The Three Rs... Roma, Roads and Reunite!

It was an early start and the nerves were high with not knowing if a taxi would turn up and take us on our much awaited trip to Europe. Bags packed, we woke the children at 2 am and made things ready for the house sitter and made last minute checks. "Where are the passports?" was the most common question asked at 2 am and with great relief, the taxi driver was there at 2:30 having a little snooze on the verge before our pick up at 3:00. The media hype of higher security at the airport caused us to go down to the airport earlier than the usual 2 hours as we were told there MIGHT be delays through customs. The security was the same as it always was so the added advantage was that we made it through quickly with Fran being held up for explosives and bag checks. Kayla was so happy it wasn't her this time! While we waited for the flight to board, there was an announcement that a Malaysian Airlines flight was cancelled due to technical difficulties. We were so glad we were on Emirates!

Emirates flight from Perth to Dubai to Rome was fantastic and we haven't ever said that for flights. The service was excellent, the food was amazing and after 23 hours door to door, we were remarkably functional. Arriving in Rome on the super quiet A380 was an experience. The enormity of the aircraft and how smooth it flew was truly remarkable. Caleb decided because there was light outside for the entire trip so he wasn't sleepy. He did a movie marathon of 5 movies in total. He finally fell asleep 30 minutes before we arrived in Rome. Fumicino airport was a little chaotic and to be quite honest, we had very low expectations for Italy due to our experience in 2011. When we lined up at the passport check we were surprised how quickly the line moved. When we arrived at the counter the customs guard took one look at the 4 passports and sighed, gave them back and waved us through. Poor thing must have been tired. Collected the luggage and we thought we would have to stop and show our luggage. Nope, no one to be seen, they were all having a cigarette in the office on the side. So it was a smooth transition through to the waiting taxi driver.
Were were so glad to have a taxi driver who must have been in formula one in a previous life however we think most taxi drivers and Italian drivers in general are ex-formula one drivers. But we felt safe except for the fact that he didn't really know where to go and his GPS was on the blink. After a few dead ends and a few stop and ask the locals, we made it to our wonderful apartment at Trastevere.

Trastevere is a very old part of Rome where the locals go to eat and socialise. It is in a great location and it is in walking distance to all the wonderful sites of Rome. We decided to use Airbnb for all our accommodation this trip and we were really inexperienced in the whole process. Once the taxi driver left us on the road surrounded by noisy happy Italians, we tried to call our host via the intercom. Nothing. Then it was time to boot up the mobile phone but with no luck. Every number we dialed came up with a dead end. Last time we visited Europe, our phone just worked. This time it required a series of steps we were not privy to and after 24 hours of very little sleep, it was rocket science. The wonderful little restaurant we were stuck outside of saw us a little distressed and tried to help with their limited English and out non-existent Italian. They finally got a mobile phone out and called our host Paolo who was there within minutes. He was brilliant, taking me to the nearest ATM and showing me the shops that have supplies for the next day. Our apartment was on the 6th floor which required lugging the bags to the top however Paolo helped us to get them up and settled us in. As you can see from the picture, the children passed out immediately and were well rested ready for the day of walking ahead.

On the roof of the apartment in Rome.

And so began our time in Itlay.We walked and walked and walked and walked. Our feet hurt and the word chafing was used on a few occasions. The weather was warm and a little humid to begin with and we stood in awe and pointed and stared at the amazing ruins, brilliant art, strange Italian things and the wonder that was Rome. 2 full days was not enough. The Vatican was big and a little time consuming with lines that went for miles and rather disorganised ticketing system. We went inside the Colosseum, a little disappointed with the Trevi Fountain (Out of order) and were overwhelmed with the magnificence of the Pantheon. The children were a little 'over' old things after the 2 days but there were a few more old things to look at in the following days.

The Pantheon

Our time came to and end in the magnificent Rome and it was time to hit the road. We learned that when walking through Rome and watching the other drivers, that you had to "Own the Road". This became out motto when it was time to pick up the car and head to Croatia via Pisa, Florence and Verona. The car was ready when we arrived and we were able to get the car quickly and with little hassle. So we started and we managed to try and turn down a one way road within minutes but were escorted by a very friendly Vespa rider to the correct road. The roads were at first daunting however the biggest issue was the manual gears with Stephen not having driven a manual since the old Suzuki. So first gear was the nemesis more than the roads. The GPS guided us with ease through the spaghetti that is the road system and once away from the big city, it was relatively easy driving.

