Trip Index
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Celebrity Today for Sunday, June 29:
Early Sunday morning, we arrived at our first stop on the cruise - the port of Livorno, gateway to Florence and Pisa. For our group of 8, I had reserved a private tour through Viator, found on the
Florence "Ports of Call" section of the website. There were different destinations available; I selected the (Livorno) Florence and Pisa private day trip, upgrading to the skip-the-line ticket and private guide for the Accademia gallery, home of Michelangelo's
David. Viator is great for booking activities and tours...every one that I've been on has been good. You can also get cash back if you click on the Viator link through sites like
Mr. Rebates.
The group grabbed breakfast from the Oceanview Cafe; a manager was standing in the middle of the buffet rapidly and repeatedly shouting at the top of his voice, "GOOD MORNING/GOOD MORNING/GOOD MORNING/GOOD MORNING/GOOOOOOOOOOOD MOOOOOOORNING!!!!!!!" It was unexpected to see someone so energetic welcoming the guests, though hardly anyone said good morning back to him.
It was hard to find seating for everyone. Servers would come by to take drink orders (ie. fresh squeezed orange or grapefruit juices included in the drink packages), but we felt that it took too long for them to return; it was faster to go to the bar located at the buffet entrance. Coffee, tea, juices (from concentrate) and water were available at various self-serve drink stations scattered throughout.
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| my breakfast today |
The driver met us right outside the ship's gangway at 8am, holding up a sign with my name on it. It was awesome to have the van all to ourselves. The drive from Livorno to Florence took an hour or so. As Kaleb was able to get the new SIM card working on his phone and had the ability to create a hotspot, everyone was entertained on their electronic devices in the meantime.
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| sunflower fields along the road |
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| river crossing |
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We arrived in Florence and met our private guide, then headed over to a cafe in case anyone needed to buy a coffee, snack or use the restroom. The sandwiches and pastries looked delectable and reasonably priced, but we didn't buy any.
We then walked a few blocks to the
Accademia Gallery. There were two long lines: one on the left hand side of the entrance for people without reservations and one on the right hand side for people with reservations. We waited in line on the right; I think we had a specific reservation time (our guide had the tickets in hand) but it came and went. After he had a chat with the agent that was policing the line, we eventually were let in.
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| Accademia Gallery on the left; lines to the left and right of the door |
There was a lot to be seen, including the marvelous David...copies do no justice.
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| listening to our guide |
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| interesting piano |
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Afterwards, our guide took us on a brief city walk, explaining the history of different buildings in town such as the Duomo and the Ponte Vecchio bridge.
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| a copy of David...not the same as the real thing |
Our time with the tour guide was over; he suggested a sandwich shop for lunch that was popular with the locals so we headed there. I later found out that All'Antico Vinaio was the
#1 eatery in Florence on Tripadvisor! Note that they have two locations, right across the street from each other. If there is a long line at one of them, you can go to the other as they serve the same items. Eventually we made it to the counter. My original selection was unavailable (soppressata) so I asked the guy what was his favorite and he pointed to the HUGE fennel salami and asked what fixings I wanted. I requested him to make it the way he'd eat it. Nom nom nom!!! Kaleb and I couldn't finish our sandwiches...I would suggest to split one between two people if you can agree on what to put in it.
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| if there's a long wait here... |
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| ...go to the one across the street! |
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| ginormous fennel salami |
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| just 5 euro for this huge sandwich! |
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We met back with our driver at the appointed time. He took us to a vista point where we could take in the beauty of the city of Florence. Bellissima!
Next, we headed to Pisa. We didn't have much time here so we got the requisite Leaning Tower picture and relaxed on the grass. You could climb the tower if you purchased tickets
online or on site.
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| Cathedral in Miracles Square |
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| Baptistery |
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| gotta get a picture in |
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| Kaleb's turn |
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| other people posing |
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| the Tower in the middle of town |
That was the end of our shore excursion; we made it back to the port in plenty of time. There is always the risk that the ship will leave without you if you don't get back in time and did not participate in the ship-sponsored excursions, but Viator guarantees on-time return...another good reason to book through them. I recommend going on this excursion...it cost about the same as the ship's offering, but instead of being herded around in large groups, we had our own driver, van, plus admission to Accademia and private guide.
With such a long day, I was looking forward to having a nice dinner!
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| tonight's menu |
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| tonight's dessert |
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| Table 259 |
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| salmon tartare |
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| chicken liver parfait |
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| crispy frog legs |
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| seared duck |
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| rack of lamb |
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| phyllo dough tulip and After Eight ice cream |
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| apple crumble a la mode |
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After dinner, we watched a show similar to Cirque du Soleil...not too bad.
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| the captain introduced the officers |
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| "Cirque"-like show |
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| beach towel swans on our bed that night |
Tomorrow, we will get up bright and early again for a tour in the French Riviera! Stay tuned...
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Day 1 of Celebrity Equinox Mediterranean cruise - embarking in Civitavecchia
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