The Final Post from my grand tour of beautiful Italy!

Well the journey is coming to an end after 10 wonderful days in Italy.  It’s a long journey home starting in Milan, into Paris which I didn’t realise was an 8 hour journey and then another 4 hours back on the Eurostar to London (& then eventually back into Harrogate the following day).

I’ve pretty much wrote about every trip except our visits to Perugia & Assisi!   It was the one day where too much was crammed in as we rushed around both towns with no real time to explore or see the sites properly.    Perugia is a lovely, lovely town with masses amounts of history.   We had a great, charismatic tour guide called Marco followed by a wonderful lunch in a restaurant with amazing views across the town.  It was one of those towns which just had a great feel to the place & you can’t put your finger on what makes it so special. Definitely worth a return visit.

Assisi literally was a wash out with an afternoon walking around in the rain, which is shame as it’s a wonderful place.   The tour guide wasn’t great and we only had 1-2 hours to see the town and the Cathedral of St Francis of Assisi but realistically you need a full day.  The Cathedral is incredible but you can’t take photos so unfortunately can’t share with you the beautiful frescos.

So what can I say about this trip 3000 miles later?   I started this blog with a list so I’ll end with a list as the in between posts have been quite lengthy!

1. I LOVE ITALY!!! What an amazing & beautiful country & somewhere I’ll be coming back.

2. Italian Trains are brilliant! They put British trains to shame!  Fast….well over 180mph, clean, spacious, pretty much on time, free wi-fi and utter pleasure to travel on.  Love the TV screens & with headcams on the front of the train you can watch your journey from the front of the train!  I would certainly do a train holiday around Italy again.

3. Tuscany is just like the pictures you see – incredibly unspoilt & beautiful. Once you hit Northern Italy which is quite flat especially with the rice fields you start to appreciate it even more.

4. I would even do a driving holiday around Tuscany as the roads are pretty quiet with so many lovely hilltop towns to visit, each one with their own individual character. (Although I’m personally not brave enough to drive abroad but happy to be the passenger!)

5. Overall the weather has been pretty good & I survived without a waterproof! Some people were saying the weather hasn’t been as good as normal but I didn’t really want to come in July / August when it might be too hot.

6. You can’t come to Italy and not mention the food! Pizza was amazing!   Pasta – was great if homemade….you can certainly tell when someone serves you dry pasta!  Gelato is as good as people say so wasn’t let down….if anything I didn’t test enough of the flavours!.

7. I leave the country with a bit more knowledge of the history & culture of Italy! It might be only a few facts & figures as I have been overwhelmed with the tour guides’ information ….but gives me enough to want to come back again and learn more but at my own pace.

8. It’s best to speak at least some basic Italian! I’m glad I spent the month before listening to a CD in the car on the way to work.  Even though it was just a handful of words & greetings it massively helped.  I might have confused people moving between Italian & French but in the remote parts of Tuscany – and even the hotel we stayed the staff didn’t speak English which made communicating quite hard (thank goodness for Google translate!)

9. The people I’ve met on the tour have been amazing. I can honestly everyone single one has been amazing & so friendly.  Everyone is slightly older than me but hasn’t made any difference to my holiday.

10. Do I have a favourite? Has to be Joan who is 83 – yes 83, nearly double my age but a true well-spoken lady of sophistication & yet an absolute hoot!     I’ve sat with her a quite a few times on the train over the last few days and she’s had me in fits of laughter!  From her tales of working in London in the 1960s, her world travels, being evacuated during the War, her love of McDonald’s fries, to learning that both of us were born in Sunderland!   I hope when I’m her age I’m still able to travel around the world.  She still has desires to travel to Japan and maybe a cruise next year….good on ya Joan!

11. Always love a Favourite list….
    1. Meal – has to be the pizza in Roma & Tiramisu in Perugia
    2. Drink – actually not alcohol – but Italian cans of Lemon Soda both myself & Joan have raved on lovely it is!
    3. Place – hard one to call & having to go through all my photos to choose! But I’m going to say Perugia (although Siena a very close 2^nd!)  Can’t really say why – just the feel of the place really, a great tour guide & lovely lunch.
    4. Hotel – now we have only stayed in 3 places but going to say Una Hotels in Milan! Huge modern room, huge bath where I enjoyed a good soak & most importantly the first place with a kettle!!!   10 days later I could make a cup of peppermint tea.

