Breakfast was again, different than we are used to, a lot of meat and cheeses…the coffee was horrible. But of course I drank at least 2 cups, and we were off again. We had been traveling south this entire trip, until yesterday when we began to ascend back up.
Our first stop today was in Pisa, Italy. Pisa is very cute and has a number of open air stores and many street vendors. When we arrived it was raining. As we stepped out of the bus, we were practically rushed by men and women selling umbrellas. We literally had to squeeze by them to get off the bus!
Attila led us to a little train that would take us to the Leaning Tower of Pissa, for 2 Euros (there and back). The train dropped us off, and we were rushed again! We had to walk through a beautiful old archway, before getting to the tower. Then, there it was, the Leaning Tower of Pisa. It was definitely much different than any of us expected! The Tower looks much newer than I thought it would, I suppose it has been very well renovated. It is also much shorter than I imagined it would be! In addition, the Leaning Tower of Pisa does not sit all alone, there are other old beautiful buildings around it, I was not expecting that either.
In addition, a number of souvenir stands run along the walking street next to the tower. Dusty and I searched each stand for a “Italia” sweatshirt….it was very cold walking around in the rain. I had seen a sweater I loved in Venice but didn’t buy it. Now, I was in search of that same sweater! We all took each other’s picture in front of the Leaning Tower. In some pictures we were catching the tower, in other pictures we were pushing the tower down. We took all of the classics! (Of course I do not have any pictures because of our camera/memory card malfunction….we will steal some from Grandpa and Rachel).
When we had our fill of the Leaning Tower of Pisa, we walked back through the brilliant arches and searched some more stands and stores for MY sweater lol! Eventually we found just what we were looking for, and we purchased 2 “Italia” sweaters. The sweaters are blue and white, say Italia across the front, and have collars. We wore out sweaters proudly…day after day after day! Lol
As we continued our drive North, we passed along the coast admiring the incredibly beautiful Italian and French Rivieras. France is absolutely beautiful with its lush green hills and charming towns.
We arrived at our hotel, Park Inn, in Nice, France. I immediately went to the front desk and asked how to get to the beach from the hotel. The lady at the front desk was very helpful, and provided me with a map and an explanation. The optional paid excursion for the evening was, “Monte Carlo Night”. Grandpa and Mom went on this excursion but the rest of us opted not to.
After getting situated in our room, Dusty and I walked the 20 minutes to the beach. Just like in Italy, we had to walk across rocks to get into the water. The water was beautiful!! Again, it was very green. After stepping in, the water got very deep, very fast. We dove in and swam. The current was very strong, so we were cautious not to get caught up in it.
There we were, swimming in the French Riviera!! Swimming, admiring the beautiful coastline, and enjoying each other’s company was incredible. We swam for about 45 minutes before lying out on towels, on the rocks. The perfectly smooth rocks had been painful to walk on, but felt extremely therapeutic to lie on. It was like being at a sauna, and lying on therapeutic hot stones. After we dried off, we began the walk back to the hotel. We took a different route and walked down a street full of restaurants and some shops. Even though we were now in France, we were still near the Italian border. The menus of the restaurants reflected this, offering many Italian dishes.
When we returned to the Park Inn, we skipped dinner and I called it an early night. Dusty went downstairs and took advantage of the steam room and gym. He enjoyed himself until about 10. For Rachel, Dusty, and I it was an early evening. The others returned to the hotel after midnight. Grandpa and Mom really enjoyed themselves.
Tomorrow we will head to Grenoble and then to Paris. The COSMOS tour is winding down…but there is still so much to see!!
2010. szeptember 17., péntek
COSMOS The Best of Europe Tour Day 14-Florence, Italy
We left Sorrento early and headed to Florence, Italy. The drive was absolutely incredible with beautiful views. Once in Florence, we were taken immediately downtown, where Attila took us on an included excursion to the Peruzzi Leather Factory. We were given a demonstration of how leather is embellished with gold. After the demonstration, Rachel and Mom were both asked to model leather jackets!
Rachel and I both purchased Peruzzi Leather coin pursues, embellished with gold accents and our initials. After the leather factory, we met with a local guide who showed us around the city. Florence is absolutely incredible and is actually my FAVORITE place that we were lucky enough to visit.
Florence is where the Renaissance started! From the street, we looked up at the window, of the room the Mona Lisa was painted in! We admired the golden doors, which our guide told us were the start of the Renaissance. With awe, we looked upon numerous historical buildings, statues, and fountains. To describe each one would be too much, and would not do any of it justice. The experience was almost overwhelming. We looked up at statues of Michelangelo and da Vinci, and countless other famous pieces. Everywhere I looked, I was surprised to see something I have read about, or learned about in school. Many of the pieces are the originals, though some are copies. The entire experience was amazing!
