Bonjour! From Nice

We haven't had time to update the last couple of days and the network wasn't very fast when we did have time, so I guess we should update you with what has happened the last few days. Venice was great! I was glad I got to go in San Marco Basilica which was something I missed the last time I was here. The ceiling moziacs were incredible (I can't believe - missed it the first time). Adrian and I did take a gondola ride, which we both really enjoyed. We did a little bit of shopping and had to eat at McDonalds for lunch because we ran out of time. Our time in Venice was short but great none the less. Off to Florence...

For our first night in Florence, we took the optional Tuscan dinner excursion which turned out to be great. Adrian likened it to an Italian version of a Luau. We ate outside at this place outside the city of Florence. They provided singing and excellent food. For the main course they brought out the flaming remains of a cow(I'm sure I'm not doing it justice with that description). We enjoyed the dinner and some great conversations with the people at our table. All the older people on our tour have really enjoyed us and some have even invited us to stay at their houses should we ever be in the area.

The next day in Florence was a busy one as we did a walking tour throughout the city with our local guide. We got to see Michaelanglo's David, the inside of the Santa Maria Croce (the duomo), the Ponte Vechio, various other buildings and the Ufizzi Gallery (famous for its collection of Rennisance paintings like the Birth of Venus). On the way back we ran across a lost couple from our tour and brought them back to the hotel. At this point we have noticed that our tour guide is not always the best at giving directions, he told the group the hotel was 3 bridges past the Ponte Vechio when it was actually 4. We went to bed early after a long day and prepared to leave Florence in the morning.

This morning we stopped by Pisa to take a few pictures of the leaning tower. We didn't have much time there so Adrian and I rushed to the tower with the hopes of climbing it if the line wasn't too long. We arrived to find the line was very short, only a couple of people, but the price to go up was 15 euros per person, which would have been about 50 dollars for the both of us to go. We deemed that it wasn't worth it since we would only have time to be at the top for a couple of minutes. We took our token holding up the tower pictures and boarded the bus for Nice.

The drive from Pisa to Nice is really amazing and Adrian loved it. The mountains are on the right and the Mediterranean Sea is on the left. All along the way, small tiowns are tucked away in the mountains. We did have to drive through several mountains which (I think) made Adrian nervous as she is very clostraphobic. We have now made it into France and the town of Nice. Tonight we head to Monaco.

On a different note, sorry if the pictures are not very goodn but it takes a while to upload the high res ones so we have tried to take a few low res ones for uploading while we are on the trip. We also do not have control over how they get posted from here so if it is rotated there is nothing we can do. We plan on uploading more pictures once the trip is over.

Au revoir!