now 1:25pm and she’s starving - lucky her she gets a freshly made salad with beautiful tomatoes, Gruyère cheese (from Gruyeres) prosciutto, fresh cucumber from the farm.

We drive to the pool and my plan is to pick up a lovely baguette or similar at the supermarket on the way, no such luck I end up with a shitty cotto and cheese / Mayo sandwich and a large Birra Moretti for $7€.

We arrive at the pool which is only 10 mins away and it’s not really what we expected. It’s a bit old and not really in a great location. Entry is 28€ including an umbrella and 2 sun chairs. Kids love it and are straight in the kiddy pool with a slide. I turn to Son and say “everyone has swimming caps on”. Turns out that is a mandatory requirement in Italy.

Eat my crap sandwich and some chips. Do some sun baking while kids play. End up buying some caps and have a short swim - kids love the diving board and jumping offf that. Read me book for half an hour and Sonia is like - let’s get out of here !! Need to take a moment and remind ourselves that it is 32 degrees, blue skies and we’re sunbathing while it’s winter and cold in Sydney.

Drive into Siena and park - I’m keen wto walk around as we haven’t really seen the town, so we stroll around and see the beautiful Duomo / Cathedral. If is truely majestic. You need to buy tickets to go in and to also do the panoramic view point up the tower so we’ll do that another day. It’s already 7pm( this is what happens when we start at 1.30pm). Have quite a nice walk, kids grab ice cream and Son and I have 1 quick drink.

We pop to supermarket and buy taco supplies for home. I laugh after I pay the bill and say to Sonia we could have got the kids fed for €7.50 in town. Anyway Tacos are a hit as always and everyone has 3 so all good

Plan to get kids up early tomorrow and move journalling for them to the evening with the Lure of a movie or omething to motivate them. Keep you posted on how that strategy works out 😀.

Steps : 22,810

Expenses : $150

Woke up late today 8:30am and took it easy. Sonia made up kids lunch boxes and I watched some YouTube videos with recommendations for Thermal Baths in Tuscany. Went for a very quick run for 30 mins, then we decided that rather than paying for the Rafalo de Therme which is 20€ per person that we’d drive a little further and go to San Felippo which is 1hr away but entry is free.

Out by 11am, picked up some Sushi and lunch for min at CONAD our local supermarket and we’re off. It’s a lovely drive in a similar direction as lunch on Sunday. The beautiful rolling hills of Tuscany are fantastic and we see quite a few cars stopping to take pics of the famous tall green trees.

We arrive just before 1pm and park up - 4€ for parking. It’s a short stroll though the forest and we arrive at the amazing natural thermal pools, they are sparking white and blue and have multiple waterfalls and some really big calcite structures that look like waves or the big one is called the White Whale. Kids are straight in and the water in very warm. We all get in take some pics and then we eat our packed lunch. It’s not very busy which is surprising but maybe that’s because it’s 33 degrees and sunny and more popular in winter ? Or just weekends.

It’s a cool place and we all just enjoy sitting in the water and chilling out. The kids and I break the rules and climb up the white whale.

I walk up the river bank further and find some different pools which are a cooler temperature so get the rest of the family and we all walk up. There are tiny little fish in the coldest one that nibble your feet and fingers eating the dead skin. We then discover 3 more pools above that as you go up get hotter and hotter. It’s been a great afternoon when we head horn around 3.30pm on the way I decide to pop into Asciano as I’d heard it had some old pools not turns out I had the town name wrong.

Driving the last 12kms home and talking about cooking a nice steak for dinner and bang we hear a noise outside the car. 30 seconds later the air pressure light comes on dammt we have a flat and we have no spare !!

Pull over off the freeway and park up next to a school on a side street which is pretty quiet to check the tyre - it’s totally flat. Get a spot in the shade and call the roadside assistance, the guy is pretty helpful and speaks good English. He tells me a tow truck will be here is 2.5 hours 😩. So while we wait Sonia and I pull out the emergency repair kit, it’s one of the gel inside the tyre ones that you then inflate. We inflate the tyre with the DC pump but I can feel the air pumping out of the tyre, we google the instructions, watch and then try to use the gel etc but it doesn’t work and now we’ve stuffed the tyre so I’ll be up for the cost of that but hopefully we can claim on our travel insurance. Sonia reckons it wasn’t pluggable anyway but I’m not so sure.

Tow truck arrives and takes the car away. We then get a taxi home and have some dinner. Thank god it happened only 10km from home, could have been a lot worse.

So hopefully tomorrow, tow truck takes the car to the Seat garage, they put on a new tyre and I go get a taxi to collect it. I really don’t want to get into a situation where Europcar want to replace the car etc as it’s such a great car and we know our luggage fits OK. Fingers crossed.

Steps: 14,000

Expenses: $95

21:43 - outside Nanini waiting for a cab because we still have no car. Today has been a mixed message of debacle vs idiocy. We only have a front right flat tyre yet still we have no car.

We had to cancel our accomodation in Camogli next to Portofino due to the fact that if I cancelled by midday today the day of check in I got 75% back.

Dealing with Europcar has been quite painful, the man in Siena office Vittorio is very helpful but keeps saying “I’ll call you back in 5 minutes” and never does.

Turns out apparently I called the roadside assistance on the windscreen instead of the roadside on the key fob. Difference is one is Seat roadside assistance and the other is Europcar assistance. So now guess what it’s really hard to get my foreign (Swiss) car to the tire place to fix the fucking tyre.

We cancel the Accomodation at 11:58 as Vittorio never called me back as promised. I say to Sonia let’s get a cab into Siena for lunch and dinner seeing as we are stranded. So we call a cab at 12:30 - eventually at 1:22 we get picked up and head to Siena.

The taxi drops us off right in Piazza Del Campo and you can see they have started preparing for the Palio horse race which is on Saturday week. They have put up stands and barricades all around the square. On the day of the race there will be 60,000 people apparently. If you watch the start or Quantum of Solace you can see it.

I spot a little Trattoria on the way in the taxi and we go there for lunch which is cheap and cheerful. Mila tries a new dish Pork Ragu with fennel which she says is exactly like Babas sausage rolls. It’s actually the pasta I ordered but because the one I ordered for Mila came with Porcini Mushrooms I eat that one instead. Everyone enjoys lunch.

Then we split up and Sonia and Mila go shopping and Thomas and I walk around a bit in between me calling and calling Vittorio who had promised me my car by the afternoon. \240So for whatever reason still no car.Thomas and I buy some Deer Salami from and Artisan place and I buy him a flat for the Constrada of our house where we live which is who we will support in the race.

I google best bar in Siena and go there with Thomas. We have 2 beers and call Niall in Ireland for a chat which is nice. We then meet some Americans from NY / Mexico and have a grea chat with them for 25 mins and get some pointers on Florence.

Sonia arrives and I get her an Aperol Spritz she complains and I take it back and they make another one , still shit Sonia states.

We wander down to the square to go for dinner and sit down at a a place Sonia has googled. Cacio e Pepe is €15 and I’ve seen it up the street for 7 so I say let’s go.

We walk up to the backstreets of the town and find a place Which id spotted a couple of days ago. Dinner is nice,

not amazing but good and Thomas smashes a steak, Mika eats Wild Boar pasta. We end up meeting an Irish couple from Belfast behind us and have a good chat.

Grab a taxi and home. It’s been a nice lazy day but I’m pissed off we can’t sort out a simple flat tire. It’s stopping us from organising things and given how remote we are it’s a pain in the arse !!

Steps : 17400

Expenses: $335

Uneventful morning.

Went for a 10km walk around the area at 7.30am waiting for Europcar to open at 9am. Get hold of them and they tell me I need to wait until 9.30 so they can talk to Seat Siena. I follow up at 10am and they tell me Seat Siena doesn’t have the right size tyre to fix the car 😡 how it’s taken nearly a day and a half to work this out I don’t know. Anyway Vittorio tells me he is getting the car picked up and moved to the Europcar Tyre place. They need to replace both front tyres as it’s dangerous to only change 1. Cost to me is €350. I agree and they tell me I can pick up the car at 12pm.

