Rome

The drive from Florence to Rome was 4.5 hours.  Uneventful thank goodness until we hit the many large roundabouts close to the airport parking, then the confusion began.  Europe seems to have many large roundabouts.  It is a skill trying to manoeuvre through them, reading and listening to the GPS and dodging traffic all at the same time.  Our car will stay in the car park till we return from Malta. 

The shuttle from the parking station to the Rome airport was 10-minutes.  Our private transfer met us at the airport to take us to our apartment.  It was a 45-minute drive from the airport to our apartment.  The driver was a friendly older Italian man who loved Steve Irwin – how funny is that.  He said he loves watching him on TV.

Our arrival to our apartment was hilarious.  It wasn’t ready!!! The team of work people were carrying out last minute jobs like hanging curtains.

The building was in a residential area only two Metro stops away from the Termini station (main railway station).  The building was an old block totally renovated and modernised.  The apartments have just opened for inspection.  Our apartment didn’t have any bedding, cutlery or crockery until the manager asked if there was anything we needed.  The three of us were thinking the same thing ‘would you like a list’. 

The reason we came to be in this apartment was because the hotel we were booked into (within walking distance of the Colosseum) decided to shut for renovations so us and another Australian couple were moved to the apartment block.  It didn’t really matter as we were only in Rome for two nights.  It was a stop to have a look around before flying to Malta. 

Staying in residential areas has its advantages, one being finding family run restaurants.  There was one down the road from the apartment block.  We ate there for our two nights.  It was authentic Italian food and to make it even more enjoyable the father and sons would joke with us, well mainly Jim.

The afternoon of our arrival we could hear an opera singer practising, I thought that was pretty special. 

Our day of sightseeing we took the Metro to the Termini Station and caught the obligatory, ‘Hop on hop off’ bus tour.  We hopped off after two stops and spent the next two hours at the Colosseum and Forum.  The Colosseum doesn’t take long to look around but the Forum could take half a day.  It is fascinating but we had to move on, there was so much more to see on the bus tour.  Our last stop was the Vatican City.  By this time it was 5pm so it was a good time of day to go inside St Peter’s Basilica, not so crowded and cooler.  It was amazing. 

Rome was extremely busy with tourists as was Paris and Florence but along with the normal population it was a very busy place.  Now we are in Malta enjoying the more rustic slower pace of life, one we like. 

Our Rome apartment, Jim bought us flowers from the Bangladeshi flower seller  (they're everywhere at night in the restaurants, just like in Aust in the eighties)

The Colosseum

Tourist horse outside The Colosseum

Typical Roman street scape

Look at the dinky little umbrellas - I wouldn't sit under them if you paid me!

The Trevi fountain (without the crowds) statues

For you all RC's inside St Peter's

Tuscan Vespa bike tour

http://www.tuscany-biketours.com

‘Born to be wild’ that’s us riding pillion on a 50cc Vespa around the Tuscan Hills.  Climbing into the van to drive back to Florence after our Vespa bike tour that song was playing on the radio.  Jason, our young English guide turned it up so we could enjoy the irony.  It was very funny. 

The tour started with a 40-minute drive from Florence to Chianti in the Tuscan Hills to a castle owned by a count who also happens to be a wine and olive oil maker.  Ed & Stu you would love it here, all the red wine.  You would be proud of me enjoying it on your behalf.  We had a look around the castle and had a glass of Chianti (predominately made with the Sangiovese grape variety) and bread with olive oil for tastings.  I know you gasp we are meant to be riding bikes.  Well, we did in a fashion.

After the tastings we were fitted with helmets and drove back down the hill (not with our helmet on) in the van to have a riding assessment.  The assessment was to see if we were safe enough to ride on the roads.  The assessment was really an introduction for three of us who had never ridden a bike before.  We had to ride round a gravel car park a half a dozen times.  We all passed, 7 bikes in total.  Next Jason said okay now follow me out onto the main road starting at this (what appeared to be a large) round about– both Laurel and I were now unsure. 

Laurel was wary of the Italian traffic.  Italian drivers are impatient.  My problem was more of a confidence thing.  I didn’t want to spoil the other people’s day.  I was riding at a turtle’s pace and because Jason had me following him and everyone else single file behind each other, I didn’t want that pressure so I chickened out and rode pillion with Jason – he offered.  I was being very silly (it was the wine earlier) so I thought I better not talk too much to Jason while we are riding he might think I’m a cougar.   

Laurel decided to go pillion with Jim.  She said she felt sorry for him having to ride with a big lump on the back, she felt like a giant on a small bike.  I could only touch the ground on my tiptoes.  Jim kept veering into the grass on the side of the road to scare her – he loves being silly.

