Ciao everyone! Today is Sunday and we got back late last night from a quick trip to Pisa, Italy. We left Antibes on our first train at 6:15 in the morning on Friday, switched trains in Ventimiglia and then switched trains once again in Genova before arriving in Pisa nine hours later! Once we got to Pisa we found a hotel only a few blocks from the tower for the night and then quickly walked to the Leaning Tower of Pisa before the sun went down. The tower was amazing, we were so impressed by how big it was and how far it was leaning. There were a bunch of tourists there, all trying to take the same famous type of picture trying to hold the tower, and of course we joined them! It was very cold it Italy, especially compared to the nice weather we have been having in Antibes where during the day we don’t even need our coats on. We were very underdressed and freezing! Once the sun went down we walked around the town for a little bit and then got some pizza for dinner at a local café. We then walked back to our hotel and headed to bed early. Our hotel room was pretty cheap, but not the greatest! The room was small with a barricade over the only window and a tv the size of a shoe box that once turned on you could not change the channel or the volume. We were lucky though to have a toilet seat on our toilet since all of the bathrooms at the train stations did not have them.
We woke up early Saturday morning and walked back to the tower to take more pictures before other tourists arrived. We walked around for a little bit but then headed back to the hotel for hot chocolate and to pack since we were cold and check out was at eleven. We then walked back to the tower once more once it was open to go up it. We bought tickets for fifteen Euros each and were able to go up to the top for just under a half an hour. We were surprised how difficult it was to walk up because of how much the tower was tilted. The steps were very narrow and spiral and when we would be on one side of the tower we would be thrown to the left and when we were on the other side of the tower we would be thrown to the right. There were foot indents carved into the stone steps on either side depending on which way the tower was leaning. The view from the top was beautiful, we could see the whole town and the mountains.
After checking out of our hotel we stopped for some more pizza for lunch and also got gelato which was delicious! We headed to the train station only to find that our train was delayed for an hour and a half due to inclement weather. We were worried that we would miss our next train, but thankfully we made it by running without a minute to spare! We had stops in Genova and Ventimiglia once again and arrived back in Antibes around 8:45. It was a fast and exhausting trip with lots of traveling but it was definitely worth it! Going to see the Leaning Tower of Pisa was one thing we both wanted to do after deciding we were going to study abroad. We only wish all of you could have been there to see it with us! We miss home and everybody so much but we are very thankful for this incredible experience!
All of the people in Italy were very friendly and every single person we stopped asked for help spoke English which was very helpful and nice for a change! Many strangers came up and offered to help us with our luggage and helped us find the correct car and seats on the trains. For two Jonas lovin country girls who don’t speak French or Italian we were pretty happy and surprised with ourselves that we were able to get to and from Italy and get off at the right stops and on the correct trains without getting lost! We are quickly becoming pros at public transportation (but miss having our own car!)!
We hope everyone had a very nice Valentine’s Day! Phillies start spring training today; we are missing them terribly but Dad and Aunt Lynnie and keeping us up to date with the latest news! We are glad midterms are over; it was a brutal week that didn’t end to well. It seemed that the tests got harder as the week went on, but I guess we will find out for sure how we did when we get them back this week! Hope everything is going well at home and everyone is keeping warm! We miss you all soooo much and love you! Talk to you soon! Ciao baby! (Saying ciao and grazie was Jen’s favorite part about Italy! We said it to everyone!)
***The first picture is of Em eating our gelato! We loved it but miss our gelati's from Rita's! The second picture is of Jen pretending to lean on the tower. The third, fourth, fifth and sixth pictures are from on top of the tower. Jen is standing on the steps leading to the very top. In the fifth picture you can see the row of venders selling t-shirts and things from Pisa just after the grass. The seventh picture is our Valentine's Day treat! Mom sent us candy hearts and hot chocolate in one of our packages, we loved it! Dad also sent us choloates but we couldn't resist and ate them before Valentine's Day! The eight picture is a picture of Em in front of the Duomo, the medieval cathedral and the ninth picture is a picture of Jen in front of The Baptistry Cathedral. They are both located right next to the tower on the The Piazza del Duomo or "Cathedral Square." The tenth picture is of Jen holding a pastry dessert that we had for breakfast, it has a sugar coating and a lemon filling! The next picture is of Em on a vespa- it was early in the morning and we didn't see anyone around so we quickly got our picture with it! The twelth, thirteenth and fourteenth pictures are us with the tower! We had a hard time lining our hands up to look like we were holding it! The next picture is of Jen on the bridge we had to cross to get to both our hotel and the tower. In the background is the Santa Maria della Spina. (The little white church!) The sixteenth picture is just outside of the train station, everyone is Italy rides bikes so there were bikes everywhere! The final picture is of Em and her pizza that we had for dinner, the resturant was very pretty inside, decorated in red for Valentine's Day!