Then Europcar Basel call me as they’ve no found out about the issue. The lady is very nice and tells me I shouldn’t have to pay for both tyres and they will reimburse me for 1 if I send them the invoice 😀.

Call for a taxi at 11.25am. 25 minutes on hold and they can’t get me a car !! Grrr. Try again at 12pm and they get me one so I’m on the way now to hopefully be reunited with my Seat Leon!! God what a pain in the arse it has been having no car. The plan is to pick up Leon and then book a hotel for the night in Florence before then booking 3 nights in Camogli where we will catch up with Robbie to make up for the cancelled trip yesterday. Unfortunately the really nice Airbnb that I had isn’t available to we’ll see how we go.

Picked up the car at around 12;30, they were still fitting the tyres at the place. Paid the €350 but will get 1/2 back. Home by 1pm, quickly ate a sandwich and we packed up the car. I jumped onto Airbnb as I’d had a quick look while waiting at the tyre place - BOOM got a place that gets 6 stars and has amazing views. It is a 15 min hike up the hill from the beach but the reviews said it wasn’t too bad. Also booked a place in Florence 1.5km from the main square.

So the drive to Florence / Firenze is easy it’s basically 50km on. Freeway. We arrived around 15:30 and find our place without much drama. I have secured a place in a European serviced place called Numa all the doors are electronic and you get sent all the details on WhatsApp. It’s really nice, huge with a massive king bed for us and courtyard, kitchen etc. we quickly unpack, freshen up and walk into town. It’s an easy 15-20 down a nice old street. We arrived in the first square and it’s a lovely little piazza a couple of mins later walking down the designer shop filled streets we spot the Duomo - the jewel of Firenze. It is the 5th biggest cathedral in the world and totally covered in marble. It’s truely breathtaking. We continue down another 10 mins and reach the Pontte Vecchio which is a famous bridge with buildings on it which \240are all mainly jewellery shops. Apparently an amazing feat of engineering especially as it was built in the 13th century.

We are hot and sticky and kids whinging about the walking so we grab them a gelato to calm them down. The we walk back to the square past the Duomo which has some lovely old cafes / bars in it. We pick a really famous one called Gilli - I know it ain’t going to be cheap but hey it’s cool. I get the Negroni Classico which comes with : A Negroni, some sparkling water to cleanse the pallate and then a tiny glass with Aperol jelly in it. The carousel is next to us and the kids go on for the bargain price of 1.50€ each !!

Wander back along the streets. I spotted a whole pig in a window, specially is Porchetta rolls for 5€ vow to come back tomorrow. As per usual the one restaurant I want to go is fully booked until 9.40pm apparently has the best Bistecca in Florence and is in the top 100 steaks in the world. So we pick another place which is only OK - dissaponted.

Walk home and bed, set alarm for 7am as we have to be back at the Cathedral for our booked tickets for 9am.unfortunately everything is booked out. We can’t get into see Michalangelos David or the Uffizi Gallery so we are going to definitely come back for another night in a couple of weeks and will pre book my restaurant and some sights.

Alarm goes off at 7. It was nice to get an early night and sleep in a comfy king bed with aircon. We get the kids up and realise I’ve left the milk at home - Dam. So no cereal as planned for kids. Pack up and load the car and we are walking by 8.30am towards the Duomo for our 9am pre booked tickets.

Arrive at 9.01 good work team having picked up a lemon croissant for Thomas and Chocolate for Mila. We get there just as some parade is going through town which we think is strange. Then I see the sign on the Duomo “The Cathedral is closed for tourist visits today” arghhh !! Turns out it is the Feast of John the Baptist today so we can’t go in and also the Baptistry building which is included I our tickets is shut too. We walk around the Cathedral, the structure is immense and so grand. We find the Museum and wander around that for 2 hours, it’s pretty cool with so many sculptures and very old church Vestments and books dating back to 1311.

We still can’t go into the Baptistry which is a large hexagonal building in front for the Duomo. This is a mass on or something. So we wander around town m, try to get Thomas’ water bottle back from Gilli where he left it - no luck so now need to buy him another. It’s very hot and kids are not happy with all the walking - I can’t wait for Roma 😩. We stop at a place called Shake cafe as we thought we might get milkshakes but no luck. Anyway kids get fresh juice and we have a coffee. Then we walk to best Porchetta sandwich in Florence, find it and the queue is 60 deep so say no way. Then some more walking and we get split up. Thomas and I head back to the big Pig I saw he day before near the Duomo and we both get one €5 and it’s delicious - Thomas days best sandwich ever !!

Reunite with Mum and Mila and they are both and grumpy. Sonia especially as she is annoyed she hasn’t had the pig sambo but Mila won’t have that.it’s really hot and everyone sits down in protest as they are over walking. I go for a reccy and find a place found the corner called Sophia Loren cafe where I see a lady having a lovely looking salad. Go back get the troups and we got there. The food is excellent but it’s a little annoying as we have to pay the Coperto charge (cover charge for service) for all of us even though Thomas and I aren’t eating 😡.

60€ later and everyone feeling better (so much for cheap lunch). Sonia tells me that the Baptistry is now open and even though I’d like to get on the road as I have a 2.5 hour drive and it’s already 3pm we go as we’ve paid for the 3 day ticket and it’s a waste otherwise. I’m glad we go the Baptistry is amazing the roof is just spectacular. We take some pics and walk around it doesn’t take too long. The. We head to Santa Reparita which is also included in our tickets and we thought was a chapel, turns out it’s the crypt underneath the Duomo and after a short queue we go in and the good news is that we go through the Duomo as we go in so we get to see that too even though it’s closed today - winning !!

The crypt was discovered in the 1970’s and it’s pretty cool as they found lots of Roman floors and tiles dating back to BC.

Catch a taxi back to the car and key in the address for Camogli. We’ll actually Recco the next town over as that is where we meet our host Alessandro and he will guide us to the house as I hear the streets are crazily skinny. Leave at 4pm and after 10 mins we are on the Autostrada which while crazy and full of lunatics who tailgate you at 140km per hour is much better than driving in the cities. Everyone falls promptly asleep and I drive on. \240Luckily there is zero traffic and we make it in 2hrs.

Arrive at the Recco meeting point and meet Alessandro on his Vespa. Follow him into Camogli and through the crazy streets to our place. I’ve booked parking in the monastery next door for €20 per night. The place is fantastic a little old but lots of charms and the most amazing views of the Med and town below.

We slowly get ready and then walk down the 300-400 steps down to the village. I’m worried that the kids will whinge on the way home and Sonia comments that she will probably have to deal with it as no doubt I will go to the pub after dinner with Robbie.

Meet Robbie and the kids are stoked to see him. We tell the restaurant called Vento Ariel (recommended by Alessandro) that we just want to walk the town and will be back in 30 mins so they hold us a table.

Camogli is a lovely little village town with a sea port and a beach. Robbie tells us that 2 of the beaches are free and 2 and paid. Lots of cute restaurants and shops.

Vento Ariel is everything we wanted. Fresh fresh seafood just off the boat. Sonia and I both have the special plate of the day. bottarga and asparagus with fresh tomatoes, delicious. Both kids have Calamari Fritti and love it. Robbie and I have the grilled seafood plate which is lovely and fresh and Sonia has the fish of the day which is Swordfish and she’s super happy. We have 2 bottles of a 21€ Sicilian wine. It’s a great meal - finally after some misfires recently.

We walk and get the kids a small gelato and then Sonia heads home while Robbie and I go to Pirate Bar. It’s a very cool, speakeasy style bar with lots of ropes and boat memorabilia. 2 pints there and we call Jason and Ando but the signal isn’t great. Then I walk home up the 400 steps uphill 😩. Tomorrow we plan to meet Robbie at 9am then walk to Portofino and Santa Margaruite. I hope kids are up for the task.

Awesome Day!!

