The people on the bus go up and down, down, down

Many of you are aware of my unreasonable travel phobias. What you may not know is that topping that list is actually buses. I knew that when I signed up for this cruise that most or all excursions would involve some sort of bus transportation. I also knew that the buses in Europe are far cleaner and much more beautiful than those buses in the US that drive 85 miles an hour on the way to the casinos...so I reasoned that if I wanted to see the world, I could do it on a bus. Our first day in Monaco & Monte Carlo was great. The bus driver was patient and drove slowly so we could soak up the sights. We even got to drive the race route! So it was with much bravado that I boarded our bus the next day to Pisa and Tuscany. Tuscany was probably my most "looked forward to" excursion. The driver again was patient and cautious. The ride to Pisa, interesting. The we headed up a one lane road to the top of the hill in Tuscany where we were to enjoy lunch and wine at a farmhouse/vineyard. A very long story short, the bus could not make the hairpin turns, of which there were many. It often took us 10 point turns to get around the corner. Unfortunately there were cliffs behind us. For every inch we made forward, the bus slid back a foot. It was harrowing to say the least. Finally one lady totally flipped out and insisted that she be let off the bus. I was right behind her with 6 others. The clutch was burning and smelled horrible, the brakes were smoking and the back wheels were inches from going down hill. Our valiant driver managed to get the bus around the corner, only to find out we had gone the wrong way and he would need to turn around somewhere. We walked part of the way up the hill even though our tour guide wanted us back on the bus. 8 of us refused. My entire body was shaking so hard, I couldn't get the xanax out of the bottle. Finally we flagged down a little bus (they are blue here, not yellow) and made it to the farmhouse. I could barely eat, while others drank themselves into submission. I had eventually gotten the xanax to my mouth so I didn't have more than a taste of the wine....but it was amazing. Worth the trip? Not sure...glad I saw Tuscany and it was all I hoped it would be. I would like to go back again, but maybe in a limo? In case you are wondering, the driver found a straight route down the hill that accomodated the bus and we had an easy ride back to the ship with all 40 people singing "Volare" and "when the moon hits your eye like a big pizza pie..."