In celebration of our 5 year wedding anniversary, we selected Tuscany for a weekend getaway. According to tripadvisor.com, Tuscany is one of the world's most romantic holiday spots. With amazing views, beautiful cities to explore, and plenty of Chianti wine to consume, the trip was certaintly romantic. However, it also had its share of adventures!
Our trip started immediately after landing in Pisa. We picked up our rental car and since automatics are rare and significantly more expensive, I once again was appointed captain (note to self...Jignesh is getting manual driving lessons for Christmas!). For a navigator, we decided to spend the extra money and rent a GPS system. We figured that you cannot possibly get lost with a trusty GPS. Right? Think again! Not so lovingly nicknamed "Gladys," our GPS thought it was fun to give us directions about 50 meters after our intended turn. I have had nightmares about the words "route recalculation" for the last few nights. If it was not for the hefty deposit we were required to leave, Gladys would have found herself as road kill. Add signs in Italian, crazy motorcyclists, and one-way streets, and we definitely had some adventures on the road.
Despite Gladys and her delayed response, we somehow made it to the leaning Tower of Pisa. We joined the masses and snapped some pictures of the impressive tower and surrounding buildings. After viewing the tower, we meandered through the town and eventually found our car. It was off to Florence we go!
After some twists and turns, Gladys surprinsingly led us to the motorway which landed us in Florence in less than an hour. Finding the hotel is another story for another day. Luckily we were in wine country and could solve our driving adventures with some great Chianti (yeah, that is our excuse!). Our hotel was the Hilton Garden Inn. Although it was a short bus ride from the center of Florence, we received a room upgrade and free breakfast (all those business trips for Jignesh are finally starting to pay off!). Oh, I also loved the blind that could be controlled by the touch of a button from the bed. After dinner at a decent restaurant in Florence, we hit the sack relatively early so we could hit the city running bright and early the next day.
Florence is an absolutely beautiful city of narrow, winding streets filled with restaurants, gelato shops, and old buildings. We started our tour of Florence by climbing 463 steep steps to the top of the Duomo. The largest masonary dome in the world, the Duomo was completed in 1436 and reached 115 meters in height and 42 meters in width. Our hour long wait in line was rewarded with some staggering veiws of the city. Next, we headed to the see Michelangelo's David. This famous statue definitely lives up its expectation. The detail on the 1o foot plus work of art is amazing. Despite Jignesh's best efforts (yes, he got busted), we were unable to get a photo of this masterpiece and were forced to join all the other tourists and settle for pic of one of the many replicas scattered throughout the city. The rest of the afternoon was spent wandering the city, including the Ponte Vecchio (Florence's famous bridge) while endulging in one of Italy's specialities, gelato!
After a rest at the hotel (and a stalking by Guido), we headed for a special anniversary dinner at Cafe Cibreo. This trattoria is a casual version its Michelin rated sister restaurant, Cibreo. Both restuarants share the same kitchen and virtually the same menu. Our meal was simply amazing. We wined and dined on foods that I cannot even try to pronounce or describe. All I can say is that we were in food heaven. We finished the night with a sprint throughout a rain shower to the bus delivered us to our hotel.
After a day in busy Florence, we decided Sunday would be the perfect day to spend in the country. With Gladys as our guide, we eventually found our first destination. Siena is a quaint Italian town with narrow streets and a car free historic center. With no agena in mind, we simply strolled the streets, shopped, and (of course!) ate some gelato. After a morning in Siena, we drove through the rolling Tuscan countryside to San Gimignano. Surrounded by picturesque hills of winieries, this town was simply breathtaking. San Gimignano is distinguished by its 14 (once numbering as many as 72) towers that loom up like Middle Ages versions of Manhattan. Our afternoon in San Gimignano was undoubtedly our favorite part of the trip.
Our final day in Tuscany was spent back in Florence taking in some final sights, shopping, and a simple lunch on the River Arno. As we headed back to Pisa and the airport, we were definitely sad to say goodbye to Tuscany. Our weekend of views, wine, and gelato was the perfect way to spend our 5 year anniversary!
Cheers.
Jignesh and his new best friend, Rafa Nadal
Court 1 at Roland Garros
Jignesh watching some of practice courts
Andy Murray warming up with some football (soccer) action
The real Rafa Nadal practicing
Jelena Jankovic taking a break from her practice session
Lleyton Hewitt signing autographs after winning a 5 set match
Fountain in the Place de la Concorde
The Place de la Concorde
Jignesh and the Eiffel Tower
The Eiffel Tower
View of the Siene River from the top fo the Eiffel Tower
Arc de Triumph
Versailles Palace
The Garden of the Versailles Palace
Entrance to the Louvre
Yesterday, Jignesh celebrated his 29th (yeah, that is it!) birthday! We decided to hit London's famous West End to catch a production of The Lion King. We have actuallly been talking about seeing The Lion King for years and even had tickets years while living in Chicago (In true Kat and Jignesh form, a move prevented us from using the tickets). After so much anticipation, I was afraid that we would be disappointed. Luckily, the show lived up to all the hype...and more. For those that have seen The Lion King, you know that the the animal costumes and scenery are simply breathtaking. I wanted to take the giraffes and baby elephant home with me! The actors were talented and fit their roles perfectly. Jignesh particulary fell in love with Pumba while I fancied Zazu. Finally, the plot was funny yet endearing. After the final curtain call, I just sat in my seat and asked "When are we going to see it again?" Our evening ended with some late night birthday cheesecake complete with a candle and one horribly sung version of Happy Birthday.
In celebration of our 5 year wedding anniversary, we selected Tuscany for a weekend getaway. According to tripadvisor.com, Tuscany is one of the world's most romantic holiday spots. With amazing views, beautiful cities to explore, and plenty of Chianti wine to consume, the trip was certaintly romantic. However, it also had its share of adventures!
The Leaning Tower of Pisa
A scenic shot of Florence's River Arno
Florence's main Duomo (cathedral)
Jiggy enjoying one of Italy's specialites, gelato
A quiet street in the medieval town of San Gimignano
Tuscany's rolling hills of winery after winery