I learned something this trip…the new groovy debit/credit cards the banks are issuing that do not have raised numbers do NOT work when trying to rent a car or make a big purchase in Italy.
Thank gosh my Aunt was with us and had her handy dandy AMEX or we would have had to hike to the mountains!
She actually thought my new groovy card looked like something Barbie would have-she didn’t even believe it was a real card. I promise-that’s what the bank gave me!!! I was actually able to prove it when it worked fine in the ATM…whew…poor Aunt, she probably thought I had invited her to Italy with a bogus card and she was destined to pay the entire week.
So off we go in the BIGGEST rental car I have ever had in Italy-seriously-it was like…like…a real car! hatchback and all…my kid was thrilled she didn’t have to sit on anything! After blogging about the tiny rental cars once again my aunt and cousin thought I was nuts and had no clue why I had complained about the car sizes.
We visited Pisa’s Field of Miracles and this time we got to view the inside of the lovely Cathedral and Baptistry. It was a beautiful day-the clouds lifted and the sun shined for the first time in weeks and it stayed that way the entire trip.
Be aware of “parking attendants” in Pisa-the closer you get to the Tower area the more you see “helpers” in the streets offering to watch your car and keep it safe while you tour the Tower area…well, I paid the parking meter, put my ticket in the window and that should be safe enough…but my new friend assured me he would keep an eye on the car…we all hoped it would still be there when we returned as I had just worked really hard to get this car…ha!
I promised new goofy pictures of us “holding up” the tower…
Biggest rental car yet! Room for luggage.
The kids went to the top of the Baptistry looking down onto the marble pulpit carved with scenes from the life of Christ….the kids thought the stairs looked like something out of Harry Potter…
The Baptistry had never been open to us in the past.
Climbing to the top…great acoustics.
The pulpit.
Staircase looked like Harry Potter!
The inside Duomo had frescoes on the dome ceiling and of course marble all around…
The Tall Leaning Tower is still amazing to see….that thing is really leaning…no picture does it justice but here are a few we took….
After enjoying our first afternoon seeing the first sites of this trip we headed back to the car to make our way to our flat in time for dinner…about an hour drive…lucky us…the car was still there and so was our new “parking attendant” (this is a public street mind you)…my Aunt gave him a tip and off we went….really?? I would have tipped my hat but she is a world traveler and swears it is better to give the guy a coin and smile…so we did….ps-Lesson Two for Pisa-follow blue arrows to exit the town or any Tuscan town for that matter….