We woke up early Saturday morning and walked back to the tower to take more pictures before other tourists arrived. We walked around for a little bit but then headed back to the hotel for hot chocolate and to pack since we were cold and check out was at eleven. We then walked back to the tower once more once it was open to go up it. We bought tickets for fifteen Euros each and were able to go up to the top for just under a half an hour. We were surprised how difficult it was to walk up because of how much the tower was tilted. The steps were very narrow and spiral and when we would be on one side of the tower we would be thrown to the left and when we were on the other side of the tower we would be thrown to the right. There were foot indents carved into the stone steps on either side depending on which way the tower was leaning. The view from the top was beautiful, we could see the whole town and the mountains.
After checking out of our hotel we stopped for some more pizza for lunch and also got gelato which was delicious! We headed to the train station only to find that our train was delayed for an hour and a half due to inclement weather. We were worried that we would miss our next train, but thankfully we made it by running without a minute to spare! We had stops in Genova and Ventimiglia once again and arrived back in Antibes around 8:45. It was a fast and exhausting trip with lots of traveling but it was definitely worth it! Going to see the Leaning Tower of Pisa was one thing we both wanted to do after deciding we were going to study abroad. We only wish all of you could have been there to see it with us! We miss home and everybody so much but we are very thankful for this incredible experience!
All of the people in Italy were very friendly and every single person we stopped asked for help spoke English which was very helpful and nice for a change! Many strangers came up and offered to help us with our luggage and helped us find the correct car and seats on the trains. For two Jonas lovin country girls who don’t speak French or Italian we were pretty happy and surprised with ourselves that we were able to get to and from Italy and get off at the right stops and on the correct trains without getting lost! We are quickly becoming pros at public transportation (but miss having our own car!)!
We hope everyone had a very nice Valentine’s Day! Phillies start spring training today; we are missing them terribly but Dad and Aunt Lynnie and keeping us up to date with the latest news! We are glad midterms are over; it was a brutal week that didn’t end to well. It seemed that the tests got harder as the week went on, but I guess we will find out for sure how we did when we get them back this week! Hope everything is going well at home and everyone is keeping warm! We miss you all soooo much and love you! Talk to you soon! Ciao baby! (Saying ciao and grazie was Jen’s favorite part about Italy! We said it to everyone!)
***The first picture is of Em eating our gelato! We loved it but miss our gelati's from Rita's! The second picture is of Jen pretending to lean on the tower. The third, fourth, fifth and sixth pictures are from on top of the tower. Jen is standing on the steps leading to the very top. In the fifth picture you can see the row of venders selling t-shirts and things from Pisa just after the grass. The seventh picture is our Valentine's Day treat! Mom sent us candy hearts and hot chocolate in one of our packages, we loved it! Dad also sent us choloates but we couldn't resist and ate them before Valentine's Day! The eight picture is a picture of Em in front of the Duomo, the medieval cathedral and the ninth picture is a picture of Jen in front of The Baptistry Cathedral. They are both located right next to the tower on the The Piazza del Duomo or "Cathedral Square." The tenth picture is of Jen holding a pastry dessert that we had for breakfast, it has a sugar coating and a lemon filling! The next picture is of Em on a vespa- it was early in the morning and we didn't see anyone around so we quickly got our picture with it! The twelth, thirteenth and fourteenth pictures are us with the tower! We had a hard time lining our hands up to look like we were holding it! The next picture is of Jen on the bridge we had to cross to get to both our hotel and the tower. In the background is the Santa Maria della Spina. (The little white church!) The sixteenth picture is just outside of the train station, everyone is Italy rides bikes so there were bikes everywhere! The final picture is of Em and her pizza that we had for dinner, the resturant was very pretty inside, decorated in red for Valentine's Day!
What an exciting trip to Italy! You can notice a different look about that country. It's amazing how delicate you can make rock [marble] look. It was interestiong to see the diferent hues of the tower as the light changed also. The pizza looked good and of course the ice cream too. You might want to go back again, given the friendliness of the people. I'm remembering back to my little adventure in Rome.
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