Steps : 20,910

Expenses: €488

Day 1 - Camogli

As I write this I’m sitting in a deckchair on our terrace outside with the best view and some gentle warmth from the sun - here it is

Day 2 Camogli

Have a nice sleep, it’s hot but we luckily have a fan and there is a nice sea breeze, so lay in bed until 8.30am it’s been agreed today is going to be a lazy day after yesterday so I start it off that way.

We get up, have brekkie and pack bags. Robbie spots the ferry going to San Fratusso which is a good sign that the boats are running today and we can get there.

The bells in this place go off all the time and In the morning you can hear donkeys, chickens, dogs. The monastery rings their bells every 15 mins.

Robbie heads down at 9:15am I think he wanted to escape the slow family movement and organization. He texts me and tells me to get down to the town aiming for 10:45 as the boat is at 11am. We leave the house at 10:35 and walk very fast to the port. We arrive at 10:43, but our tickets, meet Robbie and get on the ferry. It leaves at 10:50am so lucky we got there when we did !! The ferry is busy and the views spectacular, the skies are clear and it’s going to be 33 today.

As we arrive in San Fruttuso and it’s picture postcard perfect, crystal clear blue water and a very small beach, part of which has chairs and is private. We make a beeline for the beach to try and get a spot and we just squeeze on the front. Straight in for a swim and then we decide to see if we can find the Jesus in the abyss which is an stone edifice put under the water as a monument to a diver that died. I pay 30€ for a mask and snorkel 😩 We swim around to the next cove, kids both so really well but we can’t find it. Sit on the stone beach for a while and swim back. \240Thomas wants to walk and he goes off like the mountain goat he is around the track back to the main beach.

We need to try and find somewhere for lunch so Robbie goes left and I go right. There aren’t many options in this small place. I go to a really nice looking place on the cliffs called Ristorante Georgio and there are bringing out plates of fresh fish to show customers. Anyway I ask and the rude Italian man tells me they are full. Meet Robbie at the beach, nothing. I can see Sonia getting annoyed as I wander up to a place behind right on the beach, a beach bar style place called La Marina - Robbie had told me the lady was grumpy but I wait on the stairs as the sign says to and she eventually comes over - BOOM I get a table right on the front overlooking the beach it’s perfect. I sit down and yell out to Son to come up it’s 12.20 so earlier than we would normally eat but hey you can’t miss this spot. I sit down and straight away spot a girl in a Roosters cap watching her phone. Is that State of Origin I say - you bet it is she say - Hilarious we have a good chat with them, they are from Sydney but live in Singapore and have been in Tuscany for a 40th. He is a big boy who doesn’t mind telling us he is “piss fit”.

Lunch is great, simple Paninis and potato chips. It’s run by a lovely man Thomas - Rob and Son share a bottle of wine and I have a couple of beers while the kids eat their packed lunches and build dams by pulling out big rocks up the beach, some of which people start sitting on like seats - I tell Mila they should charge €1 a seat.

We finish lunch and it’s time for me to go and find the Jesus. We now know from the Aussies that apparently it’s where all the boats are tied up and there are 3 red buoys to mark the point. I put on the mask and snorkel and off I go. It’s quite a lot further than I expect but I eventually make it and take some pictures with the go Pro. Then I swim back slowly. I’m glad the kids didn’t try this as they wouldn’t have been able for it. I pause on a rock and get stung by a jellyfish but it’s not bad.

I arrive back on the beach and find out Sonia has hired a kayak with the kids and gone out, so I chill on the beach with Robbie.

They all make it back and they’ve enjoyed it. We pack up and get the ferry home. Mila lays down on the seats and promptly falls asleep. Another beautiful ferry ride into Camogli. We jump off to find a little cafe for gelato for the kids and we sit and have Aperitivo overlooking the water. I love the way you get all the little snacks with your afternoon drinks here. They give us Focacia, olives, chips, perfect.

Back up the hill by 6pm for a chill for 1.5 hr before dinner. Kids love having an outdoor shower and Mila falls asleep on the table i her towel (didn’t get a pic).

Last day in Camogli.

Woke up to the sounds of donkeys, dogs and the bells of the monastery which went on for ages. Checkout is 12pm so we discuss getting packed and heading to beach hahahaha fat chance with us lot. Robbie helps us pack and clean which is very handy. We are nervous as we got a 3/5 review from the people in Annecy and when I queried it they basically said we left the place like a pig sty which isn’t true. Their expectation were too high in my opinion they wanted us to clean the fridge, mop the floors etc. but I’ve never had to do that in my life at Airbnb.

Anyway - Robbie leaves and heads downtown around 10am and we say we’ll catch up later. We try to get kids to journals as the are behind by a few days now, Mila is good and gets a 1.5 days done but Thomas decides to protest and states he is not doing journal anymore 😡.

Everyone very frustrated with T and we just keep getting about cleaning and tidying up. We have had an issue with our Croatia 2nd payment which I keep trying to resolve and can’t as I can’t get the email to pay so I’m getting cranky. We get the email sent to Sonia’s email address and she starts to pay it but it fails, I tell them to just get out and get down the beach, so they leave.

Alessandro arrives promptly at 12pm we have a nice chat and I explain about breaking the mosquito screen. He is very understanding and all is good. Check out and follow him on his scooter to find a park in town at Camogli for 4€ very lucky he tells me. Find Sonia on the beach with kids and she tells me she doesn’t want to go home today 😩. I look for another night in Camogli but the best I can get is €200. Robbie has suggested we check out a place 40mins down the cost called Sestri Levante and I find a camping village 4km from town in the hills for €90 and book it.

We play on the beach for a while, Robbie watch’s the kids while Sonia and I have lunch at the local. €15 for a pasta dish, a lovely salad, a medium beer, a bottle of sparkling water and a coffee what a deal !!

Chill on the beach until 4pm with Bob and then pack up to go to the campsite. Thomas is in a grump with the whole journal and the fact he gets no ice cream etc. we overcome this and get a couple of family shots in Camogli and hit the road. Kids are asleep in 4 minutes.

It’s an easy drive and we arrive at 6pm. It’s up in the hills and has an amazing view and a little bar and mini market. Our place is very small but comfortable enough and has air con. The only issue is it has no sheets!! And they are €5 per person - is say we’re not paying. They are paper sheets on the beds and they’ll do for a night.

I buy some groceries to cook pasta for everyone and sit have a beer at the bar with the great view. As I’m leaving I see they have a good menu 6€ a pasta and they have Mila and Thomas’ favourites dammit.

Walk the 50m to our little cabin which while small really is quite nice and modern. Just a shame they don’t give us washing up liquid or tea towels !! Cook dinner which is puttanesca pasta for Mila, Sonia and I and Thomas requests Pesto after trying the night before and promptly smaskes the lot. I read my book on the deck for an hour and then bed.

Expenses : $99 + $140 for the cabin.

Steps; 14198

Woke up early and went for a run and a look around Sestri Levante. Not the best sleep on the paper sheets but did OK and at least there was air conditioning !!

It’s a shame that the camping place didn’t provide washing up liquid or tea towels or sheets or towels as if kind of annoyed me trying to clean up without them but I guess they don’t get many 1 night stayers. Overall the price was great value, with a lovely little cabin, awesome view form the pool and a cheap bar.

Anyway ran the 4km down the hill to SL and walked around, quite a big town with some nice hotels and restaurants. It was only just waking up as I grabbed some eggs and headed back up the hill.

Packed up the car, paid the bill and we were on the road by 10:30 heading for Pisa. Angela had recommended we visit Collodi where the story of Pinocchio was born but it was nearly an hour out of the way so didn’t. Arrived in Pisa at the free car park, ate sandwiches in the car and then walked into see the famous tower. 10 minute walk though some pretty grubby streets (we had been told that Pisa was shite). Saw the tower, Duomo and Baptistry and grabbed some quick pics. The place was packed with tourists then quickly back on the road to Siena.

