Pisa, part 1

I don't know about you, but i feel my whole childhood had a leaning Tower of Pisa illustration. Every year, in some textbook. In illustrations about travel in general. It's iconic. 

Then i watched a long program on it this year, and what really wowed me weren't the engineering stories, trying a dozen times to keep it from falling, but the stonework details. 

But let me back up. On the way to Pisa, staring out the train window, i saw this sight

i was like "hey, whoa, what are some Alps doing way down here?" I thought I was looking at Dolomites, misplaced.

Nope. These are the Carrera marble mines. Like Michelangelo 's David, and 200 other famous statues and buildings' white marble. Isn't it lovely? 

I'd move to that coastal city in the foreground, just to have that view every day!  However, the marble's reflection screwed up my GPS, so maybe  not. 

Then I got to Pisa, and I immediately loved it. Good vibe, clear instructions, good bus system. The bus went along a river walk I knew I'd have to walk, and passed this gem of a church.

My apartment is right next to a soccer stadium but it manages to blend in with the neighborhood somehow. I can't explain it, but if you didn't know it was there, you could drive right past and still not know .Luckily, the team is away while I'm here. 

The Medieval walls are my first tourist aim. About a 5 km walk up high, with views. I decided to do it later, as it was 8:30 already and I wanted to beat the bigger crowds at the most popular site.

What most people see first, vendors.

then enter and see the duomo

then walk past it and see every tourist in the universe taking the same stupid shot of "holding up the leaning tower."

the cathedral is under construction. I liked this clear sign.

All the signage was top notch . Cathedral on left here.

Tourist experience available. 

Stone carving details on cloistered cemetery roof. They knew their craft, these guys.

Stone detail in the Tower, multiple kinds of marble plus carving.  

And finally, my own iconic shot if the tower, from the opposite side you usually see. It leans to the left, and not quite as much from this angle. 

In 2 hours, when it was all open, and a thousand tourists were paying a lot to get inside all this, I was at home in A/C