We drove for an hour or so stopping for a couple of photo stops overlooking the amazing countryside.  Next stop lunch.  We rode back to the car park to the restaurant hidden behind a garden.  It was a family run restaurant and appeared quite popular.

Lunch was fun.  It gave us all time to laugh about the mornings ride.  Lunch was salad & bread, pasta, panna cotta & coffee and more local red wine.  Jason was trying to encourage me to ride on my own in the afternoon but I declined – my excuse ‘I’ve had a glass of wine and I don’t want to drink and drive’.  Jim was very good he only drank water; he didn’t even order a coke. 

Our bike (Jason & I) was called Betty Boop.  After lunch we drove up a steep hill and poor Betty sounded like a dying mosquito.  I said to Jason Betty has no boop, he replied (in jest) can you lighten the load, I replied only by shedding my thighs. 

On the home stretch back to the car park Betty had a burst of power and I head butted Jason with the peak of my helmet.  I said sorry, the thrust of power threw me back in my seat.  He laughed; he said you should put that on Tripadvisor.

The view from the castle in Chianti

Wine & olive oil tasting

The castle courtyard

A photo stop

Jim & Laurel stealing grapes 

Florence

The drive from Avignon to Florence for the most part was easier for Jim until we hit the city centre where our hotel and car park are located.  Once we entered the labyrinth of narrow streets lined with tall buildings the GPS went into a spin continually telling us to turn round.  We went round in circles till we recognized the street we were meant to be in, so close but so difficult to drive into.  The anxiety levels weren’t helped with most of the streets being one way, congested with pedestrians, scooters and cars all travelling at the Italian pace - fast.  Finally we drove into the car park sighing with relief once again to be where we were meant to be.  Our hotel was a 5-minute walk down the road.

Travelling by car is definitely a challenge, one the three of us are getting better at each road trip.  You know the old saying ‘it is about the journey not the destination’ that is certainly the case with us.  I do feel a tad bad about making Laurel spend long journeys in the car with us but we need the car to get around for the next three months till we fly out of Paris on January 1^st.

Florence has a relaxed feel regardless of the crowds.  It is an easy city to wander around once you get your bearings.  There are a couple of piazzas (squares) that help to orientate you around the many narrow streets.  Our hotel is right off Piazza del Duomo, a busy street of hotels, cafes and restaurants.  

Laurel and I were here 25 years ago but stayed on the other side of the River Tiber below Michelangelo Square.  We walked up to it yesterday evening.  It’s worth the climb and walk for a spectacular view over Florence even with Jim trailing behind saying ‘are we there yet’ more in jest than serious. 

Yesterday we walked and walked around the streets looking at the buildings and architecture.  There are queues to get into the churches and museums but not as long as the summer months.  Having only two days here we have chosen not to queue preferring to ‘look, see and experience’ the city and go on a Vespa tour. 

We have enjoyed drinks at a café a couple of doors down from our hotel.  Jim has struck up a friendship with the owner.  He lived in Adelaide till he was a teenager then came to live in Florence.  The local food has been fresh and tasty.  We have enjoyed the bread, salads, pizza, pasta and risotto.  Last night Laurel and I enjoyed a prawn, saffron & zucchini risotto.  Not salty like the previous nights porcini mushroom risotto.  The Italians can be a bit heavy handed with the salt.  Jim ordered fresh crab risotto.  He was surprised and happy when it arrived.  It was a smashed crab sitting on top of his risotto rice.  A most enjoyable meal to say arrivederci to Florence.

There is a cycle race here for the week so by 9.30am each day the roads are barricaded and closed for the day.  Lucky for us on our arrival into Florence it was 6.30pm and the races had finished for the day.  The aim this morning was to leave by 8.30am to miss the traffic and road closures – achieved, we drove out of the car park at 8.15am.  We’re currently driving on our way to Roma.  It is a 3.5hour drive.  We’re booked into a car park near the airport for the next 9 days.  The car parks provide a free shuttle to the airport; there we’ll catch a taxi to our apartment in Rome.  We are in Rome for two nights.  Our flight is at 8pm on Friday night to Malta.  We will be there for a week.  It will be nice to stay put.  

Jim made me do it!

Looking at the Ponte Vecchio

Gelati - typically Italian

Laurel & I, walking walking

The view from Michelangelo Square (to the left)

& to the right

Goodbye Avignon, hello Florence

Here I am again in the back seat of the car writing.  We have just passed a sign ‘Italia’ before going through a tunnel - Au Revoir France, Bonjourno Italy.  Apparently there are 99 tunnels before we reach Florence.

I had first shift in the front leaving Avignon.  Four hours later we have stopped for lunch at a petrol station with a fantastic view over the Cote d’Azur, looking over Nice to the right and Monaco to the left.  Breathtaking!

