Pisa

Our first port in Italy was Livorno and tours were available to both Florence and Pisa. After doing a bit of research, I decided that making a return visit to Florence encompassing a long weekend was probably a better idea, so we opted for a day trip to Pisa. Despite everything I have read and heard about the Leaning Tower I was still quite surprised when I finally saw it for myself.

The Leaning Tower, constructed of white marble, was begun in 1172, but only 3 stories were completed. The reason? Because the tower began to lean! It was later completed in the mid-14th century. The degree of tilt had increased gradually until, in 1990, it was determined that the Tower was unsafe. An international committee of engineers, mathemeticians, and historians gathered to try and find a solution. Weights were placed along one side of the foundation and long cables were attached to the tower. Excavation work was done under the high side of the tower and ever so gently the high side foundation was lowered and the tilt was reduced. Today it is at the same level as it was in 1838. It is believed that the tower should be stable for at least 200 years.

So, hmmmm......but the tower still leans you say? Yes it does. If they had straightened it completely why would anyone come to Pisa?!!

How much tilt is there? If the tower were straightened the top would have to be
moved 12 feet 10 inches to reach vertical.

The Leaning Tower of Pisa is located in the Piazza del Duomo. The Leaning Tower is actually the bell tower for the beautiful cathedral. The small round building is the baptistry. The cathedral was built in 1063. The baptistry was begun in 1152 but not completed until 1284. I never quite understood why they would need a baptistry until our guide explained that no one was allowed to enter the cathedral unless they had been baptised. Now it's making sense I suppose.

Does something about this photo look not quite right? Perhaps you've noticed something else in the  Piazza del Duomo that leans? No, it's not just the domed building: the baptistery  It's also the cathedral! The walls of the cathedral are actually leaning in two different directions! I wonder how they will fix that?

Yes, we did take a few of the typical tourist photos. Hope you get a nice laugh from these!

Oh No! Look what I did!

No problem! I've got it!

Ten Questions

OK friends, today I am channelling my inner teacher so I came up with a quick game of 10 questions. Scott and I have done a lot of travelling in the past year, but these questions are all related to the same experience. Are ya' ready?

1. Botticelli, Rembrandt, and Michelangelo are all what?
2. Olive or Twist is the name of the place that Scott and Cindy danced the night away. Where is it?
3. Can you think of something that is 185 feet wide? (Notice I said feet, not metres!)

Have you figured it out yet? No, well, here are some more hints.....

4. This place has both Johnny Rockets and Starbucks, but is not in the U.S.
5. The Hoof and Claw pub was a favourite spot of ours for people watching. Where is it?
6. Cindy discovered her new favourite wine: a French red. Need I say more?
OK. These last 3 are easy! And, really, don't look at #10 until you've figured it out!

7. Can you think of something that is 1,112 feet long?
8. A place where you can dine with several hundred of your friends, new and old?
9. With multiple swimming pools and hot tubs, it's hard to know where to start to spend a day relaxing. Of course a nice Italian Sunrise, or an Ibiza Iced Tea, are just the thing to cool down with. Have you figured it out yet?



10..............

 This is the Liberty of the Seas, our home away from home for a week long Western Mediterranean Cruise!

This boat was really great! The Michaelangelo  Botticelli, and Rembrandt are the main dining rooms. In addition, there are several specialty restaurants, and Scott and I had some really exceptional meals there. Each night we enjoyed some sort of entertainment. One night we went to Olive or Twist, a nightclub at the very top of the ship, where we danced the night away. Other evenings we went to the theatre and saw a Cirque-style show and a couple of different variety shows. One night we ventured to the ice rink and enjoyed an ice skating show. Who knew?! Of course every evening there were special events on board and several places with live music. Days were spent in port, except for the very last day when we were at sea. We were in our beach chairs early, enjoying the sunshine. We were quite ready for a relaxing day before heading home! We've included a few photos from our time on board the ship.

Our "Home away from home" for a week. We opted for a cabin with a balcony which was definitely worthwhile!

The "quiet" swimming pool. No little ones here. They are in the next area over. That pool area has multiple hot tubs, kiddie pools, and a large screen for watching poolside movies.

Our cabin steward's name was "Hoki".  Yep, pronounced just like "Hokie" as in Virginia Tech (or Hokey Pokey). LOL. He left us a towel animal once in awhile. This night it was an elephant, one of my personal favourites.

One of the last evenings there was a midnight buffet, which Scott and I checked out. These were some of the creative displays on the tables, and the chefs who prepared them!

This was our second cruise experience and we thoroughly enjoyed it! I have my eyes on an Eastern Mediterranean Cruise but it takes a lot longer and will probably have to wait until our time here is done and we are headed home.

Ciao!

