Monday 23rd – Tuesday 24th September 2019

While on my epic tour of Scotland, I had a bright idea to jump on the Kayak app and check out where I could possibly jet off to the following week on the cheap. What do ya know, Pisa was only £133 return, and from there I could leg it to Florence, one of my most favourite cities in the world… within 10 minutes, flights and Air BNBs booked… I should never be left alone with a travel bug, but oops, that’s all I am these days!

I’d only gotten back from my Scotland adventure the night before but the buzz of my Italy trip meant I slept like a baby, no wait, I had an awesome sleep, don’t babies wake up and cry every two hours?? Monday I was up and at it early to pack and get moving to Stansted, an airport I had not yet been to. There’s like 20 of em in London… Once again I was testing my luck with Ryanair… it seemed my luck had run out! A whole plane of passengers waiting on the tarmac and no crew. That’s a first. Departure time came and went, finally we were herded on board but we’d missed our window to take off so we just sat on the plane for an hour and a half. The passengers in front didn’t seem bothered, all loved up, how sweet. I miss that!

Once in the air, it was the loudest flight I’ve ever had. Should have guessed with a plane full of Italians but by gosh, felt like I was in one of those really noisey restaurants crossed with a classroom of kids, not even blasting silverchair in my headphones could drown it out. After having to grab the seat in front of me and actually letting out a WHOA along with the rest of the plane as we bunny hopped down the runway, I was glad to finally be off the flying sardine can. After also experiencing the grottiest tray table I’ve ever seen, I finally understood all the Ryanair reviews. But also got that money was running out quickly so probs wouldn’t be my last excursion with them!!

Walking to my Air BNB in Pisa, I got away with my life, crazy Italian drivers and an Aussie tourist that looks the wrong way when crossing the road, oops. Really am a dodgy tourist. Did something of a drop and run with bags at the Air BNB where my host happened to be Scottish, my priority was to get my tourist on and check out Pisa’s biggest celebrity, the leaning tower. Only a 25 minute walk away for most people, 40 minutes for a dodgy tourist that gets lost. It’s such an awe inspiring site when you’re getting into the area and get a glimpse of it towering over the other buildings, even more WOW when you turn the corner and there it is. The white marble all lit up against the black night sky is pretty damn impressive, check it out for yourself…

The Square of Miracles where the tower is located along with the Cathedral, Baptistry and Camposanto is certainly one of those places I won’t forget in a million lifetimes. Stunning white marble buildings with so much detail you wonder how before all the machinery and technology they could even construct these places. Google tells me they started construction back in 1064, that blows my mind! Maybe they were built by the same aliens that constructed the pyramids… Having been relatively civil for the majority of my pics, my dodgy tourist instincts took over and I couldn’t help but get all the lame and silly shots with the leaning tower, was actually a lot of fun, I’m sure I looked like a weirdo doing it by myself but not sure I care what any one else thinks!!

With a 2.30pm train to Florence, I was up and at it the next day to take in all the sites of Pisa in the few short hours I had. Just wish the weather forecast was more accurate, had packed for a week of low 20’s and rain but Pisa had turned on the sunshine!! Not complaining, the beautiful blue skies showed off the stunning sites, thanks Pisa! In the daylight, the Square of Miracles was even more beautiful if that’s possible, getting inside all the buildings was a bonus, my favourite being the Camposanto, yep that’s a Graveyard, the arches and tombs were a contrast of beauty and being totally morbid, but we all know that’s how I roll…

The Cathedral, the Duomo to Italians…

The Baptistery

The Tower, Campanile…

And my fave, the Camposanto Monumentale, a graveyard…

And some random dude that fell over…

Having well and truly got my tourist on, it was time for the thing I looked forward to most about Italy, the food!! I could lie and say I most looked forward to the history and culture but anyone who knows me would know that’s complete bull… bruschetta, lasagne and wine, what more could a girl want in the world??

Having thought I knew some Italian and my pronunciation being pretty good, it wasn’t til I was trying to order my food that I realised how bogan aussie Italian I sounded, and pretty sure by the look on the face of the waiter, he agreed. The only thing worse than my bad Italian was Siri’s. Wandering the city with the help of Google Maps, her pronunciation was like listening to a super bogan trying to speak Italian so so wrong she made me giggle. A sweaty Aussie walking around Pisa laughing to herself and taking selfies, I didn’t look weird at all…

Pisa was a pretty city but in all honesty, without the Square of Miracles, it probs isn’t a city that has its own charm and beauty. Maybe I’m just so spoilt with all my travels that my standards are just way too high!!

Legging it back to my Air BNB, I needed a quick change of clothes and a bathroom stop. And this is where I get grumpy. When I left in the morning the host was all ok with me coming back later and leaving my bag there, didn’t ask for the key or anything. When I came back I used the room just to get changed, didn’t touch a thing. And then I get a shitty Air BNB review for using the room and her needing the room earlier. Could have told me in the morning love, people can be AH’s sometimes, especially when I’d already been flexible with the check in because she wasn’t going to be home until 7.30pm. Maybe they kicked her out of Scotland that’s why she was in Pisa, wasn’t the lovely Scottish hospitality I was used to!!

Anyhoo, changed into my active wear and was onto the train to Florence all easy peasey, so easy no one even checked my ticket. One hour later and I was in Firenze…