First rest stop.

Pisa was a brief stop on the way to Florence. We were able to park close by and find the tower, take the photo, have lunch and then hit the road. 

Pisa

Florence was a welcome sight as we had organised an apartment not in Florence but in the surrounding area. It wasn't in the prettiest part of Tuscany however the apartment was clean and quiet and away from the noise and hustle and bustle of the big towns. The host - fantastic. We were able to park the car at the local shopping centre for free and catch the train to Florence. So easy and only 9 minutes to Florence. We caught the tram, saw the sights and again walked and walked and walked. We saw leather, we bought leather and we left feeling that we saw as much as we could in a day. We skipped the museums as they were incredibly expensive and spent more time walking and buying leather. Fran was happy with her new hand bag and shoes and Stephen happy with a new pair of shoes. The only regret was that we only had 2 nights in our apartment. We would love to go back and use it as a base to explore more of Tuscany.

 Florence

Ponte Vecchio Florence

We left a a respectable time and headed to Verona where we were pleasantly surprised at the ease in which we found our apartment and street parking. This time we didn't get to meet the host and were able to acess the house and settle before walking into Verona. Verona had the Romeo and Juliette theme, a smaller Colosseum (Arena) which was still being used. One night in Verona was great and then it was onwards to Croatia.

 Outside our Florence Apartment

Caleb in the Arena - Verona

Tuscany whizzed by in a flash as we literally flew at 130 km per hour past Venice (we lost our invite to the Clooney wedding that was happening as we drove by on the highway) and through the border to Slovenia. We stopped and had a burger on top of a hill overlooking a town on the coast in Slovenia before crossing into Croatia. 

 Verona

Slovenia Burger View Stop

We entered Croatia with the same strange border crossing with the guard asking why no stamps in passport. When told about Rome, he said "Those Italians!" and then he gave the passports back and also didn't stamp! The roads were quiet on the way to Pula. Tourist season is well and truly over in Croatia unlike Italy. Itlay was busy, Pula our first stop in Croatia had tourists but it wasn't the same intensity that would have been a few weeks earlier with many of the European countries coming to Croatia to soak up the sun and swim their days away like we did in 2011. So the feel is different. It is relaxed and quiet and the hustle and bustle isn't there. We spent 2 nights in Pula which was enough as there isn't a lot to do in Pula. We walked, saw the sights and ate. Our apartment was BIG and interesting. It had a mosaic theme which gave it a quirky feel and it was very comfortable and clean. We could also get parking right outside which was perfect for the 2 nights. However the Croatian parking metres are little behind as we had to feed it coins and had to go out at 10 pm  to buy a ticket to get us through to about 10 am so we didn't have to get up at 7 am to buy a new ticket. Pula has an Arena just like Verona and is also being used but it is smaller. So we saw 3 Colosseums in the week which is pretty amazing. The link to Rome is there with many ruins and a forum from Roman times.

Time to hit the road again and head onto Tribunj to reunite Fran with her parents. We drove along on the quiet highway that had extremely high tolls we discovered and arrived safely in Tribunj. On arrival tears flowed from Petar and Stana happy to see us and happy to see that we made the journey safely. Food and beer and wine were the order of the day once we unloaded at the house and settled for the evening. Tribunj is quiet and it is quite a contrast from the large masses that converge every year in Summer. It is lovely to see Tribunj in a different light and we are glad we chose this time of the year for our visit. We have been here 4 days now and have settled for the larger part of our break starting to plan the next 3 and a half weeks. Kayla is itching to ride and Caleb continues to cartwheel and handstand his way through the towns. We are hoping to use the car more in the coming weeks as to get our money's worth but also to get to places we couldn't before.

 Reunited after 3 years

Tribunj from the hills.

That will be enough for now....we are tired and resting and know that we have a lot more to do and see before we leave. The north wind is gently blowing and the leaves are turning. We hope the weather remains clear and user friendly for a little while more and hope that our clothing is enough to see us through.