So here ends my tales from Italy.  It’s my second blog and really enjoyed writing over the last 10 days but something I don’t’ get to do when I work full time.  Although……it’s the first time I’ve setup up a website, Instagram & Facebook page which has & still challenging my IT skills and patience!  The week before coming away I was tearing my hair out & had to pull on the help of a website / social media expert to get me up & running but I got there in the end!

It’s been a pleasure.   Like any holiday….when you get back home you need to book some other trip so you have something to look forward to!     So Italy will be just the first of many posts to come along the travelling way.

Thanks for reading!

Ciao!

Lou Lou xx

Well today is the last real day of exploring Tuscany before we start our journey back to the UK tomorrow via Milan and what a gem of a day I’ve had!  Probably one of the nicest days of the trip.

Firstly we got another lie in as we weren’t leaving the hotel until 9.30am!!!   Even the older people are now starting to appreciate this as it is a full on tour and we’re now on day 8.    Marco our driver has suggested we stop via a small town called Bagno Vignoni as it has some wonderful views whilst also being one of the oldest spas in Italy.

It seems that the Romans loved a good thermal bath & were massively popular during the Medieval times.  Pilgrims would stop off at Bagno Vignoni on route to Rome, have a bath to wash but also the waters were considered to have medicinal benefits while also using the church & eat in the many taverns.  But what a beauty of the place.  What I love about independent travel is sometimes you fall upon just little gems of places, off the beaten track which you’ve never heard of and yet are so wonderful.

The views from the town are incredible & everything you see on the picture postcard views of Tuscany….just better & real!   The rolling hills go on for miles & miles, with the patchwork coloured fields, lined with the pencil thin trees and a scattering of red poppies to add to the colour.   Just gorgeous.   The town is absolutely tiny but has spa water running through the town which I’ll be honest I wasn’t about to try drinking from the river but did look incredibly clean.   Plus I saw another group sitting with their feet cooling in the water so definitely wasn’t trying the water after dirty, sweaty feet had been in there!     We only had 20 minutes here but was well worth the visit & everyone was very grateful to Marco for this detour!

Back on track to our next official stop which was Pienza a town dating back to 828 nestled in the Tuscan hills & the first example of the ideal Renaissance town.   It is also declared a World Heritage site but not sure what for!  I know in previous posts I’ve not always rated tour guides but they do have their uses, even if you do only remember the odd fact otherwise you end up, like me, just aimlessly wandering around a place not really understanding what you’re seeing!    All I will say is the town just smells of cheese!    I think it’s Pecorino cheese – and a strong smelling cheese at that!   I’m guessing it’s local to the area with shops scattered around the hill top town so everywhere you go you have this aroma, which initially was over powering but by the end makes you hungry!   Maybe it’s a tactic for getting you to buy as I have to say it’s quite a pricey place.

Once again it’s the views which are incredible, visited by many tourists & cyclists which can only mean one thing.    No….not lots of male cyclists in too much tight lycra…….no, the return of the selfie stick!   It did remind me of a smaller version of Rome with all the Chinese tourists who at any viewpoint would all stop, get the stick extensions going, start posing & clicking away.   As it’s not quite as busy as Rome therefore many just around walk around with them full extended in the air!

We had a good hour to wander around this beautiful town, again in the Italian sunshine and I have to stay it’s pretty typical of many towns…there’s a Cathedral, the Church of Santa Maria, main piazza, lots of old streets all surrounded with the city walls.  There is probably a lot more history I could tell you about but as I say without a guide you can miss a lot!   So instead I meander to a café and have my first hot chocolate!  I don’t really drink tea or coffee so where as everyone else in the tour is literally gasping for caffeine by 11am and stampeding towards the nearest café I just head out exploring.   I did pass our group who had managed to fill a total café, eat them clean of Danish pastries on our arrival to Pienza but by the time I fancied a drink it was completely empty!  What a yummy hot chocolate too!

Before long it was back on the bus and heading off to our next stop, making our way through the windy Italian hills to Montepulciano…the town of vineyards and a wine tasting lunch!   One of the reasons I’d stopped for a hot chocolate & biscuit was to line my stomach for an afternoon of drinking!    One glass of wine & I can be drunk so planned to take it easy!

Montepulciano is another town on top of a hill which can only mean a steep walk to anywhere but as a bonus you get great views while your hamstrings ache!  The photos just don’t do it justice.  For some of the older members of the group, you can hear the huffing & puffing up the hill and being at least 15 years younger I can’t be seen to be out of breath but my god I was knackered!   The town is just wine, wine and more wine so the chances of leaving this place sober will be a challenge.

