December 12, 2014 
I forgot to mention in my older 2 posts in this Tuscany Tour series, that i didn’t take any of my DSLR’s with me to Italy (you’ve probably already noticed, lol). All of the photos taken were using my iPhone 5s or Sarah’s iPhone 6 Plus.
I’d like to split Day 3 into 4 separate posts, as i don’t want them to get too long, and dare i say boring! If you’re just joining the “Tuscany Tour” for the first time then you can click here to start from Day 1.
Sarah & i were up bright and early, excited yet anxious for today’s big adventure. As we were in the reception area admiring the beautiful Christmas tree (see image above), the entrance doors opened as our taxi driver entered and escorted us to his taxi. It was still very dark (especially down the narrow side street) and already raining, and when i noticed the black minivan with blacked out windows (which only appear on episodes of 24) and the voice of the driver say “Get in”, i had a funny feeling that this could be anyone and we were in some kind of movie (this didn’t do my slight anxiety any good at all, lol).
The driver was very friendly and nothing like the man i was imagining, he dropped us off at the exact collection point for the ‘My Tour’ coach stop where we were met by Chiara, the tour guide. She already knew we were blind & partially sighted and said it would be easier for us if we sat on the front 2 seats of the coach. “Yes!” i said as they’re our fave seats too, good start! 🙂
It took about an hour until we arrived at Pisa, Chiara was telling us lots of interesting facts and history of the Tuscany regions we were passing through, this (and my excitement) made the journey seem really quick. The coach parked right near the Cathedral Square (Piazza del Duomo) and after a short walk in the group Chiara said “Now you have one hour free time, then meet back here”. This was just perfect for Sarah & i as we now have a point of reference to go from and to return.
Welcome to Pisa!
First for my tourist pose! 🙂
And now it’s Sarah’s turn! 🙂
Everyone was rushing straight for the tower, so we hung back and got a few photos of the Baptistry and the Cathedral.
Sarah sneakily snapped me tower gazing and trying to soak up the atmosphere, and the fact that i was actually in Pisa, looking at probably the most famous bell tower in the world! 🙂
There was only one small cafe opposite the tower, so Sarah & i went to check it out. We ordered 2 Cappachino’s and to my delight, a slice of pizza. I know you might laugh, but i just had to try the Pizza at Pisa! 🙂
The image above is the view from the open windows at our table, it was just amazing being sat with the leaning tower of Pisa as the backdrop. 🙂
After this final panoramic photo, we met up with the group and headed back to the coach.
This visit already made my day and i’d of been happy if that was the end, but this was only the beginning!!
Oh by the way…..The pizza was fantastic!! 🙂
Hope you’ve enjoyed the first stop of this “Tuscany in a day tour”. Please take your seats and see what’s coming next! 🙂
iChristian 
Great pics, Steve. Thanks for sharing your adventure with us, I would LOVE to go there someday. Btw, it looks like you were leaning along with the leaning tower there. 🙂
It’s definitely worth a visit! Thanks for joining me on my crazy yet breathtaking journey!
I think everything starts to lean once it’s spent some time here on the soft sand! lol. 🙂
Oh, my goodness. How marvelous! Did you ever find out who drove that black van. I remember one exactly like that in an episode or two of 24. What struck me about your photos (all excellent, btw) was the ornate architecture. Imagine all of that had to be done by the skilled hands of artisans. No machines, no squares. Just hands. I enjoyed viewing the leaning tower of Pisa from several vantage points. It looked upright in your shot from your restaurant. Can’t you do something to straighten that thing? :>) Looking forward to more photos and narrative tomorrow. The length of this post, in my opinion, Steve, was perfect!
I’ve always wanted to go there!
I still can’t believe it! I hope my photos are giving you a small glimpse of just how beautiful this part of the world is!
Thanks for spending time to join me on this incredible journey! 🙂