They said:

Since the route from Cinque Terre to Florence passes through Pisa, we decided to stop for a while and check out an architect's nightmare . We arrived in Pisa quite early and took the local bus to the main attraction with only a brief stop for our morning drug - espresso. The bus was packed with people like us going to see a leaning building. We could not imagine that this Romanesque structure could be so dramatic, until we arrived.

The Campo dei Miracoli, or Field of Miracles, includes four major structures that make up Pisa's religious center: the Baptistery, the Duomo, the Tower, and the Camposanto. Theologically, it is explained that the buildings mark the main events in every Pisan's life. One is christened in the Baptistery, married in the Duomo, honored in ceremonies in the Tower, and buried in the Camposanto.

Upon entering through the main archway, the Tower is truly the most overwhelming of all the buildings. It is nearly 200 feet tall, 55 feet wide, and leans at an 85-degree angle. The tower was built over two centuries (beginning in 1173) by at least three different architects . Each one tried to correct the leaning problem by compensating in the other direction to no avail. When it was finally finished in 1372, it was left in a sort of slow-motion fall until 1838 when it began to fall at a rate of one millimeter per year. In 1990 it was closed for repairs and re-opened in 2001 with approx. 6 inches of correction (as it was 200 years ago).

When we walked in, under the most ominous sky we've seen yet, the sight of the leaning Tower forced both of us to make the ridiculous statement, "Wow, it's really leaning." Because the sky appeared to be getting darker by the minute, we went to see the tower first in case of rain. Along the way, we noticed people of all nationalities posing for pictures with their hands off to the side. We were hysterical. Every two steps, someone was posing in the "get-a-picture-of-me-holding-the-tower-up" pose. Instead of joining suit, we decided to take pictures of them for your and our future enjoyment.

We walked around the tower and decided it wasn't worth the money or the wait in line to go to the top. We could really appreciate the effects from below and wanted to lend some time to the other structures. Chad took pictures at every angle (and for those of you who have asked, yes, Chad is taking most of the pics), some with storm clouds, some as the sky cleared (yes, we finally got rain, but it only sprinkled for like 5 minutes if you can believe it from that sky!).

We then walked over to the other three neglected buildings. The Duomo is the large Romanesque centerpiece amongst the buildings. We saw the bronze back door and circled the building, but skipped the inner touring. Same goes for the other two buildings, although, we were curious about the great acoustics in the Baptistery that we had read about. Supposedly you can hear a choir from two kilometers away! A reason to come back...

We completed our tour of the complex just as the teen tour bus arrived. We hopped on the local bus and headed to the train for Florence.

Also,

Happy b-day, J. Sorry we missed the joint birthday call this year. Keep us updated on two-a-days.

Happy b-day Jared G!