Not something you would see just anywhere...
The original plan was not to go to Florence, but to go to a small walled city named Lucca about half way to Florence. I had done some research and it seemed very doable in the amount of time that we had. Then Bob mentioned the Tower in Pisa, you know the one?? Since Pisa was on the way we decided we would take the train to Pisa ( from Livorno where we docked for Florence which is about 1 1/2 hours away by train), explore and then go on to Lucca if time permitted. I am sure I have told you multiple times that I spent a lot of time on the Cruise Critic boards and forums getting ideas. The word seemed to be "don't bother with Pisa, there is nothing there but the tower in a field". But once again we decided to judge for ourselves and found Pisa to be a delightful city with wonderful shops, a bakery ( yum) and great buildings. We wandered around and headed toward the tower. Obviously signs for the tower are pretty easy to understand and the walk was pleasant.
This is the day that was supposed to be 74 degrees and rainy. It actually sprinkled for about 5 minutes and that was it! Wonderful weather.
Approaching..it really does look more than a bit odd.
You can buy a ticket to climb the tower, but there was a wait of two or three hours. The tower is in a large park with several other buildings, lots of souvenir type stalls around the edge and many many people posing with the tower in the background.
We saw the sights, ate lunch around the corner with a view of the tower. Pizza again!
No time for Lucca, but we had a really fun time just wandering about Pisa and taking the train and bus back to the ship.
Next time I will tell you about Villefranche, France and then sadly, our trip will be over.
Later,
Janet
Look what I found for 5 Euro ( less than $6.50) from a street vendor in Pisa ( who looked pretty legit). Great on the table, and it will cover the mismatched leaves when they are in the table. The colors are perfect for my dining room and the paisley theme reinforces the curtain fabric. I am kicking myself for not buying several ( there were so many beautiful colors and designs) to hang on the back of comfy chairs, swag over a curtain rod or if I had the confidence to pull it off I could even buy one to wear! I just love it!
