Roma!

I arrived in Rome safely and on my first evening went for a wander around the city (which is surprisingly small, so most things are within walking distance of my hostel. I caught my first glimpse of the Colosseum by sunset and headed on to the Trevi Fountain. It was PACKED. I've since been back and it was slightly less crowded, and both times I headed pretty quickly to a nearby gelateria which Sarah (sister) highly recommended. And yes Sarah, it was really good =P

In the next two days I went to the Vatican, fascinating but wouldn't want to go again, and the Roman Forum/Palatine Hill/Colosseum which were ridiculously old. I was able to get groceries and use the hostel kitchen to pack lunches to save money for gelato, and on Wednesday night Kim, one of the hostel receptionists - a crazy british woman who has been living here with her sister for 8 years and always seems to be off to a bar or the beach- cooked pasta for a bunch of us just because she felt like it, so everone brought wine and I met some Canadians who I've been hanging out with since.

We went to Villa Borghese, and we even visited the Galleria which you can only see by appointment! The Gallery is housed in a Palace owned by one the Borghese family who had a couple of Pope's at one time or another and it's a private collection of paintings and statues, including plenty of Italian greats like Caravaggio and Bernini. The grounds are immense, and there's a fountain around every corner, there's even a zoo. We've also been to the pantheon and the spanish steps, and eat a ridiculous amount of gelato from this amazing place just near our hostel Palazzo del Freddo di Giovanni Fassi. One evening Francis - our Indian receptionist who likes to play cruel jokes on his guests, like telling them he's given away their bed or that they need to wear a suit to St Peter's Basilica - took us to a evening picnic in a park near the Colosseum with some locals. Then last night it was free pasta night again, and this time the whole hostel joined in (luckily it's quite small).

Actually I highly recommend this hostel to everyone: The Ciak Hostel, and for the last two nights I've been staying in their other building just down the street The Secret Garden which even has a little rooftop terrace for breakfast. Tonight I'm off to a new hotel to start my Intrepid tour, so next comes Naples.

The rest of London

I managed to meet up with Christopher (family friend) AND stay with Emma (cousin) and Niko, so my London leg worked out brilliantly. Over the lqst view days I've had many a long walk along the Thames, been to both the Victoria & Albert and the National Gallery, and been to a lot of markets. My favourites were the Columbia Rd flower market and Brick Lane market (which has a bit of everything) which are walking distance from Em and Niko's lovely new place in Islington. Portobello markets are right up there as well, I even walked pqst George Orwell's place on the way through Notting Hill.

The V&A was the best museum, partly because of its Grace Kelly exhibition showing at the moment, and partly because I went on Friday night when there is jazz and a bar in the central hall and I had a guided tour with a blond swedish bombshell who picked some good pieces to cover. I got the impression you really have to know your stuff to get to be a V&A tour guide! I did peruse the Tate Modern, but I really don't understand modern art.

The sightseeing was lots of fun, but cobblestones are hard on the feet so I was glad to have a couple of rather lazy days with Emma, who put me up even though she had only just moved into her new place, and Niko had just arrived from Australia himself. The best evening was after we were all pretty tired out from trekking through the markets on Sunday so spent the afternoon at the pub next door and then Niko cooked up a storm for dinner on the porch, and Emma and I contributed with our own version of Eton mess.

Last night I was greeted by Martine and Damien (ski buddies) and I get to dump some luggage with them while I head off to Rome!

London

So I arrived in London more or less without a hitch! Hooray! There were a couple of French guys staying at my hostel And sightseeing has ensued. Yesterday I did a New Europe free walking tour and ran into some Australians and we went to Camden to look at the markets there ... the whole suburb seems to be made of markets! Then went for a walk around Hampstead Heath to try and find the famous views from Parliament Hill. We found it, but not before getting drenched. My first day in London and it rained intermittently the whole day. I split from the Aussies at the end of the day to grab a last-minute ticket to avenue Q, which is hilarious and everyone should see.

Since eating my breakfast this morning, I've decided today's the day for Portobello markets and the V&A (since it's open until 10pm) and then hopefully tomorrow I'll meet up with Chris, and then I get to stay with Emma from Saturday! Yay!

Ciao for now x