La Spezia (Florence and Pisa)

Tuesday, June 17, 2014
La Spezia, Italian Riviera, Italy
*** If you have already read the blog for Monaco, I have corrected an error. Land in Monaco is $125,000 per square meter, not the $125 I had original posted.

Today we ported in La Spezia which is the closest port to Florence and Pisa . Our tour was an all day tour so we started early. We met the girls at Cabanas at 6:15. Regan had not felt well overnight and was a little shaky as to whether she was going to be ok to go but she decided to go.

We met in the Walt Disney Theater and were escorted to our bus where we met Elena, our tour guide. She explained that we would be riding into Florence first. We made a short pit stop at a rest area and then after a total 2.5 hour drive we arrived in Florence.

We walked down the narrow streets to the Duomo of Florence. This beautiful church is built completely out of marble and we were told that it was built not by a ruler or nobleman but by the donations of the citizens of Florence. We also looked at the doors of the baptistery that are thousands of years old and were designed by Michelangelo.

We then walked down the Via de' Calzaiuoli to the Palzzo Vecchio where we saw the government buildings as well as the fountain of Neptune, Michaelangelo’s David Statue and several other statues in the plaza .

Our tour then took us down the Uffizi Gallery to the Ponte Vecchio where we saw the oldest bridge in Florence. Then, back through the Uffizi Gallery and the town to the Piazza Santa Croce where we saw another beautiful church.

We then were given free time for lunch and shopping. Our guide had made lunch reservations for us at Buccadoma right on the square. Lunch was delicious!

We then wandered the small streets of Florence, picked up a few things and had some Gelato before meeting and reboarding the bus so we could go to Pisa.

The ride to Pisa took about 45 minutes. We drove past Miracle Square but had to park in a lot that was a 15 minute walk from the site. After getting off the bus, we walked along rows of street vendors before entering what is called Miracle Square where the Church, Baptistry and Bell Tower are. The buildings are beautiful and that tower is definitely leaning.

We took the obligatory photos and wandered around during our free time and then met back up with the group got back on the bus and rode an hour and 15 minutes back to the La Spieza.

We had just enough time to drop our stuff off, and head to dinner.  

After dinner we took our nightly walk and then, I wasnt feeling well so I went to bed. Nikki read and the girls went off to do their thing.

Dinner
Ric: Shrimp and Lobster, French Onion Soup, Duck and Crème Bulee and Soufflé
Nikki: Shrimp and Lobster, Salad, Lobster Macaroni and Soufflé
Regan: Escargot (she shared with us all), French Onion Soup, Salmon and Soufflé
Kelsie: Fried Brie, Salad, Salmon and Chocolate and Peanut Butter tart

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