It has taken me five days to even attempt writing this entry, there are some moments in life even i find hard to find the funny side but when everyone is safe it isn't impossible. So here was the plan: my parents were driving down for a weeks holiday in Italy, i had just left my job so i was going to join them, they would drop me off in rome when they left, i'd then volunteer at a cat shelter for two weeks until my flight back home in florence. Here's what actually happened.
I met my parents saturday night or found them as the case may be ( my mum was lost in a park near the hotel and my dad sat in the car on the wrong road. God knows how that happened but it gives a little insight into why i'm the way i am). The next day we visited massa centre and after attempting to visit the castle but instead ending up at someones house, we took in the views and set off in the car. First we hit up Pisa to see what all the fuss was about with their wonky tower. It took around an hour to finally find it and park, we would only be an hour tops so we left our day bags in the car with everything else and went to find the pay and display machine. Agreeing with an american couple that no one checks on a sunday we left the machine and walked to the grand gates to the tower, they asked us the direction to the tower in which we replied "It's definitely somewhere in here!". It wasn't... Turns out we'd found the hospital... luckily the tower was just around the corner and i must say i was rather impressed. We walked back laughing about how there was a high chance the americans were still wandering the hospital grounds, when my mum stopped and her face instantly dropped, so i walked around to her side of the car, the front passenger window had been smashed in, mine and my mums day bags had been stolen.
A list of things that we lost:
Both of my parents passports.
Mums reading glasses.
Mums kindle.
Mums students homework.
Mums money and bank card.
Mums phone.
My parents return tickets for channel tunnel and ferry to the Isle of Wight.
My kindle.
My phone.
My bank card and all my wages €210.
My sunglasses.
All my hair grips!
My brand new cardigan!!!!!
And i dare say it...my emergency sponge cakes.
A lovely german group stopped to help, they called the police seeing as we had no phones and pointed us in the direction of the station.
So the next day is spent trying to find an embassy in rome on my laptop which the thieves kindly left me. Apparently the only way to get into the embassy is by appointment. I still haven't received a reply...

On the plus we saw the beautiful ruins and cathedrals of rome, got into a pickle with a pesky flower seller, met a very beautiful Australian man (and his girlfriend.), slept in a shed for hobbits and very tightly packed on the floor of the car with only a sheet of plastic for a window. We joked and laughed and plotted ways to rid us of my father, for a time it felt like a normal family holiday and then it was time to leave. Left with no money or way of getting money the best option was to drive back with my parents, though we still weren't sure if we'd get back into the country!

Luckily with some paperwork and the crime report they let us on the channel tunnel, and like that the italian adventure is over. It's time for a new one methinks ;D