Nov 7

We docked at Livorno, Italy in Tuscany.  Livorno is the port for Florence and the same 5 of us from yesterday took the 1 1/2 hour bus ride to Florence for a day on our own.  Wolfgang & Cheryl studied here in the 1960s and know the city well and were our guides.  It was another day of visiting churches and galleries enjoying the art works.  We saw a lot and learned a lot in this beautiful city. and particularly enjoyed the Duomo. Unfortunately some of the churches were closed.  We went to a tratoria restaurant that served huge Tbone steaks that were shared.  The weather was good so walking around the city was a pleasure.

Pat has a close resemblance to Judy Dench (M in the Bond movies) and people, especially Europeans, ask her if she is Judy.  Some try to sneak pictures of her around the ship.  One of the bartenders said that a number of passengers had asked her if there was a "famous English actress" on board.  Pat told her to say yes just to stir up some fun.