Bob and Ann - BAC Tuscany on the Med 2013

We had a meager (compared to Ireland) breakfast at the Hotel Royal Victoria. Jim Duncan and Francie Cushman were there finishing their breakfast and we sat with them, talked about our adventures prior to arriving in Pisa, and planned to share a taxi to the airport that afternoon.

Ann and I checked out of our room and left our luggage with the desk clerk. Our overnight at the hotel was noisy. Although we had a wonderful view of the Arno from our window, the wall along it was popular with teenagers who were acting silly and talking loudly until early morning. In addition, the wind was blowing hard through our window and making a lot of noise. No mosquitoes, though.

Inside The Duomo

We took the walk suggested by Rick Steves and soon arrived at the Field Of Miracles. The crowds were there but not as large as we expected. We did not want to spend a lot of money climbing the tower, so we went into the duomo for free. I took lots of photos.

Next was lunch at a paninoteca where we each had a panino. They were pretty good with fresh warm crusty bread and lot of mayo to make them moist. Moist sandwiches are rare in Europe.

We walked back to the hotel stopping for gelato on the way.

Gail Blanco Rounding Up The Group

Jim and Francie showed up around 2:15 and soon Christy Simpson and Jim Van De Vreugde joined us. We took two taxis to the airport to meet our BAC Tuscany On The Med group.

It was bizarre to see so many people that we know convening in a foreign country. When everyone arrived, we boarded our bus at 4:00 for our ride to Donoratico for the BAC Tuscany on the Med bicycle tour.

When we arrived at Hotel Ginepri, we checked into our room. Ann stayed there to look at the beautiful view of the Mediterranean and to go for a swim in the pool. I walked up the street with all of our group who reserved rental bikes. There were a lot of us and it took a long time to get fitted and on our way. I have a hybrid bicycle that has an 11 gear Shimano hub. I wanted to try a bike with a more comfortable fit. Hopefully this will work.

Tonight' Menu

Dinner was at 8:00. The food was good. The wine was good. The company was good. The noise level was out of sight.

Here is an animated slideshow of our photos from Pisa.

Here is a a link to today's photos.