Cannes (France) and Monte Carlo (Monaco) ~ Day 8

 Our final port of call was Cannes, France just a short train ride from Monaco.

6:25 AM view of Cannes from our balcony. Cannes does not have a harbor to support a cruise ship so we anchored off-shore and tendered to the pier.

in Cannes at 7:17 AM

dragging the beach sand

the morning sunrise added some intense color to this building

sunrise among the sailboats anchored in the harbor

We arrived in Monaco about 9:00 AM. The first order of business was to get a geocache. There was one at this little church next to the train station. Another new country for geocaching #22.

OFD wanted to see the Palace at Monte Carlo and the grave of Princess Grace Kelly. The Palace was on a hill overlooking the city.

We joined her for several uphill streets and then decided NO. Again, we had a train time table we had to adhere to in Monte Carlo. She made it to the Palace. We explored the main street.

the city was rather quiet during our morning visit

I had been wondering how Europe would report the results of the US election. This was one from a news stand in Monte Carlo.

another Monaco magazine

this one was in Cannes

Monte Carlo is also known for the Grand Prix. Some trophies were on display at the office of the Grand Prix. We did not walk to the Monte Carlo Casino either.

We made it back to Cannes with 20 minutes to spare before the last tender boat was to leave the harbor; we and about 1000 other folks from the cruise ship.

We got to see how the tender boats are lowered and raised (ropes) from the cruise ship. The larger red and white boat was a boat from the Cannes harbor that helped ferry cruisers back to the ship. 

Cannes was our last port of call before arriving back in Barcelona the next morning. We spent two days before and after the cruise in Barcelona. I will have a few more blog posts about our time in Spain.

Pisa ~ Day 7

 The Leaning Tower of Pisa has always held a bit of intrigue for me. It is one of those world landmarks I always wanted to visit. That happened on this trip. We took the train from Florence to Pisa. Our visit was a short one because of train times and cruise departure. There was no time to buy tickets to explore the buildings on the inside.

stalls outside the fortification walls selling all kinds of trinkets

entrance to Cathedral Square and the first glimpse of 

the Leaning Tower

The Leaning Tower of Pisa, or simply the Tower of Pisa, is the campanile, or freestanding bell tower, of Pisa Cathedral. It is known for its nearly four-degree lean, the result of an unstable foundation. ~ Wikipedia

the Pisa Cathedral 

the Baptistry 

The Baptistry was dedicated to St. John the Baptist. It is the largest Baptistry in the world and is known for is amazing acoustics.

the Bell Tower

Construction of the tower occurred in three stages over 199 years. In August 1173 construction began on the white marble campanile but as the second and third story were added, it began to lean due to the unstable subsoil. Construction was halted from 1178 to 1272. The seventh floor was completed in 1319 and the bell-chamber was finally added in 1372. The tower has 7 bells, one for each note of the musical major scale. The tower has a height of 183 feet 3 inches. (People were walking around the bell tower. There are 251 steps on a spiral staircase. It could take as much as 30 minutes to climb.)

The tower was closed to the public from January 1990 and reopened in 2001. The bells were removed during the stabilization effort. Soil was removed and replaced but the tilt of the tower was to remain. The tower was also cleaned and repaired, due to corrosion and blackening from exposure to wind and rain. The bells were put back in place.

the cemetery or Camposato is in the background

The Cathedral construction began in 1063 and was completed in 1092. The Pisa Cathedral is one of the largest in Europe. Pope Gregory VIII is buried there.