After our guided tour ended we journeyed back to our group meeting place. When we approached the town square, there was a woman singing, looking up at the Basilica of Santa Croce. The Basilica of Santa Crose is famous, not only for the numerous illustrious Italians that are buried there including Michelangelo, Machiavelli, and Galileo but also for the Star of David on the front, left as a signature of the Jewish architect, Niccolo Matas. The singer was very talented and the whole experience was chilling. Her voice echoed off of the church and sounded incredible.
We regretfully got back onto the coach to continue our drive to our hotel. I would have loved to spend more time downtown. We will definitely go back to Florence to more fully enjoy all of the history there.
We arrived at our hotel, Europa, and all went to the dinner provided by COSMOS. For our entrees, we had a choice of fish, pork steak, or chicken. Dusty and I both had chicken, and it was fantastic, very juicy and flavorful. The chicken was served with French fries and spinach. For desert, we again had ice cream. The food was very good…but don’t expect 2 bottles of water…only one per person! lol
Rachel and I both purchased Peruzzi Leather coin pursues, embellished with gold accents and our initials. After the leather factory, we met with a local guide who showed us around the city. Florence is absolutely incredible and is actually my FAVORITE place that we were lucky enough to visit.
Florence is where the Renaissance started! From the street, we looked up at the window, of the room the Mona Lisa was painted in! We admired the golden doors, which our guide told us were the start of the Renaissance. With awe, we looked upon numerous historical buildings, statues, and fountains. To describe each one would be too much, and would not do any of it justice. The experience was almost overwhelming. We looked up at statues of Michelangelo and da Vinci, and countless other famous pieces. Everywhere I looked, I was surprised to see something I have read about, or learned about in school. Many of the pieces are the originals, though some are copies. The entire experience was amazing!
After our guided tour ended we journeyed back to our group meeting place. When we approached the town square, there was a woman singing, looking up at the Basilica of Santa Croce. The Basilica of Santa Crose is famous, not only for the numerous illustrious Italians that are buried there including Michelangelo, Machiavelli, and Galileo but also for the Star of David on the front, left as a signature of the Jewish architect, Niccolo Matas. The singer was very talented and the whole experience was chilling. Her voice echoed off of the church and sounded incredible.
We regretfully got back onto the coach to continue our drive to our hotel. I would have loved to spend more time downtown. We will definitely go back to Florence to more fully enjoy all of the history there.
We arrived at our hotel, Europa, and all went to the dinner provided by COSMOS. For our entrees, we had a choice of fish, pork steak, or chicken. Dusty and I both had chicken, and it was fantastic, very juicy and flavorful. The chicken was served with French fries and spinach. For desert, we again had ice cream. The food was very good…but don’t expect 2 bottles of water…only one per person! lol
COSMOS The Best of Europe Tour Day 13-Capri Island, Italy
The morning of Day 13, we woke up in Sorrento and had breakfast. The coffee served at the Central Park Hotel was incredible! Two pitchers were sat out, one with freshly brewed espresso, and the other with freshly steamed milk. Combining the contents of both pitchers into one cup made a beautiful cappuccino. I was very impressed with this LOL! Breakfast was “alright”, the usual meats, cheeses, and cereals.
After breakfast we headed to the island of Capri. The entire tour was taken on a very nice ferry to the island. A paid excursion was an option for the day, “Tour of Capri Island”. As a family, we purchased the optional tour. For those who did not purchase the tour, they had the entire day to roam the island.
Immediately after landing on the island, those of us on the optional excursion loaded onto a bus with a local tour guide. Our tour guide took us up to the top of the mountain, which is actually a separate town called Anacapri. Anacapri is absolutely beautiful with incredible views! We all took a chair lift (included in the optional excursion) to the very top of the island, where we took amazing pictures. This is a good time to mention that Dusty and I had a camera (or memory card) dysfunction!! We do not have any pictures after Assisi! All of the picture files are corrupt and will not open. We are extremely disappointed, but plan to “steal” pictures from Grandpa and Rachel :).
After taking pictures of the breathtaking views, the chair lift took us back down the mountain, where we met up with our local tour guide. This guide was extremely knowledgeable, but quite the talker. He had so much information to share, that at times it seemed to go on and on. Regardless, we felt lucky to have a guide who spoke English very well, was very friendly and of course knowledgeable.
Next, we took a tour of Villa San Michele, which was at one time the home of Axel Munthe, a famous Swedish physician. The home was built on an ancient Chapel dedicated to San Michele. In Munthe’s will, he left the home to the Swedish government, who still owns and operates the property now, as a museum. The house is very beautiful, and still contains most of the original furniture and art.
