On The Last Day Of September

Our beloved 'Mouse'

3 years ago today we set off in our beautiful Mini, 'Mouse', dropped of a suitcase containing 2 months worth of my clothes at my Dad's, gave him a huge hug & then set off on the journey to a new life....the 'Big Adventure' was about to begin for real.

First stop was M&S at Fosse Park -  the Pickfords removal guys who'd packed up the entire contents of our house the day before
had even put my slippers into a crate while I was putting stuff into storage at the factory & there was no way I could live without my Ugg-style slippers as we headed into autumn.

M&S bag thrown into the back of the car, we set off in earnest for the Channel Tunnel & an overnight stay in France. I am not a great lover of France - it's a country that stops us getting to Italy quicker. We stayed in a rather basic motel just outside St Quentin - not the 4 & 5 star luxury we were used to but hey, this was a journey to a whole new life, not a 2 week holiday. The only restaurant close to the motel was a Buffalo Grill - hardly French but good food nonetheless.

Minimalist Altedia Lodge

And the next morning we set off for one of our favourite stop offs, Altedia Lodge in Barberaz - minimalist but elegant with good food and amazing views from the restaurant. And maybe I like the place because it's our last stop before we travel into Italy.

Saturday morning saw us heading to Italy via the Frejus Tunnel, sister to the Mont Blanc Tunnel and then south to the outskirts of Firenze. Although we didn't stay at Hotel David & get to walk along the banks of the Arno, memories of a previous trip came flooding back - the Ponte Vecchio; being moved to tears by Botticelli's The Birth of Venus; eating the best ever wild boar ragu at Osteria del Cinghiale Bianco; climbing to the top of the Duomo; eating ice cream at the ever busy Festival del Gelato on Via del Corso & walking up to Piazzale Michelangelo on a sunny Sunday morning to see for ourselves the spectacular views across the city.

Firenze as viewed from Piazzale Michelangelo