Roma...beautiful

So... the working holiday began at Sydney International Airport where Fiona and I had a few hours to fill in before our long, long flight before we joined Bronwyn in Rome. We did some duty free shopping and then I learned some new tricks with my new camera.

Fiona and Annie at the airport in Sydney

It's a fabulous camera...I learned how to wi-fi it to my phone so you can set it up to take a photo, click the phone and the camera takes the photo! I love my technology!

And then the long flight began. Emirates looked after us very well and we had three flight legs... nine hours and then a one hour stop to refuel in Bangkok on the middle of the night, and then six hours to Dubai where we were able to have a very welcome shower and be amazed by the spectacular airport, and then another five hours to Rome.

Fi on the way to Roma

Annie on the way to Roma

The last leg was on an Air Bus A380 and we had the luxury of three seats each to stretch out. It is the biggest passenger plane in the world and we thoroughly enjoyed the extra space as you can see by the tired, but happy smiles.
Flying over the desert and over Turkey and Greece was amazing, the sky was clear and we had a great view below. Our first view of Rome lived up to all expectations.

Roma

Airbus A380

 A quick trip from the airport (where we noticed that coming through Customs and Passport security in Italy is very different to Australia) and we found our apartment on the fifth floor right in the centre of the city.

Happy birthday, Bronwyn!

It is a beautiful base for the next few days until we catch the train to Florence later in the week. Coincidentally Bronwyn and Fiona both had red hats so they helped me choose one too! It is very easy to pick the red hat brigade in the crowds in Rome.

Red Hat girls.

Bronwyn and Annie

Some quick sightseeing within walking distance...the Pantheon

Pantheon

Fabulous apartment

is a stone's throw from the apartment and then we had a birthday drink for Bronwyn on the beautiful balcony and watched the sun set on our first day in Rome.

Annie and the view from the balcony

Sitting on the balcony, sipping champagne with the sweet fragrance of star jasmine drifting on the breeze was a fine way to end the first day.

The view from the balcony

Sunset in Roma

Day 2... no sleep in for the tired travelers today. Fi and Bronwyn headed off for a tour of the Sistine Chapel at 7 a.m. and I hopped a Hop On Hop Off bus to orient myself for future sightseeing. Driving across the Tiber River, past the Colosseum and Vatican City was wonderful. I spent lunchtime in Piazza Novana trying my first authentic Italian cuisine as I watched the crowd pass by. Got lost on the way back, but eventually found my way home and joined the girls for a restful afternoon in the apartment ..after all what do authors do on holiday? We write...

Fiona at work

Until tomorrow..when I will report in from the Amalfi Coast and Pompeii...

Bronwyn at work