2 hours later arrive in Siena and head up to Piazza Del Campo. 1 quick drink overlooking the square which is now even more ready for the Palio this weekend with the sand / mud laid on the floor. It’s great to see all the flags up for the race and you can feel the excitement building. We still need to work out where to watch it. It’s a shame we are in Rome this week as there is a lot happening in Siena for the next few days,, I did try to move it but it as too hard and expensive anyway at least we’ll be back for the dress rehearsal on Saturday.

Walk to Chianti & Pizza which apparently is the best in town. €4.50 a slice which is massive !! Mila tries Pizza for the first time and likes it even it is a slice that had previously had anchovies on it which I got the man to wipe off and put a bit more tomato on - it’s a success. Another new meal to add to the agenda and Thomas has told us he will try Bolognese now - Eureka !

Drive home watch a movie with Son and do some washing.

Off to Rome for 2 days tomorrow.

Expenses :€115

Steps: 23.195

Sonia up early and off for a walk, she still isn’t feeling great in the tummy not sure hey has caused it but she muscles on. I get up and prep the lunchboxes and feed the kids. We watch some top 10 things to see in Rome on YouTube which is fun knowing we will be there in the afternoon. I say leave at 11am, Sonia says let’s aim for 10:30. We leave at 11:10 !!

Fuel up with diesel at the bottom of our street as it’s easy and I accidentally hit the horn as we drive in and the petrol guys give me a dirty look. Diesel is €2.09 but I hear in Oz it’s goin mg crazy too.

We hit the freeways and the Sat Nav states 2:40 mins to Rome. We stop en route a couple of times to grab some lunch and have a few misfires as I don’t like anything. We do stop at a cool Pizza place on the side of the freeway that has awesome coffee 2.60€ for 2 and pizza, strange to see it on the freeway.

Get close to Rome pretty quickly and have to swap from the GPD to google maps to find our parking garage as I can never seem to get the addressses to work on the far GPS as much as I love driving the Seat Leon. I’m even considering buying one when we get home, it’s a great car.

So we are in the middle of Rome and 2km from the parking garage we’ve been recommended by Ange and Sonia tells me she is hot. So i stupidly change the temp on the air con which knocks out Apple play and google maps just as I’m about to make a critical turn and I miss it. Then I proceed to almost hit a bus, drive 800m in the bus lane before getting back on track. EEEKK a little scary.

Park the car and grab out 1 small bag and decide to walk to the hotel (google maps says 12mins). What Google doesn’t know is it is hot as Fuck maybe 36 and this isn’t a great idea. Anyway I wheel the suitcase along the old Roman roads and we finally make it albeit a bit sweaty.

Check in, Sonia wants a shower so I take the kids to a cafe down the street and we grab a cold drink while we wait. Then we all walk to the Trevi Fountain which is round the corner. It’s really beautiful but packed with tourists which is to be expected. We grab some pics and the head to the Spanish steps, couple more pics and we walk to the nearest Big Bus Tour stop as we’ve purchased a 3 day hop on hop off ticket based on Angela’s recommendation and jump on. We only go 2 stops and arrive at the depot where we are told to get off and the next bus will be in 30 mins. We walk into Roma train station 30m away and grab a Gelato.

Then we are on the bus. It’s pretty nice by now it’s 6;45 and the breeze has picked up so we sit on top and do the sites of Rome. It’s awesome we see the Collosium, palace, Circus. I really enjoyed it.

We jump off at stop 6 as that seems to be the closest to a restaurant recommendation that Nessa who I went to school gave me. She lived in Rome for a year while her husband was assistant director on Gladiator !! How cool is that.

She tells us that La Matricianella is where Romans come to eat and it’s famous. We arrive at 19:40 and luckily it only opened at 19:30 and we get a table. I then see the Maitre D turn away a number of people as they are fully booked so we are very lucky.

Dinner is traditional Roman Fare. Thomas Had Cacio E Pepe. Mila goes for Amatriciana even after the waiter tells her there is some cheese in it. Sonia and I share the prosciutto and some Tomato salad. We order a wine also recommended by Nessa and it’s very nice. I get the Roast Lamb with potatoes and It’s all in all a great meal and for €200 including tip great value I think.

It’s now about 9.15 and we want to get the kids home as we have a Vatican tour at 8.15 the next day. I see a cab right outside the restaurant and suggest it to Sonia but she wants to grab some snacks for the kids.

We walk down the busy streets of Rome and I’m thinking we are heading in the direction of the Hotel via a shop for snacks. Thomas sees some artist on the street and gets distracted meanwhile Mila and I keep walking. Next thing we turn around and Sonia and Thomas nowhere to be seen, great. We wait for 5 mins and then I look at Google maps. We are now nearly 30 mins from our hotel, we have been going in the opposite direction argghhh. I’m annoyed.

Mila and I start walking back to the hotel and I tell Son to get a cab. Mila and I see one of the electric scooters that are all over Rome and I say stuff it lets grab one. Download the app, pay the smal fee and we’re off zipping around the streets of Rome. We are laughing and having fun before 3 mins later I am around the Spanish steps which are as always really busy and a policeman stops me. He says Inglese or Italiano. I say English. She is far too young to be on the scooter and you should never have 2 people on one of those anyway. I apologise sheepishly and we get a cab home.

Son and I have the shits with each other and we try to keep it cordial and just go to bed with no snacks for kids for the 6.30am start tomorrow.

Expenses : $373

Steps : 14261

Roma

Alarm goes off at 6.30am and we are up and running as we have a St. Peter’s dome and Vactican tour booked at 8.30am. Kids do really well and we are walking out of the hotel at 7.28am. We pop to a nearby supermarket and grab some snacks then grab a taxi to the meeting point where we check in ready for our 8.30am departure.

Son and I grab a couple of coffees and then we start walking in with our guide Filippo. He takes us into St. Peter’s square and explains how it was originally going to be a square but they changed it to be an oval shape instead, he also tells us how it’s huge and you could easily fit the Colossium inside it. He is a good guide with lots of knowledge. We go through the security checks and scanners then we head to queue for the escalator to take us half way up the Dome. If you walk the whole way it’s 565 steps if you take the elevator it’s 325 or so. The line is quick and we catch the elevator up and then head in. We come out of the elevator and then walk in to take the stairs up, We come in just in the start of the Dome and the view of the Cathedral is great apart from the fact that there is bars on all the windows. So then up we go - more stairs, we have done a lot of them so far on this trip 😀. Round and round and up and up we go, there is a overweight dude behind me and he is panting and gasping I’m worried he’s going to have a heart attack ! St. Peter’s dome is actually 2 Domes inside each other and as you go up you can see the slant. We get to the top and the views of Rome and the square are great.

Head down and it’s hot !! Shane is texting telling me we’ve won a load of awards at the print awards which is cool. Son and I fancy Japanese but then we spot a McDonalds and suggest let’s just get the kids fed so we go in, first time on the trip. Finchy calls me from his palatial bungalow in the Maldives and we chat for a couple of mins before I spot Japanese, so we stop there for lunch.

Then we get back on the bus and while kids go upstairs Sonia and I sit right under her air con to cool down 😀. We get the bus round to stop 4 so we can go to the Mouth if Truth which is a famous monument where you pit your hand in the mouth and if you tell a lie it will bite it off. On the way we pass the mighty Coloseum again and I suggest we go and grab a drink at a bar across the street and get a pic. We walk and it’s hot and everyone is over it but we make it and grab a drink and the pic before getting a cab back to the hotel.

I walk up to the Irish bar on the corner to try and book Coloseum tickets for the next day early when it will be cooler while kids have a shower and a rest with Son. I can’t get any tickets on the standard site and also can’t get Cistene Chapel even in 2 weeks arghh.

I do some digging and manage to snag tickets with Guided tour including the Arena where it all happened for €220 !!

We go for dinner close to hotel as recommended by the concierge but it’s not the best, but it’s OK, home to bed.

Steps : 16273

Expenses :$324 + tour $300

Roma day 2.

Had a shit nights sleep as the air con didn’t really work was up and down all night. Anyway got kids up and we left the hotel at 8am. We used Google maps to find our meeting point and upon turning left after 150m from our hotel realise how close we were to the Colosseum.!