We were under the impression this was a wine tasting tour but actually was a wonderful Tuscan lunch with lots of different wines to accompany.   A huge anti-pasta board arrived with different meats & cheeses alongside some crusty bread & oil.   What a feast while we tried different local wines – thankfully only a small glass but the type of wine tasting where you don’t have to spit it out!    It reminded me how much I love Montepulciano wine which I first discovered in Lake Garda some years ago.   The biggest downside of a rail holiday is that anything you buy you have to carry on & off trains through Italy, France, London & then up to home in Harrogate in Yorkshire!    My bag is heavy enough as it is without bottles of wine.

I decided against buying any wine as looking at the price tag it was 38 euros a bottle!!!!    Now I’m not a big drinker of wine but even still that’s quite an expensive bottle and didn’t think it was that nice to justify that price!   I went round telling the group how expensive it was too many gasps.   It was only hours later when meeting the wider group where I told  people my shock at the wine price that I was corrected and that it was only 8 euros a bottle & I’d mistaken the euro sign as a 3!  What an idiot & felt rather stupid……well it’s been a few days since a blonde moment!    That changed my perception of the wine completely & 8 euros was actually a bargain!  Anyway, it was too late to run back to buy any and will only appreciate it when trying to carry my bag over the next 48 hours.

So apart from the wine…there’s not a lot I can tell you about the town….guess what …it has a church, a piazza and some great views but definitely worth a visit.  Yet again, it’s back on the bus for once an early journey back to the hotel as tonight we are having dinner in a Tuscan castle.  (Apologies but I have to share this with you……I’m writing this post sat on my hotel balcony & I think I’m having to listen to the couple next door have sex which is quite off putting!  Well I think they are – there are some odd noises coming from that direction & they’ve left their balcony door open.   They are EX-husband & wife who are still friends and travel together but obviously still get on very well!  The thought makes me feel quite sick!!)

Anyway, enough of that….back to evening dinner!   It’s out of the hotel and off to a Tuscan castle for a 4 course evening dinner.    What I probably haven’t shared with you is the amount of food or courses you get in Italy.   Every night we must get 4 or 5 courses which is much more that we get at home and I’m certainly going back some weight heavier!  I’m actually dreading putting my jeans back on in 24 hours time!    My favourite meal is lasagne which I’d have as a main course…here it’s pretty much considered a starter!

 

The castle!    OMG – I think I’ve just found the place I’ll one day get married!    We arrived around 7.30pm so in the summer evening sun was lovely.     I did have visions of a rack & ruin cold building but actually is more of a large stately house…well a very large house but has all the designs of a castle.  It’s called ‘Relais Castelluccio Palusse” …say that after a few vinos……which has a small number of bedrooms and a lovely dining room where we tuck into the most wonderful cooked food.   It was a beautiful evening & a lovely way to end our last night in Tuscany.   I didn’t enquire about the prices to stay but the castle is currently being rented to a family for 3 days to celebrate their daughters 16^th birthday but were out this evening for dinner!   Now I know when I was 16 ……well I’m trying to remember but can’t …but it certainly didn’t involve renting a castle for the weekend!   It was probably more a meal out with a couple of friends to a local burger bar…….going to sound old now….but haven’t things changed!

Anyway…..hopefully I haven’t bored you too much with this long post!  It’s been a wonderful day….a lot more relaxing and a slower pace and seen some wonderful places.

Tomorrow it’s heading up to Milan & slowly making our way back to the UK.

So goodbye from Tuscany!

Lou Lou xx

PS – the couple next door must have now finished…..they are the heavy smokers & obviously the guy is out of breath from the ‘exercise’ post breakfast as all I can now hear is him coughing his nicotine filled lungs up!   Time to head inside I think & finish packing! 

 

 

So today is another one of my “bucket list” & first’s in life – a day trip to Florence.  Once again I know very little, or to be honest nothing about Florence apart from the iconic photos you see of the town.   It’s an early start as it’s a 2 hour train journey which I have to say is a nice change after bouncing around on a coach around the twisty roads which make you feel quite sick!

Every day, we never know what the weather is going to be like and a few of us check at least 3 different web sites looking for the best forecast as none of us what to do doing sightseeing in the rain!    Luckily the forecast for Florence is sunshine, 26 degrees & no rain!  Fingers crossed the web site is correct!    We arrive in Florence to be greeted by another tour guide who will be taking us round the city for 2 hours.  I think everyone is getting a little bit sick of tour guides as some are good…..some not so good….sometimes it is hard to hear / understand their English and sometimes they just overload you with too information.

