Pisa

Pisa was gray and wet. It had neither the charm of Florence nor the size of Rome and it gave off, ultimately, a sad sense of neglect. It was as if the entire city thrived on this single tourist attraction (which, when you think about it, is itself slowly decaying) at the expense of other municipal developments. But perhaps we only felt this because it was a rainy (fewer tourists) Monday and many of the shops were closed (it's a European thing).

Despite the weather, Pisa made for a rather nice day trip. We stopped at a local market and were given free samples at nearly every booth--cheese, beans, saucisses, and the best olive I have ever tasted. It wasn't easy, but we finally decided on some exceptional pastries and dried apricots.

The tower itself is...well, leaning. While this fact is quite commonly known, I was surprised at how urban its location was. The sight of one of the most famous buildings in history looming up from behind power lines and apartment buildings is rather strange--un peu surréal, if you will.

When we learned that it cost €15 to actually climb the tower, we groaned our poor student groans (to which I have long grown accustomed) and decided just to sit and look at it instead. And so we ate some conciliatory pastries.



Mine is on the right, covered in powdered sugar and sliced almonds. Inside were hundreds of fine, doughy layers which gave it almost a custard-y taste. Thus the disappointment passed rather quickly.

As we headed over to take our obligatory Leaning Tower of Pisa photos (see below) we were stopped by two highly questionable Italian boys, Jimmy and Enrico, who attempted, in their very broken English, to talk to us. We fled after the initial necessary politesse and took refuge, like so many others throughout history, in the church.



While it may seem that the tower stands largely isolated from other buildings, it is actually part of a large complex of shops, museums, and an incredible church. I must have been in hundreds of churches since arriving in Europe but I never cease to be amazed by the breathtaking intricacies that each one has to offer. It is often physically overwhelming to enter some of these buildings, as one is instantly enveloped in a mass of gold, marble, paint, and stone in every possible combination. While the chapels and altars and relics are all impressive, I personally have a weakness for the ceilings. As you can see, I was not disappointed.