Tuscany, Italy-- Florence and Pisa

I am still alive!
Yes, in case any of you were worried, considering the two plus week blog absence, I am still alive and traveling.
I had a vacation from my vacation when Vic came, so I also ended up taking a two week vacation from my blog.

Now I am in Florence--Firenze Italy! It was a change to my plans when Ellen decided to fly into Barcelona to meet me for my last week, thus giving me an extra few days before heading to Barcelona, as I had previously scheduled.
I arrived in Florence on Sunday July 15. I was excited about the hostel I am staying in-- a 17th Century restored mansion in the heart of Tuscany. Of course, I realized the ideal is a bit better than the reality, because with sharing a large, extremely hot room with a dozen other people on a small bunk bed and seventiesoriffic bathroom tiles it doesnàt exactly feel like an old mansion. The outside, however, is gorgeous.

Today I went to Pisa. When I left Venice yesterday I still had not decided if I would take the trip. (Only about an hour away, unless the train is late and slow...) There is so much to do in Florence, yet the lore of the European travel destination hotspot of the Leaning Tower was too much, so I ventured to see it. I am certainly glad I did. As a lover of climbing towers, Pisa was the best one yet. You can actually feel it leaning when you go up! You are throw down one side and then have trouble getting up the next when climbing! Of course, I took the obvious pictures of trying to push the tower back up... along with the fifty other people doing the same thing.

Florence was entirely too much to see in an afternoon. I barely made it to the Duomo in time, and climbed its tower. After two climbs in a day, I had a huge gelato cone in the gelato capital of the world. (I made sure to hit that.) No art museums, but there are statues of naked Romans all over. It was a great city to walk around, but I will have to come back to see it all.

Tomorrow I go to Nice to rest before Ellen comes to Barcelona!