I spot a place that’s says English breakfast and I’m in 😀. After brekkie we arrive at the checkin and the hang out the front for 15 mins or so. We spot some young boys kicking a sherren and laugh about them being Aussies.

Get checked in and get our headphones. Meet the Aussie family who are from alerts but in a funny twist the wife is from Bayside in Dublin bit very far from Malahide where I grew up.

Our guide Rita is again very knowledgeable. I enjoy the tour and we get to walk on the actual Roman Arena floor which is cool.

We have a toilet emergency but then jump on the bus to go see our last 2 stops including the Pantheon.

We check our Navona square and Thomas meets a great mime artist, who we chuck a coin in for and we get a great photo. We are hungry now and Thomas and I want a Porchetta sandwich and god knows what the others want. We look for a place on Google maps (so lucky to have google maps) we arrive there to be told that try don’t do Porchetta 😡. Luckily Nextdoor I see the word Porchetta. We walk in and it’s a very cute and apparently famous osteria \240famous for Porchetta and it’s platter / boards. Mila and Thomas both get a sandwich, Son and I get the Porchetta basket which is slices served with bread or cheese. It’s all delicious but we have food envy as we see some of the other boards coming out and say if we come back we’ll get one of those.

We grab a cab back to the hotel as it’s already 1:45pm and we have to get going. We check out and get a cab to the parking garage. Parking €40 for nearly 3 days good job Ange. Get on the road and it’s an easy drive back to Siena 2.5hrs with a stop for coffee. Jag an amazing jammy park in Siena and we walk into town for the dress rehearsal of the Palio.

Town is absolutely buzzing and in each contrade there are big table laid out for the after race dinner, it all looks great.we buy the kids a scarf each for the snail and we head down into Piazza Del Campo and it’s already quite busy. We get a spot and the I see people with beers so I walk up to the pub and order a couple of drinks. As I’m walking back down into the square a steward tells me no alcohol in the square?? So I text Sonia and we sit in the shade under the stands and have a drink with some Americans form Tennessee who’ve just bought a house in Piedmonte as they are getting ready to retire.

Head back into the square and it’s now really heaving, if this is the dress rehearsal I can only imagine what the real race is like. It’s really crowded and Mila and Thomas can’t really see much so we agree we’ll lift them up when it’s on.

These big loud cannon booms go off every 30 mins or so. Eventually the horses come out and circle around for a while and then we’re off. The race starts and then our horse “the snail” or Corcholla knocks off another rider “the porcupine” and they are disqualified, they are young girls around us crying and men shaking their heads - they are so passionate about this race and their Contrade. The horses eventually line up again and we have a sort of mock race and then it’s all over and the throngs of people start to exit the square. It’s the first time Mila and Thomas have ever been to a big event and they keep getting knocked and their feet stood on etc. We find a little place for dinner on the way out which is OK but expensive and the waitress isn’t very friendly. Home and bed after a very busy day.

Steps: 17,146

Expenses: $313

We wake up and get out of the house early as we want to take the kids to the last test race of the Palio which is at 9am. We get into town and take the escalator up into town. It’s already busy as todays the big day.

We grab a spot in the square right on the barrier with a great view and wait and wait and wait. 9am my arse, the horses don’t come out until about 9:45 !! Finally we get the horses out and the my start at 10ish. We watch and get some good footage but it’s a fizz as they don’t run more than 1 lap and then it’s all over, we don’t really know what’s gone on.

We wander round town and up to the Duomo which we still haven’t done. I’m a bit touristed out so I say we’ll do it later this week. We head to Coop to get some groceries and the plan is to make a picnic and find a swimming hole, then make steaks at home and watch the race on the TV or as the Italians say TeeVoo 😩. The supermarket is absolutely packed and what was supposed to be a quick 15 min visit turns into an hour and it’s nearly 1pm by the time we get home. We make some lunch and the house is a bomb site so kids do journal and Sonia and I clean, mop and tidy up put down washing on. I can’t get the TV at home to work. Sonia and I discuss the fact that we are in Siena for one of the most important days of the year and it’s seems a little silly not to go into town and soak it all up. So we postpone picnic and dinner to tomorrows and at 16:30 we head back into Siena.

We find a new car park which is much closer to home and walk into town, the place is packed and buzzing. The square is already shut except for 1 entry point so we head there. I have a chat with Adam who is jn Garda and supposed to be in Siena tomorrow but he’s been crook and won’t make it until Monday now. We walk with the hoards if people down to the entry point and then Sonia sees a sign that says “no kids under 18 and no strollers” argghhh.

So we turn around and walk to a bar we’d spotted on the way with a TV. Grab a drink and they can’t get their TV to work idiots. We really want to watch the historic parade so we walk on into town. We find another bar which is busy on the streets but not too bad inside and it has a TV with a live stream of the parade. Kids get a nice seat in front and we grab some drinks.

I get chatting to a tall lad called Jim from London, he is on a lads weekend for 2 nights with 6 others and they are having a Geary old time. He’s a lovely guy and gives me his number and a load of pointers for London. He’s a copper and keeps telling me anything you need just call me. His mate Rob is a bit drunk and annoying but it’s all good fun. After 4 false starts we get to watch the race with a load of Italians and the lads and the Dragon wins !!

We grab a slice of Pizza from Pizza and Chianti and then drive home. Mila won’t try the Marguerita so she doesn’t eat. I’ve been texting Adam back and forth as he wanted to go to the coast for a couple of days but it looks too hard. I find a Tuscan Villa in SAn Gimignano with a pool which is somewhere we really want to go and only 40 mins from Siena, so we book it for Monday - Wednesday which should be relaxing and fun.

Steps: 15,523

Expenses:$235

Sonia up early and out for a walk. Then I get a nice run in which is good as it’s been 3 days since my last one.

We have brekkie do a few jobs and get out of the house by 11am heading for one of hidden Tuscan swimming holes we’ve read about apparently 35 mins away in the little town of Solaia. Well it turns out it’s too hidden as we can’t locate it even with the GPS coordinates. We see a car parked on the side of the road and end up walking about 1km or so down a dirt road in 34 degree heat but we find nothing and we have no reception so can’t google any help.

We end up driving a bit further until we get reception and decide to go to Brenna instead where there is a river to swim in another 20kms away. We find it and walk to a nice secluded spot - it doesn’t look like the photos so we’re not sure if we are in the right place but the water is cool and deep enough to soak in.

We have our picnic and chill out here for 2 hours or so, Thomas and I are sitting in the water and soaking up the coolness when next minute we hear Mila screaming !! We had noticed a lot of bees by the waters edge and turns out Mila stood on one so she got stung right on the sole of her foot !! Sonia puts and ice pack on it and she calms down after 5 mins.

It’s just so hot how maybe 38 so we pack up \240and head home. We pop into the shops to grab some essentials and then I suggest we go into a place I’ve seen in Siena called Nannini which we thought was a desert bar. It’s a chain and there is one right near us in the commercial area. It’s actually a pretty cool bar with ice cream, snacks, aperitivo and drinks. We have an Iced coffee and kids have gelato then we head home.

We watch European vacation and I make a nice meal of fillet steaks, new potatoes and tomato salad. Mila has snitzel - it’s nice and the view from our balcony is stunning tonight. Thomas tried new potatoes and loves them, he also has some pesto potatoes which is a new dish for us all and delicious. Tomorrow we check into another Villa with Adam and a pool although I’m a little annoyed as they said check in is 5pm which seems ridiculous - I’ve asked for earlier as check out is 10am so not sure when it’s so late. They are working on it for me.

Steps : 20.376

Expenses a new record : $36 🤘👊👍

7.30am sitting on our balcony and yet another beautiful start to the day.

Woke up early in our beautiful Tuscan Villa and walked up the white road outside the house towards San G. Beautiful amazing views of the town from the road, it’s only 1.6km into the front Arch of the fort and I walk around town for a little while then run back down the hill so Sonia can go for a walk. Kids do their journals and manage to get 100% up to date which is fantastic.

