Got out of Palermo properly for the first time today... visited the Plaza de Mayo, Casa Rosada and wandered over to San Telmo which looks very promising - looking forward to staying there for a few days soon! As it is, will be sad to leave "Chelulu Trendy Hotel" as they've been unfailingly helpful and polite, and our room is lovely, but it's an exciting step to move into our rented flat tomorrow, even if I have a certain amount of trepidation about negotiating the stairs (apparently you ring the bell and wait five minutes till someone gets down them to let you in, so that'll be fun with our rucksacks!!)

By the way, forgot to mention the ice-cream we had the other night at Scannapieco (I think it's called) which was incredible - dulce de leche and pistachio flavours - certainly the best I can remember having! (Becka agrees)

Here's some photos to give you a flavour of things... including yesterday's legendary steak, me getting well into a book about Russia under the Czars in this 200-year old bookshop often frequented by leftist intellectuals, and us in the rose garden in the Parque 3 de Febrero... Becka has taken about 3,000 photos of street art/graffiti/stencilling, here's just one to be getting on with!

On our way out now to 'la cocina discreta', one of those supper clubs in someone's house that we read about in the Guardian travel section about a year ago. Mmm, spontaneous. It's breaking the budget but we're looking forward to it. (Becka: As long as there's no olives, sun-dried tomatoes or raisins on the menu. it'll be all good.)

bye xxxx

PS wore my Spurs top out today, but any fantasies I had about people slapping me on the back and talking to me about Ossie and Ricky Villa disappeared sharpish - in fact pretty much the first thing that happened was I walked right past an Argentine in an old Spurs top, I pointed at his shirt and mine in an attempt to bond but he seemed to have no idea whatsoever what the hell I was doing...