As some people have already visited Florence they don’t join the tour and head off independently.   Our tour guide I have to say falls into the “not that great” group and throughout the 2 hours people keep dropping out and heading off in their own.   When you only have 5 hours to cover a city you want to cover as much as you can and by the end of the tour we were down to just 4 people!!   I felt so bad for the tour guide I just didn’t have the heart to drop out!

What was incredible was how QUIET Florence was!  Everyone had warned how busy the city is and pretty much the same or worse than Rome.   Even our Tour Manager & Tour Guide could not believe how quiet everywhere was and how we could just walk into key sits.   For me it was just bearable so was very pleased.   There is so much to see in Florence from Catherdral’s, Museums, Art Gallery’s, Palaces I felt there was no point in me trying to going into them and with the last 3 hours just to walk around the city and see what I fall upon.

For starters though it was time for lunch!   I decided to head back to one of the squares, or as they call them Piazza’s and just sit in the sunshine and relax.    I know you pay a bit more in these popular sites but hey I’m on holiday.  I get a prime front table, enjoy the view, people watch and listen to the most incredible opera singer…..oh enjoyed a few glasses of Prosecco!   My favourite drink & let’s face it, it’s Friday so a perfect day for Fizz!   The opera singer was amazing & at times brought tears to my eyes with her singing!

But I couldn’t sit around all day drinking as I had a city to investigate!   Now I like to think I’ve learnt a few things while in Florence but to be honest I couldn’t really understand the tour guide so here are a few facts I did pick up…

• Florence was once the capital of Italy (not sure when or why Rome took over!)
• Florence means “Flower”
• Gucci originated in Florence (so many designer shops!)
• St John the Baptist is the patron saint of Florence
• In 1966 the city was hit by floods which damaged a lot of the buildings, statues etc
• During the wars, the Nazis thought the city / bridges were so beautiful they didn’t bomb them but targeted outside the city instead
• It’s more expensive than Rome – it costs 1 euro to use the toilet! (vs. 50c in Rome!)

 

With a city of such history I should know more but I’m afraid that’s all you’re getting!   I will say it is an incredible city and you really need 2 or 3 days here to get round all the sites.    I was a bit disappointed with the Ponte Vecchio bridge though…..it’s the oldest bridge randomly filled with jewellery shops but nothing to shout about.    The beautiful Duomo with its terracotta roof is incredible though and if time permitted I would have climbed to the top to see the city views…maybe one for another visit.

Before you know it, it’s time to get back to the train station to head back to Chuisi.   With the sun beating down another gelato was called for.  They truly are delicious so with the holiday coming to an end in a couple of days I’m trying to get as many in as possible!

A great day….sunshine, music, history & some fizz to welcome in the weekend!

Cheers!

Lou Lou xx

PS – more photos will be uploaded when I get home & download from my camera!

Well this is certainly proving to be a busy tour around Italy!  I’m three days behind writing up what I’ve been up to so will do my best to catch up in the coming days.

So after a crazy day in Roma, it was at last a day off from touring in a group and a day at leisure all to myself   At last a day when I don’t have to set an alarm clock or be on a coach by 8am.  Instead what happens…..I’m wide awake by 6am!!!  Argh!!!!   I managed to make myself go back to sleep and awoke again at 8am.  Today is going to be a relaxing day around the town where I’m staying which in a small place called Chianciano Terme in Tuscany.   It’s renowned for its themal spa’s which is something I usually love but today I’ll give it a miss and just have a mooch around town, a lazy lunch & just see how the day fairs.

After getting the coach down to the Old Town I was quite surprised how quiet the place is especially compared to the previous day in the chaotic Rome!  Considering this is pretty much the summer season there are a lot of places closed or the museums literally only open for a couple of hours so unfortunately I turned up when they were shut!   It doesn’t bother me too much as it’s just nice to wander around the beautiful cobbled streets taking in the atmosphere & more importantly the sunshine!   The scenery is absolutely beautiful and is very much like the pictures you see of Tuscany.

I had a slow meander from the Old Town to the New Town, through the park trail and just took in the views, every so often just sitting on a park bench.  When you spend most of your week in an office, sat at a desk, glued to the computer to spend your Wednesday morning on a bench, alone, listening to the birds, taking in the views with the sun beating down your skin is truly wonderful.     I don’t get out into nature enough or just living in the moment so really took the time just to be still & take life slowly.

