Ciao! We had a fantastic day in Rome. We had a private tour of the Vatican before it opened to the public. Woman had to have shoulders and knees covered, and men needed full pants out of respect. The Sistine chapel was amazing. Afterwards we went to watch the Pope speak! Later we had a tour of the Colleseum. It's very beautiful inside, lots of history. That evening we went to Saint Peters Basilica, the largest church in the world. The porta sancta (doors of abso...

This morning we made our way to Florence. We took a walking tour to see some sites, then to the best leather store in town for a demonstration. Our tour director bought Richard a beautiful belt from there for his birthday. He had it embroidered in gold leaf with his initials, it was extremely thoughtful. I only purchased a small leather bracelet as, again, the items were not inexpensive! The food in Italy has been amazing. The pizza, pasta and gelato are to die...

Bonjourno! Today we started off with a tour and demonstration at a Venetian glassblowing store. It was very beautiful but the pieces were expensive. You pay for quality! Then we had free time to roam. We did some shopping, went inside St Marks Basilica, toured an old jail, and had delicious pizza in a café. Venice is sinking and floods frequently, so they put tables out for people to walk on when that happens. We were lucky though! That afternoon we left for Fl...

Grutzi! That's Swiss for hello. We took a cable car 6000 ft up a mountain. There were cows grazing with their giant cowbells clanking away. We got to (attempt!) to blow an alpine horn. We took a 15 min hike to the very top of the mountain, then made our way back for some hot chocolate. At that point we left for Venice! In Venice we took water taxis to St Marks Square. Then we all got to enjoy a gondola ride! The boat infront of us had a wonderful singer and acco...

We left bright and early this morning for our drive down to Lucerne. So far it's been our favourite part of our trip. We went to go see the Chapel Bridge and the Lion Monument. Afterwards we did some shopping. Amongst other things we got fresh handmade chocolate from a bakery and an engraved Swiss Army knife. Tomorrow morning we take a cable car up the side of a mountain, and if we're lucky we might get to witness some yodeling! As always, pictures added :)