Today is a beautiful fine day – 27 degrees and a partially cloudy sky, perfect for driving unlike Wednesday when we drove from Paris.  It was the drive from hell.  It rained for five hours out of the eight and a half hour drive.  Poor Jim, it was hard going.  It was a three-lane motorway and two were taken up with semi trailers and the third is the fast lane.  The Polo can’t manage the fast lane so we had to sit behind semi trailers driving between 100 and 130 kms per hour spitting out rain from their tyres.  The Polo was being pushed around by their slipstream and then hitting puddles of rain sitting on the road.  The rain didn’t appear to be draining off the road.

We were thankful when the rain stopped and even more thankful when we found the car park outside the walls of the old city of Avignon.  We were all suffering from a touch of anxiety on arrival.  Laurel was suffering from motion sickness so she stayed in to rest meanwhile Jim and I went out for dinner, beer and red wine to calm the nerves.  It was magical sitting under a huge tree surrounded by old buildings and towers.

Also, I have to mention to calm the nerves this apartment is great for yoga with its large rooms, high ceilings and big windows.   It is a pleasure to sit and practice.

Our first impression of Avignon was one of awe.  Walking up the stairs out of the car park into the square with the Palais des Papes standing in front of us.  Our apartment is in a 700 year-old building with a spectacular view of the Palais des Papes (the Pope lived here in the 17^th century before moving to Rome).

Avignon is an easy place to be as you can walk around the old city and take in its history and the buildings, shopping and food.   Our first full day was spent wandering around the city.  We had dinner at 8.30pm (very European & very late for us) two doors down at a quaint French restaurant focusing on cheese with meat, seafood or vegetables. 

Our second day we took the tourist toy train around the old city – it was good to have commentary to go with the many sights we passed the day before.  In the afternoon we visited the Palais des Papes.  Unfortunately the light and sound show in the evenings is in French, Laurel and I were keen to have seen it, not too worry.  Laurel made a tasty stir-fry for dinner and we watched a DVD on the laptop as the TV only has French channels.

Our third and final day in Avignon we paid for a private (Mercedes) van for the afternoon to visit some of the area surrounding Avignon.  It was like driving around in Stu’s Ranga.  Our first stop was Chateaneuf-De-Pape.  A village known for its many hundreds of family wineries.  Before the revolution in the 17^th century this was the area where the grapes were grown for the popes wine when he lived in Avignon.  We visited the Brotte winery and tasted three wines – that was enough as they were 15% alcohol.  Laurel bought a bottle of white to have on her birthday on Sept 30; we’ll be in Malta.  After the winery we drove to the villages of Gordes & Rousillion.  Gordes is one thousand years old.  It was built originally out of stone so after being bombed in WWII by the Germans in retaliation against the French resistance they rebuilt with the remaining stones.  It is a pretty French village.  Only the affluent can afford to live in the village now days.  Jim was being silly but funny and said it was like being on the set of the old English TV show ‘Allo Allo’. 

Leaving Gordes we headed for Roussillon.  This village is known for its ocre mines.  The houses in the village are painted in various shades of ocre, all very cute.  Through out Provence (this area) lavender is grown in abundance so in keeping with the theme of things I had a lavender ice cream.  It was an interesting concept. 

David, our driver was an interesting character.  Laurel was calling him our faux French/Italian/Australian guide.   He was born in Adelaide but left Australia 18 years ago, has lived in Venice (his parents birthplace) followed by Paris and now Avignon for the past 10 years, strange as he had an American twang.

Both Gordes and Roussillon are in the mountain ranges of Luberon.  The area is known for its agriculture.  We visited the Les Halles market in the morning in Avignon and saw all the yummy fresh produce of this area.  We bought quiches and salad that we had for dinner last night.

Jim is more relaxed now with driving on the opposite side of the road because the GPS alerts you to the fact.  Once again we praise the GPS.  Not sure how anyone travelled Europe with only a map.  We wouldn’t have coped – we would have had to sell the car to prevent a divorce and rely on public transport or jumped on a tour bus.  I don’t think I will be driving very often or at all while we are in Europe.  Jim says he feels he needs to nurse the car along and he needs to be in control, it makes him feel less nervous.  I don’t mind being a passenger it gives me time to catch up on writing the blog, reading and looking around.

PS.  It is now 10pm and I am in bed in our hotel room in Florence.  The road trip to here was enjoyable except upon entering Florence (proper) but that will keep for the next blog.  This wifi is extremely slow!!!!!!!

Our street - see blue sign on right, Laurel & I on left looking up at Palais des Papes

Gordes

Laurel & I in Gordes

Rousillon

Jim (smiling) in Rousillon