Wednesday 15th August – A day of rest.

We got up and had breakfast, today was a bank holiday so all the shops were closed at lunchtime. Rich & I went out at breakfast to get everything for the day. We had more breakfast, played Amelie’s Harry potter lego game & just chilled out till midday.

Then it was time for Amelie’s windsurf hire, so a quick sandwich for her then off to the beach. Mum & Dad offered to cook the bolognaise before the mince went off and it would’ve been rude to say no!

Today we could only get a 2m sail so it was hard work, but Ed wanted a go so we got him into his wetsuit too. Even that was hard work, he got hot and bothered so we sent him into the lake to cool off.

I tried again and again but there was no way, I checked the label & lo and behold it was Amelie’s small wetsuit – no wonder! (Note to self, buy them different wetsuits)

After Amelie was worn out, we swapped wetsuits & Edward had a go on the windsurf.  He wasn’t bothered about having a go, but once on he was determined to do well & well he did, returning to almost the same point on the beach each time he turned around!

After a while he too was tired so I suggested we go in and give Amelie another go, he kept dropping the sail, I suggested he was trying to stay out longer & he said “It’s like having a shower, I don’t want to do it but when I start I don’t want to stop!”

We finally got him off the board and Amelie had another go, she did well but then fell in out to sea & just sat on her board. Rich went over to her & she sailed in but then came over crying. Apparently she’d fallen off and got her foot stuck under the mast which scared her in the water.

Tuesday 14th August A day on the boat.

We woke early to rain pitter pattering on the tent, our day in the boat was looking doubtful.

When we got up the mountains were shrouded in dark clouds, we decided it was hardly worth being on a boat if it was raining and we couldn’t see the scenery.

After much discussion, we went for a walk to the beach to see the outlook, there was barely any blue sky visible and we decided it would be best to wait for another day, but as we stood there chatting and as we walked back to the tent the sun broke through & the clouds parted. It was on!

Rich went to do a quick shop, while we packed bags & got organised.  Once ready the boys drove Amelie & Edward to collect the boat, mum & I finished packing our bags and waited for the text. Finally it came & we headed for the beach, once there we could already hear them even before we saw them! Ed & Amelie squealing with delight.

We had a lovely day cruising past the James Bond Villa, the one from Star wars, admiring the beautiful places.  We stopped and jumped into the lake for a swim, luckily not all of us as it proved difficult for grown-ups to get back into the boat unaided (short ladder & gravity!)

We tried to moor up on a small island but apparently that would cost €6 per person so we untied & drifted off the coastline to eat our lunch, who needs a jetty when you have an anchor! Another quick swim then off we set again.

We made it as far down as George Cloony’s house but sadly he wasn’t on the balcony waving so we turned around, looked at the time and realised we didn’t have long to get the boat back, so it was full throttle all the way home. The kids lay down and dozed while Granma braced herself, trying to look relaxed!

Rich and I took control and got us home with 10 mins to spare, just enough to sort out bags, Granma to get dressed properly & generally organise ourselves before we took it in. A great time was had and we all came back needing a sleep!

But hey you can sleep when you’re dead right? So we headed for the beach, Ed & Amelie played at dam building in the river with Granma & Grandad while Rich & I lay down and chilled on the beach.

After a while, Rich took Amelie up river to a waterfall which she could jump off – perfect!  Later, Ed was busy digging in the sand so Amelie, Granma and I took the opportunity to have the ice creams we missed out on yesterday – yum!

Then it was off to the tent for baked beans sausages & fried eggs – followed by pancakes. I say pancakes, but apparently my frying pan no longer works, so they were more like Kaiser Schmarn without the Kaiser! Mum had a go, better but still the pan was condemned, looked like someone had been using the scourer on it too much, wonder who that could’ve been?

That evening at about 10 there were meant to be fireworks, so we headed down to the beach and we waited, and we waited, they had a disco going on but everyone was too busy watching for fireworks. Hundreds of boats, zooming across the bay with their red and green lights blazing, almost as exciting as fireworks.

The fireworks, when they finally started were spectacular; it seemed to go on for hours. They had amazing ones which looked like a planet with another orbiting it, others like universes exploding into different colours, ones which made a heart shape then huge fountains.

