Today as we headed off we got to see the extent of the damage from last night's storm . Trees down all over the place and a couple of crushed cars!

We had a brief, but mind-blowing orientation tour and then met Carlos, our local guide, who was waiting for us at the entrance to the Vatican museums.

Those of us going on the optional tour with Carlos got presented with headsets - quite a brilliant innovation, they consist of a little receiver that you hang around your neck, with earphones that plug into it; the tour guide then talks into a small microphone and you can hear him, even if you wander a little way off. No more shouting tour guides, great!

As soon as we were all "plugged in" off we went through the Vatican museums, seeing artworks, tapestries and maps. All very beautiful and the building is amazing too, particularly the ceilings - by the time we had walked throught the museums I already had a stiff neck from "ceiling gazing"!

We then visited the Sistine Chapel, it is very beautiful indeed, but didn't blow me away like I thought it would, I've since wondered why and I think it comes down to the fact that it was very crowded - I think you needed to be quiet and reflective to take it all in and there was no way you could be quiet and reflective when you were being jostled about at every turn.

Then we headed off to St Peter’s Basilica. We had to queue for quite a while to get in and it was exceedingly hot, but SO worth it. Even queuing in the square is an experience.

The basilica is absolutely awe-inspiring! In hind-sight I rate this as the most beautiful building I saw on tour. I will always remember the moment I stepped into the basilica – literally jaw-dropping! Photos in general and my photos in particular (they came out so badly, but it's a miracle they came out at all, I went into a bit of a trance in there!) just don't do the magnificence of the place justice.

It was almost too much to take in, sensory over-load. Don't go there expecting quiet and restrained.... that it's not, it's way OTT, almost gaudy, but beyond beautiful. It's a place I have to go back to, I need more time to wander around and absorb it all. Personally I think you need to spend a couple of hours a day in there for about a week to really get your fill of it.

We then headed off for more sight-seeing before arriving in the vicinity of the Colosseum, where we had free time to go and grab some lunch. We thought we'd be clever and go looking for a restaurant off the beaten track - it worked for us everywhere else we went, but on this day, unfortunately not! We ended up at a lousy restaurant and had a lousy pizza - I suppose you win some, you lose some.

After lunch we met up with Carlos again and those of us on the optional got to go inside the Colosseum with him. Again, I was so glad we did the optional, I had no idea that there were lifts inside the colosseum and that you could go up the lift and walk around on the upper storey of this ancient structure – but there are, you can and we did! Wow! I really enjoyed hearing about how the colosseum was built and to walk inside it was amazing. I have always wondered how the colossuem has remained standing in an area so prone to earthquakes and now I know it comes down to simple engineering. Amazing.

Carlos was such a sweet guide, a portly, white bearded, little Roman man, he looked rather like Father Christmas. When he wanted to call our group closer to him he would say “Come closer, I waaant you, I neeed you, I looove you, let me feel your warmth around me” Hilarious! And this saying stuck with the girls and me for the entire trip - you'll hear more about it when we get to Paris...

By this point we were all cooking. Believe me, Rome gets HOT! It's the kind of heat we experience on the South coast of South Africa in February, brutal I tell you! The drive back to our hotel was long, hot and torturous. I was wishing we hadn’t booked the evening optional, but surprisingly, after a cool shower I was ready to get going again.

First stop on the evening optional was the Pantheon – I loved it, totally different to St Peter’s, far more restrained and somehow gracious and oh so beautiful.

Then we headed to Piazza Navona - possibly my favourite place in Rome. A totally charming square and the paintings, wow I could have done some money there!

Such a sweet thing happened while we were in Piazza Navona - Rox was standing in front of a sidewalk cafe in the square, watching the people passing by, and she absent-mindedly stretched her arms out in front of her; I was watching a young (gorgeous) waiter who was watching Rox when he spontaneously came up to her and lifted her arms above her head, twirled her around and gave her a big hug! Oh to be young and in Italy, there is just something about those Italian men..... sigh.

After a short time in the Piazza, we headed to our dinner at a restaurant where 4 opera singers entertained us. We are not opera fans by any stretch of the imagination, but the show was very light-hearted and a good introduction to that genre.

Sitting opposite Paula and me are Rehna and Nicky, fellow South Africans, we had some good times with them.

Finally we headed back to our hotel for some much needed sleep after a very big, very hot day!

I loved Rome so much and would love the opportunity to see more of it.

Unforgettable moments in Rome:
*First view of the Colosseum
*Turning the corner and seeing the Trevi fountain all lit up
*Walking into St Peters
*Standing inside the Colosseum
*Standing in the Pantheon and looking up at the hole in the roof
*Piazza Navona
*The view of St Peters at night from the bus
*Brilliant fields of sunflowers on the outskirts of the city