Pisa

Wednesday morning we headed for Pisa. I was really looking forward to Pisa because it was the one place I remembered most. These pictures are kind of big. If you are running Microsoft Internet Explorer, you can use F11 to maximize the screen to see the full picture.

Here's the first view you get of the cathedral and tower as you enter the gates. The lean of the tower is amazing - pictures don't do it justice. You have to wonder how it manages to stay up.

Here is another picture of the tower. You can get a better idea of its lean here. You can actually see the cables holding it here. If you look at the left base you can also see lead blocks leaning against the tower to try and stabilize it.

The tower was actually built over a long period of time - they knew it was leaning before it was completed. In fact, if you look at the bell tower, you can see that it is built at an offset angle.

Here is the cathedral. Unfortunately I didn't have time to go in which was disappointing. I guess that will be my excuse for going back.

Each of the doors on the cathedral contains reliefs of religious events. When we were kids we were told it was lucky to rub the heads of these guys. You can still see how shiny this guy's head is from being rubbed so much.

This is the cemetery. Each square on the floor is a grave. Apparently they are buried standing. Along the sides are crypts of more important people, and in the back you can see the crypt of someone that was either very important or very rich.