Leaning Toward Pisa 01/06/20 Day 13

Rent a car, see the sites! That's what Day 13 was all about.

When we were planning our trip several months ago Nolan is the one who had the most requests. He wanted to see Pompeii because of a project he built in 3rd grade. He also requested that we see The Leaning Tower of Pisa before leaving Italy.

Pisa is a bit out of the way from Florence, however, Italy has the Autostrada, so no reason not take the scenic tour.

Our main issue on this day was time. We had to check out of the hotel and leave the luggage at the front desk. Our train to Venice was scheduled for 4pm. So, driving out of the way to Pisa meant only getting 1 hour to see the tower, get some food on the way out and then drive back and drop off the car. So, unfortunately, we really only have pictures of The Leaning Tower of Pisa, this is not to say that this feature is the only reason to visit Pisa, it was just a matter of timing that prevented us from fully experiencing Pisa.

We found Pisa to be the location to go to find the happiest tourists in the Mediterranean. The Leaning Tower of Pisa is such an amusement that you can't help but smile.

From 1989 to 2001, the famous bell tower of Pisa was closed to the public. Since its reopening, thanks very much to engineers who have made great efforts to stabilize the structure, tourists can now enjoy walking up the spiraling steps to marvel at the rewarding view of the city below. 

Driving Italy is much easier than driving England, simply because it is the same side of the road as the US. However, the round abouts are still very confusing. Fortunately, we only went around in circles on one occassion before getting back on track.

Caption: A witch came in a car parade waving as scooters and classic cars honked and announced her arrival. It was some kind of holiday yesterday but we do not understand what the holiday was about. We were told it was a Christian holiday, so maybe they were shooing the Pagan witch out and celebrating the beginning of Christianity? Unsure. 

Caption: Burgers in Pisa!!! Nice break from Italian food. 

Renting a car is also a great way to test out another brand of car you wouldn't otherwise try in the US. We found the Range Rover to be fun and comfortable. Little small for our family of five though.

Back in Florence we had hardly any time to be sentimental about leaving, but the fact that our train to Venice was the very last train ride this trip made us both sad to leave and happy to be pointed toward home in the next few days. 

Caption: All our luggage fit in one go. Success!

Venice has two main train stops. The first is mainland and second is the canals. We are staying on the canals which meant we had to carry our luggage up and down stairs and over bridges. No cars on the canals and no reason to take a water taxi since we are so close to the train station from our hotel.

It was clear from the vacant streets and alleyways along the canals that most tourists stay just outside this tiny area. 

We ate our Venetian dinner and went to bed as timing remains the center of our concern as we leave for our one night trip to Slovenia in the morning. We will have to enjoy Venice when we return.