That tower is still leaning

Upon departure of Florence, our travels next took us to...Pisa. You know, of the "leaning tower" fame.



Actually, the Campanile (tower), Duoma, and Baptistry all form the "Field of Miracles". Originally, the tower was built as an accompaniement to the church, but now, the tower is what draws everyone to this place.

The Duomo was started in 1204,



while the tower was begun in 1173.



The Baptistry, Duomo, and Tower...all together.



Interestingly, the tower tilt began even before the 3rd level was completed. With the tower being constructed on sandy subsoil, construction was completed in 1350. These laws of gravity attracted many a tourist, including Galileo who climbed to the top to conduct his experiments on falling objects. Recent interventions have decreased the lean by 14 inches with the tower being actually secured to the ground. Today, the tower is now safe for the public to enter once more and climb to the top.



Well, that is....most tourists. At this point in the tour, I had a bit of a fit when I learned that our tour guide had not communicated the proper process to follow IF someone wanted to ascend to the top of the tower. Come on, woman! How do you not know that you need reservations, and that there is a limit to the number of people who can climb to the top at any given time? Sadly, we learned the correct details too late in order to get a ticket and make the ascent. To say I was a bit peeved is putting it mildly.

So, we made the best of the situation and had a little of "photography fun" in front of the Leaning Tower of Pisa.

Winter greets us as we return home

Yes, we are now back in Germany, and winter has greeted us with a vengeance. We arrived back late Friday night, to a relatively warm apartment, and very friendly cats. This morning, the high temp was 36 degrees F. Time to don the coat, gloves, scarves, etc.

As for Italy vacation postings, I have a few more stories and photos over the next couple of days....

Tour is officially over but we are "recovering" for 2 days in Milan.

Yes, the "Italian Vistas" tour is officially over, with Buddy and I departing northern Italy on Wednesday morning for two days of recovery in Milan before heading back to Germany.

Actually, it is Friday morning and we will be leaving this afternoon to return home via Zurich (where a work colleague will be bringing another all-region DVD player to Buddy and I at the Zurich airport - what a guy!).

I'll not post too much on Milan right now, so as not to write out of sequence on the blog. Suffice to say, Milan has been glorious... a 5-star hotel, sleeping in till 10:30 in the morning, and a little retail therapy. After all, we are visiting one of the main fashion capitals of the world.

More vacation stories and pics to come over the weekend....

Tour group reprieve

A week into the tour, and Buddy and I felt a need to venture out a bit for our own exploration of Florence. Don't get me wrong, we were beginning to get to know our fellow travellers quite well, and for the most part, enjoying their company...most of the time. Still, the routine of a schedule and the need for a quiet meal or two as a twosome was looming large.

Actually, Buddy and I boycotted both Florence group dinners, opting instead for a quaint dinner in a highly recommended "hole in the wall" trattoria called Le Mossacce on the first evening in Florence. We had been warned not to let the multi-lingual menus, paper tablecloths, and chaos deter us; we were not mistaken - great food and a fully packed restaurant the entire time we were there.

So, after a tour of Santa Croce, we broke off from the group and its touring of gold and leather shops, and relaxed during lunch over a bowl of minestrone soup, a plate of pasta, and a glass of wine, as we lunched outside on the Piazza della Signore and did a little people watching.

After wandering the streets of Florence for the better part of the afternoon, we stumbled into the Piazza della Repubblica and dined for supper in front of the Arch della Repubblica.



Again, more pasta, red wine, and an evening serenade by a gypsy quintet rounded out the evening.

ABC

ABC: acronym for "another beautiful church". It was at this point that we began to gloss over the magnificence of churches and accept them as ABCs. Sadly, how many extraordinary examples of church architecture and art can one truly appreciate? Still, we were only a week into the trip and we knew several other ABCs were still in our future.

For instance, Florence's Santa Croce. While not as impressive as the Duomo, an amazing array of historical figures are buried in this church, including Michaelangelo, Galileo, Rossini, and Machiavelli. Church dates back to 1294.





Square in front of Santa Croce, Florence.



Unfortunately, our trend of major sites being under renovation is still alive and well, as much of the interior of this lush church were under extensive restoration. Still, the tombs of Michaelangelo



and Galileo were available for viewing.

Florence's Duomo (interior)

For sure, the real gem of this Duomo is the exterior because the interior is quite simple and unadorned. Still, this church has a beautiful interior, including a beautiful dome painting of the Last Judgement.





Likewise, the Duomo's Baptistry is equally impressive with colorful 13th centrutry mosaics illustrating the Last Judgment. Interesting factoid: Dante was baptized here.



Altar of the Baptistry.

Florence's Duomo from the outside

Our string of great weather continued as we toured Florence. OK, this is #2 on the "We need to come back to this great city, as we did not have enough time here either" list. Actually, Florence was my favorite city on this trip...while we did get a feel for the city, there as still many things that we would like to see and do. And it is quite a walkable city...super easy to see on foot.

The main sights we saw in Florence included the Duomo and Baptistry, Piazza della Signoria, Santa Croce, Palazzo Vecchio, Galleria dell'Accademia (see previous post), Piazza della Repubblica, not to mention just strolling down the streets of Florence exploring on our own.