There’s nothing better than fireworks over the sea, the reflections in the water, the bangs echoing off the mountain side. 

Monday 13th August Buon Compleanno Amelie!!

Amelie woke early but after Ed tickled her back she went back to sleep so we got up, got her presents out and even had a shower before she woke again!

She loved the wand and robe and spent all morning casting spells.  After she opened her Lego presents from Granma & Grandad, Rich & I headed off to see if we could hire a motor boat for the day leaving the kids to build Lego.

After a slightly longer walk than expected we found the place, but all the boats were booked so tomorrow will have to do!

On our way back we called in  @ the supermarket & patisserie which we called into yesterday to order a chocolate cake. They’d made a sponge cake with chocolate icing & a chocolate 8 in the centre – perfect!

On delivery, Amelie’s chin hit the ground, after the effort of a cake we’d made in Sardinia 2 years ago with cake mix cooked in a bowl & turned out disastrously it was worth getting a professional one this year! Baking and camping really don’t mix well.

So chocolate cake for breakfast, well it wouldn't last without a fridge!

So as the motor boat was a no go, we hired Amelie windsurf kit instead. I talked her through the basics on land while we waited for Rich to get back with his board to paddle out with her.

Then she took to the water, the plan was to practise turning close to shore but once she was up, she just kept going!! She made a great turn but carried on and did 360⁰ and kept going further away from shore!

Rich was almost there so she sat on her board till he reached her (disaster avoided!)

Although the wind was pushing her down the beach, she kept walking her kit back up and trying again, she did brilliantly!

After a couple of hours she was finally tired & we headed back for lunch – ham & cheese with bread (Amelie’s favourite!). Then it was Lego Harry Potter game (in robes again!) with Granma while Rich & Grandad sorted out the flag pole!

That evening we had a BBQ on the beach, we took the charcoal BBQ, a roman candle & all the meat to the beach, set up a stone circle and lit the BBQ.

As we waited for it to heat up we ate pistachios – yum!

While we were cooking Edward & Amelie used the wand to send spells at each other, it was an amazing sight, the beach was deserted except for Hermione & Edward!

The food was delicious, all of us sat around the BBQ & when we’d all finished we foraged for driftwood and made a fire pit of the BBQ. We suggested that in 10 years time Amelie should recreated this day and for her 18^th spend it windsurfing followed by a fire on the beach with her mates!

 

Sunday 12th August. Moving camp at Como

After breakfast we packed away & headed for our new campsite. En route we popped in to try & get close to the villa we’d been spying from our beach, the one from Casino Royale movie.

We managed to find it but Rich couldn’t get a good look, going to need a boat to get a better view! We set up camp, found a laundrette to do all our washing when Granma and Grandad arrived – Whoo hoo!

We tried to buy food for lunch but everywhere was closed – ah well Nutella and jam on toast for lunch.

We tried again later then remembered it was Sunday so no food for dinner either – ah well pizzeria it is then, what a shame!!

By now we were all hot and bothered so we headed for the stony beach & very cool lake water – bliss.

The girls went out for a swim while Grandad & Ed played battleships. Rich wandered down to the beach, saw all the windsurfers darting about & went back for his kit.

Rich had an amazing afternoon on the water, kids played beach bat with Granma – everyone was happy.

As we were getting ready to go out in the evening, the black clouds over the mountains descended, the thunder rolled in & Michael Fish (aka Grandad) predicted it would stick to the mountains & pass us by.

Soon after the wind rushed past, the tent wobbled substantially & we decided ot batten down the hatches! The rain hit as we held up the tent for Rich to peg down outside. Granma distracted the kids with watermelon inside while the rest of us sorted the tent, disconnecting it from the van & moving everything which was on the ground into plastic boxes.

After all the excitement the weather calmed down & we went next door to the pizzeria –all had ad elicious pizza & as the kids had been angels we even splashed out on dessert!

Granma and Grandad slept well in the van while my inflatable mattress slowly sank to the ground! I managed to convince Rich to be a gentleman & swap beds but was still hearing church bells at 1:30am.

Then Amelie woke at 3am for a drink, finished it & made me go out and top it up – joy!

Saturday 11th August. Lake Como.

Finally at lake Como, the campsite we’d found was very basic & the pitch barely big enough for our tent. Luckily the caravan next to us was empty so we put the table on their pitch and spread out a bit!