Jump in the pool and just chill for a few hours, have a lazy brekkie and a coffee. We had planned to just grab some quick groceries and have lunch at home but it’s now 12:30 and Sonia and Adam didn’t have breakfast so I suggest we just drive up the hill into town for a “quick,cheap lunch”.

My plan of driving to the top of the white road and parking for free on the side at the top is foiled as some cars have beaten me to it and there is a “towing” sign. So I drop the gang and look to find a park. I had spotted some nice simple panini places earlier in the morning but as I’m not there to show them where to go they walk a bit aimlessly. They find a place that looks nice but nothing on the menu for Mila. Sonia texts me and tells me where they are. It’s a bit of a crappy cafe to be honest but Son says she could see Adam getting impatient with walking and they just jumped on it. I have a crap meat plate and bruschetta and Sonia and Adam have salads - Adam seems happy enough \240and he certainly fit the bill of cheap but I’m sure we could have done better - still cheap ahh well.

We wander round town and the shops. Adam buys some nice ceramics to bring home. We are keen to buy a big salad plate, it’s beautiful but us €250 and they want €100 to ship it home. That makes it a $500 salad plate !! So we don’t buy. Adam spends €170 on a Olive Oil pourer and a wine cooler.

Finally get back home at 15:30 and pool time again. Adam has to do a bit of work and I book our train tickets from Florence to Rome next Monday and look for a hotel in Florence for Sunday night. I get really lucky and get 1st class x 4 on the train which should be €220 for €56 on a special deal (don’t ask me how) - I also book the Presidential Suite in a hotel in Florence using points which looks nice and gets good ratings. I was going to book a 5 star hotel in the city Centre with a pool for a treat but didn’t.

I have made a reservation at Ristorance Sosta which has amazing views over the countryside for 19:30pm.

We drive up, I drop the gang again and look for a park. I get a Constanza just 3 mins walk from the place and we’ve been given the front table overlooking the view, how good !! Glad I booked as the waiter is turning people away.

There is a table of very fussy Americans x12 in total and they are changing everything on the order IE: “Can I get the walnut ravioli but without the walnuts” or “can I just get simple tomatoe sauce”. And I thought out kids were bad 😩.

First course is absolutely amazing, I have a mushroom Parpadelle, Adam has the walnut and ricotta ravioli and Sonia the cheese plate. Kids get chicken snitzel and chips.

Adam after some coaxing agrees to share the Bistecca with me, my first in Tuscany the home of Bistecca. Unfortunately it’s not great, it hasn’t been cooked on a open fire and it’s just OK. A cat keeps coming to join us called SURE FLAP, Adam tries to feed it unsuccessfully.

Overall it’s a fantastic evening with great views and food, the service could have been better as there are only 2 waiters and I’m a bit bemused when Adam tips 20€ on top of the €13 service charge.

We walk up the hill to the square and get the best gelato in the world and to be honest it’s pretty fucking good. I get Caramel and Pistachio yummmm.we listen to the Harpist in the square and it’s all very nice. Adam says “I don’t think I’ve been to a prettier place” and I have to agree with him.

Sonia up early and out for a walk. Checkout is 10am so we pack up, have brekkie and then everyone has a swim in the pool before we have to leave.

Uncle Adam has decided not to come via Siena today as planned as it will add to much time to his drive which actually suits us better as we want to spend some more time in San G. We drive up the white road and grab a group photo the say our goodbyes, it’s been a fun two days.

We wander around San G and grab some presents for friends and family back home. Sonia does some shopping and kids get Milkshakes. Then we plan to get Pizza slices for 2€ but Thomas won’t have one so we get him a focaccia. Sonia and I have spotted a little Bistrot that looks great so kids eat in the street and we have a lovely meal with really fresh food, Sonia has an amazing Sald and I have a octopus Ragu pasta whcivus yummy.

We head back to Siena and grab some groceries for the next couple of days. We get home and we have no water 😩 Duccio tries to fix it but can’t. Luckily there is one tap in the kitchen that works so we do have some water to wash up with and can make dinner while they try to get a plumber in. I we have Fajitas and I have to fill up the toilet cistern using a saucepan filled up in the kitchen so we can use the toilet eek. Roughing it.

Now watching the Griswalds Vacation with the kids, still very hot and steamy !! Plumber is here’s hopefully we get some water 🤞🤞🤞.

The plumbers arrive and pleased to report we have water again !! However I think it may be time to say goodbye to Il Collinetta and find somewhere with a pool and aircon for the next couple of days. Back onto Airbnb I go.

Expenses: $375 (including presents)

Steps: 13,088

Sonia up and out for her walk, while she’s out I scour the internet for accomodation options. I’m in 2 minds about what to do. I can cancel the accomodation in Florence for free and rebook a hotel for Friday, Sat, Sunday but it’s a) expensive and. B) I’m not sure we want to be in a busy city for all that time. After an hour or so of looking at multiple hotels and locations I find a place on Airbnb which is on an a Podere in Asciano about 35 mins from Siena for $500 for 2 nights which a Pool so wait for Sonia to come home to discuss.

Off for a nice 9km walk /run again of my Mutibuccio loop and have some brekkie. We discuss is and decide let’s book so I lock it in and Sonia starts to pack.

I drive into Siena to find the post office so I can send some stuff to Rudi’s place a lighten the load for the next next leg. It’s not an easy process and takes me about an hour and half but I manage it. €55 for a 8km box to Switzerland and lots of customers declarations and other forms to fill in - all for some old clothes !!

Head home and have sandwiches for lunch then head into Siena as we have a tour of the Duomo booked. We park in a new spot called Duomo car park and everyone thinks it’s going to be a winner and nice and close but it isn’t - annoying. We arrive just in time and enter the Duomo we have 5 mins to wait before our tour of the Dome and upper areas. The Duomo is quite spectacular with amazing floors showing all different scenes from the bible. We meet out tour and head up the windy staircase it takes us to a viewing point and then eventually outside, the weather seems to be turning and there is a nice breeze. After the tour we wander around the Duomo properly and then head over to the Panorama which is another museums with a tall wall with view points of the Duomo. Sonia didn’t think we could get in but turns out she bought the all entry pass so we can. We walk around the musuem and then get in the queue for the Panorama which takes about 25 mins as they only let 17 people in at a time. Get chatting to a Spanish couple and their daughter in the queue. Then we head on out and do the walk just as the rain is coming - we grab a couple of pics and then as we get down the rain really starts to hammer. We visit the crypt and Baptistry which aren’t that great and then the kids get the Nutella biscuit thing they wanted. Everyone is sheltering from the rain but it passes soon.

On the way out of town we spot a little Bistrot and I suggest a drink before we go. The waitress tells me all the tables are reserved and I say “just one drink” and with some annoyance she lets me sit down. I have a Negroni and Sonia some special of the day. Then they bring us out this amazing platter of free Aperativo snacks and Olive and chips !! Why didn’t we find this place earlier. We decide to have another drink and go straight to the reastaurant we have booked next to the cottage. I try a wine off the daily special which is really nice called Le Morrelle.

Head to Ristorante Montalbuccio which I run past everyday and we’ve been meaning to try. When I booked it the lady who answered was called Ilaria and so is Duccios daughter so I have a hunch it’s her and turns out it is. The meal is fantastic, Sonia and I share some Octopus and potato for starter Thomas has a massive grill plate of Tuscan Sausage, ribs, steak and chicken which we all try and love. I have Vongole pasta with homemade pistachio pesto which is yummy and Sonia has xxx. The only meal that isn’t great is Milas wild boar pasta as it’s not very tomatoey and also very Salty.

We get home just as a massive storm has hit and I unfortunately had left all the shoes outside and they are all covered in dirt and wet, then we get a big hail storm. I had Joe’s it would cool off the house a bit and it does but still not really enough, oh well last night here.