What you don’t get in an office though is sun burn from your computer!!     After ½ hour on a bench I realised I was getting rather red so decided it was time for lunch.   Once again, either nowhere seemed to be open or empty which isn’t a great sign so decided to just head to a café in the main Piazza.

Lunch again was a pizza!   You certainly can’t beat them here and are so reasonably priced, much cheaper than in the UK.   After a long leisurely lunch I decided I would brave the steep, uphill walk back to the hotel.   I could see dark clouds in the distance & not knowing exactly where I was going or how far the hotel was tried to set off at a brisk pace.    Pretty much after 5 minutes I realised how unfit I was and what inappropriate footwear (flip flops) I was wearing!   It was one of those walks where you’ve left the town, the taxi rank & the last bus stop are behind you & you just have to continue ahead as there’s no going back!    Which was fine until it started raining…followed by thunder….followed by lightening.  Up went the umbrella and before long I was slipping out of my flop flops which wouldn’t stay on my feet with the rain.   My legs were getting covered in mud from the gravel road but thankfully I was only 5 minutes from the hotel so managed to make it back semi-alive!

Despite this slight change in weather it didn’t detract from a lovely day which was topped off by an afternoon sleep!  (Something you don’t get to do on a Wednesday afternoon when you work full time)    I think everyone on the tour appreciated a day off from what is a full on trip from 7.30am – 10pm each day…at this rate I’ll need a holiday when I get back.

So from a very relaxed & chilled Lou Lou!

Ciao!

 

 

!!

So it’s an early start (well be my standards considering I’m on holiday!) and leaving the hotel at 7.45am as we embark on a 3 hour coach journey to Rome.   I’ll be honest I can’t really comment on the journey as I spent most of it asleep but you pretty much know when you get to Rome as the traffic drives you a standstill.

The day begins with a guided tour starting at the Colleseum and the stark reality of how many tourists come to Rome.  The place is rammed with every nationality & language you can imagine combined with those people who hassle you with the offer of bottles of water, postcards & the selfie stick….more of this later.  After a few days visiting fairly quiet places, it was certainly overwhelming.  A bit landing in London & you just have to get into the ‘London pace & mentality’

We didn’t go into the Colleseum as this is literally a whistle-stop taster of Rome but I can imagine it is pretty impressive inside.   Our guide is an art historian and incredibly knowledgeable and fills us with so many facts & information that it is quite overwhelming when standing in the midday heat.  The only thing I can remember is that the Games at the Colleseum lasted 100 days & involved a lot of bloody killing of humans & animals which were cut up & dished out to the crowd at the end.  (That’s the animals not the humans…I think… but who knows?!).

After a quick walk around, it’s back on the bus & heading down to the Trevi Fountain.   A site I’ve heard of but never actually seen a picture so wasn’t quite sure what I expected.   What I didn’t expect was the 100’s of tourists.  It was mental – pick pocket heaven & considering it’s only early June can’t imagine how busy it gets in high season over summer.   It’s such a popular tourist attraction over run with people I can’t wait to get a picture and then just get out as you are just caught up in crowds while playing limbo under all the selfie sticks.   You’re supposed to throw some money into the fountain & make a wish but to be honest couldn’t be bothered to fight my way down there.  Maybe it’ one of those places which is quieter on an evening as it is an incredible beautiful building.

From Trevi we walked to The Pantheon, which again I kept referring to The Parthenon which the guide corrected me & said that’s a temple in Greece….bit of a blonde moment!     Now I’d never heard of this building which is basically a church & has something to do with the emperor Hadrian.  I did want to ask if this was anyway linked to Hadrian’s Wall in the North of England as it an Ancient Roman monument but didn’t want to embarrass myself twice in one day!

I will blow you away with one fact I did learn & have just checked in on Google in case I heard wrong!   Did you know the Margherita pizza is named after Princess Margherita who is buried in the Pantheon?   Well it is……..& there you go.   Next time you are tucking into a red tomato, white cheese & green basil pizza which also represents the colours of the Italian flag it will remind you of one of the great Queens of Italy!

 

From the Pantheon it was over to Piazza Novona by which point I looked at the rest of our group who looked tired & exhausted with the walking and heat of the day.   Our tour guide was great but after nearly 3 hours we all just needed a drink & some lunch! Our brains were saturated with facts, figures and to be honest apart from the pizza fact, it had gone in one ear & out the other!   After we were ‘released’ we had 3 hours to kill to do whatever we wanted.