We got up in a more relaxing manner, nowhere to zoom off to today! Had breakfast a quick cold shower (couldn't be bothered getting a token!) before heading to the tourist information to get details of better sites, there was no way 4 adults and 2 children were going to fit in here.

After some free wifi to sort out the bank card, upload some pics to facebook & it was back to the beach for a cooling swim.

In the afternoon we set off in the van to search for a good campsite, we past a few small cramped ones then spotted loads of kitesurfers & windsurfers – this looked like a good spot!

We tried the campsite which did the windsurf hire, they were pretty crammed in and had no space for us, so we got details of the hire charges and went next door to the hotel which had camping in the back and it was perfect, we booked our pitch for the week and kept our fingers crossed the corner plot would still be free when we turned up tomorrow!

Excellent what could have taken hours only took a few minutes, so back to the water for an afternoon swim while the girls did some shopping.

After a few watermelons in the trolley we got back and took the ice cream to the beach before it melted.

Dinner was cheese and onion omelettes with sweetcorn followed by popcorn!!!

Then an amazing evening stroll along the promenade which should’ve been lovely but ended up being a 30 mins in a hot toilet waiting for both Ed & Amelie to do their number 2’s then being harassed by them as I sat quietly in the square – overtired! Time for bed me thinks.

Friday 10th August. Pisa

Having kept guard all night, Rich woke early and after slamming the doors a few times I too was awake!

We got sorted, literally carrying a sleeping Amelie from back to front seat and made an early dash for Pisa to avoid the queues. We arrived before 8am, even MacDonalds wasn’t open yet for a morning latte!

We managed to wander around in peace while the street traders set up & even drove the van up for a photo in front of the tower. It was amazing to see how much it is leaning- that sounds ridiculous but no picture captures just how wonky it is.

We got tickets (no queue!) for the 9am tour, could've chosen 8;30 but had to give Rich time to park the van again and pick up the lattes from MacD’s.

Going into the tower may have cost a lot (kids are full price & no under 8’s allowed. Good job Amelie was already 8?!!!) but it was fascinating.

Its like going into a fun house at the fair, you walk in and stagger to one side, sitting opposite the door is a tripod (looks like its at an angle but actually perfectly vertical just not 90⁰ to the floor) which holds the surveyors kit which keeps an eye on the angle of the tower.

There is also a plumb line which runs from the centre of the top and comes down to the side of the entrance area. The centre of the tower is completely hollow with a stairwell going around the outside.

After a quick talk we made our way up the stairs, stone steps worn down by the thousands of visitors over the years, who march up and down each day.  There are no windows out only a few arrow slots which makes the whole thing very disorientating as you go up there is only one area where you go outside before the final climb to the top.

The views from the top are spectacular, but the lean is more evident up here and as I kept one hand on the inner wall to steady myself I noticed how smooth the stone was under foot; obviously I was not the only one to walk this way!

You can sit in the centre with the bells (one for each note of the scale) which is far more relaxing, the bells are beautiful but incredibly loud when they start to ring!!

The walk back down was more strange, you could really feel when the steps levelled out then steeper as you made your way around and down.  Finally back on solid (flat) ground, we felt as though we’d been on a boat, took a awhile to get our sea legs back to normal.

We collected our bags (almost forgot them!) & off we set again, by now it was crowded with people trying to sell you all kinds of tat!

From Pisa it was another long drive to lake Como but we decided to get it done, it was 10:30 when we left Pisa so we had a whole day and could look forward to a whole week of relaxation, chilling in lake Como!

Thursday 9th August. San Gimignano

Having made no headway to Pisa last night, today was another driving day. Our plan now was to get close to Pisa and go tomorrow morning.

We stopped off at San Gimignano on our way; an amazing town with tiny walkways and castles a plenty. No modern housing to be seen!

We went to the battlements for a look around, debated the huge bell tower but opted for a pizza meal instead, finally satisfying the pizza craving!!

There were life sized metal sculptures of people all around the town, including one atop the highest tower which Ed noticed was not wearing any clothes & was definitely male (the joys of binoculars for a boy!)

We visited an art Gallery which had a series of “men” in different poses, these were more cubist than lifelike, with the final one having a prominent cube, again pointed out by Ed who thought it was hilarious!! Definitely a theme.

