PISA

Mom, Tia Diane and Chris all made it here safely. They arrived Friday night and have been running around ever since! I'm exhausted too, trying to show them all the sights and get the most out of their vacation. I'm not used to so much back-to-back traveling since I take trips periodically instead of smashed into ten days! They can't get over how old everything is, the commonality of public transportation, and the amount of walking one must do! I must say they're also pretty impressed at how easily I can get myself around this country. I didn't really realize just how far I'd come until I witnessed how lost they felt about the whole thing!

The first day everyone slept in to recover from jet lag and then we spent the rest of the day exploring Bologna. We walked through Piazza Maggiore, took a city bus tour, ate some pasta and then my favorite gelato! For the record, Tia Diane said that before she couldn't believe how much gelato I ate, but that it goes down just so smooth, now she gets it! They were disappointed because they didn't really get to see University buildings on the tour, so we'll probably take another stroll through Bologna on Wednesday before we depart for Paris.

Piazza Maggiore, Fountain of Neptune

OUR NAME!!!
In the Comunale Building

Yesterday we took a day trip to Pisa, which is a bit far from Bologna. The train ride is about 2:15 in total, but we had to switch trains in the middle which takes longer. By the time we got there everyone was famished and so unfortunately we settled for a very touristy cafe that was nothing to rave about. After, we wandered the streets of Pisa and finally landed upon Campo dei Miracoli, or Field of Miracles, where the Duomo, the Baptistry, and the (Leaning) Bell Tower are housed. It was such an unbelievably clear, beautiful day, with blue skies and wispy clouds. It really set the perfect backdrop for the spectacular sight of these three buildings. They are all constructed from the same materials and style, which has since been dubbed Pisan-Romanesque. Everyone always just talked about the Learning Tower (which was really cool...I mean it's just one of those things you see pictures of all your life and then you're like...whoa...it's right in front of me) but it's the three buildings altogether and what's inside of the other two that's truly amazing.

On the train to Pisa

The Pisan Duomo is one of the best cathedrals I've been in so far. The ceiling, the paintings, the altar, everything- is breathtaking. Mom looked actually quite overwhelmed with it all! Inside the Baptistry is very plain, but the neatest thing about it is the acoustics. A note will echo for 10 seconds making it possible to harmonize with yourself. Unfortunately we missed hearing the guard sing, but I sang a couple notes myself (after which I was promptly shushed) and it sounded SO COOL! We didn't go inside the tower for reasons ranging from too expensive to tired knees to fear of heights, but really it's cooler to look at from the ground anyways.

The ultimate cheesy tourist picture ;)

It took us forever to return because the trains were packed due to everyone coming home from the All Saint's Day holiday. I tried to keep everyone nourished with snacks because we didn't have dinner before we left and were waiting to eat at home! So from Florence back to Bologna we had to stand the whole hour in the aisle next to this selfish, rude lady with a cat. Luckily, Charlotte was incredibly sweet and cooked the dinner I had planned on making, having it ready for us when we returned. It was delicious, although we probably would have eaten just about anything at that point!

Today I'm staying behind and going to school like a good little student. The tour group, however, is headed to Venezia! They're a little nervous about braving it without an Italian-speaker or someone who's at least more familiar with the trains, but I reminded them that people do this every day and they'll be just fine!

Some more pics of Pisa:

In front of the Baptistery, the largest in all of Italy


The altar, inside the Duomo

View of the Duomo from the top of the Baptistery,
beautifully lit by the setting sun

The girls in front of the Duomo and Tower

A great Tia Diane quote:

• I don't like these ear plugs. I can't hear you!