Bye, bye Firenze

The European Breakdown company have decided to fly us home so we should depart from Firenze airport sometime tomorrow afternoon and head for Paris to make a connection to Cardiff later in the day. Martin’s Moneysupermarket directed us towards the company and to be quite honest they have been brilliant. Yes, there have been a few niggles, but we have to consider these minor things in the context of 1200 miles, an intermediary, and a language barrier.

All in all I’m chuffed, and well done to those that suggested that we use Martin’s Moneysupermarket. Five nights in a hotel, a breakdown recovery vehicle, three flights and three long distance taxi rides don’t come cheap. I say three, because I have to come back to Italy in a few weeks to pay for the repairs and to collect the car and then drive it back to Wales.

European touring important points:
Check out Martins Moneysupermarket.com for great European cover
You need European Recovery and would be a fool to travel without it

Today’s important points were:
You pay the labour and parts for any car repairs

Armenian

For us Europe has shrunk considerably on this trip. We have made friends with the lovely Italian staff at Hotel Residence Grifone. We have been made very welcome in several restaurants, at least two of which the staff went that extra yard above and beyond the call of duty. We met the lovely couple from Birmingham and on the same day Britain’s number 1 ladies Tennis player Virginia Wade gave us the time of day. We met the people who were heading for the Cruise Ship, and the group on the train. Amongst these lovely people there were the Chinese group and the two from Brazil.

Tonight we chatted to the lovely Nono Aznavur and her lovely husband who are Armenian’s from Russia. Lovely people who like the Brazilian’s, Chinese, and Italian’s that we have met, are all a credit to their country. We had a nice evening and some fond memories of a holiday that slipped a bit off schedule. Hey ho, what doesn’t kill you, makes you stronger. Although the adventure is not yet over as I have a significant journey to make back to Italy in the weeks ahead and then a long trundle in ‘the Beast’ back to Wales. That will take four or five days of driving and a day of taxi and flights to reach Firenze.

European touring important points:
English is widely spoken

Today’s important points were:
It can be seriously hot in Italy in August