Matthew Archer

When in Rome, do as the Romans do (within reason). So as I write this on Sunday morning there is only the sound of peaceful sleeping which is quite justified.

Saturday the 5th was a long day (not as long as July 7, but more full-on). Full marks to Leah and Toby for keeping up. They have both travelled really well under what at times has not always been the easiest of conditions for youngsters.

We got up early as the sky was clear and we wanted to see Lake Como in sunlight. Although our time was limited, as the sun came up we could see now why people love it. The morning was quite warm but mild. After a short walk we had a pastry and coffee for breakfast and then hit the road.

We walked the 1.2kms to the station over cobblestone after cobblestone. It's okay pulling a suitcase when you are an adult but not quite so easy as a child. Then as you get to the station it's a bit of an incline or alternatively up the stairs. Anyway we made it and caught our Swiss Rail train to Milan which was a trip of 40 minutes.

We arrived at Milan station which is a beautiful old building, but heaving with people. This was the end of our train journey. So after a couple of quick photos we navigated our way to the exit and the airport bus to make our way to Linate airport.

Our only complaint about flying is we sat on the plane for 30 mins past our takeoff time without having any idea as to what time we would push back. It was a bit strange as all other announcements were in Italian and English. Flying involves lots of queueing, but we couldn't fault the Italians as it all went smoothly and we arrived in Rome 30 minutes behind time. The consensus was that maybe we should've caught the train...however I am not so sure we would've made the train to Rome in the 20 minutes that we would have had to change trains and that has its own pitfalls.

We caught the airport bus into the train station and then caught a taxi to our apartment. After weaving his way down narrow cobblestone lanes our driver advised he was not allowed to go further as a taxi is a 'public car'. This was okay as we knew we were close enough to walk, thanks to Google maps. But pulling suitcases along cobblestone lanes which are not always flat is not as easy as it sounds especially when you are not entirely sure that the map is accurate. In saying that Google maps has been a great ally on this trip.

We eventually found the place where we had to collect the keys for our apartment and then found the apartment block. It's like a fortress and once you are inside it's 90 steps to the 4th floor (no lift). However it's all worthwhile. It's such a cool place and it has a piano 🥰.

After a quick refresh it was down to the local square for a bite to eat and then off to a concert by three tenors. The concert was held in a church. The church was beautiful and had seemingly been chosen for its acoustics. Shame about the paintings, but the concert was much better than we could ever have imagined.

After the concert we stopped for the daily gelati and then home. It's not quite so easy navigating laneways at night!! But they were heaving with people still eating at 11pm at night so they are really safe. Into bed just before midnight for a well deserved sleep.Read more