Pisa

It was a relatively short drive thanks to our stop the previous night so we managed to get to Pisa around lunch time. We realized that the location where we decided to leave the van was free until 3pm (free during the siesta hours 12-3) so we ventured into town with the intention of moving on afterwards and not spending the night as planned as it would cost up to 12 euros. From where we parked, we were able to see the top of the leaning tower just over the old city walls. Despite this, we still had to navigate a few cobbled streets and locate an entrance past the city wall which was not at all difficult because of our trusty GPS. Julie had spotted a sporting goods store, so we stopped by there first in hopes to purchase a new pedometer for her without any luck. The square in front of the leaning tower was quite nice, mostly grass and sidewalks and very open. Julie and I noticed that the leaning tower wasn’t the only structure sinking. It seems that the church, the government building and the tower were all designed utilizing the same materials and same basic design as well as the same sinking land, although the tower is the one that leans the most. We took a few pictures and the obligatory “pose” before making our way to an internet café to catch up on emails. There is nothing else to see or do here. The streets surrounding the square are lined with vendors and street hawkers and they are the most aggressive we have encountered to date. The leaning tower of Pisa was a pretty cool site, but it’s a shame there isn’t anything else to help keep you in town.