Pisa, Italy (May 4-5, 2012)

We had a 3 1/2 hour train ride from Rome to Pisa.  We enjoyed the very green Italian countryside.  We arrived in Pisa and had another fine Italian meal near the hotel, and then walked to the site of the Leaning Tower to get a night view.  On our walk we crossed the river that runs through Pisa and had this beautiful shot of the lights reflecting off the river.

Here's the Leaning Tower at night with the cathedral on the left.  There were very few people around that late at night so we got to really enjoy it.  In addition, the organist of the cathedral was practicing and we could hear the organ booming while outside.

Pisa is a college town, the University of Pisa, and we had seen many students gathered in a piazza after we crossed the river shown above.  While walking back to the hotel we encountered this band, which had a Police escort.  We followed it to the piazza where we had previously encountered the students.




All of this made for a magical night during our first few hours in Pisa!

On our way back to the Leaning Tower the next day we passed through the piazza where all the students had gathered the previous night (it was packed) and found it abandoned.  We had enjoyed some gelato from the store in the background the night before.

Here's our first daytime view of the tower
as we walked through the neighborhood.

Standing at the base gives you a good feel for the lean of the tower.

A view from the top.

The stairs to climb the tower had
three stages, each had
progressively narrower steps. 
Diane is at the top, while Hal is
on the lower steps.

After coming back down the tower it was hard

to walk straight as you kept leaning - it

was kind of like getting off a cruise ship

after being on bumpy seas.

This is the baptistery.  When we were inside we were able to witness an "echo demonstration" where the guard sang and the sound echoed off the walls.  He did it for a tour group that was in there and we just happened to be there at the same time.

The cathedral has a very ornate ceiling.  This just shows one wing - there were four wings like this.

The inside of the basilica.  The stripes reminded me of the cathedral in Cordoba, Spain.

A final picture as we leave.  When we arrived at 9 am there were few people in the area and the skies were cloudy, but the tour groups came and the clouds cleared.  We now catch a train to Venice.