The Tremendous Tower
Trip Start
Jun 17, 2008
1
48
56
Trip End
Dec 17, 2008
Pisa,
Tuscany,
Italy
Friday, October 10, 2008
When we arrived & set up, we just spent the rest of the day lounging in the sun - loving the temperatures in Italy - who would believe we were in October!! Hope the weathers not too bad at home guys - he he! We popped into the little shop at camp & the lady behind the counter asked me 'aren't you cold' as I had a vest top on - it's crazy, it must have been near 30 degrees & she was cold! That's why when us Brits have sweat dripping off us with our hair sticking to our face & neck, & let's face it not looking too attractive, these Italians look all pristine with not one drop of sweat in sight - nice eh!!! Anyway, after a few games of Canasta, we headed in for an early night ready for our visit into the centre of Pisa the next day!
After waiting two & a half hours, for what should have been a one hour cycle, our washing was eventually finished & we were ready to head into Pisa! After a short walk into the centre, we were hit by the magnificent spectacle that is the Leaning Tower of Pisa! It is just an extraordinary sight, & the lean of the tower is quite amazing - it is a shock when you see it up close in real life, as from a picture or on the TV you just can't get the full impact of the sheer size of it & how much it looks like it's about to topple over any minute - all you can do is look up in amazement of how this building is still standing! Obviously we did the usual, holding the Leaning Tower up pose for the piccie - but if you look I think Paul's straining a lot more than me! You can actually pay to go to the top of the tower, but you can only go up with a tour guide & it was 15 Euros per person, & being on a budget we gave it a miss! Plus, I think Paul was a little scared! The square which The Leaning Tower is located is very pretty also, with the church alongside it & all the stalls selling Pisa souvenirs - we resisted from buying & actually escaped Pisa without spending a penny - must be a record!
Pisa itself is a very beautiful place down all the little streets & some very colourful buildings down by the river adding to the whole Italian charm! We did love Pisa, as it's not too big & not heaving with people everywhere once you get away from the main spectacle, but even then it's not too bad! The whole place just had a great feel about it & The Leaning Tower was just something else - one of the highlights of our travels for sure!
So, we've done pretty much the major cities in Italy & they have been a delight! We've been very impressed with the beauty of the country as a whole, with the uniqueness of Venice, Pisa & Rome with the Vatican City & the Coliseum - just incredible places which are well worth a visit or revisit! On the down side to Italy, the Italian hospitality that we were so expecting has seriously been lacking in many of these places, & Winnie's had a bit of a pasting on the Italian roads as pretty much every road, other than motorway which you do pay the price to use, is in a shocking state which did get very annoying at times - after all we worry about Winnie & want to look after her! Putting all that aside, it can't take away our enjoyment of the things we have seen during our few weeks here, & it wouldn't stop us coming again - after all you see things very different on a one or two week holiday than what we see driving through the different countries - that's why we love it as we see the good & the bad, which every country has!
