Photo Fun in Pisa

Three days of vacation awaited me between my last exam on Thursday and classes starting on Monday. I took advantage of this freedom and traveled for a day trip to Pisa. Despite a few train issues, one being a ticket for a train that didn't exist, three transfers and mechanical problems, the trip was well worthwhile.

The sun was shining and it was over 50 degrees, a nice change from the freezing temperatures we have been experiencing here in Bologna. It was about a 10 to 15 degree difference. The weather was beautiful, perfect long sleeve shirt weather, no jacket needed, although I appreciated having it while in the shade.

After arriving on the train, my friend and I went to eat lunch at a local restaurant. My first plate was a delicious bowl of pesto pasta, so tasty that I finished every last bite. I was very thankful for the tastiness of that dish, because my plate that followed, beef tripe, was less than satisfactory; I only had a bite, maybe two. It was the Tuscan equivalent to Scottish haggis, blah! Other treats included a chocolate cookie and a cappuccino later in the day.

The first sight was the Leaning Tower of Pisa and the other monuments in that area like the cathedral and Duomo. We took a few silly pictures and wandered around the rows of merchants lining the street.

Hugging the Leaning Tower of Pisa.

Inside the cathedral were beautiful paintings and some nifty statues and carvings. 

There were lots of churches in the area, most of them closed but with nice facades.

The last stop on the list was Bon Bon, a candy shop. We ended up stalking the shop for a half hour, because it didn't open when scheduled at four o'clock. Detours included a shoe store where I found a very cute pair of black flats. The candy shop was well worth the wait, I spent about five euro inside, collecting all kinds of goodies I had never seen, including a chocolate egg surrounded in a hard candy shell...it was delicious.

The Last Stop Segovia and Snow White's Castle

My last stop on the trip was returning to Madrid. Once in Madrid, a group of us traveled to a rocky, mountaintop town called Segovia, surrounded by the beautiful Sierra de Guadarrama and the countryside. The entrance to the city was a setting of aqueducts from ancient times, pretty cool stuff.

It was very, very chilly visiting the city, so the walk through the main streets went rather quickly. There were some fantastic buildings along the walk.

The cathedral was a beautiful sight halfway through the walk.

The last stop was a 13th century castle, Walt Disney's inspiration for Snow White's castle. It was so neat to see the entire castle with the countryside and the views, as well as the spacious rooms.

My trip closed with a beautiful sunset. I had a fabulous time and I hope you enjoyed the posts and the pictures.