Pisa, Home of the Leaning Tower

Pisa, Italy was a great excursion. It definitely had a different feel than Florence and Siena, which are beautiful, but made mostly of stone. Pisa was like a public park, with grassy fields where kids played and adults soaked up the sun. It reminded me a lot of Oregon, except there just happened to be some pretty breathtaking monuments thrown in the mix.

Of course, we had to take multiple pictures in front of the Leaning Tower. This is probably
my favorite angle, because you can see how much it really leans: approximately 15
degrees to the South.

We took the train to get to Pisa, which was a cool experience. We have been taking the bus for most of our trips, which are jerky and rattle a lot. The train ride was much more peaceful, as we whizzed past beautiful Italian country landscapes. Once we got there, the whole group was a little sleepy, so we stopped to refuel, Italian style. Cappuccinos and croissants, yum!

Back in the States, my caffeinated drink of choice is iced tea. However, since I haven't seen an ice cube since I got
here, I've had to improvise. A cappuccino with half a packet of sugar does the trick, and I'm actually starting to
appreciate the taste :)

WiPi instead of WiFi. I've always appreciated a good pun!

Buildings were more colorful in Pisa, which I enjoyed! Pisa, like Siena, is a medieval city.

The Arno River, which runs through Florence, also runs through Pisa.

Bikes are a huge thing in Pisa, much more popular than in Florence or Siena. People of every size and age brave
the crazy traffic and pedestrian filled streets on their bikes. This man happened to zoom past while I was taking
a picture, but it worked out well:)

My favorite color combination was aqua and coral.

After our twenty minute from the train station through Pisa, we arrived at the Campo dei Miracoli, or Field of Miracles. This includes the Leaning Tower, the Camposanto (cemetery), the Baptistery, and the Duomo. We visited all four!

First sighting of the Leaning Tower. It really leans! Haha.

In the Campo dei Miracoli, a couple got married while we were there. The romantic in
me swooned :)

Our first stop: the Camposanto, or cemetery, which was begun in 1278. Just to give you some perspective, that's nearly 500 years before the United States even became a country. Crazy!

The outside wasn't too impressive, especially when it stands next to the Duomo, but the inside was really cool.

The tombs are located under the cover of the building, with Romanesque arches that line the courtyard.

The courtyard, with soil that was brought all the way from Jerusalem, or the holy land.

Sarcophagi line the walls, while other tombs are imbedded in the floor itself.

Although this cemetery was started over 700 years ago, there are still people burried here
in the present day. People left flowers by this man's grave, who died fairly recently.

This gravestone is the oldest piece held in the Camposanto. It was most likely the marker
for a woman (and possibly her baby) who died in child birth. It represents them being
reunited in heaven.

During World War II, Allied forces bombed the Camposanto, leaving it in shambles. After the war, restoration work
was begun. An American who bombed the cemetery came back to Italy to help restore it.

Next, we visited the baptistry:

Here, Becca and I are in front of the baptistry. Like the Leaning Tower, it also leans,
but 6 feet north. The Campo dei Miracoli was built on unstable lands without solid
foundations. Whoops:)

The rotunda of the Baptistry. While we were there, a man demonstrated the excellent
acoustics, and was able to harmonize with his own echoes. Super cool!

Another view of the Baptistry, with the pulpit on the left.

Here is a video of a man demonstrating the breathtaking echo in the baptistry. He can actually harmonize with himself!

After that, we broke for lunch. We saw some cool things and met some friends along the way.

Another angle of the Leaning Tower

The Baptistry and the Duomo

The Duomo and the Leaning Tower

Becca and I were standing in front of this horse and she says to me, "He wants some love,
I can just tell from his eyes." Sure enough, a few seconds later, he inches toward us and
sticks his head out. He licked and nibbled my fingers (I think he thought I had food)
but seemed content with some pats. Becca is a horse-whisperer. :)

Cute little place where we sat outside and had lunch.

After lunch, we headed back to the Campo dei Miracoli and laid out on the grass.
Of course, a selfie was needed to document the event.

Finally, our adventure took us to a visit in the duomo of Pisa:

Outside of the duomo. All of the buildings in Pisa were built with marble recycled from other structures. Pisa was
attempting to communicate with the world that they were just as strong as Rome.

Another angle of the duomo.

Ceiling of the duomo. Breathtaking.

Pisa's duomo was my favorite that we've visited so far. So pretty!

View of the pulpit, rotunda and chandelier. Apparently, this chandelier influenced
Galileo in a pretty big way. While he was sitting in church one day, he noticed the light
blowing in the breeze, and figured out that no matter how high it swung, it took the
same amount of time to reach the other side. He was able to form some laws of physics,
which led to the development of more discoveries and better clocks.

Rotunda of Pisa's duomo.

Overall, the trip to Pisa was great! The Oregonian in me loved seeing some patches of green, and the sights were fantastic too! Thursday, Becca and I are head to Barcelona, Spain(!!!) I am continuously grateful for this great adventure I have been able to experience. Until next time:)