After seeing Anacapri, we took the bus back down to Capri. Our guide led us on a walk through the downtown, which consisted of many pricey shops. Our walk continued to a less populous area, where he showed us a magnificent spot to view the ocean and the oldest walkway down to the beach. From this view point, we were also able to look down upon the “holiday mansion” of Emperor Tiberius (the Roman emperor at the time of the crucifixion of Christ).
After our guided tour ended, Grandpa, mom, and our friend Dennis sat down for a drink. Rachel, Dusty, and I grabbed a few pieces of focaccia pizza before heading to the sea! We made our way down to the water, over the rocky beach. Swimming in the Mediterranean Sea was an unforgettable experience! The green water was extremely salty and refreshing. We swam for about an hour before heading back to catch the ferry to the mainland.
Important note, before boarding the ferry, we stopped for ice cream at a shop right downtown. The ice cream was yellow and full of an assortment of things-chocolate chips, gummies, candied ginger, cranberries, etc, etc. It was absolutely the best ice cream I have ever had!!
We boarded the ferry and the seats filled up so quickly, they had to open the first class section. So, for our ride back to the mainland, we all sat in the first row of the first class seats. From these seats, we were able to peer out the front windows the entire ride (lol….I fell asleep immediately and missed the view!)
Once back to the hotel, we were given time to freshen up for dinner. Dinner that night was provided by COSMOS and hosted in our hotel. The first course was a pea soup which was absolutely delicious! Next, we were served penne pasta in a very tasty pesto…also delicious. Then, the main course consisted of potatoes and meatballs…the potatoes were great but the meatballs lacked texture and taste. Finally, for desert we had ice cream.
Touring Capri was an absolutely incredible experience! The views are out-of-this-world…and simply unforgettable!
After breakfast we headed to the island of Capri. The entire tour was taken on a very nice ferry to the island. A paid excursion was an option for the day, “Tour of Capri Island”. As a family, we purchased the optional tour. For those who did not purchase the tour, they had the entire day to roam the island.
Immediately after landing on the island, those of us on the optional excursion loaded onto a bus with a local tour guide. Our tour guide took us up to the top of the mountain, which is actually a separate town called Anacapri. Anacapri is absolutely beautiful with incredible views! We all took a chair lift (included in the optional excursion) to the very top of the island, where we took amazing pictures. This is a good time to mention that Dusty and I had a camera (or memory card) dysfunction!! We do not have any pictures after Assisi! All of the picture files are corrupt and will not open. We are extremely disappointed, but plan to “steal” pictures from Grandpa and Rachel :).
After taking pictures of the breathtaking views, the chair lift took us back down the mountain, where we met up with our local tour guide. This guide was extremely knowledgeable, but quite the talker. He had so much information to share, that at times it seemed to go on and on. Regardless, we felt lucky to have a guide who spoke English very well, was very friendly and of course knowledgeable.
Next, we took a tour of Villa San Michele, which was at one time the home of Axel Munthe, a famous Swedish physician. The home was built on an ancient Chapel dedicated to San Michele. In Munthe’s will, he left the home to the Swedish government, who still owns and operates the property now, as a museum. The house is very beautiful, and still contains most of the original furniture and art.
After seeing Anacapri, we took the bus back down to Capri. Our guide led us on a walk through the downtown, which consisted of many pricey shops. Our walk continued to a less populous area, where he showed us a magnificent spot to view the ocean and the oldest walkway down to the beach. From this view point, we were also able to look down upon the “holiday mansion” of Emperor Tiberius (the Roman emperor at the time of the crucifixion of Christ).
After our guided tour ended, Grandpa, mom, and our friend Dennis sat down for a drink. Rachel, Dusty, and I grabbed a few pieces of focaccia pizza before heading to the sea! We made our way down to the water, over the rocky beach. Swimming in the Mediterranean Sea was an unforgettable experience! The green water was extremely salty and refreshing. We swam for about an hour before heading back to catch the ferry to the mainland.
Important note, before boarding the ferry, we stopped for ice cream at a shop right downtown. The ice cream was yellow and full of an assortment of things-chocolate chips, gummies, candied ginger, cranberries, etc, etc. It was absolutely the best ice cream I have ever had!!
We boarded the ferry and the seats filled up so quickly, they had to open the first class section. So, for our ride back to the mainland, we all sat in the first row of the first class seats. From these seats, we were able to peer out the front windows the entire ride (lol….I fell asleep immediately and missed the view!)
Once back to the hotel, we were given time to freshen up for dinner. Dinner that night was provided by COSMOS and hosted in our hotel. The first course was a pea soup which was absolutely delicious! Next, we were served penne pasta in a very tasty pesto…also delicious. Then, the main course consisted of potatoes and meatballs…the potatoes were great but the meatballs lacked texture and taste. Finally, for desert we had ice cream.
Touring Capri was an absolutely incredible experience! The views are out-of-this-world…and simply unforgettable!
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