When im a spy my missions will start from here.

Yachts. i want one.

Moretofino.

Boats in Portofino.

Portofino,

Our swimming pool.

The view from our tent. Sestri Levante.

Liguria and Portofino.

We were very lucky to have got onto our beautiful campsite in Sestri Levante, Liguria. When we eventually arrived, there was a sign outside saying campsite full for campers and caravans. Having been driving for a long time and being lost for a while we decided to ask anyway to see if they could fit us in. When they did manage to squeeze us in we were very happy as this site was great. It was set amongst the Ligurian Appenines looking over the sea. It also had a good size outdoor swimming pool and the perfect weather for us to use it everyday.

On our way to the campsite we drove past lots of little towns scattered along the beautiful coast. We saw Portofino and decided we would make a visit there at some point during our stay. The road into Portofino was long and windy with the car almost scraping the wall to fit through along side cars going in the opposite direction. Although at the time it seemed like hell the moment we got into the small town we realised the death defying driving was worth the sight of simply the town itself.The parking was €5 an hour so we decided to stay just for the hour but we wouldnt say it needed much more time anyway. Portofino is a very expensive port town, so we couldnt really afford anything however it was stunning. With lots of colorful houses looking out over the sea and extremely clear water it was the perfect place to just sit and relax for an hour.

LIGURIA = 7.5/10

Milan town centre.

Ooh dramatic.

Castle cats.

The castle that we looked at.

Black & white. Oooh arty.

View from the roof (Duomo).

On the roof (Duomo).

Statue of man carrying his skin (inside Duomo).

Inside the Duomo (again).

Inside the Duomo.

Duomo, Milano.

High end shops in Milan. Expensivo.

Milano.

After spending a few days relaxing around the lake we decided that as it was raining we would take a train into milan with Gavin (the suspected aristocrat). We got into town at about 10 in the morning and ate traditional italian mcdonalds for breakfast as most of the other eaterys in the area wanted 10 Euros for a sandwich!!. After breakfast Gavin went off to do whatever it was he wanted to do leaving us to explore Milan. Our first stop was the magnificent Duomo where you can climb the stairs and walk about on the roof. We then walked from the centre of Milan out to some castle and looked at it. Deciding it was time to eat again we headed back towards the centre and found a massive crowd of locals queing outside a local bakery so decided to join them, im not sure what we had there as we have never tasted anything quite like it before, i can only describe it as similar to hot freshly baked donuts but with tomato and mozzarella inside, Yum yum.

MILAN = 7.5/10

Amy posing in Como.

Lago di Como.

Pastel buildings.

Bellagio.

On the ferry to Bellagio.

Lake Como, Bellagio

Our first stop in Italy was Lago di Como. After a long drive from germany through Switzerland and an encounter with the stroppiest shop worker ever we finally saw the beautiful snow topped mountains surrounding the lake. We got the ferry from Mennagio to Bellagio and the views just got better and better. Bellagio is a very picturesque lakeside town with narrow alleys, pastel coloured buildings and upmarket shops and hotels. We stayed on a campsite about 20 minues walk from town which was run by an English lady who had converted some old stables and the surrounding land into a lovely homely campsite. We met a fellow brit who we suspect was aristocracy and chilled with him most evenings.

BELLAGIO = 7/10

COMING SOON. ITALY..........

Amy resting after long walk in german hills.

Cable car.

5 in the morning view from the tent. (saarburg)

Sunset Blackforest. nice.

Nice spot in Saarberg.

Southern Germany (Saarburg & Blackforest)

Southern Germany is beautiful. After Koln we never thought we would love Germany so much. There were wonderful people, stunning scenery and great food and drink (well at least for Ben on the food front anyway). Ben enjoyed a Bratwurst with chips and onion gravy and we both enjoyed the great German beers. If you ever get the chance to go to Southern Germany, do it! The blackforest Gateau was worth the trip alone.Whilst in saarburg we had some great fun on the dry tobbogan run and the cable car. In Blackforest we spent the time relaxing amongst the scenic hills and the Rhine.

SOUTHERN GERMANY = 8

GERMANY = 7

Koln station.

Random tibetans dancing for german faces.

Sheep invasion.

Das Rhine

Imposing church in Koln (cathedral)

koln.

Well i dont really have too much to say about Koln. It was an interesting city. Lovely buildings but not much else. In fact the highlight of the trip was the random sheep being herded along the rhine towards the city.

KOLN = 4/10.

Why the long face?

Some horses behind our tent.

Camping in Vinkenhof

Roxanne, you dont have to put on the red light.

Camping Zeeburg. Brilliant campsite just outside Amsterdam.

The bikes, the canal, the dam.

Hamsterdam

Central Amsterdam.

Amsterdam & Valkenburg

We have just spent the last 4 days in Holland. 2 Days in Amsterdam and 2 in Valkenburg. What a lovely country. The people are so friendly and always willing to help.

Whilst in Amsterdam we spent far too much money, however it was completely worth it. Lovely food, tasty beers and coffee shops galore. Amsterdam is a lovely city and we would recommend to everyone. It has so much for all types of people. Great architecture and museums, stunning canals and bridges, great nightlife, lots of shopping and it is so different to many other tourist cities. A great place to live the high life.

Valkenburg, a small town near Maastricht, was fantastic in so many other ways. Firstly it was the first campsite where we managed to get electricity. What a useful facility!!! Secondly it is stunning. Everywhere you look the scenery is beautiful. For this reason we decided to spend our time here doing absolutely nothing. We went into the lovely town of Valkenburg but other than that we spent the whole time on site simply relaxing. Oh the luxury of not having anything at all to do has finally set in. Valkenburg is the perfect place to relax whilst on holiday. There is enough to do nearby to keep you amused however we were more than happy taking in the scenery from the site.

HOLLAND 9/10

On a ferris wheel in Bruges

View from the Belfort.

The hot chocolate that kept us from freezing to death.

The Belfort

Our cold and wet home in belgium.

In Bruges

We spent our first 2 days abroad in Bruges, Belgium. Lovely little town. We didnt actually go to all of the attractions that we thought we would. Firstly it was too cold, secondly they didnt actually look that interesting. The beer in the brewery was very nice. The views and the bell and clockwork inside the Belfort were probably the best part of our visit to Bruges. It was bloody freezing. Our first night was hell, hardly any sleep and raining. Then the bed started deflating! Typical.
BRUGES 4.5/10

In dover!

Hello all, having finished the first leg of our trip in kent, we are now sitting waiting to board the ferry in dover. Kent was lovely. We managed to relax and do nothing for a whole day. As you can imagine it felt very strange having worked pretty much every hour of every day for the past few months in preparation for this. We were very suprised when we managed to get all the stuff into the car, camping kit, suitcase and all! We did however have much more than we thought we would. Oops. So as i said we are now sitting in the at the dock waiting to board. The weather is lovely the sun is out over the white cliffs and it actually feels a bit of a shame to be leaving. We should arrive in dunkirk at 5pm local time. From here we will be driving to our first stop abroad- bruges! Well for now goodbye, another update will be on here soon enough. All our love amy & ben x