Last full day was spent in the town we've been staying in. Rain was forecast again but never materialised and it was nice and sunny, so I carried the hotel brolly round all day again but never used it apart from pointing out things with it and smashing pigeons who got too close. We walked down through the old town and then the slightly newer but still old town is hundreds of feet below but there's a lift through the rocks to get down. We walked down along the old slave trader's route (I just made that up!) but came back up in the lift. There wasn't a lot to see but plenty of cafes.
For the evening meal I had my first taste of octopus. Have to say it's right up there with clams, rubbery and very chewy; won't bother again. The main course was either fish or beef in pepper sauce with mashed potato. Luckily mum chose the same so I had a double helping (did I mention my grandad was a prisoner of war?) but at least she had risotto starter and panacotta desert. As it was our last night the hotel gave us a glass of prosecco so I had 2 of those as well. I still think it's fizzy rubbish even now I'm a wine buff but if it's free I'm drinking it!
Had to pack then as we are commanded to be in the breakfast room at 7am having left our packed cases outside the room door ready for collection!
I sniffed George's present and it seemed ok, so if it survives the flight I'll whack it in the freezer when I get home, until his birthday.
Monday, 11 September 2017
Sunday, 10 September 2017
Siena
There was heavy rain and a thunderstorm during the night and everything was wet this morning and the forecast for today was diabolical. We still left the hotel at 8-45 though but we managed to skank an umbrella from reception at the hotel. We drove to Siena and when we arrived the rain had stopped and it gradually brightened up; by early afternoon the sun was shining so we were very lucky today as we never needed the brolly.
A lovely older lady called Nickoletta took us on a 2 hour walking tour of Siena. She was wonderfully politically incorrect and explained how the people of Siena absolutely hate the people of Florence and have done for many hundreds of years. Also Siena is quite a small place but is divided into 17 districts each named after an animal. All the street corners bear the symbol of the district, and they all hate one another as well! But the worst part, Faye is that you are stuck with belonging to the district you were born in, for your whole life, no matter who you marry or where you might move to. So you could be born in the street next to the giraffe but you can never be a giraffe; you will always be a caterpillar! How galling is that?
She also treated us to her views on Japanese tourists who, she says always get lost as they just run around in any direction and refuse to ask for help!
So Siena is a nice place but very hilly, and yet again it is supposed to be traffic free but you have to constantly jump out of the way of lunatics in cars racing round the narrow streets (they are not wide enough to have pavements!) But, no demonstrations or wine tastings today; in fact we both had a wine free day. We sat down in the massive central square and watched little ones chasing the pigeons and both realised we are missing the grandchildren!
Mum came a cropper at the evening meal though. The choice was pork or salmon! They give minimal other food with it. My salmon came with half a dozen green beans and her pork had 4 very small pieces of potato. And tomorrow is no better, it's beef or sea bass. I was spoiled for choice but mum had no choice. She chose beef so I'll get a double helping tomorrow, in exchange for whatever tiny vegetable offering comes with it!
A lovely older lady called Nickoletta took us on a 2 hour walking tour of Siena. She was wonderfully politically incorrect and explained how the people of Siena absolutely hate the people of Florence and have done for many hundreds of years. Also Siena is quite a small place but is divided into 17 districts each named after an animal. All the street corners bear the symbol of the district, and they all hate one another as well! But the worst part, Faye is that you are stuck with belonging to the district you were born in, for your whole life, no matter who you marry or where you might move to. So you could be born in the street next to the giraffe but you can never be a giraffe; you will always be a caterpillar! How galling is that?
She also treated us to her views on Japanese tourists who, she says always get lost as they just run around in any direction and refuse to ask for help!
So Siena is a nice place but very hilly, and yet again it is supposed to be traffic free but you have to constantly jump out of the way of lunatics in cars racing round the narrow streets (they are not wide enough to have pavements!) But, no demonstrations or wine tastings today; in fact we both had a wine free day. We sat down in the massive central square and watched little ones chasing the pigeons and both realised we are missing the grandchildren!
Mum came a cropper at the evening meal though. The choice was pork or salmon! They give minimal other food with it. My salmon came with half a dozen green beans and her pork had 4 very small pieces of potato. And tomorrow is no better, it's beef or sea bass. I was spoiled for choice but mum had no choice. She chose beef so I'll get a double helping tomorrow, in exchange for whatever tiny vegetable offering comes with it!
Saturday, 9 September 2017
Hilltop towns
Breakfast was self service so was much quicker which is a good job as we left the hotel at 8-40!
