The Leaning Tower of Pisa

The train from Nice to Pisa, France was another long one. We were not able to get a train to Pisa until a bit later in the day, so we fianlly arrived in Pisa around 8 or 9 pm. We were starving and had pizza in Pisa for dinner at the train station. We hopped on a bus to our hostel, which to night was a campsite. None of us knew what to expect. We were hoping they would supply us with a cabin, or smething with walls since none of us had tent supplise. To ou surprise, and although it was really small, we got a really nice bulgalow for the night. On the portch outside there was a full kitchen that looked extremely new to me. We also had our own new and very clean bathroom and shower and foam mattesses! (Haha, I just read what I wrote and I realize how such little things make me happy--my own shower under the same roof where I am sleeping and no springs in my bed!) We all had a good sleep and checked out the next morning.

The leaning tower was in walking distance from our campsite, but it was so so s hot out and we found shade to cool off in as soon as we got to the tower. There is the tower and 3 other buildings that make up the whols site, area thing. The amounts of people there was overwhelmnig! Again, another perfect people watching situation. We finally recovered from the heat and were out and got pictures with the tower and did some learning. OUt f the 188 pillars, only 33 remain that are the originals. They had had to be replaced dur to the errosion and problens with the tower. The EU is helping fund the restoration on the tower that should be done in 2009. Only groups of 30 are allowed up at a time and it started being built int he 1100's! There were a coulòd of hundreds of years here and there where no on worked on the tower, but fianlly it was finished in the 1600'2 ( i think?) It was so cool seeing it and it really does look like its going to tip over at any minute! The street by the tower is lined with shop after shop and I got mom and dad a great present-- well I think its perfect, but well see! :)