Hey guys!

Sorry for no updates recently, had no access to internet. Wow, so we left Naples and had a 2 hr train ride to Rome, very scenic :) It was sad leaving our new family and friends but we will probably see some of them in London. We saw so much in Rome the colosseum, Spanish steps, the Pantheon, and the Trivi fountain (Poppa i threw a coin in for ya xo). We saw so much more aswell! The hotel was nice, the next morning we ate as much as we could for breakfast and set off to see the Vatican - WOW! it was quite packed even though it was a wet day. we had a kiwi as our tour guide! glad we got him, it meant we skipped the 2 hour line and went straight on in. He knew so much too and explained everything really well. The Sistine Chapel was like awesome, alot of people but it was spectacular and so much to take in! never thought i'd see any of the stuff i have so far!

Yesterday we got on a train to florence, we very nearly missed it!! we were running with backpacks on! man, we were baking in our puffer jackets but just got on as it was about to leave! thank goodness! we then got off at a stop that was not the right one when they said it was, by now it was dark and wet, but spirits were still high. we found a man who spoke english, thankfully he helped us get on a bus and get to the town center - no one spoke english where we were. so that was our first experience of bad italian transport! and might i add Danae made a very graceful entrance onto the bus, tripping and ending up in some guys lap!!!

We got to our hotel and have just been up the doumo, awesome views of Florence!

Will post photos when i can

Ciao for now

xoxox
Sarah

Day 8 - Last day in Naples

Rabbit!
Me eatting rabbit!
Davides mum wearig the apron we gave her :)
Eatting our pasta

Today is sunday, been pretty relaxed, woke up at 1pm after getting home at 4am!Im feeling much much better which is good, hopefully the worst of my cold is over! got up to the house packed with family ready for their traditional sunday feast! another one. first dish- pasta, 2nd- more pasta, 3- RABBIT!! all i could picture was my cute bunnies at home, but i managed to finish it, it was really quite yummy though! after that we had fruit. i was not full! and that was after 4 plates.

Everything is closed today so its been quite a chilled out last day in Naples. Getting on the train to Rome tomorrow morning. Going to miss our Naples family and friends, they have been so welcoming and generous, and will definitly miss the food!

xox

Day 7 - Amalfi

Byron, thought you might like this one :)


Laughter at the farewell dinner
Eating ice cream in Amalfi - it was kinder surprise flavour!!


Amalfi

Eatting lunch on the way to Amalfi

I woke up not feeling very good this morning, have a head cold and it was the worst i've felt, probably because im far away from home. I had such a sore head my eye was puffed up but its alright im now feeling much better, i had my temperature checked and its normal so i dont have swine flu! Everyone has been fussing over me making sure i'm ok, i've learnt how to say I feel better in Italian! :p feeling like staying in bed all day i got up and ate a massive breakfast - definitly havent lost my appetite! Felt better after that. we went to the Amalfi coast today and went through Sorrento, it was so nice!!! it was a nice drive and amazing landscape. Amalfi is such a cute town with the buildings up the cliffs and a little marina with all the bright coloured boats moored. We had ice cream (yes, crazy!) but it was very nice - kinder surprise flavour icecream=heaven. We had look around and went for a walk before making our way back.

Davides friends and family held a farewell dinner for us which was really nice (Danae told them we leave tomorrow but then we found out its actually the day after hehe), another big meal this time with pizza and different meats and things - very nice!

Tomorrows our last day in Naples, it will be sad to leave the family and the new friends we have made, they have been great and we'll be lost without them! and so will be the next part of our travels....Roma.

xoxo

Salvetore, Me, Alisha, Danae, and Davide

New Years Feast - Just chillin'

Playing the Napolitan game of Bingo

hahaha Davides dad putting chocolate on my head!

Getting serenaded at the dinner table by Davide. Typical.

Eatting fish heads!

Nanny, look what shoes im wearing!hehe

Setting up for a new years concert in front of the palace

New Years Eve and New Years Day

One of the many many rooms in the palace

Alisha and I doing the waltz in the grand ballroom

The marble staircase in the palace, a bit big!

Hey,

ooh o i had to buy some throat lozenges today.....and my head feels like a brick. o well i'll survive.

On new years eve we went to the Royal Palace. Amazing. Mum you would have loved it!!! We got to go through and look in all the rooms. It is about 800 years old and massive! exquiste details! It had lots of ornaments, paintings and furniture inside which would be worth alot!! wouldnt mind living there myself.

After the palace we went to start the big new years feast and boy was it ever! we started eatting at 6.30 and didnt finish until 11.30. it was ten courses long and that is no exaggeration! i have never eatten so much in my life, i was in pain at the end! Alisha had to stop on the 2nd dish, Danae and I soldiered on. I was impressed with myself, i dont know how i did it!

starter 1 = Some kind of Italian spinachy stuff with olives

starter 2 = seafood pasta with shellfish

starter 3= seafood salad with octopus and calamari

starter 4= a vegetable and anchovie salad

plate 5 = baked cod stuff

plate 6= seabass fish

plate 7= Deep fried fish

plate 8= Eel

plate 9= Zucchini and Spiniachy stuff in a batter

plate 10 = fruit and chocolate.

And before all of this i ate a fish head. we also had lots of home made wine and more small desserts after. These Italians can eat! the food just kept on coming.

At new years Italians have a thing for fireworks and home made bombs. There are stalls and stalls of fireworks on sale and some that probably couldn't be sold in NZ! we were walking back from the palace and there were people everywhere lighting fireworks, some so powerfull ur insides shook and car alarms went off. and this was at 4pm! So we began to understand why we werent allowed out side at midnight for 2 hours because thats when it gets bad, it sounded like we were in baghdad! but it was awesome looking across and seeing fireworks for miles, people shooting guns in the air and mini bombs going off, it was just a rumbling sound for ages. nothing i've ever experienced before! Our friends lit a few fireworks, and roman candles, when it went off i got a bit of a fright and poor Alisha ended up with my champagne down her front hahaha. It was a very different new years from what we are used to but very enjoyable. They are much more family orientated here at new years with big feasts and exactly how you picture it, big family, noisy, very loud and animated and lots of laughing, singing,and dancing! It was a lot of fun, we ended up playing a few rounds of italian bingo...i had no luck though but Danae did!

Went to bed at 4am, woke up at 12pm. Woke up still full from last night. But theres no rest, we got up had a shower and got ready for another big traditional italian new year feast. 2.30 we started and 6.30 we finished. this time only five courses, and they called it lunch! Didnt really feel like having more but i got through it! we had pasta and more seafood, stuffed squid, beef, goat, and dessert. These people must have bottomless pits as stomachs! Thanks to them, we will be spending more on food for the rest of the trip because our stomachs are ten times bigger!

so right now im having a bit of a rest, and hoping that at no time soon will they be saying dinner is ready!!!hehe. the food is really really good though!

xoxox

Happy New Year!

HAPPY NEW YEAR YOU LOT!!! we will be welcoming the new year when you guyys are having lunch on the 1st and dealing with hangovers :p