 

First stop for everyone was food!  One of couples asked me if I’d like to join them.   I just can’t remember everyone’s name but know that the husband is called Alan!   He’s on holiday with his wife and sister who I think is 82 and is amazing!    She is such a hoot but hasn’t joined us on the trip to Rome.      I have at last my first pizza in Italy & it is delicious!!   Post lunch I head off alone to hunt out the obligatory postcard & fridge magnet to add to the collection.   As we don’t have a map of Rome I want to stay close to the meeting point & avoid getting lost like I did in Turin.   To be honest it is so crazy with people, I’m happy just to sit in the Piazza, watch the world go by & enjoy the heat of the sunshine.   It’s always when you just sit and people watch you realise how the world has gone crazy for the ‘selfie’ photo.   Now I will confess it does have its benefits when you travel alone to capture a photo of yourself – but let’s face it you never look great in them!

 

Just had to google who invented the Selfie Stick and can you believe the idea was patented in 1983 with Wayne Fromm bringing his Qick Pod to the market in 2006!   Unsurprisingly he’s a millionaire but my god he’s created a health hazard around the world!  The number of times I had to duck out the way as people wave the things around with the majority being the Chinese!   Either that or you’re being rude to Selfie Stick Sellers who constantly hassle you to buy one!

 

The 3 hours went pretty quickly and my feet were hurting after all the walking on cobbles so looked forward to the 3 hour drive home….and again another little sleep!    Overall it was great to visit, get a taster of Rome & tick it off my bucket list…another “first” done!  It looks a great city – not too expensive if you pick the right places to eat but you do have to be prepared for the number of tourists.  I’m not sure if it would be quieter out of season?  I’m guessing not.

So off back in the bus for the trip back to Tuscany.  Once you get out of Rome the roads, like their trains are pretty good.      One observation was how Italian truck drivers drive.   It seems pretty normal to drive with one hand, use your mobile in the other, have one bare foot up on the dashboard while watching TV!   Scary stuff!  I’ve had to sit at the back of the bus as Marco our driver has a tendency to drive with one hand and be on his mobile with the other so just can’t look.   He’s also a driver who likes a bit of speed.   Normally I’m over taking buses on the motorway but we were constantly over taking cars at quite a speed!

We all arrive back pretty shattered & looking forward to a day off tomorrow!   For me no alarm clock & a lazy day in the local town of Chianciano Terme.

Till tomorrow

Lou Lou xx

Good evening everyone!   We’re actually back at our hotel by 5pm which is the earliest in 2 days!   I have to say today has been a more “normal” & less eventful day for a change.  We are spending the next 7 nights in Hotel Michelangelo in Chianciano Terme a 4 star hotel in Tuscany.   I won’t completely slate the hotel but compared to our hotel into Turin which was very new & modern this was probably a 4 star hotel in the 1970s!  Even the older people of the group don’t think it’s up to scratch but hey let’s just say it’s got historic, rustic charm!    None of the staff speak any English which Richard the Tour guide finding it a little challenging & difficult to communicate.   Wi-fi doesn’t stretch to the 2^nd floor or my room so have to go down to the ground floor to connect with the world!

So today’s trip is out to Siena and thankfully only a 1.5 hour trip on a coach – no trains or dragging luggage today.  The sun is shining so a great start to the day.    We all meet in the hotel reception to meet our coach driver for the week – Marco who thankfully does speak English.     I’ve packed light, unlike some of the group who literally have packed full A&E medical kits…..any injury’s the group is definitely covered.

Arrival in Siena starts with a 2 hour guided tour with Barbara (this is her real name) around the town which I can only say is incredibly beautiful.  I bit like Venice but without the canals.  An incredible mixture of history & architecture but absolutely rammed with tourists.  No wonder Barbara who was born here now lives in the country to get away from the crowded city.

After the tour it was a quick break for lunch so headed down a small cobbled street to find a restaurant.   I was joined again but The Welsh Couple & John the single guy which was pleasant but thankfully got some time afterward to explore the city by myself at a bit faster pace.    Lunch was great ….Lasagna – my absolute favourite meal which didn’t let me down….it was scrummy!   Wine is so cheap here so washed it down with a lovely ‘vino rosso’ but for someone who isn’t a bit drinker & not used to drinking mid-day on a Monday I didn’t feel a bit drunk by 2pm!

