Football fever by Theo

Rosie's always loved balls - throwing them, kicking them, chewing them - a round spherical object has always been a guaranteed winner with her. Nonetheless I was pretty surprised when this evening, after her bath, she requested that I play a game of football with her. That's the first time she'd mentioned the ubiquitous sport by name; as we have no TV I'm not quite sure where she picked it up from unless it was the kick about she had with her mates Alvin and Hendrix in the park on Sunday.

Typical Rosie; not content to play with just daddy soon subbed on her monkey to join her team, but then stopped as soon as she saw the camera. She loves the lens.... or rather, being behind it!

The Rainbow World Cup - by Theo

The atmosphere was tense and electric, not a seat free in the house, the hosts buzzing with anticipation even though their national team hadn't made it to the final - nah, not talking about in South Africa, the Rainbow Nation, though I'm sure all of the above is true, but the Rainbow household, here in St. Hilary, Cornwall, where we watched the 2010 Football World Cup final.

Spain versus Holland - funnily enough nearly everyone was rooting for the former! Not only do we live in Spain, but Becky (Kate's sister) had drawn Spain in a sweep-stake some friends of hers had organised, and Becky's brother-in-law Sam Rainbow (who was watching with us) also has a house in Spain, where he and his family lived for a while. The fact that Sam's wife, Neema, was the sole Dutch supporter speaks volumes as to why they no longer live there!!

Despite the tension and excitement as Spain attempted to pass their way around some brutal tackles, Becky and Dan's four kids had all joined Rosie in bed by half-time, only to be woken up again by the resounding cheer that rang out when Iniesta finally broke the dead lock deep in extra time. By that stage any vestiges of sympathy I might have had for the Dutch at losing their third World Cup final had long since evaporated!

Viva España!

Florence: Golf, Football and Skeletons

We'd like to consider ourselves relatively well informed about the places we have been visiting - their historical importance and so on. Florence took us a bit by surprise though; despite both of us having studied history I don't think either of us quite realised just how great a role Florence played, not just in Italian affairs, but in shaping the world, for it truly was the birthplace of the Renaissance. The amount of art gathered here is truly staggering - we didn't even attempt to see it all, though we did go and marvel at the original David which even after clocking both the replicas was still astounding. (The 10 euro entry price made us appreciate the free entry to London museums like never before.) The Duomo's facade and dome are remarkably beautiful, though after the marvels of the interior of Siena's Duomo, the interior here struck us as slightly austere and understated, though there were beautiful frescos and paintings to be found there and in other neighbourhood churches we ventured into.

The sheer wealth that must have once resided here must have been exceptional at one time and beyond even the conception of most Florentine contemporaries. This home of Dante, Giotto, Petrarch and Michelangelo is filled with beautiful townhouses, their eaves overhanging the narrow streets to give some respite from the baking sun, which was cooking at 9am and 6pm, and pretty well unbearable at midday. The Ponte Vecchio, still lined with jewelers had a charm that survived the hordes of hawkers and crowds of tourists that rivaled Rome.There were surprises and treats everywhere; a museum of musical instruments, including one of the earliest pianos; a missed bus stop which resulted in us watching the sun set over the city from the heights of Piazzale Michelangelo; discovering quite by chance that on the second evening we were there a large street party, Bianco Notti, would be taking place in the old town around Palazzo Pitti to celebrate (we presumed) the summer solstice; once there stumbling upon a University Museum still open at 11pm on a Saturday and filled with animal skeletons of all shapes and sizes. Florence is a truly magical and surprising city.

If only the campsite had had a swimming pool!! It was baking - by 8am the sun was already high in the sky with the tarmac radiating heat, and at night we were sleeping on top of the covers. The campsite did however have amazing views over the city, which led to the rather incongruous juxtaposition of the illuminated dome of the Cathedral with the bar's big screen showing a rather dull football match between Turkey and Croatia. Loosing interest (in the match not the view) we made friends with Damon and Hannah, two Mancunians spending a month riding the rails around Europe. They taught us a new card game - Golf - which I managed to loose quite spectacularly just in time for the equally spectacular end to an otherwise dull match - two goals in the final two minutes of injury time followed by a penalty shoot out, which Turkey won. Another surprising turn of events.