Yesterday marked exactly one month since I've come to Italy!
I've been in Italy for a whole month already.
I only left home a month ago.
I'm already 1/4 done with my program.
I can't explain how, but all of these sum up how I feel about the way that time is passing. I'm trying hard to absorb everything that I see and do so that I dont' forget one minut of these four months!
On Saturday a few of my friends and I took a day trip to Pisa! We figured we had to see the leaning tower of Pisa while in Italy. However, up until now (thanks to my Disney-driven childhood), this was the image I've had in my mind every time I think of the tower:
Boy was I glad when it wasn't made of cheese!
Pisa
To get to Pisa we decided to take a train that left at 6:15 Saturday morning. This sounded a lot better when we were buying our tickets than it did when I was walking to the train station at 5:30. But, nevertheless, we made it onto the train despite the torrential downpour around us.
Now just to be clear, when I say "we took a train to Pisa" I really mean that we took about 4 trains to Pisa. A fast train would be a direct shot but also at least € 20 more, so we usually opt for the route with multiple connections in different cities. Sometimes this means your train gets in late and you sit in a train station in a random Italian town for 2 hours, but at least we're saving money!
Study abroad is like some sort of game - see who can travel to the most places while spending as little money as possible.
But, no matter how long it took, we finally made it to Pisa! The first thing we noticed as we walked through the city was the beautiful orange trees everywhere. Between those and the palm trees, we could definitely tell we weren't in Verona anymore.
When we finally got to The Field of Miracles where the tower sits next to a beautiful cathedral, it was amazing. This is one of the most iconic images of Italy that I've seen pictures of my entire of life and there I was-standing in front of it!
The tower itself is about 180 feet tall (8 stories) and leans at a 4 degree angle. When it was first constructed in 1173, the builder stepped back after finishing the base and noticed it was a little crooked. This was due to the sand on which the structure is built.
Due to battles between other Italian cities at this time, construction on the tower was sporadic and took over 300 years to be completed! Obviously they never "removed" the lean. In 1990 the tower was shut down completely for over 2 years for restorations. It is not open to the public and you can even walk to the top! (although Rick Steves advises not to do that when it's raining as the stone steps get slippery, so we listened to him)
The back of the Tower
Pisa was beautiful and I'm so glad I got to see it!
Yesterday our friend Jessie came to visit! She's studying in Amsterdam and is spending a week in Italy. It's been a blast being able to show her around the city!
Boy was I glad when it wasn't made of cheese!
Pisa
To get to Pisa we decided to take a train that left at 6:15 Saturday morning. This sounded a lot better when we were buying our tickets than it did when I was walking to the train station at 5:30. But, nevertheless, we made it onto the train despite the torrential downpour around us.
Now just to be clear, when I say "we took a train to Pisa" I really mean that we took about 4 trains to Pisa. A fast train would be a direct shot but also at least € 20 more, so we usually opt for the route with multiple connections in different cities. Sometimes this means your train gets in late and you sit in a train station in a random Italian town for 2 hours, but at least we're saving money!
Study abroad is like some sort of game - see who can travel to the most places while spending as little money as possible.
But, no matter how long it took, we finally made it to Pisa! The first thing we noticed as we walked through the city was the beautiful orange trees everywhere. Between those and the palm trees, we could definitely tell we weren't in Verona anymore.
When we finally got to The Field of Miracles where the tower sits next to a beautiful cathedral, it was amazing. This is one of the most iconic images of Italy that I've seen pictures of my entire of life and there I was-standing in front of it!
The tower itself is about 180 feet tall (8 stories) and leans at a 4 degree angle. When it was first constructed in 1173, the builder stepped back after finishing the base and noticed it was a little crooked. This was due to the sand on which the structure is built.
Due to battles between other Italian cities at this time, construction on the tower was sporadic and took over 300 years to be completed! Obviously they never "removed" the lean. In 1990 the tower was shut down completely for over 2 years for restorations. It is not open to the public and you can even walk to the top! (although Rick Steves advises not to do that when it's raining as the stone steps get slippery, so we listened to him)
Had to take at least one picture leaning against the leaning tower!
The back of the Tower
The Field of Miracles
Me & Maggie Chi Os in Pisa!
After taking about a gazillion pictures in front of the tower, we walked around and enjoyed Pisa for a while.
Pisa was beautiful and I'm so glad I got to see it!
Yesterday our friend Jessie came to visit! She's studying in Amsterdam and is spending a week in Italy. It's been a blast being able to show her around the city!
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