Pisa, Italy
The walk from the train station to the Leaning Tower takes you clear across the entire town. There is a walking street the runs almost directly across the city center, slicing it in half. A bridge takes you across the Arno, another way to travel from Florence to Pisa. 
Finally, after about 20 minutes, you see a familiar image peeking up above the row of houses.
The Leaning Tower is the most fortunate miscalculation any engineer has ever made. Initally meant to be a normal tower, the earth beneath one side began to give. At one point it was leaning 5 meters off center. But the mistake made it world famous. Galileo himself would climb to the top of the tower and use it to perform his experiments. Today the sqaure, Campo dei Mircoli, is said to be one of the most beautiful in the world.
After reaching the actual piazza that is home to the Leaning Tower you see Pisa´s Duomo standing right next to it . In all honesty it does not get enough credit, forever having lived in it´s neighbor´s shadow. But it is impressive in it´s own right.
It stretches around for a long while and it´s sheer mass dominates the entire square. But people´s eyes are magnetically drawn to its brother. The tourist in us is irrepressable.
The strangest thing about the Leaning Tower is that while you look at it, you are entirely expecting to see it come crashing down. You secretly look for tiny wires holding it up but find none. It is the kind of building that has no business standing up, like a tower of Legos leaning so far you know it will snap in two.
And yet there it stands, defying all the logic you´ve spent years acquiring.
A walk around the town is well worth it, as the gelatto is very cheap. In fact it was 3 times cheaper here than in Florence, so I doubled up. Italian ice cream will ruin the Breyer ice cream you´re used to. Taste it at your own risk.
One thing was extremely funny. As you are walking around the square you see patches of people posing in front of a camera, but in a very weird position. Their arms are up and hands flat, as if they were pressing against a wall. You look at the background and realize that in the picture they will be holding up the Leaning Tower. You can actually see someone doing this in the second picture.
Finally after wandering around for a while and avoiding getting pitched by the local bazaar owners, it was time to head back to the train. Pisa was the last stop on my Italian tour and I was off to see it´s neighbor to the north: Switzerland. I had an incredible time in Italy, the country is filled to the brim with intriguing things to do and see. What Switzerland has to offer is rather different, but a nice change of pace. I said goodbye to Italy, but the Fontana di Trevi and Metal Pig promised me I would return.
Finally, after about 20 minutes, you see a familiar image peeking up above the row of houses. The Leaning Tower is the most fortunate miscalculation any engineer has ever made. Initally meant to be a normal tower, the earth beneath one side began to give. At one point it was leaning 5 meters off center. But the mistake made it world famous. Galileo himself would climb to the top of the tower and use it to perform his experiments. Today the sqaure, Campo dei Mircoli, is said to be one of the most beautiful in the world.
After reaching the actual piazza that is home to the Leaning Tower you see Pisa´s Duomo standing right next to it . In all honesty it does not get enough credit, forever having lived in it´s neighbor´s shadow. But it is impressive in it´s own right.
It stretches around for a long while and it´s sheer mass dominates the entire square. But people´s eyes are magnetically drawn to its brother. The tourist in us is irrepressable. The strangest thing about the Leaning Tower is that while you look at it, you are entirely expecting to see it come crashing down. You secretly look for tiny wires holding it up but find none. It is the kind of building that has no business standing up, like a tower of Legos leaning so far you know it will snap in two.
And yet there it stands, defying all the logic you´ve spent years acquiring.A walk around the town is well worth it, as the gelatto is very cheap. In fact it was 3 times cheaper here than in Florence, so I doubled up. Italian ice cream will ruin the Breyer ice cream you´re used to. Taste it at your own risk.
One thing was extremely funny. As you are walking around the square you see patches of people posing in front of a camera, but in a very weird position. Their arms are up and hands flat, as if they were pressing against a wall. You look at the background and realize that in the picture they will be holding up the Leaning Tower. You can actually see someone doing this in the second picture.
Finally after wandering around for a while and avoiding getting pitched by the local bazaar owners, it was time to head back to the train. Pisa was the last stop on my Italian tour and I was off to see it´s neighbor to the north: Switzerland. I had an incredible time in Italy, the country is filled to the brim with intriguing things to do and see. What Switzerland has to offer is rather different, but a nice change of pace. I said goodbye to Italy, but the Fontana di Trevi and Metal Pig promised me I would return.
posted by Nathan at 5:00 AM
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