coming home

Its all over and the Blog is returning home.

We fly over Pisa and spot the famous tower for the last time (until perhaps next year).

If you bothered to read this Blog you may have thought it a load of self indulgent twaddle but it has been fun writing it and adds to my e-learning experience.

It was, as usual, an exciting trip but the real excitement begins again on Monday. I can't wait.

Cheerio

Last day 2

A last visit to the beach. All the deck chairs are empty because the season is over

Last day

A last walk along the front passed all the shops and cafes.

The weather is very good so Christine stops to roll up her trouser legs.

Creme Brulee

Your Blog author is not a pudding man but makes an exception when it comes to Creme Brulee.

Christine couldn't manage all hers due to having too much pre-starter.

Look at this disgraceful waste!!

Dining

The food at the Grand Hotel Royal is in fact grand.

You just sit there in anticipation.

Shocking expose

The picture that shocked the world - well it shocked the Blog anyway.

Must never be copied or shared.

The Beach

As the holiday draws close to the end we spend more time locally and on the beach. Here is the beach

The Margherita

We met up at the end of the day for cocktails
Love those Margheritas!

The Bike revisted

Not deterred by her injuries, Christine gets back on the bike and is seen here leaving the hotel for another Bikeathon

Lucca 3

See the tower with trees growing on the top. Brilliant!

Lucca 2

This is a great square. Actually it is a round.

Lucca

Lucca is one of my most favourite and I am always loyal to my favourites.

This is a nice little corner

Pietrasanta

Pietrasanta is a little village just a short bus ride away but has several nice places that provide much welcome refreshment.

Frescoes

Of course all the churches here are well frescoed but mostly not as strangely as this one in Pietrasanta.

House hunting

Christine is looking in Estate Agents' windows in

Pietrasanta.

One day soon, perhaps.

An accident

Meantime not wishing to see the learning tower for a 4th time, Christine was out with the bike.

She fell off in a street in Forte dei Marmi injuring shoulder and arm.

Anyway, here is a picture of probably a different street in Forte dei Marmi.

Pisa

On Monday your reporter turned up at Pisa. Here is the usual pic of the very weird leaning tower. It seems no less weird even after a fourth visit.

Siena

The Blog didn't explain the reason that the balcony at the Hot Sandwich bar is so good is that you can get an Elephant beer and sit watching the square. Loyal readers of the Don Blog will remember a picture of the square, from the opposite angle, posted just recently.

There is usually the most amusing street entertainer here but today it poured with rain and so I guess he couldn't be bothered.

Anyway I think I've caught a bad cold.

One Bike

Back in Viareggio Mrs Hayes hired a bike for the week. Mr Hayes didn't. The Blog may be touring alone for much of the next week.

There she goes. When will we meet again?

Goodbye Firenze

We said goodbye to Florence on Saturday and returned to Viareggio. Here is a farewell picture of David. This is not the original which is in a museum but looks exactly like this one and the other one - there may be more but we only saw 3.

Siena

Siena is full of fantastic sights and this is one of them. Don't be let the 'Hot Sandwiches' sign create the wrong impression, there is hardly anywhere better than this place for sitting and having beer.

San Gimignano

Shop window

San Gimignano

San Gimignano is an old town in the Tuscan hills with amazing old towers and palaces.

Worklessness

They have a strategy for tackling worklessness here. They create as many unnecessary jobs as possible.

When you go to any museum several people check your bags, then you buy your ticket and 2 people are there to examine your tiket and rip it in half even though they are but 6 feet from the where you bought your ticket and could plainly see you buy it. That's about 6 people for a 3 Euro ticket!.

When you go to the Loo someone is there to collect a few cents from you but they don't seem to do much as far as the Blog can tell.

In bars someone is always sitting at the till even though everyone pays the waiter directly!..

I have noticed

There seems to be a race on between Patcee and Colette to see who can recruit the most staff whilst the Blog is away.

Florence market

Just about every imagined type of Pasta can be got at the market

Florence

They say this modest looking establishment sells the best ice cream in the world.

Florence 3

A great view over Florence. The Duomo, The Palace Vecchio and the Ponte Vecchio

Florence 2

The Duomo ceiling

Florence 1

A door panel from the Baptistry

Florence

Tuesday to Saturday the Blog resided at the Monna Lisa Hotel in Florence. Despite the bad spelling this hotel was Mona Lisa mad with everything dedicated to the women.

Here are a few pictures from the fabulous city of Florence.

Hello again

On Tuesday the Blog tour moved on to Firenze - Florence and was unable to post anything due to a lack on wi-fi at the Hotel.

Monday in Viareggio was mostly wet - very wet and the Blog was confined to its room for most of the afternoon.

Here is a view from said room at the Grand Hotel Royal overlooking the beach and the designer shops which, Lynn, are certainly not cheap.

Sunday

Sunday was spent in Viareggio (which is where we are staying until Tuesday) along the front, round the harbour, in the woods and on the beach.

Its warm but not hot and there are occasional heavy showers.

Here is a picture of the resort.

The journey

We got to the airport way too early. There's not much to entertain you at EMA. The name Nottingham East Midlands Airport was very short lived and its now back to being East Midlands Airport. What was all that about and who at the City Council is now embarrassed?

Christine missed her usual early morning gym and swim so decided to make up for it by jogging around the airport carpark. I was worried this would cause a security alert.

The Tenerife check-in queue was all football shirts, shaved heads and tatoos. Our queue was all unfashionable conservative clothes and guidebooks. The nice women on the the Ryanair check-in desk let us off the excess baggage charge.

As the picture shows, we didn't fly business class.

Here we go

In the morning the Blog goes on tour to Tuscany until Monday 29th September. Don't worry about having Blog withdrawal, there will be new exciting posting from Italy almost daily as long as the hotel has broadband access. If not then the Blog will be very embarrassed indeed.