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So today we decided to have a go at another of the walking tours that we found online. We got up a bit later as breakfast was being served until 10.30. Eventually set off around 11. The starting point for the tour was piazza del quirinale so we decided to walk there from the hotel. On the way we passed the via del quattro fontane which basically was a cross roads with the statues and fountains carved into the corner of each building. Arriving at piazza del quirinale we found out it was the home of the Italian president, and that on Sunday mornings they opened for tours - the only day of the week! Our luck was soon quashed however when we found out you needed to pre-book and there weren't any tickets left. The tours were scheduled to last 2.5 hours however so I'm not sure we were really up for it. 

From there we made our way down to the Trevi fountain which unfortunately was drained and clad in scaffolding for restoration work. We moved on relatively quickly to the next stop on our tour, the Spanish steps. We actually approached from the top which gave a nice view down over the steps and the piazza below. It was hot and sunny again today so we joined the small group of people sitting on the steps - in the shade, watching people in the piazza below. It was very busy with lots of people refilling water bottles in the fountain which we later learned had only recently reopened after restoration work. 

We temporarily abandoned the tour to go and visit the piazza del popolo which was a little further along the via del babuino (home to many designer shops, Chanel, Armani etc). Along the way we bought a slab of potato pizza sold by weight by way of lunch. The piazza del popolo was very quiet but is home to a nice fountain and Egyptian obelisk. We took a few photos before picking up our tour. 

We wandered along some back streets until we reached the mauseleo Augusto, the precursor to castle Sant'Angelo that we had already visited. It was a ruin and surrounded by a tall railing, so not much to see. We also went into the nearby museum ara pacis home to the large arc of peace which was very grand. Feeling tired we headed towards the last stop on the tour which was a piazza designed by Bernini. When we arrived we realised we had already passed through on Monday walking home. We caught the metro back to Termini and went back to the hotel to cool down.

In the evening we went to a nearby pizzeria and followed it up with a gelateria for dessert. Tomorrow we have timed tickets for the Vatican!

Got up just in time for breakfast today and determinedly stood in the queue to make waffles. It was much quicker today and we managed to make a waffle each. Ben covered his in cream and chocolate sprinkles and I had a bit of cream with Cherry compote, and a small pot of syrup for dipping - quite successful! We didn’t burn the waffles and they didn’t stick! Result!

Spent quite a while packing up our stuff before loading it into the spacious car boot and heading off. We stopped off just down the road in Mariposa, as we wanted to take a couple of pictures - it looks quite Western in style, with lots of wood and overhanging balconies. Pretty cool!

The journey itself was fairly straightforward. It took about an hour to get out of Mariposa country and leave behind the winding mountain roads and then we hit the freeway. Long, long, straight roads with just fields for miles.

We stopped for some lunch at an out-of-town shopping centre in Tulare. We went to Denny’s and had quite a big lunch… Ben had a Philly sandwich - a steak and cheese melt with onions - and I had a hickory chicken sandwich, both served with a heap of fries. We both felt like we weren’t eating enough for our server, as she kept asking if we wanted anything else! Felt quite full, so went for a wander among the shops. Went in a few to check out the prices and compare them to prices back home. Went into Toys “R” Us and bought some Lego! A Lone Ranger set - pretty awesome given we haven’t even got the film yet back home. It was about $41.

Headed back to the car and went on our way. The journey was pretty straightforward, just long, and we had to stop twice for petrol. Decided to stop off again within an hour of LA, and stopped at Starbucks. Had a little chat with a trucker from Minnesota about cookies and went on. The stretch into LA itself was fairly horrific - a five lane interstate, with very heavy traffic. The Americans also seemed unable to give way, so moving lanes is interesting! It took about an hour to go about 10 miles! Ben was very relieved to get off it, as it made him quite nervous.

Found the hotel after a few wrong turns and got parked in the hotel car park, in the early evening. Checked in before recovering our stuff from the car. Because the hotel is in Little Tokyo, it has quite an oriental feel - possibly the poshest hotel room so far. Had a rest and then went for a wander around - ended up in Little Tokyo; looking around, we thought about getting something to eat, but everywhere seem to close just as we got there! In the end, we got some snacks from a mini-Mart and headed back to the hotel.

We investigated the Internet/Wi-Fi, but it was $10 per day, except in the lobby where it’s free. So instead we used the ‘business room’ downstairs for the use of the hotel guests, to plan for tomorrow. We also spent a little bit of time on the tablet in the lobby area. Went upstairs after and discovered our free Internet connection was still active! Get in!

Today we decided to head for the old town. Before heading out, we stopped at the cafe across the road from the hotel for a bit of breakfast. Dani had a fruit bowl and chocolate twist, whilst I had a chocolatine. As we were getting served they seemed to have a bit of a problem with the juicing machine which meant we both got sprayed with some bits of carrot - not the best start to the day! Our first port of call was to be the basilica; we had made it to there yesterday, but only in time to find it had just closed. They have a light show on in the evenings at the moment, but we decided to head inside for a look around anyway and may come back another evening for the lights. Whilst in the queue to get in, an information person came past and gave us a leaflet about the old town. I turns out that there are a few streets that are lit up and there was a map with them marked out in yellow - we figured we'd head back later in the evening and have a bit of a wander. The basillica was really impressive inside with a magnificant altar piece. We stayed quite a while, having a good wander around and taking photos. 

Leaving the basillica we headed across the square to the bank which is Canada's first bank. They have a little museum inside, but it is still a working bank - it certainly looks a little bit Hogwarts inside - I was going to take a photo but the security man told me not to. We wandered back towards the hotel through the old town stopping for some lunch in Starbucks. Afterwards we looked in another building that also turned out to be an old bank, but this time had been converted into offices and a cafe in the old banking hall. We decided we would go to St Patrick's Basillica which is close to the hotel. Again it was very impressive inside, but much quieter than the Notre Dame Basillica. We took some more photos before heading back to the hotel. We took the lift to the top to have a look at the view from the terrace. It was pretty decent, but the skyline is not quite so iconic as some other cities we've visited. 

We had tea at a French/Canadian restaurant called Holders. It was really busy, but we were seated straight away. I had the beef bourguignon and Dani had confit de conard. It was very nice, and we shared a chocolate mouse for dessert. Afterwards we walked back towards old town to take some photos. The basillica was nicely lit and there was an animated film playing on the side of the building next to the bank. We walked along the yellow route looking at many of the other buildings that were also lit, back near the hotel we came across a water feature that seenmed to be on fire. It turns out that it's an installation called the 'La Joute' by Quebec artist Jean-Paul Riopelle. Every hour the fountain comes to life with a ring of fire surrounding it before being doused by the water fountain. We only caught the end, so dropped our stuff at the hotel and then went back out to see the next cycle from the beginning. By the time we got to the hotel it was gone 11 so we called it a night. We're going to have have a look at the parks tomorrow.