Speaking of all things Duoma (and by the way, does every Italian town have one of these?), we toured the Duoma and Baptistry following the viewing of David. This church is the fourth largest church in Europe and its exterior is constructed almost entirely of marble. A truly amazing church from the exterior.





The painting above the entry doors of the church.



An example of one of the many sculptures on the exterior of the church,



and one of the many bronze reliefs on the doors of the duomo.



View of the side of the Duomo and Chapel as well as ...





the right tower of the Duomo.




The Baptistry of the Duomo in Florence.



The east doors of the Baptistry by Lorenzo Ghiberti's completed in 1452 called the "Gates of Paradise" depict several stories from the Old Testament. These are copies, but the originals are currently in the Museo dell'Opera del Duomo.

The second great piece of artwork we've seen

Our first (and only full day) in Florence started early as we headed to see the second great piece of artwork of our trip, Michaelangelo's David. This outstanding sculpture is housed in the Galleria dell'Accademia. This school was founded in 1563 as the first school in Europe designed specifically to teach the techniques of painting, sculpture, and drawing.

The school's most famous piece is indeed Michaelangelo's David. This colossal nude stands 17 feet high and was completed by Michaelangelo at the age of 29. We were able to see it up close as well as walk around it, but sadly, no photos were allowed. Originally, this sculpture was placed in the Piazza della Signoria, but was later moved to the museum for obvious reasons.

Apart from seeing this masterpiece, we also had a little excitment as one of our tour members fell, cut his head open, and was sent to the ER, Italian style. The good news is that he is just fine, but we did lose valuable "David" viewing time, as we proceeded to provide triage on the streets of Florence.

Arrival in Florence

A late night walk through Florence was our first taste of this glorious city. We knew this was going to be a memorable place when we rounded the corner and saw the Duomo lit underneath a full moon. I'll save the commentary of Florence for the next couple of blog postings, and let you see Florence by night, just as we did on our inaugural evening in the city that was home of the Renaissance.

Justa little bitta of the Amalfi Coasta (best if spoken with an Italian accent)

We knew the time would come...we had tried to prepare ourselves that it was inevitable. We also knew that a whirlwind tour of Italy would give us only the highlights and that there would be areas visited where we would not have enough time, that we would not want to leave, and that we would say, "Oh, come on. We did not have enough time here".

Sadly, the first occurance of many such statements happened when we visited the Almafi coast, located in Southern Italy. I am already looking at my calendar and trying to decide when we can go back (OK, Kim and Jami - this could be the site of the 2006 girls' trip).

One day in southern Italy clearly did nothing but wet our appetite for more... the good news is that we had the front row of the bus in the seat rotation schedule (yes, there was seat rotation) and we viewed this gorgeous landscape from the best seat on the bus (and with the most leg room).

Still, it was not enough.

The first view of the Almafi Coast.



Leaving Sorrento and heading south to Positano.



Another view...as if one or two photo are enough.



Positano, Italy.



Buddy and Holly in Positano.



One last look of the Almafi Coast as we head northward.



Sunset in Sorrento, Italy.

Another World

Being especially interested in the historical aspects of the cities and countries that we visit, it will come as no surprise that we found Pompeii quite interesting. Our string of great weather continued as evidenced by the photos....

Mt. Vesuvius (the culprit in the demise of Pompeii).



The ruins of Pompeii.









Buddy in front of Pompeii ruins and Mt. Vesuvius.



Macellum ruins (the marketplace) in Pompeii.



The streets of Pompeii.



Grand Teatro, Pompeii.





Buddy drinks water (or pretends to) from a petrified fountain in Pompeii.



A Roman bath in Pompeii.



House of the Faun, the largest villa, in Pompeii.





A last look at Pompeii.

Pompeii

Sorry...I know the blog has been silent, but there has been a real shortage of internet access (fodder for another day). Although we are on our last few days of our Italian trip, there are still tons of things I am going to post. SO, please check back.

And yes, we are having a very nice time....although the day in Padua tested us all sorely (smile). Bet you can't wait to read that one.

What can one say about Pompeii that most people do not already know? Briefly, the city was destroyed in AD79 when 20 feet of pumice and ash fell on the city, killing those inhabitants that had not fled the city. Serious excavation of the petrified ruins began in 1728, and much of the eastern area still remain to be uncovered.

OK...have to sign off for the "farewell" dinner, so will post photos later tonight.

Tour update

Yes, I still have more photos to share from Pompeii and the Almafi Coast, but I loaded a ton of them from Rome and Capri tonight...read the next 4 or so postings.

Still, I can't let the day go by without commenting on the rather "interesting" tour group we are a part of. It must be a full moon...

(1) We have arguing couples (oh, boy!)

(2) Last minute hotel changes did not help the mood on our long bus ride up and down the Amalfi Coast (although the hotel was quite charming). Did I take a vacation from a 60-70 hour week to haul my luggage and that of some of my tour compatriots up a hill? I don't think so.

(3) A tour manager that "oversleeps" and is late to the bus? What else can I say...

(4) Yes, we have lost jackets, lost bracelets, lost pens. And the beat goes on.

It is a comedy of sorts, and thankfully, Buddy and I, along with several of the tour members have laughed about it...continually....

The best one is the woman on the tour bus (who I have been travelling with for 7 days) who pulled me aside in the food court area today at the rest area and asked me "Do you work here? I need some help"!

Mamma mia!