"THREE COINS IN THE FOUNTAIN "

Over night we travelled from Monaco to the port of Livorno  where we had the option to bus into Florence or Pisa.  As we had already spent a short holiday in Florence, we opted for Pisa.  Not much to say apart from the fact it was mobbed by 'daft' people taking supposed comical pictures trying to support the leaning tower.  Not even going to participate here!

Overnight we went to Civitavecchia, where once again we had a long bus journey to visit Rome.

The capture  of course you will all recognise if=s of the Coliseum.  Much queuing was required to get into the building and as the temperature was above 35 degrees, is wasn't an option.  The smaller capture is looking through one of the arches to the ruin on the inside.  It was a pretty barbaric place and I didn't want to spend too long there.

The guide took us across the town, passed the Palace ruins etc. but the traffic and heat were stifling and I got massive blisters on my feet.  We eventually arrived at St Peter's square and were expected to cue for over an hour to get a ticket again standing in the sun.  Needless to say, we didn't.

I have never seen so many beggars in appalling conditions and wondered how they got there!  To my surprise one old lady, very deformed, had disappeared when we returned to our meeting point.  She must have been collected.  I lost count how many times Rosary beads were thrust in my face.  It wasn't a pleasant experience.

To make matters worse, we had to wait in an underground bus park for our bus and the fumes were horrendous.  Although I tried to shield my nose and mouth, after a 20 minute wait, I didn't feel too good.

We all cheered when our number 3 bus arrived and I was glad to get into the air conditioned vehicle.   I began to doze off on the long 2 hour journey but came to spluttering as I must have stopped breathing.

I haven't had an asthma attack for over 10 years, but fortunately I always carry an inhaler.  The little lady behind me said Would she like a tic-tac.  Mr A told her I would be delighted when I could breathe!!

After that, my breathing was very tight for the rest of the holiday so I had to be careful with exertion.

I have no intention of visiting Rome again - you can keep it for the tourists!!

Thank you for your patience, dear blip friends. xxxx