Expenses : $225

Steps : 24,077

I wake up early and head out for my last loop of the neighbourhood as we check out today. Get home and start packing and cleaning, we still have a lot of crap to eat and get rid of before Sunday when we need to get back to 1 bag each and a backpack.

Let Stefania know we are checking out early and she sends some nice messages.

We grab all you can eat Japanese at a local place I’d seen before. The food is only OK but the experience is enhanced by the Robot Waiters who bring you your food which the kids love !! Pop into Siena for one last look and to grab a photo with our Tshirts on in Piazza Del Campo, we’ll miss Siena it’s been a lovely time here. The square is all back to normal and looks nicer as all the restaurants can have their awnings out etc.

So then we drive to Asciano which is only a short drive away but everyone including Sonia falls asleep 😀. Grab some supplies at the local Coop as I plan to BBQ tonight. The Podere is located 3km out of Asciano along a long winding white road going up the hill. We arrive and the groundskeeper lets us in and shows us the place. It’s really lovely, we have a big place and the gardens have a Pool, BBQ and a hot tub under the stars - winning. There are some other guests here and they are all lounging around the pool, very quietly reading books etc. they see the kids and I don’t think they are too happy.

Unload and straight to the pool. Kids are a bit load and annoying and we have to tell them to keep it down a couple of times.

I plan to replicate the meat plate Thomas has the night before and I have ribs, Tuscan Sausages, chicken skewers and some roasted potatoes and veg. I start the ribs off in the oven for a couple of hours and read my book. I put a movie on for kids which gets them away from everyone and keeps them quiet. Then I fire up the BBQ and we have a fantastic feast - there are 2 Gazebos for eating outside on the property and we sit there and everyone reflects on how lucky we are and what a great spot we are in then we all jump in the hot tub for an hour or so looking at the view and waiting for the stars to come out. I think we will repeat this tomorrow who needs to go out !!

The place has 2 really good smart TVs with Netflix etc and I download The Talented Mr. Ripley, we are just settling in to watch it and just as the credits are down boom the power goes out and it’s pitch black. I message the Airbnb host and he calls me while we try to sort it out - apparently it went out the night before for 10 mins too the other guests tell me. It eventually comes back on after about an hour and half so at least we can turn on the air con.

Expenses: $225

Steps :21,645

Sonia up and off into Asciano to get milk and water, when she returns she forgot the bread so I head in. It’s an 8km return trip and all uphill on the way back so at least that’s the exercise button ticked.

Laze around the pool all day, reading books, going in the hot tub. Have sandwiches at home and watch the Ireland V New Zealand highlights.

Light the BBQ at 4pm and out on some beef ribs real slow for like 2 hours, then we cook up the Meat feast again along with a beautiful tomato and Burrata Salad followed by another sunset in the hot tub.

Kids off to bed and we watch Talented Mr. Ripley which is cool to see all the Italian sights that we’ve now visited.

Great lazy and cheap day 😀

Expenses :$35

Steps: 16.270

Spent most of the morning packing up and decluttering all of our luggage as today we drop the car off in Florence and tomorrow we have to get the train and a plane so bye bye Esky and any excess food etc.

Get the car loaded and then do our next TikTok dance in front of the pool (stay tuned) and we’re off by 11:20. Well when I say off we’re off to the top of the road when Sonia remembers the lunch boxes are in the fridge.

Drive straight to Florence 1.5 hours and fill up the car for drop off. Find the Hotel without too much hassle and get a park out the front which is a bonus in Italy, especially when we have lots of luggage to unload. I drop Sonia and the bags off and I head to Europcar to drop off which is amazingly close by like 100m - winning !! All goes well with car drop off, that has certainly been a great car at such a great price.

Sonia has checked in and the kids were amazed by our Presidential suite. It’s a huge big room with a 4 poster bed in it and a fresco on the roof. Turns out it was a house of Medici back in the day.

Wander into town to, we are pretty close to the Ponte Vecchio about 10 mins walk and we go past lots of swanky designer brands. I keep my eyes peeled for some white sneakers to replace the ones that got wet the other day and are now ruined. We go to the Ponte then walk up to the Uffizi museum. The Museum has many of the world greatest known artists but similar to the kids I’m pretty museumed out and all I really wanted to see was the statue of David. I walk around the museum listening to the Wimbledon final with Nick Krygious. Kids have the shits and I just want to find a bar with a TV for the tennis. Sonia gets a bit stroppy as she wants to look at some of the art and personally I think she’s a bit annoyed at herself for booking the wrong museum.

I take Mila back to the hotel and we have a fun chat along the way listening to the tiebreak of the tennis on my phone together. We go to Boggi and I get some sneakers at 40% off !! Then back to hotel for a freshen up.

We catch a taxi to the restaurant as we’re worried we’ll miss our booking. The taxi driver laughs as it’s like 500m away but she takes my €10.

Dinner is a bit of a letdown. I wish I’d done some more research into Bistecca restaurants. We are going to a place that is in the top 101 steak restaurants in the world but it’s an affiliate restaurant not the original. We have a 20% off deal which came up when I was booking and you tell it’s a tourist trap. The Bistecca is nice but you have no way of knowing if we were given the expensive option I picked for €86 or not, should have just had the meal deal options ah well.

We wander into town afterwards and through a beautiful piazza we hadn’t seen before Maria Novella. We queue up at a famous chocolate shop for Gelato and listen to an opera singer in the street. We also send a couple of coins down the pigs throat to ensure we will return to Firenze.

Home to bed

Expenses : $450

As I write this we are on the Bullet train to Roma. The train was 60 minutes late so it’s going to be very tight getting through the airport and to our flight to Croatia tonight 🤞🤞🤞. We will arrive at the airport at 16.20 and the flight is at 18.15. Not much we can do about it but pray.

Woke up in the hotel this morning and had a very nice continental breakfast. Then we packed up all the bags and walked down in town and the Ponte Vecchio. I bought Sonia a lovely pendant in rose gold from Accicci which represents the Duomo in Florence and Thomas got some new sandals as his old ones were dead.

Grabbed some Porchetta rolls from the famous place and then back to the hotel. Checked out and cab to the train station all very organised and on time and then Bang at 12:15 the sign pops up and tells us the train is delayed. So we had a quick lunch at the station and let’s see how we go.

Update 18:45 and I’m pleased to say I’m on the plane to Croatia. It was all very touch and go for a while and we were dreading Fiumicino Airport but as it turned out after we got off the train we went to the check in desk and there was no queue to check in. \240There was one lady in the line in front debating with the dude about something in Italian and the check in guy really didn’t seem to concerned or hurried even though we were supposed to board at 17:30 and it’s 16;50 !! Sonia and I give him a bit of a hurry up look and he just says “relax it’s quiet you will make it no problem” ! High fives all round 😀. He turns out to be really friendly and tells us all about his trip to Manly beach. We drop bags which are all way over weight, some are 27 kilos but he says nothing. Straight through passport control jo queue, a quick beer in the airport and then we got on. It’s an old Havillans prop place which only seats about maybe 60 people. Next stop Spljt and Sibenik 😩😩

Our plane lands and we get through Customs nice and quickly. Collect bags and our driver is waiting for us in the airport. It’s an hours drive to the venue. The accomodation people have been WhatsApp me and tell me the mobile home is open and that luckily Rudi has ordered our towels and sheets.

We get dropped off and meet Rudi and K on the walk to the place. The accomodation is fine quite spacious but the outlook isn’t great and not quite what we expected.

We go for dinner at a restaurant 5 mins walk away and it’s good to all be together again. Dinner is good, I have a Croatia meat plate and Sonia has grilled squid.

Rudi and I go to meat Mark at his hotel which is a bit more of a hike than we thoughts about 1.2km. Meet Ando for the first time in 4 years and we have a few beers at the bar which promptly shuts at 10:45!! Walk home with Rudi and bed.

Day 1 - Croatia !!

