General: Short Trip to Italy

So I've just got back from my impromptu trip to Italy and thought I'd write it up a little (actually, I wrote most of this on the plane home!). I haven't seen my parents in a while, so I thought a trip was in order. Because of my eye problems, I felt a few days away from the computer would do me some good too.

I paid just under £200 in total for two tickets (me and Hannah) to fly to Genoa with Ryanair, and another £32 to park at Stansted. The £10 charge for paying by card was extortionate – but made worse that they charged £10 per person, despite both tickets being paid on one card. Is that even legal? Not only this, but the dimensions of carry on luggage were so small (20cm wide?) that I was forced to check a bag in.

Obviously I was the only one that read the website regarding luggage size as people on the day had hand luggage that was even larger than the bag we checked in and they weren't turned away. Quite frustrating when we could have easily gotten away with a couple of small ruck sacks as we were away for a mere 4 days.

The night before my flight, I went down with a rather nasty flu/cold that I'm still shifting now. On the flight itself, I was so congested that my ears wouldn't pop and I was in considerable pain. Even now, my ears are still blocked - albeit not as bad as they were. The flight home was a little painful, but certainly not as show stopping as before.

One thing I found amusing was how Ryanair refered to “Walkmans and Discmans” in their speech about turning devices off. Unaware of course that these are Sony trademarks and not generic terms

My sister Jen and her friend Dan had flown out a few days before – so it was nice to have us altogether. My parents picked us up at Genoa/Genova airport in their camper with them inside and we went to Arenzana where there is a local manor house open to the public, with peacocks, terrapins, general wildlife and some lovely views.

Yes, that shirt was purchased in a charity shop and yes, that is an albino peacock.

The next day, Dan, Jen, Hannah and I took a trip down to the coast, to do one of the local walks to Punta Chiappa – the point at the end of the island that can be seen from almost all of the coastal towns in that region. However, we stupidly got off the bus at the wrong stop.

The plan was to walk the 20-40 minute walk that was all down hill to the point and then take the final ferry home. Instead, we walked around 40 minutes up hill (which I loved), then 40 minutes down hill, missing the final ferry, walked 40 minutes up hill (which I loved) and then took a bus back to the local village. I think we walked a good 7-8 miles that day and my legs felt all the better for it.

This is about 20 minutes from the final point.

Reaching the point was cause for celebration and cheesy poses.

The next day, Dan and Jen flew home. Despite needing to keep away from the computer – I wrote a blog post for The Telegraph on the flight out (before my ears starting hurting) and sent this down. I also helped my Dad setup his wireless network for guests. It didn't take long for the eye pain to start returning – so I cut this as short as possible.

A short trip to Acqui Terme was in order on the third day, where we checked out the local produce, sampled the boiling sulphur waters of the local spring, and surprisingly – found a stargate, ready to take me to a galaxy far, far away.

Unfortunately, the CG guy was off sick.

The weather was rather windy, so we didn't have the option of swimming (the red flags were up). So on the final day, we went to the local country parks were we went on some nice walks into the hills to see some local land marks.

Here I am with my parents, braving the immense wind.

If it doesn't move, climb it! - My attitude towards the holiday.

We also went to the local Dam, which has a lovely view and a nice walk. I climbed some rocks, and almost got stuck – but evidentially, I found my way back down.

Dams are a good place to skim rocks too.

Obviously, I spent plenty of time with my parents and their new kittens, had a couple of nice BBQ meals, ate out at a couple of restaurants and rode down a hill really fast on a bike. And after all – isn't that what a holiday is really all about?

My parents rabbits were originally bred for food, so when kept as pets are insanely big.

The four kittens were a consistent form of entertainment, rivalled only by the game “What's in my hand?” or the equally entertaining “What's my hand in?”.

Now I'm back in the real world with plenty to get on with, eye pain that still hasn't quite shifted and a cold that's lingering around like the last after eight mint...

Haha! Nice trip photos, love the Stargate!