The Tower Really Leans...
While exploring Rome, we found this sign right next to our hotel! Can you imagine??? My heart skipped a beat… Imagine a bakery with ALL Gluten Free items. We went on a shopping spree!
Every item was fresh… pastries that I drool over in a regular bakery. To think that I can grab any or all of these cookies, muffins, croissants! Twenty-two dollars later… a tip and a giant hug for the bakery specialist… out the door we walked. A giant bag full of goodies!!!
Off to the train station. Though it was only a nine-minute walk, we decided that moving around with our cruise clothes was more effort than we were ready to expend! Bustling with people, it was a very organized. Wait in the lobby area until twenty minutes prior… train platform is announced. Off to the train. We booked nice seats, facing each other with a table in the middle.
On the train! Rome to Pisa… this part of Italy is VERY green. The route follows the coastline. We ended up making a stop at Civitavecchia, the Rome cruise port. Next time we take a cruise out of Rome, I won’t hesitate to take the train to port. It was a bit intimidating to me, so we found transfers, shuttles or even a taxi to make the trip.
Hello Pisa! We arrived at the station. Now to get the luggage to the reserved bag drop off! All the reservations were made through “Bounce” and our Pisa reservation … one night. Pushing the luggage on cobbled streets, with Roxanne’s wheel broken, made it quite a chore. We ended up paying a different place (much closer) to leave our luggage. So, I lost $10… haha. It was definitely worth it!
Thankfully, our room was ready at Casa San Tommaso. Last time I stayed in this quaint hotel was with Corey. We had visited all chilly locations and rather than going to Lyon (which predicted cold weather), we found that Pisa/Florence would be quite warm. The flight from Geneva to Pisa was just over 30 euro. Our weather, is again perfect! The evenings are slightly cold but the days are warm! This is the perfect stop to heal from jetlag!
Breakfast is offered with the room… this little hallway had chairs to sit for coffee and rolls. Walking up to our room, antique furniture decorated the landings of the polished cement and tiled steps. Our room had three beds last time Corey and I stayed in it. This time, two beds were pushed together to make a double. I slept under the window. Thinking it would be nice to get fresh air, I started out with the window open. A mosquito bit me… so I jumped up and closed it. A mere two minutes later, a cloud burst, and it was POURING! It rained for most of the night.
Just outside our hotel, is the iconic Tower of Pisa. Standing at 183 feet, 3 inches, it can be seen from all around the town. We noticed several people taking carriage rides.
Considered one of the most highly visited locations in the world… five million a year! Tower of Pisa, the cathedral and a Baptistery. The grass area is roped off so no one steps on it. That’s why it’s so healthy!
Two things stopped me from visiting the Bell Tower… 1. My insane fear of heights. Seeing people walk along the edge gave me great anxiety! 2. More than my fear of heights, the thought of climbing 292 steps! Yikes!
We couldn’t visit the Tower without taking goofy photos. It took a couple of tries but we got our photos! Keeping the tower from falling and holding the tower in the palm of her hand… Roxanne now has her own famous pose. There were many clever shots being taken… one girl held a cone (from ice cream cone) and made it look like the tower was the ice cream.
After seeing so many people doing “the pose”… it became very amusing. I started taking photos of the way people were preparing for their photo. Some, like these three, “get” the idea. You should be angled in such a way that it appears the Tower of Pisa is either being held up, cupped or pinched. So many options… but sitting in a sidewalk cafe, drinking coffee… the perfect vantage point for watching all the poses!
Others… just don’t get it! Just for the record, Roxanne had a little bit of trouble at the start… but she quickly learned!!! Look at the angle of their hand placement… if you click on the picture, it opens up. You can see that there is no way this aligns with the Tower!
With only one reservation on the books for Pisa, we headed toward our location. It was a two-minute walk so we had to stall. Taking the “long way”, we looked in shops, got money from an ATM and arrived a few minutes. Prior to our trip, I had a nice interaction with the Grand Duomo Hotel roofbar. Reservations were necessary so we got everything set up. Entering the hotel lobby, heading up the elevator and a warm greeting on the rooftop made the entire experience perfect! Our view was stunning… a mere block from the Tower, we had a bird’s eye view!
Roxanne’s charcuterie board deserved a closer look… simply beautiful and the perfect pairing with Italian wine! It was so nice to sit and relax, while looking at the tower… we see it in photos but when it is right before you… IMPRESSIVE! Our visit extended into a sunset… such a special afternoon!
Keeping our promise to eat our way through Italy… we left our lunch and went straight to dinner! We found a cute cafe with indoor seating. It wasn’t really cold but there was enough of a chill that we decided to eat indoors. Our waiter was amazing! We enjoyed wine and a couple of appetizers! The one pictured in the middle was gluten-free bread, prosciutto and lard. Sounds weird but it was unbelievable! I know… I know… you think the third photo is really me with the tower. haha It is actually a chalk drawing right beside our table!
Pisa! We love you! It’s fun being out and about at night because the massive crowds are gone. Temperatures were still nice, but definitely cooler.
In the past year, Roxanne and I have visited so many iconic places. This will be added to the collection of photos at famous locations around the world. Barry and I have a series also… it’s kind of a fun “hobby”. Fun is fun but we have been traveling nonstop and it’s time to get a little rest.
Surreal… that’s the perfect descriptive word for how it feels to be walking back to our hotel from dinner. We pass by THE LEANING TOWER OF PISA and bikes parked outside buildings… flowers… it’s all just so… Italian!
Such a great friend… Roxanne promised to make me drink water. She actually took this little “Limoncello” boot from a restaurant. The waiter said, “I see nothing”… now I get a glass of water each night before I turn in for the night! Lifechanging! Don’t give me too much credit. The big bottle is Roxanne’s. The boot is mine. The photo is just to give context…
Starting out the day… everything was fresh from an overnight rain! Weather always deters people, and this was no exception. We headed out to exchange our vouchers for tickets. It was time to check out the Pisa Duomo, Baptistery and enjoy the grounds before it gets too crowded!
Everything looks fresh after the rain… Notice the empty streets. It’s kind of nice to be out exploring with no one around!
Everything about the church was incredible! From the colorful ceilings to the tiled floors.
Our tickets allowed us entry to the Baptistery. Such a great room. A lady walked up front to demonstrate the acoustics of the round room. This “event” takes place every few hours. The lady, who I thought was a security guard, walks up … faces away from us and sings a few lines.
Beautiful Cathedral de Pisa…
Posers… we just can’t help ourselves!
Okay… these photos are from around the cathedral. Very beautiful! What I’m not posting… is a photo of Roxanne. When we made the reservation for the cathedral visit, strict instructions were given as to attire. Women must have shoulders and knees covered to enter the sacred building. At one point, as I was taking these photos, I noticed a woman with short shorts on. I turned to Roxanne and commented on the lady missing the memo… it was at this point that Roxanne looked down and noticed her top was WIDE open! Her top had come unbuttoned… bra showing… all the way down to her belly! (NOTE: Roxanne has asked me to edit this post to express that her shirt was unbuttoned all the way down to her “six pack”) This explained the dirty looks she had been given! We have laughed over that… giggles… oh my gosh! So darn funny!!!
Time for a little coffee before gathering up our luggage. We left our backpacks at the hotel desk, so we had to go back there. Then it’s back to the train station to grab our “cruise clothes”! Then it’s onward to Florence for three days! Oh the fun of travel…
