Very early this morning we docked in Livorno and boarded a bus for our visit to Firenza and Pisa. After leaving the plain near the coast we entered beautiful Tuscany. In the distance we could see low mountains with white patches which are not snow but rather marble quarries. Firenza was packed with tourists. We first visited the Accademia Gallery and saw Michelangelo’s David. What a magnificent sculpture! The detail is absolutely breathtaking. We then walked through a lot of the downtown to the Duomo (the cathedral), past the Ponte Vecchio (the bridge in the picture) and other sights.
After lunch in a lovely old hotel in the countryside outside the city, we drove to Pisa. The walk to the Tower and Cathedral was like running the gauntlet between the vendors. Most of them were from someplace in Africa and they were extremely pushy. The area around the Cathedral and Tower had a carnival-like atmosphere between the crowds and the booths selling all kinds of souvenir trinkets. Some of our group climbed to the top of the Leaning Tower. I didn’t even try. Al went part of the way. The climb is inside the building in semi-darkness with no railing. Not for people like me who don’t like heights!
After another short ride we were back on the ship and happy to be there because we were pooped. This vacation business is tiring work!
1 comment:
You write very well.
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