In the 16th century, a 19-year-old Galileo made a particularly important discovery inside Pisa Cathedral. The movement of the cathedral’s chandelier inspired his theory of isochronism of small oscillations. The complex further contributed to the history of science by acting as a forum for some of his experiments. ~ Pisa Cathedral Complex

The exterior is particularly famous, with exquisite marble Islamic-style arches being so well-worked that they almost look like embroidery. One of the most famous pieces inside is Giovanni Pisano’s masterpiece marble pulpit, as well as Byzantine-style mosaics, a golden ceiling, and 68 monolithic columns brought from Sardinia. ~ Pisa Cathedral Complex

In its heyday (roughly between 1000-1300 AD), Pisa was a maritime power with strong dominance over the sea, trading into the Mediterranean and even as far as Syria. In fact, it even gained control over Sicily and Corsica, and rivaled Genoa in the north. The construction of the Square of Miracles (or Piazza dei Miracoli in Italian), a patch that’s partly paved and grassed, was a testament to its power and prosperity. ~ Leaning Tower of Pisa

statue on the fortification wall

~ photo from Wikipedia to show the Cathedral Square

We rode the trains in Spain and in Italy. OFD got us to every location and back again. Sometimes we needed a bit of help purchasing the tickets as there were options we did not understand. Usually there was a very understanding, English speaking attendant to help.

The train we took from Pisa to Liverno was one of the nicest. The trains were clean and comfortable.

There were options for 4 seats together facing each other. It was a nice way to see the countryside as we traveled from city to city.

Sunset in Liverno at 5:01 pm from the balcony of our cruise ship stateroom. Goodbye Italy.

Florence, Italy ~ Day 6

 The cruise ship docked at Liverno, a port along the western coast of Italy. OFD had made plans for the 3 of us to take the train to Florence and spend the night as the ship was in the port until later on the following day. She had museums she wanted to see. I scheduled a geocaching event. We also had an amazing pasta dinner.

First, the Geocaching Event at Ponte Vecchio

I choose the bridge, Ponte Vecchio as the location for the event because this statue was a geocache and Ponte Vecchio is very popular with tourists.

I hung out in the corner when I could to be out of the way of the photo taking throngs. I even helped take some family photos. I'm not certain of the purpose of the attached iron thing...maybe hold a trash container...maybe chain a bicycle...maybe tie the reins of a horse or the leash of a dog?

I was on this bridge in 2000

the story of Ponte Vecchio

two other bridges span the Arno River in Florence

buildings line both sides of the Arno River

The setting sun added to the color of the buildings on the other side of the river. These buildings have shops on the ground level. As the day was ending activity started on the river.

the sunset added color to the building wall

this guy made an appearance at the geo event

it was a very small gathering of 3

Now for the pasta in  a cheese wheel dinner

Our favorite daughter (OFD) did some research on where and what to eat while in Florence. She asked our opinion and when we agreed to the choice, she made a reservation for dinner at 7. 

We arrived about 6:45 to find quite a crowd waiting for the doors to open at 7. 

To pass the time we watched these two ladies make pasta.

She put the dough through the machine several times until it was a thickness to her liking.

She used a filling to make ravioli. At 6:55, a staff person stepped outside and divided the people into reservations and non-reservations. By 7 I bet there were 100 people hoping to get dinner.

We were the first to be seated inside. Our table had fresh flowers and we started with a glass of Prosecco. Each of our plates had a different design or pattern. We also had a basket of fresh bread.

There were tables for six along the opposite wall. Our wall had tables for four. It was a narrow building with lots of efficient staff. All the reservation people were seated and then those without were seated until all the tables were full.

artwork hanging from the ceiling

The cheese wheel was lit to warm and melt the cheese. We were the third table to get servings of Cheese Wheel Pasta. The 7 PM seating started with a new cheese wheel.

The melted cheese was scooped to the center.

The cooked pasta was added to the melted cheese as was a bit of the pasta water.

The staff swirled the coated pasta onto a fork. 

It maybe doesn't look like a lot of pasta but it was the perfect sized portion. Pasta was not an entree, but a side dish offering.

Tagliatelle flambé al tartufo fresco in crosta di Grana Padano (€ 27,00) 

Flambé tagliatelle with fresh truffle in Grana Padano cheese wheel 

It was delicious! 

Limoncello to finish the meal

The line of no reservations was just as long when we left the restaurant as it was when we arrived.