I would definitely recommend a one or two day trip to Siena as there is lots to see.  From the top of my head I to see;

• Piazza del Campo which is the huge main square in Siena and home to the annual Palio (where they have horse racing around the square in July & August)

• Gothic Doumo & Cathedral – built of white & black marble & pretty impressive especially as only 4 euros to go inside…..Italy so far I’m not finding too expensive, if anything cheaper than the UK.

• The Basilica – all I can remember is you can’t take photos & home of a nun / possible Saint called Catherine who is the patron saint of Europe. She died ages 35 from starvation as she wanted to go through the same suffering as Christ which bless her, her body parts of split up & her head and right thumb are on display in the Church.  Not sure where the rest ended up & not sure how she would feel about this!  (Funny how you remember the odd/gruesome parts of a guided tour!)

The weather was beautiful till late afternoon when the storms arrived & had to take refuge in the Basilica.     Yet again I’ve packed sun cream when I needed a water proof!  I certainly got a soaking!    But it was nice to sit on the Basilica again & to be honest while pretending it sit contemplating life with my eyes shut had a little snooze!!!   Now I am sounding old!  When you’re sat in an air-conditioned office all day you’re not used to all this fresh air is my excuse.

So just a short post today….mainly as I’m literally dropping asleep lying on my hotel bed here & evening dinner is in a half hour!   So nice to actually eat before 10pm!   It’s an early start tomorrow so want to be in bed before midnight for a change!

Tomorrow is another “first” and tick off the bucket list – Rome or “Roma” as they would say in Italy.   It’s a 6 hour round trip on a coach so early start & late return but very excited.   Fingers crossed for dry weather!

Till tomorrow!

Lou Lou xx

Not a great night’s sleep & spent most of it trying to get warm – European duvets just aren’t the thickness of British ones where I seem to live with my winter duvet all year around!   Even so, I still managed to sleep through 2 alarm calls although not a disaster as it was still only 8am and I had 6 hours to explore Turin before heading off to Tuscany.

I know food is a great passion of mine but so far I’ve got nothing to shout about here in Italy.  My M&S Tuna & Sweetcorn sandwich on the train down to London is still proving the highlight of my trip so far (always been a firm favourite since living off them during my University years) but hopefully it will improve.   As a result I won’t spend any time commenting on my cold scrambled eggs on toast for breakfast or a chicken leg & 3 bits of broccoli for dinner last night….

So, a morning of leisure in Turin or Torino as they call it here in Italy.    I have to say I haven’t had this on my bucket list of places to visit so aren’t too familiar on what to see.  A quick log on to Trip Advisor and “top things to do” and pulled out a few places & sights nearby the hotel.   Being in on escorted tour is very much like being on a school trip for grown-ups but so it’s so nice to be let free to do a bit of independent sightseeing every now & then.   It’s like when you are at school and the bell goes for play time and you can just run free but not really knowing what, where or who you’re going to play with.

Now geography was not a strong point for me a school which has continued into my adult life where I just can’t make any sense of map reading.  With my new sense of freedom but with firm instructions from ‘Richard’ the Tour Manager to be back at the hotel no later than 1.30pm I left the hotel with the aim to visit Via Roma which is basically a posh street with lots of far too expensive shops.     In theory this was literally just round the corner and less than a  5 minutes walk.   So how the hell did I get lost?!

After 10 minutes walking in this strange city, it was becoming evident that I maybe wasn’t heading in the right direction or staying in the more touristy parts of the city.  As a single female traveller you do have to keep your wits about you….not looking too much like a tourist ….while walking confidently along like you know where you’re going.  You can only walk so far looking confident when inside your gut is saying you’ve taken a wrong turn….or 3!   As I approached a junction with what looked like a Mosque or religious place of worship, the road blocked off by army vehicles and the soliders parading their guns I decided to stop, re-group and look blankly at the map.    One soldier approached me as it was obvious I wasn’t in the right place but his English was bad as my Italian but between us managed to locate where I was.   Where I needed to head North – I’d gone South, when I needed to turn right….I’d gone left…so basically I was in the complete opposite direction of where I wanted to be.   How the hell had I got it so wrong?   So a brisk walk back to the hotel to try & start over again!

Via Roma was literally 5 minutes from the hotel and lovely colonnade of very expensive shops (Prada, Gucci, Louis Vitton & ironically H&M!) which made good window shopping but making sure I looked away from any shop where I saw a handbag!   I’ve already bought a new bag for this trip & I don’t have the space to take another one home!   So with 5 hours to hit Torina I managed to cover off the following locations!

