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Published: November 15th 2007
Wow. Italy is gorgeous. Or maybe that’s just the weather. Who cares? The weather is gorgeous! It’s probably only about 65 degrees, but by comparison with Edinburgh—oh my! I woke up this morning at 2am, had to walk to the bus stop (10 mins) at the Foot of Leith Walk, then took the bus to Waverley Bridge, where I had to wait, outside and in the freezing cold, for over an hour! It was about 30 degrees, or maybe even colder. All I know was the water had turned to ice on the streets, and there I was without a scarf or gloves because I wanted to carry as little as possible with me. The cold seeped into my bones, and didn’t fully leave until I stepped foot off the plane at Aeroporto Pisa. Sun, glorious sun! I almost forgot what you felt like, my friend : )
After arriving in Pisa, I decided that I wanted to stop by the Leaning Tower of Pisa before taking the train to Florence. I mean, I couldn’t be this close and not see it, right? Waiting for the bus, I met a Scottish mom and her three daughters who arrived on the
Piazza dei Miracoli
"Square of Miracles"same flight as me, and were headed to the Leaning Tower before Florence, just like me. We were even taking the same flight home on Wednesday. We took the bus to Pisa Centrale Station and then another bus to the Tower. It was pretty amazing to see - and so iconic. And it actually does lean!! Although both Keith and Stephen (both co-workers) felt the need to inform me there was just an article in the newspaper saying that the Leaning Tower is not the world’s most tilted tower. Some church in Germany is, instead. But that couldn’t ruin my excitement. The Leaning Tower is the bell tower of the Cathedral of Pisa. It’s in the Piazza dei Miracoli. Construction started on the tower in 1173, but was not fully completed until around 1350. It was not meant to lean, but soon after construction started, it began leaning to the southwest, due to poorly laid foundation and sandy soil. The site is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Galileo was said to have dropped two cannon balls off the tower to demonstrate speed and mass. In 1934, Benito Mussolini ordered that the tower be set back to a vertical position, so
concrete was poured into the foundation. However, it backfired, and the tower actually sank more.
I of course wanted an embarrassing tourist “I’m holding up the Tower” pose, so I got a guy to take a pic of me. Now, I’m not an expert, but how hard can it be to line the tower up with my hands? Well, apparently, harder than it looks, because not only was he about 400 yards off, I had the Scottish family take another pic, and it turned out exactly the same!! Hello?! I decided it just wasn’t meant to be, and gave up.
Now I’m on the train making my way to Florence (Firenze). Keeping my fingers crossed for a decent hostel!
Same Day - Monday Night
Cheese!! Cheese and sun : ) What more can one ask for? It makes me wonder why I didn’t choose Italy to work in, rather than the cold, only-know-how-to-make-cheddar-cheese country of Scotland…oh, yeah, the language barrier. But actually, most people here speak English, at least passably. Anyways, it’s nighttime now, and I’m eating a snack of bread and cheese in my hostel, Archi Rossi. I’m eating fresh fontina and provolone cheeses and they
are so damn good! I’m in the common room of the hostel, and it’s funny - I haven’t heard this many American accents since May. I guess Italy is a popular backpackers destination, more so than Edinburgh, apparently. Mostly, back home, (look at that, calling Edinburgh home! When did that happen?) I only meet Australians and New Zealanders, and Canadians at Belushi’s. I would venture to guess a quarter of Americans wouldn’t even know where Scotland is on a map.
Anyways, back to my day. After arriving in Florence, I only had an easy five minute walk to the hostel- which is a great one! One of the best I’ve ever stayed at. Then, I took a slow walk over to Annalies and Kristen’s bed and breakfast - stopping to gawk at the stunning Duomo. Florence seems to be a pretty compact, walkable city, and the art and architecture is just overwhelming. Duomo is Italian for cathedral church. The Duomo is actually the Cathedral of Florence, the Basilica di Santa Maria del Fiore. The outside is marble in white, pinks and greens. The cathedral was the largest in Florence when it was built in the 13th & 14th centuries,
with room for over 30,000 people. Even today, it is still the fifth largest in the world.
Annalies, Kristen and I stayed in their guest house and just caught up for a while, then we went wandering around the city, and found some pizza takeaway . Saw some cute tourist shops- it seems as though Florence stays alive a bit longer than Edinburgh. We got to see the Duomo at night. Tomorrow, we’re off to see ‘David’. 😊 Arrivederci for now!
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Can't Wait to See More
Although I haven't had Italy high on my list of places to see, you're blog excitement and pictures really makes me want to go. It's so full of amazing art and achitecture. Can't wait to see your next blog.