Cruise Day 8 – La Spezia

Hello from La Spezia … Our sixth port of call and our last stop in Italy. Today we were up at 6:15 and out of the room by 7 am. Today was also our first tender day. The ship wasn’t able to dock in shore, so a boat was used to ferry us back and forth! It was actually kind of fun.

Our tour for today was Florence and Michelangelo. The tour was quite nice, but a lot of walking. That seems to be the trend in Italy. The streets are so old, hence they are too narrow for a bus to fit. We started the tour with a 2 hour bus ride to Florence, or Firenze as the Italians call it. The bus ride was pretty, but most people caught up on their sleep. Once in Florence, the walking started. Our first stop was the Plaza St. Croix. Next we walked to the Duomo, or cathedral. I have never seen anything so beautiful. Here we saw the David duplicate in the square, as well as a bronze statue of Perseus. On the way to the duomo, we crossed this bridge that was built I believe in the 14th century. I believe it is called the Pont d’avecchio, but don’t quote me!

Our third stop was the one I was looking most forward to, the Musee d’Accademia and the real David. There was some beautiful art in this museum, but I did have my first mouth drop when I saw the Statue of David. He is beautiful, especially the way he is lit up by the sun. Pictures weren’t allowed in the museum, but,well I snuck one. If the polizia are reading this, I’m kidding!!!

After the museum, we went to lunch, which consisted of bruschetta, pasta, beef and potatoes and tiramisu. All was good! We then had an hour and fifteen minutes to shop! Kirstyn wanted an Italian mask. The one she wanted was 19 Euros at a street vendor, but we found a nicer one for 10 Euros in a gift shop. We then splurged and took a horse and buggy to the meeting place. We got there with half an hour to spare, so we shopped, I got a bracelet, then we had gelato!

The bus ride back was nap time, and a lot of us needed it. We are now on the boat. Tonight’s schedule includes the Crew Talent Show, the “Think you know your TV tunes” game show and dinner at Animator’s Palette. Tomorrow we arrive in Marseilles, France. Our schedule includes Aix en Provence and, hopefully, Chateau d’If. Ciao and Au Revoir!