1. Via Roma – basically a shopping precinct
2. Piazza San Carlo – a big square next to Via Roma
3. Piazza Castello – another big square after San Carlo
4. Museum of Egyptian stuff – rated No. 1 on Trip Advisor places to see. Not too sure how or why to be honest.
5. Visited a local Sunday Market – lots of cheese, sausages & more cheese
6. Some Cathedral which has something to do the with Turin Shroud – can’t work out on the map which Church it was!
7. Giardini Reali – not sure what this was but basically some gardens, fountains & a building with art in.

Not bad for 5 hours – feet feeling a bit sore as I haven’t walked this far for ages!     Turin is a lovely city and although I still managed to get lost a few times made it to a café where I bumped into 2 of my fellow travel companions who I’ll name ‘Benson & Hedges’ as they are massively addicted to cigarettes and can’t go 5 minutes without lighting up.   They are a lovely couple & have the great relationship of being ex-husband (whole I’ll call Benson) & ex-wife (‘Hedges’), live separately but still get on well enough to be travel companions which sounds like a great relationship to me.   Bless them, getting through a 6 hour train journey with no cigarettes was torture for them yesterday & managed to smoke 2 cigarettes in the space of 5 minutes once getting off the train.  They are also over the moon that cigarettes are half the price than in Britain so are making the most of it.   I stopped off for quick lunch with them (in a mist of cigarette smoke) and chatted away.

The first thing ‘Hedges’ said to me when I sat down was “Can I just say how brave you are to come onto this trip by yourself”.  The number of people over the years who have said this to me always takes me aback.  My first response is always “I have a choice in life…. I can either sit at home wishing I was here or I can get off my backside & just live the life I want to lead”.

 My second response is always a feeling of sadness that someone people (most often women) just don’t lead the life they dream of either through maybe fear or insecurity.    Don’t get me wrong, travelling alone doesn’t come easy to me, but like anything in life the more you do something, the easier it becomes whether it’s learning a language, a musical instrument or driving a car.

Travelling alone really started at work for me in my early 20’s when going away on business was a frequent occurrence.  In the early days I was fortunate to fly business class, stay in higher class hotels & the pleasure of Company expenses.   The downside is you get used to this standard of travel which can’t always transferred into your personal life when you’re paying for it!  Although I’ve now left the Company, one of the greatest gifts it gave me was the confidence to travel alone which has been such a life lesson & worth more than any salary or company pension.  Don’t get me wrong, it does feel uncomfortable sometimes eating in a restaurant alone or sitting by yourself with no one to talk to on the beach, flight, train etc… but at the same time you meet some amazing & different people which you might never had met with you’d been travelling with someone. Maybe it’s a generational thing as I love how so many young people take a gap year & go travelling to some far flung places on a shoe string budget without a care in the world!

Anyway, back to Turin.  After a brief lunch it was back to the hotel to re-group and head to the station for another 6 hour train ride on 2 trains to Tuscany.    I’m not to going sound like a geeky train spotter but my god, the Italian trains are incredible and make anything we have in the UK a complete farce.   Clean, high speed, gliding through the country & even the toilets were incredible.  Enough said.

I sat with a Welsh couple….oh god I’m so useless at remembering people’s names….but lovely people.  The husband didn’t really talk…mainly as his wife never shut up but they were awful kind & shared their mint humbugs with me (sensing their old age here?) while giving me a rundown of their twin son’s love lives.  Both are 31  (well obviously their twins!)   One son is happily settled down with a 2 year old, the other just likes to play the field and tends to go for the “foreigner” type women racking up relationships with a Danish, Polish & most recently an Austrailian.   Note to self ….not to sit with this couple again as it was a long 3 hours.

So we eventually arrived in Tuscany and headed to our 4 star hotel for the next 8 days.     You know what…..I’m going to leave the description of this ‘not so quite 4 star Fawlty Towers style hotel’ for another day.   It’s nearly midnight….I’m again lying in bed writing this shivering with the cold and need to be up & out by 9am tomorrow for our day trip to Siena.

Till tomorrow my lovely friends.

Bon Nuit!

I know this is French but I seem to be doing a mash-up of Italian & French speaking to the point where the staff in the Museum actually thought I was actually French so handed me the 60 minute French audio tour of Egyptian History…..naturally it was wasted on me!

 

Lou Lou xx