So 4 Jan was Monday omg I've completely lost track of the date here! On Monday morning I woke up really early at 0530 as my train was at 0715 so was aiming to check out latest by 0630. Didn't really get a good night's sleep cause my subconscious was worried about oversleeping and missing the train but surprisingly I wasn't that tired. So I got up, washed up and packed and bade goodbye to my most amazing double room with ensuite toilet AND balcony. Was really lucky to have gotten this hotel after the unexpected Expedia mess-up (mentioned in my 1 Jan post) and it was for 3 nights so it was really nice!! Checked out and paid my city tax of €12 (sobbles €4/night for 3-star hotel) and they really did pack a small breakfast for me to take away! Well it was just a sugar croissant and a bottle of peach juice but better than nothing :)
Anyway I haven't mentioned this, but the hotel I was staying at is Hotel Bled near Manzoni metro. They serve free buffet breakfast which is really really nice and it's altogether quite posh and quiet and well-furnished. I don't know about the other rooms but I was living on the 4th floor which is the top floor so I had a really nice view from the balcony. Room and toilet were really clean and they provide some toiletries and towels. The room also came with a TV I believe though u never used it as well as a mini-bar. All in all it was a pretty good stay besides the fact that it wasn't super close to all the attractions but it was rather near the metro so it would've been about a 30 min walk from Termini. Would recommend and honestly wouldn't mind going back there again HAHA though I don't think I would've been able to afford it if not for the relocation ...
So back to Monday morning. After checking out I took the metro to Termini and printed my tickets, then waited a bit. Was glad I left so early as I had some buffer time. Boarded the train at 0715, sun wasn't even up during the train journey and the weather didn't look very good. Slept a bit on the train, arrived in Florence at 0846. I'd googled on the bus system in Florence so I knew I'd have to buy a bus ticket and take the bus to my current hotel. The bus tickets in Florence cost €1.20 per way and is valid for 90 min, and you could get them from the Tabacchi stores but there's also an ATAF counter at the central station (Firenze SMN). Bought my ticket but there was a long queue so I missed the 0915 bus and had to get the 0930 one instead, but luckily the buses are rather punctual here.
Arrived at the hotel pretty quickly, though I have to say I'd overlooked the location part when I booked as it's not as near to city centre as it had appeared on Google maps ... And at first it didn't look that impressive from the building and all, but the people are really nice!! The check-in time is supposed to be 11am but I arrived before 10am and explained that I wanted to catch the 11am train to Pisa, so they actually let me put my luggage in the room first even though the room wasn't properly cleaned and ready yet. But it's supposedly a small family-run hotel, so they're probably more flexible with things. I also didn't have enough change to pay the city tax so the guy said I could just pay the next day, and he also gave me a map of Florence which I thought was really nice!
Took the bus back to Termini as it was still valid and met the 2 guys. They already had tickets but I didn't so I just bought mine there. There are basically 2 train companies in Italy (Trenitalia and Italo) but Trenitalia is the only one that has a route from Florence to Pisa. The cheapest by 2nd class is €8.40 for a single trip and there isn't a need to buy them in advance I think ... Also it's a relatively short journey of only 49 min!
We arrived in Pisa Centrale slightly before 12 and made our way towards the Tower. I think Pisa seems quite quiet and small in general. Weather wasn't great but at least it didn't rain! Arrived at the plaza and the design is really amazing if not for the fact that the tower is slanted haha. Took lots of silly touristy photos and everyone was basically doing the same but you can't leave Pisa without some tourist shenanigans right?! Hahaha.
Spent about 2 hours there then walked back to the station but got Amsterdam chips and gelato at this gelateria called Gelateria Cremino. The cones start from €1.80 onwards and it was by far the cheapest compared to what we've been getting in Rome. Chilled a bit while having gelato btw that was my 5th cone HAHA had 4 already in Rome. Then walked towards the station and did some shopping on the way omg jäger was going for only €10.65 a bottle it was unbelievable!! I bought some apples and Actimel and we got some pasta stuff for dinner then took the train back. Walked back to my hotel from the train station and went to one of the Brandy stores on the way! The store was huge but I didn't buy anything (yet) haha then the guys came over to chill and eat dinner and that was all for the day!
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