Day 9...Rome

At the end of Day 8.... We had a late dinner then went into the theater to her local opera stars from a local  opera music academy present 45 minutes of opera with some humor and fun thrown in.....very good show....then decided to listen to Andras on piano from 10 to 11.... He is so good and in talking with him we found that his idyl is Oscar Peterson.....and we think Andras is better. We got his cd for all to hear. We visited with some other fans of Andras including a retiring  realtor from Cleveland....so a fun time....

This morning we had a later morning as the Florence visit is a bit confusing...in that the included tour is to Pisa.  At first we were a bit disappointed that we wouldn't be able to see the art of Florence....but now after the day...we are so glad that we took the tour to Pisa. It is about a 40 minute drive from Livorno, where the ship docks....and then we joined the 100 plus busses in the bus park...and made our way about a mile to the Square of Miracles where the Cathedral and Baptistry and the Leaning Tower of Pisa is....and this is a major tourist attraction...and we are not really into the high season.
This part of the tour was excellent and we had a great guide. Again, as with much of the other things we have seen....really nothing like the Square and the Tower....so the day tour was great. Had extra time to walk around....and the. Got back to the bus and the ship by about 2. We had an excellent lunch...then decided to go into Livorno on the shuttle.....which is a 15 minute ride from the ship. Livorno is a major port for Italy...and it shows...very busy....and more cars coming and going than we could imagine. In fact in the drive to Pisa we saw even more, as well as huge cargo container areas...just a big and booming port. On the Pisa drive we went by a massive US Army base...with literally thousands of Army vehicles looking to be in storage. Not at all impressive when you think how much money was sitting there.
The city itself is a typical bustling city,and we found what was kind of an Easter market and Audy got some soaps, etc....and I got some chocolate.   A fun place and so many friendly merchants. Obviously they know that the Cruise business is a good one and that many will come in to shop....
So, back to the ship at 5.. Then tonight the Cruise Director is giving a concert, as he is an accomplished concert singer....so should be good.
Another good day...off tomorrow to Monte Carlo.......for Day 10...going way too fast......