My Adventures Touring Europe in 1982 (20) Florence, Leaning Tower of Pisa

To read the previous chapter, Rome, Catacombs, Vatican, please visit this link:

http://sayyestolife.hubpages.com/hub/My-Adventures-Touring-Europe-in-1982-19-Rome-Catacombs-Vatican

To access the Table of Contents, please visit this link:

http://sayyestolife.hubpages.com/hub/My-Adventures-Touring-Europe-in-1982-Chapter-One

Florence

Monday, July 19

We arrived in Florence late afternoon. The scenery along the way reminded me of California’s Napa Valley.

Once there, we were given a tour of churches. One of them, the Baptistery Church, had gold leaf over its front doors! That left me awestruck. Sure it was only a light dusting, but I was surprised people hadn’t scraped it all off long ago!

We visited the Piazza della Signoria with all its statues, and Michelangelo’s tomb, which was exquisitely beautiful. Since his tomb was inside a church, I couldn’t take any pictures.

Evening, we went to Michelangelo’s Stairs to watch the sunset. Lots of street artists were there, and I bought a chunky silver and white necklace and some silver earrings from one. The place was swarming with tourists and local people; most of the locals spoke either English or French. I hung out with a few; the women were quite friendly, and the men respectful. One French-speaking woman gave me a silver charm of the Virgin Mary!

There wasn’t enough light for me to take pictures, but the scene will remain imprinted in my memory forever. We watched as the lights came on in Florence, below us. After dark, the city is even more beautiful! This is the sort of experience everyone should have at least once in their lifetime.

Tuesday, July 20

This morning, we took things easy. We had free for shopping, and exploring the city on our own. I had heard a lot about getting good prices for leather in Florence, and had saved my money for it. However, I discovered the inexpensive part of our tour was over. There were plenty of great leather products, but they were all out of my price range! Shucks! I did buy a purse for 25000 Lira, which added up to about $20 US. I could not find any leather skirts or tops; I decided once I got back home, I would buy some chamois cloths and make an outfit to my taste.

The city was well-organized, so I had no problems exploring it and not getting lost. After walking around for a few hours, I bought a sandwich for lunch with ice cream from a cart for dessert. Everywhere I looked, I saw ice cream carts. They looked rather tacky, but they serve excellent ice cream!

I sat in a park near the hotel, enjoying my lunch and writing in my diary. The warm sunny day grew overcast, then it began to rain. Wait – didn’t it rain yesterday? Coming from California, I was totally unused to rain in the summertime.

I headed back to the hotel. When I reached the lobby, I saw that Johannes and Lakis were engaging in a furious argument. I quietly went through the door to the hallway, then hid there listening.

JOHANNES: “Where’s the bus?!”

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LAKIS: “I – I don’t know – I parked it down the street, but it’s not there now…”

JOHANNES: “I know it’s not there now! They towed it away! Parking on the street is illegal here!”

LAKIS: “But I couldn’t find a parking lot! It was only going to be for a little while!”

JOHANNAS: “You should have looked harder! It’s no joke! Now we have to pay all this money and find out where they towed it! How are we going to do that when we have to leave in an hour?!”

I went upstairs to my room. Gayla was there, and I told her what was happening. “Yeah, they’re both totally incompetent, aren’t they?” she said.

“Well – I know we’re supposed to see the Leaning Tower of Pisa this afternoon. I’d hate to miss it, but I admit, I wouldn’t mind spending more time here in Florence,” I told her.

“I’ll be so glad when this tour is done!” she exclaimed.

“Did you go shopping here?”

“No, I haven’t gone out.”

I was horrified. “How awful! You’re missing out on Florence!”

“I don’t care! I just want to get this over with. Did you go shopping?”

“Yes,” I answered, showing her the purse I’d bought.

“That’s all?”

“Yes. Everything else was too expensive.”

She rolled her eyes. “You poor thing!”

“Actually, I’m really enjoying myself, in spite of not being able to buy much.”

She gave me a strange look.

A knock on the door sounded. I answered; it was Donna. “We’ll be leaving in about half an hour,” she told us.

“Uh – did you hear about the bus?” I asked.

“Yes. They got it back.”

Leaning Tower of Pisa

We loaded up and set off. Johannes and Lakis acted as if nothing had happened. As we drove along, the rain stopped and the sky cleared. A few minutes later, the ground was dry, and you never would have guessed it had rained.

We arrived at the Leaning Tower of Pisa site. The tower looks even more imposing in real life. I couldn’t believe it can actually be climbed to the top; it seems to me past a certain height, people would fall out! But we were here, and lots of people were ascending it, so I was going to climb it too; no way was I going to pass up this opportunity! At least it wasn’t as crazy as going into East Berlin alone!

Only a few of my fellow tour members joined me in the ascent, and they all stopped midway. I’m the only one who made it to the top; I counted 296 stairs.

Because I tend to be slow going uphill, I was concerned that the group would be impatient when I returned. However, we stayed for quite awhile afterwards; I was glad. Johannes complimented me on completing the climb. Eric, one of the guys who hadn’t even attempted, thought I was crazy.

We went on to the village of Lucca, where we were to spend the night in a genuine Italian country villa. They were private homes, just as we had stayed in at Hydra. We divided up into two villas, the larger one mixed men and women. I wound up in the smaller one, with Gayla as a single roommate. I wanted to explore the home, but it was already dark, so I figured I’d do it tomorrow morning. I went straight to bed, so I could get an early start the next day. Gayla didn’t come in; I wondered why.

I lay in bed, with just the sheet covering me. It was too hot to sleep. After awhile, I overheard Gayla talking with Eric. “This whole European trip has been an absolute nightmare, hasn’t it?” Gayla said, and Eric agreed wholeheartedly. So that’s why Gayla was staying up; she’d found a fellow commiserator.

I got up and took a shower. There was no hot water available, but I didn’t mind. When I returned to bed, I had no trouble falling asleep.

To read the next chapter, South of France, Monaco, please visit this link:

http://sayyestolife.hubpages.com/hub/My-Adventures-Touring-Europe-in-1982-21-South-of-France-Monaco

© 2013 Yoleen Lucas

Comments

Yoleen Lucas (author) from Big Island of Hawaii on July 12, 2013:

Thanks, marieyan. I too didn't spend anywhere near enough time in Florence. I wish I'd taken more and better pictures, too. Now that digital cameras exist, next time I go, I'll have a much beter time of it.

I was with a hostile, whiny tour group. Most of them were in their early 20s, which in America tends to be a time of life when people are extremely shallow. I think a lot of them were wealthy; some had been to Europe before, staying at fancy hotels with their parents. I was 21 years old myself, but having escaped the ghetto, I had a different point of view and a great appreciation for other cultures. So I didn't associate with the group much; I focused on meeting locals. Yes, that tour was a dream. For someone like me, it was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. I haven't been able to return to Europe since, but I'm hoping i can do so at least once before I die.

Marie Ryan from Andalusia, Spain on July 12, 2013:

Lovely hub, 'say yes to life'. Your writing is personal and very engaging.

I loved this about Florence. I was on a flying visit to Florence a few years ago and I remember crying when I saw the façade of Il Duomo! It was overwhelming. I was so frustrated when we had to leave Florence after only 3 hours! I promised myself I would go back one day. This hub has brought all that back to me. Thanks so much.

By the way, who on earth were those friends who thought your trip was a nightmare?? It sounds more like a dream!