Italy
On Sunday we planned to catch up with some friends-of-friends. They're a bit out of town so this involved some detailed research on the unnecessarily obscure local bus system (we took two wrong buses on our way to our accommodation on Friday). Bus research was hampered by: * Our
Italy
On Saturday we headed into Venice for A's and my third time (first visit for the boys). This time we headed across on the bus (easier and cheaper than the water bus we'd used on our previous visits in 2006 and 2008). We had no firm
Italy
On Thursday we made it properly into the old city centre of Florence and to our planned museum from earlier — the Leonardo da Vinci Interactive Museum. We couldn't get a time slot for the museum till 5:15pm, so spent a few hours just wandering the city and
Italy
On Wednesday, our second full day in Florence, we walked from our lovely apartment in the Le Cure district to the Stibbert Museum. This was right up the boys' alley! What was at the Stibbert Museum? J: Paintings, armour, interesting words (things that you read) and weapons and stuff.
Italy
On Tuesday we had plans to head to a museum for our first day in Florence, but the boys were most keen to more closely inspect the river near our accommodation. We had seen a local "water rat" (castorino) on the way in on Monday night, and J
Italy
On Monday, going from Rome to Florence, we got to ride one of Trenitalia's high-speed Frecciarossa trains. While these can apparently hit 300km/h, the highest we saw was 244km/h — still pretty cool, and a much faster (1 hour 20 minutes), more pleasant and cheaper way to
Italy
While our journey to Naples from Rome was lovely (highly recommend the train... was very pleasantly straightforward and stress-free after all our airport experiences), our first introduction to Rome was less so. Within 30 minutes of stepping off the train, I had my phone stolen. We'd known this
Italy
On Wednesday, we continued our run into the really accident world with a visit to Pompeii. Buried under ash following the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD, the city was forgotten until being rediscovered in the 1700s. Excavations and restorations have been going on since. However, the city itself
Italy
Doors in Naples were a bit boring (comparatively speaking), but they did have lots of cool entry arches/gateways leading to the inner courtyards of many buildings.
Northern Ireland
On Tuesday we set off for a scenic drive, as recommended by Sharon. While we didn't quite manage her recommended route, we still had a lovely (if very cold and windy) day. We actually ended up spending the most time wandering/hiking/clambering around Ballintoy Harbour (for the
England
After our gunpowder history lesson, we did a tour of the famous Tower Bridge. This included going up and down both main towers, walking along the top level (including on the new-ish glass floors, to the consternation of some of our party!), and a visit to the old engine rooms.
England
Remember, remember, The fifth of November, Gunpowder treason and plot; For I see no reason Why gunpowder treason Should ever be forgot. The Gunpowder Plot, a new-ish offering on London's tourism scene, is a mixed-reality experience near the Tower of London. On Thursday afternoon, with the half dozen