{"id":709,"date":"2024-04-10T20:20:37","date_gmt":"2024-04-10T18:20:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/taylorcpt.co.za\/?p=709"},"modified":"2024-04-10T20:20:37","modified_gmt":"2024-04-10T18:20:37","slug":"florence-pisa-tuscany-tuesday-8th-april","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/taylorcpt.co.za\/?p=709","title":{"rendered":"Florence \u2013 Pisa \u2013 Tuscany (Tuesday 8th April)"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

We started quite early today and caught a tram (a bit like our Gautrain) to the airport to collect our rental car.  The place opened at 8.00, so we were there just before \u2013 well the people did not pitch!  We were starting to get a little irate when a man came over and told us that where we were waiting was only for drop offs\u2026.. we had to go inside a different building.  So off we went \u2013 and there was life!  We got our Citroen C3, 4 door, and off we went \u2013 William driving a manual left hand drive for the first time \u2013 we had automatics in the US \u2013 and me navigating.  The traffic was very heavy due to a broken down truck.  (There are no verges on the highways here, so you cannot pull off should you breakdown.  There are pull offs every so often, but in our case the truck couldn\u2019t get to one.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We go to Pisa at 10.00 \u2013 we had booked to climb the tower at 10.30.  It is so strange to think that it was constructed in 117AD and has been leaning ever since.  (There was a reconstruction in about 2000 as they were concerned it was going to fall.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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We started our assent at 10.30 \u2013 219 steps to the first point and about another 40 to the top.\u00a0 William with a knee that\u2019s giving some issues on steps, and me with an eina hip flex muscle.\u00a0 But we made it \u2013 and were we glad that we did!\u00a0 It was one of the strangest things we have ever done \u2013 everything slopes including the steps.\u00a0 Your body tries to balance you all the time.\u00a0 A very strange feeling!\u00a0 The views were great \u2013 we realised that Pisa is a big town\/city (not sure which).\u00a0 Coming down was easier than we thought it would be.\u00a0 We then visited the Cathedral, collected our backpack \u2013 you have to leave them in lockers \u2013 and walked back to our car.\u00a0 <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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A chap stopped us on the way \u2013 he asked if we were from the US.\u00a0 We said no.\u00a0 Oh, the UK \u2013 again we said no.\u00a0 Oh, Australia. Again no was our answer.\u00a0 He then said we must be from the US, so we put him out of his misery and told him we were from SA.\u00a0 He then told us he was from Kenya \u2013 when you are this far from home, anyone on the African continent is a mere neighbour!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We stopped at a bakery and bought 2 pizza slices which ended up being our lunch and supper.  The only snag was they were cold!  Now, as some of you know, I eat cold pizza, but William does not.  Oh well, there is a first time for everything when you are hungry!  (We warmed the leftovers for supper when we returned to our apartment.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

From Pisa we set off through the Tuscany area to San Gimignano, an Italian hill town in Tuscany, southwest of Florence. Encircled by 13th-century walls.\u00a0 It is a Unesco World Heritage Site.\u00a0 I will leave you to read up on the history if you are interested.\u00a0 It was very interesting walking around the area. And the views of the Tuscany landscape were spectacular.\u00a0 We finished off by buying an ice cream \u2013 which was delicious \u2013 William had pineapple and dark chocolate and I had chocolate and lemon, which was very lemony!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Having climbed and climbed in our little car all the way to San Gimignano, we then went down and down and down.  There are traffic circles everywhere in the Tuscany region, so if William had a fear of driving circles the other way around, he should have overcome his fears by now!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We then stopped at Monteriggioni Castle \u2013 far less commercialised and not nearly as many tourists.  Very interesting \u2013 we were able to wall along the top of the castle wall (well next to it) and see how thick it was.  William knows both these castles from his Assassin Creed games that he plays, so he was in his element!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The Tuscany region is as beautiful as the pictures you see \u2013 parts reminded us of the Garden Route and parts of the hills in Kwa Zulu Natal. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

William then drove us back to Firenze as it is called here \u2013 with me crocheting and navigating!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For those of you who have driven left hand drive vehicles, William walked to the wrong side twice.  I informed him that I don\u2019t have an IDP and therefore can\u2019t drive.  Not that I would be so keen to drive on the wrong side of the road anyway!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Having returned our vehicle we caught the tram back to the city centre and a bus to where our apartment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After sorting out laundry that wasn\u2019t drying \u2013 luckily we had seen a laundromat around the corner, so used their dryer \u2013 we took a last walk in Florence \u2013 and bought an ice cream!  (You can never eat too much ice cream!)  We then packed and climbed into bed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Having driven a lot of the day, we still managed to walk 15.69 km and in total climbed 30 floors!  Not bad!!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We leave Florence for Venice early tomorrow morning by train.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

We started quite early today and caught a tram (a bit like our Gautrain) to the airport to collect our rental car.  The place opened at 8.00, so we were there just before \u2013 well the people did not pitch!  We were starting to get a little irate when a man came over and told<\/p>\n

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