October holiday, 19 October

You can't really do justice to Rome in a day, but we had a go. The trouble was, as the Swan Whisperer said, round every corner was something worth photographing.

But first of all, it was Saturday, so if course the SW had to find a parkrun. There was one fairly near, so he had a very early breakfast, to allow time to digest it, and then headed off while I got up more slowly and had my own meal. By the time he got back and had showered, changed and had coffee, it was about 11 when we set off.

We decided to go on the bus to Vatican City, but we had to change buses and I don't know what they thought they were playing at, but there were two on the stand and they simply wouldn't get going and everybody kept changing from one to the other in case that one set off, etc.

Finally one of them did and dropped us very near St Peter's Square, which was fabulous.

We didn't really want to go into the Cathedral, so we walked all round the square and admired the Cathedral. When we got back into Italy, walking down a long avenue towards the river,

there was a tout for a restaurant so we took his advice and very good it was, too. I had cacio e pepe, which was delicious, and the SW had pasta arrabiata, which he liked. Also beer for us both.

Then we thought we could walk to the Trevi Fountain. Big mistake - it took far longer than it said it would, and then when we did eventually get there, it was more crowded than a Northern Line train in the rush hour, and you could barely see it, far less throw coins in it. 

In spite of a gelato stop, I was flagging badly by then so treated us to a city tour which was cheaper as it was after 15:00. It was good to join the dots, but Roman traffic is dreadful, like Paris was 50 years ago.  And I couldn't listen to the commentary as it was on earbud headphones and you can't use them with hearing aids. 

When the bus got to its terminus we tried to catch a train back to Ostiense, the quartier where we are parked, but just missed it and ended up taking the metro. Quite a long walk back the other end, so I have gone to bed and the SW has gone to see if he can buy some sausages. 

October holiday, 18 October

Rome, Italy

We got up really early this morning and were away just before 09:00,thankful to discover that although you had to have paid for the campsite by 11:00 am, you didn't have to actually leave until 14:00, which took a great deal of pressure off.

We walked into Pisa - it wasn't far, only through a rather nasty tunnel under the railway lines, and then you turned more or less straight into a little street full of souvenir sellers

and at the end there was an entrance to the great Cathedral plaza with the infamous Tower.

We walked all round

and found an exit at the opposite corner, enjoying a replica of the famous Roman statue on the way.

Had I known we were only on the very edge of the town and there was a historical town centre, its have demanded a coffee and a sit-down, and then visited it, but perhaps as well not to overdo it. As it was, we walked back along the walls (not on them, but below them), noticing one of the towers was also a bit crooked. 

Then it was time to head on to Rome, which was a more interesting drive than some as it was not all motorway, although mostly dual carriageway. Interesting to learn the various shibboleths of Italian driving! And of course, urban driving in Rome itself, which wasn't  as scary as the SW had feared.

We are parked up in a typical urban motor home park, not far from public transport. The SW has been exploring and tomorrow we will see the sights. 

October holiday, 17 October

Pisa, Italy.

We hadn't been going to, but neither of us could quite bear to be so close and not at least have a quick look at Milan. Plus Citymapper told us there was a bus from the airport (fortunately closed for 3 months for runway repairs) straight to the Duomo, so it would have been rude not to, really.

So off we went. It's always difficult to tell what a city is like from a bus, if you don't know it at all, especially when said bus goes up one very long street (it felt like) lined with shops and apartments. And up the tram lines. 

But we got to the terminus eventually, about 5 minutes walk from the Duomo itself

and from the iconic plaza Vittore Emanuele II.

We didn't go into the Duomo as you had to pay, but we did walk through the plaza,

and then out and round and so back to the bus stop.

A quick cup of coffee when we got back to the van, and we were away at last 5 minutes earlier than we had been the previous day!

We had been going to spend the night on the outskirts of Florence, but decided we would see more, more enjoyably, if we went to Pisa instead. So we did, driving on the motorway (€27 today) stopping at a services for lunch, and getting rained on as we crossed the mountains. 

We have found a camp site about 20 minutes' walk from the Tower (which we saw in the distance as we drove in) and the SW has gone for a run so we can be out betimes for an explore tomorrow morning. 

October holiday, 16 October

Linate Airport, Milan, Italy

I had, I discovered, made a total nonsense of route planning this trip and we were aimed straight at the Mont Blanc tunnel, which is eye-wateringly expensive! 

We wondered whether to go the cheap way, maybe only as far as Torino, but it would have taken forever and hairpin bends... Or maybe abandon our plans altogether and join our friends at Lake Bled? But eventually the SW said that we had never been through the Mont Blanc tunnel, and it would be An Experience. So we kept to Plan A.

