Pisa

The town of Pisa, located on the coast west of Florence, was not on our planned route. But for a mere 10 Euros round trip, we hopped a train for a day trip to see the famed Leaning Tower. Rain pelted the train windows as we passed through the flat countryside on the way, and we were glad to be protected from the elements instead of cycling.

The town of Pisa is ordinary enough, but the area of the tower and its accompanying duomo, museum, and cemetery were very interesting. The complex was crawling with busloads of tourists fresh off cruise ships parked in the port nearby. It was quite comical to see people taking pictures of their traveling companions, posed to be seemingly holding the tower up with their hands. The rain cleared by afternoon for some classic photos of the tower against a backdrop of blue sky and puffy clouds. A nice diversion for a day.