Monday 18^th June

Hello from the rolling hills of Tuscany.  Saturday we drove to Pisa and of course took the obliquity photos of us holding up the tower - along with all the other tourists.  Well some things you have to do! We then drove on to Florence, where we stayed in a camp with spectacular views of the city only a short walk away but, no pool and a huge hike to the ablution block.  Our most expensive yet at 65 Euros, as we have now hit the high season. Very hot in Italy (by midday 36 degrees and higher) so we headed out early and explored the beauty of Florence. (Trying to beat the large groups of tourists, all following leaders holding up an array of identification symbols ranging from flags to large flowers and bright umbrellas.) We spent the day admiring the artworks the Medici family collected and bequeathed to the city, especially all the Renaissance frescoes and paintings of the enormous Pitti Palace.

One of the best things about camping is meeting people from all over the world.  The Dutch are voracious travellers in Europe (escaping inclement weather in Holland they tell us), but we’ve also met and socialised with people from America, Scotland, Australia and NZ.  Even Europeans with limited English are always happy to make the effort to communicate.  Hand signals and gestures go a long way towards conveying a message! Rome next.