The rain was away overnight and it was a lovely morning, if cold. We were glad of our hot-water bottles and the central heating this morning. The SW went for a run, so we didn't get away very early, especially once I had done the shopping.

But we were off at last and it was actually a lovely drive, full of snow-capped mountains

and a spectacular waterfall.

The tunnel was horrible, but there was no queue so we were able to go straight through and then on and on through miles and miles of smaller tunnels and it was about 2 before we stopped for lunch in an aire where there was also a big Carrefour, so I wandered round that and looked at prices (similar to France and would probably be cheaper if VAT wasn't higher) but didn't buy anything. They had some fabulous displays of cheeses and fresh pastas, though!

And then a long, long drive down the motorway - I slept for a lot of it - and ten round the Milan ring road, which was slow, but we finally got to the long-term car park where we are spending the night. 

October holiday, 15 October

Annecy, France

It is raining. It has been raining. It will have been raining. We had a very wet drive today and decided to go on the motorway as it was so very dreary.

First off all, though, we went to an Intermarché so I could shop and take some exercise (!) and I was delighted to acquire a turkey leg for all of €2 - would have been rude not  to, really, at that price.

So long wet drive on the motorway. Stopped in an air that might almost have been as nice as the Baie de la Somme on the A16 had it not been raining, and the autumn colours would have been lovely in the sunshine. 

When we arrived in Annecy, we were disappointed to find that the aire where we had planned to spend the night was full, but plan B, a car park up by the Basilica

, has a lovely view over the lake and the city

(the mountains are hidden today), and there was even a rainbow! 

And we have wine, and my turkey leg is braising on the stove.... Italy tomorrow! 

October holiday, 14 October

Nuits St Georges, France.

The trouble with a holiday like this is that there is such a lot of driving, especially if one would rather not pay French motorway tolls more than absolutely necessary.

The Swan Whisperer likes running in Chamery, so he went for a run this morning around the vineyards,

and again we didn't get away much before 10, although this did include emptying the grey water tank - there doesn't seem to be running water at the services there, so we couldn't fill up or empty the loo.

Anyway, first port of call was a supermarket so I had a good walk (such a pity the fitbit doesn't register when you're pushing a trolley, and I'd left my phone in the van so it didn't, either) while the SW bought diesel and gas and had coffee.

And then we set off across country to Nuits St Georges, although we did go on the motorway for some of it. We stopped for lunch in the middle of nowhere and again for the SW to have a break, and got here about 5:30.  We have emptied the loo, which needed it, and will get water in the morning. Services are free, which is what's so nice about so much of France. 

There is a cat in the motor home next door to us! 

October holiday, 13 October

Chamery, France. 

So yesterday we had a Circuit training event in Bellingham, near Lewisham, which is very close to the A20 and cut a good hour off our journey time. The event has been scheduled to finish at 3:00, so I assumed that we would not be leaving until about 3:30 and booked us in for a last check in time of 6:05 pm. As it was, the event finished early and we arrived at Folkestone only to be told that there was high demand for the single decker section and they were sorry but we couldn't go before our booked crossing. So that was 2 hours we had to sit in the car park! Still, we could have a cup of tea and flake out with a book, and when we were finally crossing we ate our cold supper and then we had an hour to drive in the pouring rain to Watten, near Eperleques. The aire was surprisingly full and we just got the last space.

It appeared we were just on the edge of the band of rain, and when I woke up in the night there was clear skies and a full moon, but it was cloudy again when I woke a second time.

So near the edge of the time zone, it was never going to get light much before 8, but the Swan Whisperer wanted a run so we set the alarm for 07:15 and he went off once he had had his tea. 

After breakfast I had a look round the aire, which was on the banks of the canal, very nice 

and was childishly amused by the thought of dejected dogs needing to be picked up 

(yes of course I know it means to pick up dog poo).

We set off at about 10, I think, and asked the satnav to take us non-toll. First stop was a Netto, which didn't have bread but did have those globe-shaped courgettes ee like. I meant to buy some frozen beans, too, but they sort of transformed into nougat ice cream. Oops! 

Quite a long, but not unpleasant, drive, made longer by the fact that we had never visited Laon and decided it was not too far out of our way to do that. The SW walked up to the Cathedral, but I looked at the gradient and thought not! So we had a cup of tea and then it was only an hour's run to here, where we have been several times before. Chamery is just outside Reims, in the heart of champagne country and very quiet. The weather has been lovely all day!