day 3 or 'history, a leaning tower and a squid'

ok, so this is taking a lot longer than i would have liked. i will try to get through the rest of the trip this week so we can move on to other things.

so we had the day to ourselves to wander around tuscany and discover something new and exciting. we looked at the map and picked a spot, actually two, that looked interesting. this was something that i loved. there was no schedule or tour that we had to do. we just took it day by day, changed plans as we saw fit and ran on our own schedule. the feeling was completely freeing and relaxing.

first i just have to share a picture of our breakfast. it was one of those chocolate chip croissants that we got the night before. it was no longer warm but tasty just the same.

our first stop on our adventure was lucca. we had read about it in our tour book and wanted to see the city behind the ancient walls. walking into this village was like stepping back into a long ago land. ok so all of these places are centuries old but we could feel it as we drove up that this town had been through history and survived as it was many years earlier. the streets intersected, turned and brought us to the town center; the piazza. we passed churches and archways, cafes and even a moat. we looked for a place to get a bite to eat. salad and pizza. what could be better? we sat and watched the kids play with the pigeons and people going about their business, whatever that may be. we thought about getting some gelato but decided that we should move on.

back to the road and the map. this was the road. gorgeous, right? as we headed to the city of pisa for a view of the infamous tower. now getting around this town was pretty scary. a lot more people. a lot more cars. and no parking. we ran circles around the city center and finally found a place to park. then we walked through the gates and there it was. as if we expected it. what we didn't expect, and truly did not like, was how much of a tourist trap this place was. it reminded us of tijuana. vendors selling t-shirts, little statues and novelties. and there were so many people buying. we went by this stand where we heard the vendor pedaling his wares and asking 'do you like nice italian boy?' c-h-e-e-s-y! we wanted to climb the tower but the next reservation was too late so we bought ticket to tour the bapistry and church. there is one in every city, sometimes two.

we were in awe of the art and architecture of every place we entered. how did italy have so many artists able to create such amazing masterpieces in so many different places? ok keep the religious comments to yourself. the bapistry, used strictly for holding baptisms, had this amazing work of art. we climb to the top to get a better view.

the church was just as inspirational. one treasure after another. we were more impressed by what we saw here then that leaning tower outside, but that was what we came here for.

now i know that i am about to cause a huge controversy by admitting this but . . .we did not take a picture of one of us holding up the tower. i know, many of you will be disappointed. oh bobby wanted to do it. he wanted to have the tower leaning against his backside or holding it up with his tongue. but i did not go for it. go ahead say it, who invited the party pooper? it was hysterical to see everyone else doing it though. and i guess in the end it wouldn't have hurt. maybe next time. so here's the boring old picture of just the tower. we do have photoshop though . . .now here we got some gelato. yummy hazelnut gelato. our road trip was complete.

we went back to the house for a little nap and then off to dinner. this time allen invited us to join his friend, leticia at a neighborhood restaurant. we walked into town, that we hadn't even discovered yet, to his other favorite restaurant. of course he knew the owner, alberto, here too and they were so happy to see him. everyone spoke italian and talked about the menu. the first thing we ordered was brunello. i had heard about this wine on a travel show back home and was dying to try it. so allen ordered a bottle just for me, i shared of course. it was delicious, but expensive. allen said the first bottle was on him but after that i was on my own. it was the only one we had the whole trip. alberto brought me a wine stopper thingy that he screwed into the cork and hung from the neck of the bottle, a cool little souvenir. i partially understood the menu for the evening. i got that we were having the fish appetizer, i didn't know it was manta ray though. i got that we were having zucchini blossoms stuffed with fish, something i have always wanted to try and couldn't get enough of. i knew that allen had ordered a gigantic piece of steak because alberto brought it to the table raw. we thought it was a joke but he cooked it and served it on a platter, outstanding. i got that bobby and i were having the fish special. but when they brought out our plates i was stunned. squid heads stuffed with sausage and bread crumbs. even the tentacles. not too sure if i liked that. i ate it and it was good but the thought and sight on my plate was a bit too much for me. the dessert helped to make it all better. peach tarte. another stuffed tummy and another happy day. back at the house it was vodka shots for everyone and then bed. tomorrow we would say goodbye to allen and have to manage on our own . . .

in other news
we were in kernville this weekend for our wine. they picked up a ton of grapes from the vineyard and crushed on friday. saturday we bottled 08 and even some 07 and started the fermentation process for the 09. this year we are making merlot. it was great to have a professional wine maker with us. diana's neice, linda, lives and works in sonoma. she was the head wine maker at gundlach bundschu for many years and this weekend she was our quality control consultant and sugar level tester. i think our wine making process was questionable but our sense of humor and heart was all in it.

today we went quad riding. sofia got to ride with d and had a great time. she loves wearing her pink helmet and goggles. i got to ride too and had a blast. it was also fun hanging out with uncle mike. thanks for the laundry. next time we'll pay extra for the fluff and fold!