London Revisited

Scott had business that took him back to London so we decided to make a long weekend out of it. This time we had absolutely glorious weather, bright sunshine and warm temperatures. What a treat!
We were in London for the final weekend of the Para-Olympics so there were lots of visitors and venues scattered around. Whilst we didn't actually go to any of the events, the marathon passed within a block or so of our hotel. Scott was out on a picture taking walk and was able to capture some photos of the athletes as they raced by.

Parliament and Big Ben

We toured Parliament and also visited the Churchill War Rooms on this trip, as well as one of the museums: The Tate Britain. And then there was the dinner that we are still talking about 3 weeks later!

In the morning we set out for Parliament Scott asked the concierge to make a reservation for us at a good British restaurant. We didn't want anything that required formal attire, but we did want to sample good British food. As it turned out, our concierge made our reservation at The Goring Hotel Restaurant. Most Yanks won't recognize the name, but the Brits know the name quite well. This hotel is a block or two from Buckingham Palace and rooms start at about f500/night and go up from there. In US money that's about $800 and up. Kate Middleton, Duchess of Cambridge, stayed here the night before her wedding to Prince William. The restaurant was a favourite of the Queen mum (Queen Elizabeth's mother) and we were told she used to pop over for dinner regularly.

Needless to say, the food was fantastic! Scott enjoyed the Lemon Dover Sole while I sampled the Beef Wellington. Can't get much more British than that!
Scott did take pictures of the sights in London. Hope you enjoy the photos!

The Tate Britain Art Museum

Scott and "Stalin" at the Tate

Westminster Abbey

Para-Olympic Marathon

Regent Street close to the Oxford Circus (In Britain a "circus" is a traffic circle. No comment.) This is one of the prime retail shopping areas in London. Harrod's is not here, but nearly every designer shop you can think of is here, along with 3 very large department stores. 

Trafalgar Square

Entrance to the Tower of London

The Tower of London

The London Eye across the Themes

Well, after a fun long weekend in London we returned home. The weather here has taken a turn with high temperatures in the 50's, and rain at some point nearly every day. Our days are much shorter now as well with sunrise after 7 a.m. and sunset about 12 hours later. We are told that by mid-December we will have about 5 hours of daylight each day. Yes, we really are that far north! Despite the weather and the shorter days, we are definitely still enjoying our adventure. This weekend we are heading south, to Barcelona actually. There we are boarding a cruise ship bound for 2 stops in the French Riviera and 3 stops in Italy, including a stop for Rome, before we return to Barcelona. We are both excited to enjoy some warmth and sunshine while we explore new parts of the world.

Bath

On our recent visit to London Scott and I took a tour outside of the city to Stonehenge and Bath. Bath is a city that has grown up around hot springs. The Romans established Bath as a spa town in about 60 AD and constructed a temple and, over the next several hundred years, a bath complex. After the fall of the Romans early in the fifth century the baths fell into disrepair and the original buildings, except for the pillar foundations, have been lost. In the ensuing years the baths were rebuilt and enjoyed huge popularity at various times as people believed in their healing qualities. There is an abbey in Bath, built of Bath sandstone, which is quite beautiful. The city of Bath is also known for it's well preserved Georgian architecture. Scott and I enjoyed an afternoon visiting the Bath's and the Abbey. I will add that the streets near the Bath's and the Abbey are lined with cafe's and up-scale shops ;-)!

Scott took this photo inside the Roman Baths. When built originally, there was a roof over the baths. Notice the green water? Yuck! While these Baths are no longer in use for bathing, water continues to flow into them from the hot springs. We were told that it is full of minerals, which could be "healthy", but we were warned that it tastes absolutely disgusting. At the end of our tour we were able to take a taste of the water if we wanted to, but we both passed on that experience.   In the background you can see Bath Abbey, which is just a few steps away. 

Bath Abbey

This Abbey has some beautiful 
stained glass windows.

This is the ceiling inside the Abbey. 
That is carved Bath sandstone!

Tourism is big business in Bath and the streets are filled with shops and street vendors,
and entertainers like in the photo below. Not really sure what he was supposed to be doing though....

"The Crescent" was built between 1767 and 1774 and consists of 30 "terraced houses" (the British term for town houses). It is considered to be one of the best examples of Georgian architecture in the UK. It is still residences although there is also a museum and hotel within the building now. 

Stonehenge

Scott and I visited Stonehenge recently. This stone circle is believed to have been constructed between 3000 BC and 2000 BC. Explorations of the area indicate that this is not the first stone circle to stand here and have also revealed many burial mounds. Just the mechanics involved in moving these huge stones over some distance and erecting them so precisely is mind boggling. In fact, scientists have discovered that at least one of the rocks came from North Pembrokeshire, which is about 140 miles away! And, of course, the mystery of why they are here, and what purpose they served, continues!