Today were off to see all the big stuff in Rome - for the untraveled that means The Vatican and the Colosseum. We set of early in the morning to see the Basilica and the Sistine chapel. We arrived at 8am, no queue and we were dressed appropriately unlike 25 yrs ago when I was refused entry because I was wearing a pair of shorts that didn't cover my knees. So as we approach the security I see a sign that shows a list of items that are not permitted, unfortun...

We had a big couple of days in Rome, so much to,see, so little time.We stayed in a very central spot, with all the main things to see within walking distance from Campo De Fiori.     Our day of sight-seeing started with the Pantheon, built in 27bC as a temple to the ancient roman gods. A massive building with dome that is open to the weather. Then onto Trevi fountain to make a wish along with the thousands of others there doing the same, that's one busy r...

Our trip to Nice went pretty well, aside from the fact we got on the wrong train in Narbonne and got halfway to Paris. no matter, we still made it to Nice on time. We stayed In a quaint old place in the heart of Nice historic quarter just 300m meters from the beach. the azure water was brilliant, clean and cooling - perfect. Only challenge was the beach itself. NoT a grain of sand to be seen anywhere, just rocks the size of fists. So when Henry and I went to go f...

There were quite a few weird and wacky things we saw in Barcelona, so I thought I should set aside one of the blogs just for them. First up, Casa Batlo, designed and built by Gaudi for the Batllo family ( a successful textile industrialist) in 1906 on Passage de Gracia, which was in its day the prestigious street to live. The house carries a distinctive "sea life" theme, both real and mythical, as it was designed around the time of Jules Verne's book 20,000 ...

We had a good couple of days seeing some of the special sites in Barcelona.had a great afternoon at the beach, took a dip, sipped a few Caipiroskas and soaked up the beach atmosphere in Barcelona. Shirley and I walked the famous La Ramblas in amongst thousands of others and set about discovering the old gothic city centre, which was just fascinating. It's a couple of sqr Kim's of narrow cobblestone streets filled with shops, cafes, bars restaurants and t...