After visiting Rome last year we always said we would like to return. After a little research we found a couple of cheap tickets from Kuala Lumpur to Rome via Colombo. So we jumped at the chance of starting our backpacking in Europe from Rome.

Rome was as spectacular as the last time we visited, nearly a year ago in February. It looks, sounds and feels like every Italian movie you have ever seen. With small cars and mopeds zooming around on cobbled streets, in between tall buildings of a faded red or yellow colour dotted with Roman wooden shutters. Small local shops selling cheese, meats and designer items house themselves on the bottom floors. The coffee bars are always full with locals at whatever time, grabbing a quick espresso on the go. Whilst walking around these beautiful streets you suddenly happen upon large decorative stone built churches or piazzas with statued fountains. To top it off you also have the ancient Roman history with the Colloseum and the oldest Roman street full of ruins.

However, this time on our visit we were joined by a special visitor and a first time Italian explorer. Nicoles mummy, Fiona. Who arrived at the airport two hours after we landed, with lots of hugs and kisses. It felt very odd to have Fiona sat with us as we boarded the train and bus to our apartment, almost like a dream. It has been only us for 114 days, it felt surreal to have someone else to speak to and see physically instead of through a computer screen! We hope that she had a really good time visiting, as we rushed her through all the major sights over the next three days.

The negatives of visiting in January is the bitter cold weather, we had come from 34 degree heat in clear blue skies to 10 degrees heat with clear blue skies. Luckily Fiona had bought a ton of emergency clothes for us to stock up on. She barely wore gloves while we froze in two pairs! But the major positive of visiting this amazing city in January was the complete lack of tourists, okay there were a few, but we barely qued for anything and the accomodation and meals out were so much cheaper. It was a fantastic time to visit, even in the cold winter months.

The Pantheon, a large domed temple church in the centre of Rome, was our first port of call. However on a Sunday morning we were unable to visit during service time, so we opted for a local coffee in the local coffee bar, one of our favourites in Rome. You don't sit down and drink coffee in Italy, its a quick drink and off you go. As we left we watched a small Italian marching band exit the Pantheon with the the church goers. The day continued with a visit to the Trevi fountain, which had been covered up for restoration on our last visit. It was spectacular the whole side the a building facing the piazza was taken with with late statues of King Trident as his people. It was most definetly a masterpiece to see. After we headed to the Spanish steps, however they where covered due to maintenance so we didn't get to enjoy sitting on them in the faint sunlight. But we did get into a good old barney with the selfie stick street sellers, who are most persistent and ruder than their Asian equivalents.

We ended the day, as a request from our special guest, at the Vatican in St Peter's square. Although they seem to have added security scanners and army personnel, the grand structure had not lost its imposing flare. You could imagine the area being crowded with people celebrating, mourning and worshipping. We even popped into St Peter's without a queue in sight! One of the many spectacular churches in Rome with its ornate paintings and decorations.

The following day we visited the historical sights of the Roman quarter. With our tickets we walked around the majestic Collusseum and marvelled at its immense size. Mum was getting lots of "feels" from this particular area. The "feels" is the overwhelming feeling of history and time, who has stood where I'm standing, who has died there, how many people have seen this....etc. Rome is full of lots of "feels" and we heard all about them! Mum is also a highly educated knower of all things, she was able to tell us lots of information about the ruins that she seemed to have collected from an unknown source. Love you mummy!

Having an apartment for the first time gave us a kitchen! Anyone who knows both of us, knows how much we love cooking. So we dived right in and bought some pasta and veg from a local mini mart and some olives from a Italian delicatessens. The next day we cooked up some good old jacket potatoes, Nicoles favourite meal, which were the BEST jackets I had ever tasted!!

On our last night we treated ourselves to a celebratory meal out to end our action pack trip together. It was so lovely to go out for meal with real, delicious western food that hadn't been deep fried. We also received a nice glass of prosseco and freshly cooked breads on arrival. We have loved having mum here and showing her around. After four months apart it felt strange but surprisingly normal to have her around. She helped us out alot by bringing us warm clothes and taking some things back for us. We wouldn't be doing this trip if we didn't have the amazing support of both of our generous families!