Eurostars Toscana Lucca

... again, it was another one of those famous sites we all have seen many pictures of but to experience it in real life was a treat. Lunch and espresso at a little local joint, we seized the day, and continued on our journey.

Torre Pendente Facts:

Today it is leaning 17'-4" off of vertical.
Started construction in 1173.
Work stops in 1185 as tower begins to lean.
In 1285 work started again, with the new levels ...

... spectacular. We visited the Ponte Vecchio (bridge) and of course saw David again. Found some new plazas and squares throughout the city and also rubbed the Boar snout to ensure we would return to Florence one day.
Weather is turning cold! But still having great fun.
Blessings
Rich and Kara

... 8230; and couldn’t find a park… jagged a disabled spot and thought we could always rip mick’s leg off if we got questioned.. Made a dash about 500metres up the road to see the leaning tower… it really is leaning!!… then quickly back to ensure the car was not towed away… back on the road heading north to Porotvenere..

... Pistoria.. Tried to find a shop open to buy beer (not stubbies) as cans are huge…and tissues for runny nose etc… seemed like an easy task but it is a very old town.. Very narrow streets.. A Sunday and nothing open… but we did see a bit of the town… some bits more than once as we went round and round and round… anyway found that there was a shop open in next town Monsummano… got supplies and then tried to find the B& ...

... br>
Later that night was probably the most interesting part of my time in Cinque Terre. I went out at around 9 to find something for dinner, and as I was walking past a café on the main street in Riomaggiore, I came across an Australian I had met over two months earlier in Hamburg. That is a long time and a long distance. Europe is way too small…

But thankfully the Australians are back. I feel much safer now.

After travelling for the last 6 or more months without a real break we thought we might just settle down for the winter, instead of heading back to London and back to work. We are plonking ourselves with some of Dino's relatives in Tuscany.
Shona can't speak a word of Italian, but is planning to learn and not one of Dino's relatives speaks English. It should be an interesting few months.
We ...

... fruit and coffee…
DAY FOUR
The birds woke me again at five in the morning, and then after a light breakfast (breakfast is not big here) I went shopping with Giuseppina and her son Massimo. First we went to a local shop, where Giuseppina bought even more food, and I got myself a red-and-white checkered tablecloth in case I ever open up an Italian restaurant in Winter Park. I almost bought a tube of fish ...

It doesn't get anymore wholesome than taking your toddler on holiday to a farmhouse deep in Tuscany. Here we were, my husband and I, driving south of Lucca to a place called Badia di Cantignano, where Dani lived. Dani was my childhood friend, who offered us a stay at her home. Having seen the gorgeous photos of her 9 month old son plucking bright juicy lemons or her hopping on a vintage looking bike with marble clad mountains sparkling in the ...

... kids. It may feel like a throwback to 'simpler' times to those fresh from the States or one of the cities on the Eurotrip trail, but after spending time in Asia where people are living the 'simple' life without the help of the tourist trade, I couldn't help but gag on the supposed purity of it all. As I wandered through the quaintess, I kept thinking how wonderful it all must have been five years ago, before Rick Steves 'discovered' it and served it on a platter to the masses ...

... everywhere during this trip I have to have this award. It's not a *******e though. Number 1 would be the band in Lisbon in Placa Dom Pedro IV. I just happened to come across them while they were setting up and waited until they started. I loved the square, the sun had disappeared behind the buildings now, and there was a nice breeze in the air. The songs were great. Some old some new, but ones that a lot of people knew and you could just sit there and sing along ...