The coach seat rotation found us at the very front looking over the driver's shoulder. That's the first time (and probably last) we've ever sat there! We drove to Volterra which is high up in the hills. Our first activity was a tour round the alabaster workshop. It's a very soft rock which looks a lot like marble but is easy to work. They don't do health and safety though; working it creates loads of dust but the old craftsman who gave us a demonstration was oblivious to it, and seems to have adapted to breathing dust! We (mum) bought a couple of things. We had a coffee and wandered round, then came across an ancient house (the whole town is ancient so it was just a big house really) and it was very similar to the National Trust properties we've been to at home. You wander from room to room looking at old furniture. That was ok but the interesting part was that our ticket entitled us to a wine tasting in the cellar! National Trust never thought of that!
So they sat us down and gave us a glass of wine each and a plate full of the by now familiar pecorino cheese, salami and bread dipped in garlic. All this for 5 Euros each, including looking round the house. Anyway, mum only had a bit of a nibble at the food, so I had to once again eat it all on account of my grandad having been a prisoner of war. But when I came to drink her wine, she really had necked it all herself this time! She claims she had to drink it in order to save me from becoming an alcofrolic but the reality could be that she becomes one in trying to save me! Oh the irony!
So then we drove to San Gimignano, which is very similar except there was no wine tasting! There are 2 competing shops across the road from each other, who both claim to be the World champion gelato makers. Our guide recommended the one on the left so virtually our whole bus joined that queue. It was very nice but in our opinion the best one was the one yesterday in Florence. The evening meal took all evening again and consisted of pretentious small portions with sauce smeared across the plate. Impressed I am not!
Checked George's present; it hasn't melted yet 🙂
The coach seat rotation found us at the very front looking over the driver's shoulder. That's the first time (and probably last) we've ever sat there! We drove to Volterra which is high up in the hills. Our first activity was a tour round the alabaster workshop. It's a very soft rock which looks a lot like marble but is easy to work. They don't do health and safety though; working it creates loads of dust but the old craftsman who gave us a demonstration was oblivious to it, and seems to have adapted to breathing dust! We (mum) bought a couple of things. We had a coffee and wandered round, then came across an ancient house (the whole town is ancient so it was just a big house really) and it was very similar to the National Trust properties we've been to at home. You wander from room to room looking at old furniture. That was ok but the interesting part was that our ticket entitled us to a wine tasting in the cellar! National Trust never thought of that!
So they sat us down and gave us a glass of wine each and a plate full of the by now familiar pecorino cheese, salami and bread dipped in garlic. All this for 5 Euros each, including looking round the house. Anyway, mum only had a bit of a nibble at the food, so I had to once again eat it all on account of my grandad having been a prisoner of war. But when I came to drink her wine, she really had necked it all herself this time! She claims she had to drink it in order to save me from becoming an alcofrolic but the reality could be that she becomes one in trying to save me! Oh the irony!
So then we drove to San Gimignano, which is very similar except there was no wine tasting! There are 2 competing shops across the road from each other, who both claim to be the World champion gelato makers. Our guide recommended the one on the left so virtually our whole bus joined that queue. It was very nice but in our opinion the best one was the one yesterday in Florence. The evening meal took all evening again and consisted of pretentious small portions with sauce smeared across the plate. Impressed I am not!
Checked George's present; it hasn't melted yet 🙂
Friday, 8 September 2017
The wine tasting
A bit later than usual but I may have been a little incoherent previously; I think the air is thinner up in the hills and one has to acclimatise.
After breakfast we had 4 hours for a last wander round Florence so we managed to find the famous (but very small and hidden away down a back street) Rivoli which is reputed to make the best gelato (ice cream) in town. It was gorgeous. Had lunch at a street cafe and bought a Pinocchio for the Christmas tree and something for George's birthday (I hope it doesn't melt by then). Then we got on the coach and set off for our new hotel somewhere I've never heard of and which I can't remember the name of. On the way we passed through Chianti wine country and visited a big vineyard where the owner gave us a guided tour and then sat us down and fed us meat, cheese and bread soaked in olive oil. But, more significantly there were 3 wine glasses in front of each person. He poured a different wine into each glass and explained what it was. I was expecting some of that pretentious twaddle about sniffing it and detecting hints of caramel and baby talc etc, before swilling a drop round your mouth and spitting it out. But no, he just said drink it and when I checked, mum had necked the lot!
Well, you may have spotted the deliberate mistake there; mum actually had a tiny sniff of each and left the rest. Well that's rude, so I drank it all so as not to offend the kind man.
Anyway, it's funny cos I don't like wine but I was getting the hang of it so I bought 2 bottles!
The new hotel is in a little village in the middle of nowhere but it's far posher than the last one. I've never had a hotel room with its own entrance hall before. But the evening meal was a formal affair in a posh dining room and we sat at tables of ten people. There were 4 courses and no choice. So the aperitif was exactly the same cheese, meat and bruschetta we'd had earlier! Then we had a piece of lasagne and some pasta tubes all on the same plate. But the main course was pork cutlets wrapped in some fancy pine nut stuffing mix. Mum couldn't eat that but to be fair me and the Man City fan from Blackburn who was sitting next to me were the only 2 who ate all of every course and most of our table left the pork! Pudding was some sort of ice cream with nuts and biscuits in it. The whole meal was well cooked and presented but it took 2 hours and 20 minutes which is 2 hours longer than it takes us when it's self service! Didn't have any alcohol with the meal but I'm having a beer now just to check my new bottle opener works, you understand.