Couldn’t sleep and woke up at 6.15am so out of the house by 6.30 to explore our new digs. The site is absolutely massive with Apartments, camping sites, mobile homes and 5 hotels. Sonia and I are a little dissapointed with our mobile home. The accomodation itself is fine and quite roomy - Sonia and I have a master bedroom with an en-suite then the kids have their own rooms and another bathroom with a central kitchen / dining and then an outdoor deck and some sun chairs. The only real issue we have with the place is the proximity to our neighbours - the mobile homes are built opposite each other so 2 meters from our deck is the neighbours deck which doesn’t make it too condusivd to chilling out on your deck in the evening.

As we walk around the site there are lots of other mobile homes or houses which all have more space and some which are right in the beach although Rudi tells me they are €4,000 a week which is more than double what we paid. I contact the reception to try and upgrade or move but it’s not possible - all the little areas are managed by differnt companies 😩.

Rudi and Kriszta’s place is literally behind ours 50 metres away.

I run around the site a couple of times it’s a \2404km loop so you can imagine a bit of waking around us involved. We have brekkie and kids attempt journals in protest. We finally leave at 11am and head to the aquapark to meet Mark and Eilish. Entry is 650 Kuna which is $130. We enter and find them pretty quickly. We have a lovely catch up while Avan reconnects with the kids, good to see them all !!

Kids do the slides we all go in the lazy river and float around until about 1.30pm when we leave and seek out some lunch. We have a nice lunch at a beach bar called Bongos then I leave to meet Rudi to go shopping. There is a supermarket on site but it’s quite basic and expensive, so we are going to Sibenik 5km away.

Do a big shop and come home to for a swim with Rudi. We had planned to maybe go into Sibenik for dinner but we can that idea and instead to Chevapi and tomato salad on Rudi’s balcony which is a bit nicer and gets some sun, it’s a nice easy and simple tasty meal. Kids won’t eat them so they have sambos but Mila tries Chevapi and likes them so who knows maybe we can all have them again while we are here.

Bed.

Expenses: $465

Steps : 29,000

Sonia up and out for a walk early, I can’t be bothered today especially given I did 29,000 steps yesterday.

Have a coffee and do some chores like paying bills etc then we head to the nearest beach, the water is crystal clear and we luckily snag some beach chairs for free at the front of one of the beach bars.

Pop home to make sambos and book the TGV from Paris to Basel in August on Rudi’s Recomendation due to price increases. Now we need to decide what we will do from 27th - 30th August before we fly home. Rudi has suggested we go to Zermatt to see the mighty Mattehorn but it’s 3 hours from Paris to Basel and 3 hours to Zermatt, then 4 hours back to Zurich so we are undecided.

Dinner is booked tonight in a traditional old Dalmatian village on the site with everyone so hope it’s good.

Dinner is really lovely at the Dalmatian restaurant, so really great starters of homemade salamis and wood fired breads and then we have like a meat skewer thing cooked in the fire which is good but a little overdone (Mark did order medium well 😩).

Mark and I discussing going into Sibenik but decide against it and everyone just comes back to our place for a drink and kids play greed.

Bed at midnight.

Expenses :

Steps : 11,799

Woke up a little dusty after a midnight finish with Mark and Eilish, thank god Mark and I didn’t go into Sibenik old town as we were discussing.

Had to do some admin jobs and look for a hire car as I want my independence back and also the option of visiting some of the Croatian sites and natural beauties surrounding us to escape the compound (as nice as it is).

Finally made it down to the inflatable park at 11:30am and after some faffing around we bought half day passes for Mark and I plus the kids. You have to swim over to it but it’s not far from the shore. We get on and it’s good fun, kids have a blast swinging on things jumping off the top. Thomas even jumped off the 3 metre high one.

Thomas, Mark and I jump off the big one and then there is a climbing wall underneath so we try our best to get up that for 15 mins or so, unfortunately Avan thinks Mark has left him and gets into a strop swims back to shore and storms off in a huff !! We catch up with him but he isn’t happy and takes him quite a while to calm down.

We walk up to Bongos to grab a beer and kids can have lunchboxes while Avan has fish sticks. We end up sitting, drinking and chatting there for about 4 hours. We get a lovely spot right on the waters edge, we can watch kids or join in skimming stones and it’s a lovely relaxing time to chat and catch up.

We have the Trattoria booked for dinner at 7pm so home, quick change and walk down with Rudi & Krizsta. The restaurant has a lovely outlook and nicely renovated the only issue is that it is directly next door to the day club called Beach Club and the doof doof music is going off and very loud. It’s actually ridiculous to be honest and I’m sure a lot of the patrons mostly families like us have the shits.

The meal is quite nice, seadfood pasta while not amazing. I’m looking forward to getting a car so we can explore the local areas and eateries.

They are setting up a huge outdoor cinema on the beach next to where we are, it’s showing the Lion king. Kids are very industrious and secure front row seats early which they save with their shoes while running back to get ice cream.

We had hoped that now they are settled in front of a movie that they would forget about the already promised round of mini golf but alas no such luck. Avan and Thomas coming running over after 30 mins shouting mini golf!

Eilish and Mark take the 2 boys off to golf while I settle the bill, they pick up Kila in the way as she has FOMO.

We wander down to join them about 40 mins later and it’s a fun little course. Say our goodbyes to the Irish crew who are leaving tomorrow at 7am for Korcula.

Expenses: $350

Steps ; 15,818

Woke up early and both Sonia and I got a walk and run in.

We had a chat with Deda and Baba and then Granny which was nice, will try to get Dad over the next few days but was glad to hear that Mum said even though he fell out of Rhythm he feels better and even Ventured out for Karaoke.

We made a packed lunch for myself and the kids and then we walked a while to find a beach spot. We found 2 which just had too many sea urchins and rocks so kept going. We had decided to bite the bullet and pay for the sun beds today €10 each which isn’t too bad. A large beer in the resort is €5 which again isn’t bad but I’m interested once we get the car to find out local prices and experiences.

We find a nice spot on a hill and just laze for the day, swim, sunbathe, couple of Long Islands and finally walk back at 18:15 to go to Rudi and Kriszta’s for dinner. They went to the grocery store earlier and picked us up some supplies and we have agreed we will cook at their place as it has a nicer outlook.

Dinner is Chevapi and koupous (cabbage salad). Dinner is really nice and we talk about going to Zermatt on our return from Paris end of August together for 2 nights. We find a couple of hotel options and airbnbs but the cancellation options aren’t great so we decide to wait.

Off to bed.

Expenses: $133

Steps :19988

Up at 07.30am and Sonia does a HIT class on the deck, I go for a long run / walk 10km.

Kids do journals (slowly) I make an omelette and then get ready to collect the hire car.

Rudi drops me off in Sibenik and the car isn’t quite ready yet. The guy behind the counter Nicola is your typical Croatian young dude 23, tanned, good looking and a wheeler deeler. He tries very hard to say he’ll give me the kid seats for free if I take the full protection package but the math doesn’t work so I decline and of course get no deal.

It’s a cool little Renault captur in red, brand new only 2k on the clock and it has sat nav and apple play so this will do fine.

Get home have some sandwiches at home and then we all drive to Primosten about 25kms away. It’s a lovely old Croatian town on a point with multiple beaches and given its Saturday it’s quite crowded but we find a nice spot and have a swim, firstly buying the kids some “rock” shoes as the beaches have been quite rocky. \240Then I have a little sleep on the beach before heading up to one of the little beach bars - $4.80 for a 1/2 litre of the local draught 😀.

Couple of beers and journal catch up and then another swim. Pack up around 6pm and have a walk around the point which is gorgeous and lovely views. We agree if we come back to Primosten we’ll sit there as so much better views.

Drop the bags off at the cars, I had suggested driving back to Sibenik for dinner but Krizsta would prefer to eat in Primoste which I’m glad she said as we get to walk around this beautiful little town. We walk up to the church and take a picture while looking for a restaurant, it’s very quaint and pretty and the are setting up the market stalls.

We pick a place for dinner which is an old stone building with an open air roof, the only thing is it’s empty which isn’t a good sign. The starters are nice, tapas style but my main course isn’t the best. I have a traditional seafood stew but it’s very tomato paste tasting and a