Thats right, the Tower really leans. Today I made a short 30 minute bus ride voyage to Pisa, the heart of malfunctional architecture in Italy. haha. The temperature was so high today that it has refreshed my belief in Global Warming...and I havent even see Al Gore's movie yet! Despite that, it was actually really nice to go there. I had heard from so many people that Pisa was a waste of time because its really an industrial city built completely around this tourism for the Baptistry, Duomo, Tower and some museums. That may be true, but the area where all of these are located is really beautiful. The lawn is manicured very nicely and the grass, which covers everything, is very lush and green. There are children running in it and people laying on blankets eating sack lunches there, too. The general atmosphere is chaotic on the "selling" end where lots of stands are set up and people are trying to sell you knock offs, but it is tranquil on another end where you are actually observing the monuments.
My favorite was the Duomo but if it werent so hot, I would have gone to the top of the Tower and I think I would have liked that best. The Baptistry is very interesting from the outside but I was less impressed with its interior. I got to climb up to the top of that one and look down the center, which was a little scary since I am terrified of heights, but also really neat. On the way up the stairs there are look out points where a nice breeze comes through and you can see out to the people on the grass or the other monuments. The Duomo is very intricate and expansive. There is a fresco on the main dome that I really love. It is of Jesus and he has a gold inlaid robe and the paint is very fresh looking. Its very beautiful. There are other paintings all over the sides of the main entry and on either of the two "wings" are small altars with other frescos. The columns remind me of many of the roads in Italy, which are lined with perfect trees and seem to go on forever. You could get lost in the Duomo examining all of the many things there are to see. The tower is interesting because if you are only a few feet away, it doesnt seem to be leaning. From far away, you can tell that it is very off balance. All along the walkway to the Tower there are children and adults alike posing as if they were pushing the tower over or holding it up, which is a very creative idea but looks very silly since they are actually not touching anything. I took one picture like that but a stranger was taking it and he didnt really get my hands connected with the building, and I didnt want to ask him to do it again. haha!
In the end it was a great trip - I saw most everything I wanted to see, ate some good speghetti on the lawn and drank the hugest water bottle Ive ever seen!
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