After breakfast we had 4 hours for a last wander round Florence so we managed to find the famous (but very small and hidden away down a back street) Rivoli which is reputed to make the best gelato (ice cream) in town. It was gorgeous. Had lunch at a street cafe and bought a Pinocchio for the Christmas tree and something for George's birthday (I hope it doesn't melt by then). Then we got on the coach and set off for our new hotel somewhere I've never heard of and which I can't remember the name of. On the way we passed through Chianti wine country and visited a big vineyard where the owner gave us a guided tour and then sat us down and fed us meat, cheese and bread soaked in olive oil. But, more significantly there were 3 wine glasses in front of each person. He poured a different wine into each glass and explained what it was. I was expecting some of that pretentious twaddle about sniffing it and detecting hints of caramel and baby talc etc, before swilling a drop round your mouth and spitting it out. But no, he just said drink it and when I checked, mum had necked the lot!
Well, you may have spotted the deliberate mistake there; mum actually had a tiny sniff of each and left the rest. Well that's rude, so I drank it all so as not to offend the kind man.
Anyway, it's funny cos I don't like wine but I was getting the hang of it so I bought 2 bottles!
The new hotel is in a little village in the middle of nowhere but it's far posher than the last one. I've never had a hotel room with its own entrance hall before. But the evening meal was a formal affair in a posh dining room and we sat at tables of ten people. There were 4 courses and no choice. So the aperitif was exactly the same cheese, meat and bruschetta we'd had earlier! Then we had a piece of lasagne and some pasta tubes all on the same plate. But the main course was pork cutlets wrapped in some fancy pine nut stuffing mix. Mum couldn't eat that but to be fair me and the Man City fan from Blackburn who was sitting next to me were the only 2 who ate all of every course and most of our table left the pork! Pudding was some sort of ice cream with nuts and biscuits in it. The whole meal was well cooked and presented but it took 2 hours and 20 minutes which is 2 hours longer than it takes us when it's self service! Didn't have any alcohol with the meal but I'm having a beer now just to check my new bottle opener works, you understand.
Thursday, 7 September 2017
Pisa
We went on the coach today. Seat rotation was in place but all you needed to do was find a seat with your name on it; clever stuff.
We went to a little, walled town called Lucca which is really nice. Lots of little alley ways with cobbled streets and loads of cafes with outside tables and lots of little gift and nick nack shops. All the shops had wooden Pinocchio figures and there were even a couple of workshops where they make them. It turns out that the man who wrote the Pinocchio story lived nearby. It was a beautiful sunny morning and we just wandered round. Had elevenses coffee and cake at one cafe and lunch at another, although here my experiments with items on menus came a cropper! I ordered a panini type sandwich but it was called something slightly different such as panioni and the filing I chose was grilled vegetables. When it came it was in fact an omelette, folded up and placed in the bread and it was tied up with string!
There were some pigeons hanging around looking for scraps and I was tempted but I actually ate it all. That's another one that I won't be ordering again though! Then we drove to Pisa and ran the gauntlet of Africans trying to sell watches and umbrellas. We'd bought a timed ticket to go up the tower, on the internet last week and amazingly only 4 of us out of 50 on the trip, went up! That's what happens when you go on holiday with old people! Mum was very nervous about the climb and, half way up it seemed like she may expire before reaching the summit but, after a couple of rest stops she got 90% of the way up. She drew the line at the last bit because it was a very tight spiral staircase which she hates. So it was left to me to claim the summit on behalf of England and Saint George but fear not fellow countrymen, I did it with style and panache.
Returned to same restaurant as last night as I'd liked their food and wanted a pizza today. We sat inside tonight as a thunderstorm was forecast and they sat us at a table next to a couple from our holiday, from Wetherby. We had a really good time talking to them and the food was good again. I had a red beer (that's what it called it on the menu!) and it was gorgeous. It was on draft and I think it was called Horst or possibly Forst. I'll be looking for that again! Oh and I bought a bottle opener today in the hope of not damaging any more hotel furniture, opening bottles. So then find myself with no bottle of beer to drink tonight! 😕
We went to a little, walled town called Lucca which is really nice. Lots of little alley ways with cobbled streets and loads of cafes with outside tables and lots of little gift and nick nack shops. All the shops had wooden Pinocchio figures and there were even a couple of workshops where they make them. It turns out that the man who wrote the Pinocchio story lived nearby. It was a beautiful sunny morning and we just wandered round. Had elevenses coffee and cake at one cafe and lunch at another, although here my experiments with items on menus came a cropper! I ordered a panini type sandwich but it was called something slightly different such as panioni and the filing I chose was grilled vegetables. When it came it was in fact an omelette, folded up and placed in the bread and it was tied up with string!
