Yesterday we went on the most scenic bus ride that we've had so far. The trip was from the south of France down to the north of Italy boasted views of the ocean and mountains as we drove over beautiful old bridges and winded in and out of the mountains. First stop was a service station with a pizza shop where we had our first slice of pizza in Italy! The slices were humongous and we had to eat them quickly as we did not have a long stop so it was a bit of a yummy mess trying to get the slice down as fast as we could in the heat.
Next stop was Pisa where we saw what our tour manager calls the worlds greatest mistake; the leaning tower of Pisa. We stopped for long enough to make a few silly poses in front of the tower before we boarded the bus again headed for Florence. It was late in the afternoon by the time we arrived at the Contiki run campsite in Florence (no we did not camp, we had a cabin). We quickly got dressed up for the big night ahead.
Once dressed, we headed into the city to drive up to Piazzale Michelangelo where we could see all of Florence and also surprisingly, a group fitness class where there were hundreds of people on bikes. Up there we had a professional "family photo" along with our Contiki mascots which are a little Scottish teddy bear (to represent our Scottish bus driver James) and a unicorn pillow pet (can't remember it's name). There are lots of funky Contiki traditions that contribute to the energetic and happy atmosphere. Such as a "Day song" which is played every morning on the bus. Day songs are chosen by the tour manager and bus driver a couple days into the trip after they get to know the group a bit. Our day song is 'On top of the world' by Imagine Dragons which I find quite fitting. However I prefer our "Wake up" song which is 'One Dance' by Drake and is played every time we are arriving somewhere.
Anyways, after our photo we headed to our 5 course Tuscan dinner which consisted of wine, pasta, beef and salad and tirimisu. All of which were delicious and very filling! After the dinner we went to Florence's biggest nightclub; Space Disco. The club was really fun and looked pretty cool but nothing too special (our tour manager talked it up a bit). Nonetheless, we had the best night dancing with our new friends and also having a crack at the karaoke which was on a lower level.
Today is another busy day as we have had a leather making demonstration at Leonardos leather and gold and silver shop, a quick walking tour of Florence and a nice lunch before we got back on the bus and now we are watching Gladiator on the bus as we are enroute to Rome!
Hannah struggling with her first slice of pizza in Italy
Next stop was Pisa where we saw what our tour manager calls the worlds greatest mistake; the leaning tower of Pisa. We stopped for long enough to make a few silly poses in front of the tower before we boarded the bus again headed for Florence. It was late in the afternoon by the time we arrived at the Contiki run campsite in Florence (no we did not camp, we had a cabin). We quickly got dressed up for the big night ahead.
Leaning tower of Pisa
Once dressed, we headed into the city to drive up to Piazzale Michelangelo where we could see all of Florence and also surprisingly, a group fitness class where there were hundreds of people on bikes. Up there we had a professional "family photo" along with our Contiki mascots which are a little Scottish teddy bear (to represent our Scottish bus driver James) and a unicorn pillow pet (can't remember it's name). There are lots of funky Contiki traditions that contribute to the energetic and happy atmosphere. Such as a "Day song" which is played every morning on the bus. Day songs are chosen by the tour manager and bus driver a couple days into the trip after they get to know the group a bit. Our day song is 'On top of the world' by Imagine Dragons which I find quite fitting. However I prefer our "Wake up" song which is 'One Dance' by Drake and is played every time we are arriving somewhere.
View of Florence (photo does not do it justice)
Anyways, after our photo we headed to our 5 course Tuscan dinner which consisted of wine, pasta, beef and salad and tirimisu. All of which were delicious and very filling! After the dinner we went to Florence's biggest nightclub; Space Disco. The club was really fun and looked pretty cool but nothing too special (our tour manager talked it up a bit). Nonetheless, we had the best night dancing with our new friends and also having a crack at the karaoke which was on a lower level.
Hannah enjoying her first plate of pasta in Italy
Today is another busy day as we have had a leather making demonstration at Leonardos leather and gold and silver shop, a quick walking tour of Florence and a nice lunch before we got back on the bus and now we are watching Gladiator on the bus as we are enroute to Rome!
Florence Cathedral
The only bridge in Florence that was not demolished by the Nazis
Famous statues made by artists such as Michelangelo from the Renaissance
It's exhausting just reading about your trip. You are doing so much each day. It's a good job that you are keeping this blog up, as you would find it difficult to remember everything after the trip is all over.
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