Millennium Montecatini Terme

... and we stayed until we were ready to retire for the evening.<br><br>Sat 14 Nov<br>Next day we had a sleep-in and then went for a run around the 4km city walls. Twice around was enough for Kim and I managed a 3rd. After a shower we were back in town for more meandering and I had one of the best Cupuccio's (Capuccino) ever!! We found a few hours during siesta to catch up with the ...

... to the table. We strolled to our seats, which were at a table for four with two others who had arrived earlier (part of the Il Latini culture), and gazed above at the endless swine rumps hanging from the ceiling. The table had a huge bottle of half full red wine and the first course was nothing but pork in various forms. Needless to say, this wasn't the best culinary choice for Kate's taste, and she did her best. She asked for no ...

... For almost a year, Chris and I have been referencing our Tuscan dinner whenever we have some extra spare change to tuck away: this is for our Tuscan dinner! Well, tonight was the night and it was soooo worth the wait. It's truffle season in Tuscany and there are few things we love more than truffles. Three hours later, we closed the place after an amazing five course meal near a roaring fire. It was yet another "pinch me" moment.<br><br>:)<br><br><br>

Just realized those not on facebook haven't seen pictures from Pisa and Florence. No long recap of Anthony and I's weekend in Tuscany, for obvious reasons. Also note that "Anthony and Alison's Great Adventure" was like taking a knife.<br><br>Love you guys! :)<br>

... on the next hill. Drove all around the countryside (which I hate to say is much bigger and impressive than Napa). Wine is so cheap and good but unfortunately the majority of grapes had just been picked. Also ventured into Florence for two days of sightseeing. This is one place that is as magnificent as tpublished pictures!

... world champion in 2006-7 and 2008-9 for gelato. It just so happened that we were in the neighborhood, and just so happened to be in the mood for a good gelato. Ain't it grand? We found a lookout post that gave us great shots of the surrounding country, then climbed to the top of the tallest tower, Torre Grossa, to get a complete view. It was the great end to a great day, but the night was something else, entirely. When we got back to Florence, we wanted to take a bus home, but ...

... was a Peugeot 206. As soon as I was given the keys, I knew it was going to be a *******, and out on the road, it didn't disappoint. Once we were in Florence, we had a nightmare driving around the oneway streets before I lost it, parked and walked to the hotel. Zonth was waiting outside, so we dumped the bags and hit the streets. I have many memories, and as soon as we saw the Duomo, they came flooding back. We climbed up and had a look at the frescoes, and as usual they were ...

... a taxi to the airport, but we hurried and cleaned up and packed and made it on time to meet up with Delshads best friend Tara and her husband Sean and the rest of the group of older folks. From here we hung out around Pisa for a bit and got some great shots at the Basilica and again the Leaning Tower and got the worlds best deal on a rolex (15 euros). From here we left for the town of Montecatini Terme where our hotel ...

... and seeing the Ponte Vecchio, the oldest bridge, dating back to 1350. It was once lined with booths where members of guilds would sell their wares. Kind of the first flea markets I guess. I wonder if they would hassle passerbys the way the merchants do today? We left our bus and walked to the plaza of Santa Croce, featuring the magnificent Franciscan church of the same name. This church is famous as the burial site of Michelangelo, as ...

... who didn't know either. Finally I saw a very nicely dressed woman walking across the street towards us. I asked her if she spoke English. No. But, she saw the map and indicated that she would like to help. We showed her our tickets and asked if she knew where the train station was. Of course, we're speaking English and she's speaking Italian. We probably had the deer-in the headlights look again as she rambled on about how to ...