There were some pigeons hanging around looking for scraps and I was tempted but I actually ate it all. That's another one that I won't be ordering again though! Then we drove to Pisa and ran the gauntlet of Africans trying to sell watches and umbrellas. We'd bought a timed ticket to go up the tower, on the internet last week and amazingly only 4 of us out of 50 on the trip, went up! That's what happens when you go on holiday with old people! Mum was very nervous about the climb and, half way up it seemed like she may expire before reaching the summit but, after a couple of rest stops she got 90% of the way up. She drew the line at the last bit because it was a very tight spiral staircase which she hates. So it was left to me to claim the summit on behalf of England and Saint George but fear not fellow countrymen, I did it with style and panache.
Returned to same restaurant as last night as I'd liked their food and wanted a pizza today. We sat inside tonight as a thunderstorm was forecast and they sat us at a table next to a couple from our holiday, from Wetherby. We had a really good time talking to them and the food was good again. I had a red beer (that's what it called it on the menu!) and it was gorgeous. It was on draft and I think it was called Horst or possibly Forst. I'll be looking for that again! Oh and I bought a bottle opener today in the hope of not damaging any more hotel furniture, opening bottles. So then find myself with no bottle of beer to drink tonight! 😕
Wednesday, 6 September 2017
Florence
We got up at 4am and arrived at the airport in time. Bit disappointed as they wouldn't let us check in or book seats online so we could only get seats across the aisle to one another. But we both made friends with ladies sitting next to us. Mum swapped notes about holidays with hers and I shared my neighbour's sweets. When we got on the plane at Yeadon it was chucking it down but when we got off it was that beautiful continental experience of stepping into hot sun☺️
Quite a long drive from Pisa airport to Florence but we arrived mid afternoon. The guide was handing out all the room keys with a map showing where the hotel was. Mum volunteered to help by unfolding all the maps so they could mark the hotel. Her reward was that every last key was handed out and there wasn't one for us! They were still cleaning one room and it had been pre-allocated to us! So we had to wait in reception although it wasn't for very long. I was disappointed there is no balcony but the hotel is on the river bank and they have trouble with mosquitoes so need to keep windows closed. The air conditioning is good though.
Just walked round exploring in the evening then ate in the hotel restaurant.
Up at 7 today (another relaxing holiday!) and walked into the town centre as a group. Had several roads to cross and safety first involved due to mad Italian drivers. Apparently the guide has nightmares when she has American teenagers as they dash across roads in traffic gaps. I'm with them; can't abide standing there like a lemon when there's a gap in the traffic just because the green man isn't lit😡
We went round some posh art gallery but it wasn't for me; full of religious paintings of very bored looking people! We had a guided walking tour after lunch which the local guide made very interesting and entertaining. The largest church in the world is in Rome, the second is in London and the third is in Florence. Bizarrely the only one I haven't been to, now is the one in my country!
Having walked 242 miles today we both had a little sleep before going out to a local restaurant for a very nice 42nd wedding anniversary meal, finished off with Tiramisu so mum is happy and I have to say I enjoyed it as well😍
Quite a long drive from Pisa airport to Florence but we arrived mid afternoon. The guide was handing out all the room keys with a map showing where the hotel was. Mum volunteered to help by unfolding all the maps so they could mark the hotel. Her reward was that every last key was handed out and there wasn't one for us! They were still cleaning one room and it had been pre-allocated to us! So we had to wait in reception although it wasn't for very long. I was disappointed there is no balcony but the hotel is on the river bank and they have trouble with mosquitoes so need to keep windows closed. The air conditioning is good though.
Just walked round exploring in the evening then ate in the hotel restaurant.
Up at 7 today (another relaxing holiday!) and walked into the town centre as a group. Had several roads to cross and safety first involved due to mad Italian drivers. Apparently the guide has nightmares when she has American teenagers as they dash across roads in traffic gaps. I'm with them; can't abide standing there like a lemon when there's a gap in the traffic just because the green man isn't lit😡
We went round some posh art gallery but it wasn't for me; full of religious paintings of very bored looking people! We had a guided walking tour after lunch which the local guide made very interesting and entertaining. The largest church in the world is in Rome, the second is in London and the third is in Florence. Bizarrely the only one I haven't been to, now is the one in my country!
Having walked 242 miles today we both had a little sleep before going out to a local restaurant for a very nice 42nd wedding anniversary meal, finished off with Tiramisu so mum is happy and I have to say I enjoyed it as well😍
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