May 3rd is another uneventful sea day. The weather remains excellent, and I am happy to have a day of rest.
I am not sure I have mentioned this previously, but I have started posting pictures on Facebook. The commentary is very brief, but I post an image or two each day. "Steve Raiford" is the correct spelling.
Our next stop will be La Spezia, Italy, our closest stop to Florence and Pisa. We are essentially doing Florence on our own. The bus will take us to the edge of the city, drop us off, and then bring us back to the ship at a predetermined time. The bus drive from the port is about 2 hours, maybe more depending on the traffic.
Livorno is the cruise port used by most cruise lines, but for some unknown reason Royal has chosen La Spezia even though the 40 or 50 tour busses and tour guides all came from Livorno, about 2 hours away.
Our tour is scheduled for 7:45, We are promptly loaded and leave on time. The guide has been doing this for years and is very competent. We pass many italian marble factories along the way, as well as an ancient roman aqueduct that looked to be in excellent condition. As often is the case, I was too slow to get a picture.
The only vehicles that are allowed within the city of Florence are residents of the city, and a few cabs and special tour busses. Our bus and the hundreds of others that descend on the city must drop passengers off on the edge of the city. It is about a 30 minute walk over very uneven sidewalks to get to the main square where we are to meet at the end of the day.
When I was here in 2016, the bus dropped us off much closer to the same square which also was our meeting place then.
The tour has arranged for an informational presentation at a local leather factory and store. The products were of excellent quality. Lynn had already planned to buy a new handbag, and will loook on the way back. Not that they have a high markup, but we automatically receive a 40% discount for being on the tour. A bigger benefit is that they had very clean restrooms.
Our next stop was for gelato, a must in Italy. We then wandered the city to see many of the popular sights. The crowds were unimaginable. As busy as Disney on New Years eve. Most streets were packed with tourists from building to building. The few taxis that dared tried to navigate the streets has a very difficult time and moved at a snails pace.
There are many places to dine. Some of the popular ones like the shop that makes panini sandwiches had lines that stretched for blocks.
We found a local place with inside seating that served pizza and salad. The pizza was excellent, the service very good. 1 waitress took care of all the tables. Not becuse they were cheap on help, but because the building was not wide enough for 2 people to pass in the narrow room.
After enough sightseeing we headed back to the leather shop. Long story short, no purchases. The color wasn't right.
I walk slow, I have all my life and now maybe even a little more so. Four of us head bck to the bus early. The other couple walk slower than I, and we get to the bus pickup point just as the rest of the group gets there. Leaving 15 or 20 minutes before the others was wise.
We board the bus in the middle of the street as there was no place for him to park.
The bus arrives back at the ship a few minutes before boarding time along with about a dozen other busses. At least one bus is 45 minutes late, and yes the captain waits for them. We are late for dinner, but so are hundreds of other passengers. The dining room is very accomodating.
Our next port is Civitavechia, often called Rome as it is the closest port to Rome. Much as Port Canaveral in Florida is often referred to as the "Orlando Port".
We are cruising at over 20 knots as the captain wants to get into port as early as possible as it is a very busy port.
We will change cabins again tomorrow, this time moving from deck 11 to deck 12 and from the starboard side of the ship to the port side. Certainly an opportunity for confusion.
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