It's still leaning...

Sorry for the delayed posts but Italy has really been working us overtime lately. No worries, me and Scott will get you back up to speed.

Well on Thursday, we decided to hop on our "oh so familiar" regional train and take a ride up to Pisa. A short bit of information on train transportation in Italy. First of all, it is very handy but it does come with a couple hidden catches. Regional trains are the not so glamirous kind. Their exteriors are normally adorned with tasteful graffiti (apparently a huge past time of Italians) while the interiors are hot, quite noisy, and slightly sketchy. Unlike their older brother the Eurostar trains (very comfortable seating, quiet, direct travel, 120 mph, snack car, etc.), regional trains poke along stopping at seemingly every train station along the way, turning what could be fairly short ride into a marathon of stops and starts. It is undecided if these trains have air conditioning. The head rests are a nice shade of brown/black. No but really, it could be worse. Like, you could have to stand in between the cars because all the seats are taken, while an African baby grabs your backpack and won't let go, a strange couple kiss in the corner, and Italian teens light up cigarettes. I guess that's a soap box for another day. Back to Pisa...

After our 1.5 train ride, we reach Pisa and start our 15-20 minute walk to the main square. It contains the Leaning Tower, the Duomo and Cathedral, and the Baptistry. As to our knowledge, this is Pisa...no need to walk anywhere else. It is a mass of thousands of tourists all pretending to hold the tower up. I was slightly nervous thinking about having to act like I was holding this tower up and everyone looking at me. Well not to worry, I was in no way alone in my cliche picture taking. After snapping off a couple pictures, we went up to the tower to do some engineering investigation. To be honest, this tower is a health hazard. It is unbelievable that it is still standing. It is a huge architectural "oops" that has turned into a money making machine.

Seeing all that we could see in Pisa. We headed back to the train station to embark on another friendly train ride back to Florence. From leaving our door to returning to our door, 5 hours...efficient spells fun.