Thursday 6th Arrived San Francisco late afternoon local time and cabbed to our hotel which as its name suggest (Hotel Union Square) is right in the hub of Union Square. Great hotel with friendly staff - old (1904 so built just before the big quake of 1906 but seems to have survived ok) - all clean and tidy. Out for a walk around the square and surrounding streets and then our first American meal in an Italian styled restaurant. Friday 7th. Caught an open topp...

Monday 3rd Back in London's Gatwick after a short flight from Bologna. The next couple of days were pretty cruisey with a train trip to Winchmore Hill (my birthplace) on Tuesday spending a pleasant couple of hours having a drink and lunch in the King's Head where my Dad used to drink and then a train back to Tottenham. (Getting pretty good at London's train/bus/subway system now.) Winchmore Hill has definitely moved upmarket since 2001 when I last visited with ...

Monday 2nd Arrived in Bologna after a fast train trip from Venice. Came out of the station to around 28 degree heat - caught a local bus into the centre of the city to our hotel. Another masterly bit of organisation by Vicki - we had a great Hotel literally backing onto the Piazza Magiorre - the main square. After a walk around some back alleys we caught an open top bus for a 1 hour tour around the city. Back to the square and we had a great meal with the manda...

Rome-Assisi-Florence- Venice Left Rome driving north to Assisi - a small medieval "city" really a town in the Apennine hills. Famous for St Francis and the Franciscan order of Monks, this town really lives up to the tourist brochure hype. A walled town with original cobbled roads and old houses. The Basilica of St Francis is actually outside the walls as his philosophy was based on being amongst the common people and not amongst the aristocracy (which his fami...

Rome Friday 23rd to Sunday 25th Friday Checked into our new Hotel late morning after an early morning run. - the Grand Hotel Palatino (due to Vicki's great planning only 200m from our previous accommodation) After meeting our new tour guide - Marco and finding out he is a rugby nut (coaches a kids team & following the RWC) went to Villa Borghese and through the Gallerie with the tickets we had bought on Tuesday (now booked out until next week!) Interest...