We considered wild camping here but couldn't find anywhere so ended up in a service area once we finally found the road to Pisa! Rich barely slept instead opting for sitting in the driver’s seat and keeping watch while Amelie slept in the back with me. Not the most relaxing of places.

Wednesday 8th August 2012 - Rome

We got up and had a quick bite to eat before heading into Rome. After our experience in Venice we decided not to risk public transport, but simply find somewhere to park close to the sights and pay whatever needed to be paid.
Coming into Rome you cross an amazingly grand bridge with statues of Romulus and Remus with their she wolf.
It seems in Rome there are palaces and ruins round every corer - not even on the tourist maps, just hugely grand  for no apparent reason.  We were making our way to the Colosseum when we spotted an immense building down a side street, checked the map and it turned out to be St Peters Square, that'll be the entrance to the Vatican city then?!
We found a parking spot (only 1 euro an hour!), so spent an hour looking around St Peters square, the queues to go inside the Vatican were ridiculous, with no shade so there was no chance of us even considering that, not with kids.

We looked at the fountains and admired the architecture before heading on.  Again passing fantastic places, we past Piazza Venezia and round to the Colosseum.
It was amazing, even here the parking was only 1.50 an hour, all pretty full but eventually we found a spot and parked up for 3 hours.




We walked down and looked around, tried to find the place on Palatine Hill to buy the tickets but failed miserably and tempted by the 20 euro tickets to avoid the queues, but finally Rich offered to stand in line for the 12.50 tickets instead.  It didn't look that long and at least it was in the shade.

Meanwhile I took the kids to look for food, the subway station sold the most enormous toasted ham and cheese sandwiches and paninis for 4.50, they were plenty big enough for 2 to share, but we splashed out on one each :0)
Back to the queue to eat it.
We were smugly getting to the doorway into the Colosseum , watching all the "tours" queueing up, thanking the decision to get cheaper ticket, only to discover, once in the queue carried on for over half an hour! - gutted.
If we did it again we'd definitely hunt out the box office Palatine hill and buy our tickets there or failing that 20 euros to avoid that queue - bargain!
We only had about 40 mins in the Colosseum but it was brilliant, amazing to think that it could possibly have been built such a long time ago and held more spectators than Anfield (that was Rich's thought anyway!!).
The museum was fascinating, told how, hen the gladiatorial games were outlawed, the Colosseum was pillaged for building materials!  Basically a ruin because the Romans nicked all the bricks!
Rome was great and it had water fountains all over the place to refill water bottles, and have a quick cooling wash!
Once out of the Colosseum and we were off to see the Spanish steps, we parked a little way off and walked through Popolo square, a huge column surrounded by 4 fountains in yet another grandiose square.  We put our feet in the fountains to cools off before walking up to the Spanish steps, by now it was scorching again (We really should do this stuff in the winter!).  Edward and I stayed at the bottom by another fountain, while Amelie and Rich climbed to the top where they saw a couple getting married!
We saw a jobs worth police woman moving on a lady and her kids who were sitting too close to the fountain, she decided the best way to get their attention as they were all but 3 feet away was to blow her whistle as loud as she could and demand they move away completely! I think its what's called "making an example!"
Another stroll back and an ice cream by the fountains in Popolo square before heading back to the van.
When we got there we found the door handle had been removed! - great.

I called the insurance company who said we had to get a police incident number if we were possibly going to claim on insurance.  AS it was the door lock and they had scratched the paint work there was every possibility that it could turn out quite a pricey repair, so we headed for the local gardi.  I walked in and in my best Italian asked "Parla Inglese?" simple reply "no" - fab.
An hour and a half later we'd found someone who could speak a bit of English and had managed to communicate that it was not me who ripped the handle off and that we did still have the van just a broken door handle, it was not how I'd envisioned the afternoon!

Finally sorted with 4 copies of the report we decided to scrap the plan of driving to Pisa and returned to Lago Bracciani for a swim in the lake in a lovely camp site with a pizzeria next door (dreaming of pizza again!) The kids were having so much fun swimming, we stayed till the sun went down, by which time everyone (except me!) was too tried for a meal out so we had more sandwiches (yum!)