Pisa

Leaving the beautiful coastline of the Cinque Terre behind we boarded the train to Pisa catching glimpses of the mediterranean all the way. Off in the distance it is possible to see the mountains where marble is mined and delivered in huge blocks numbered with red spray paint. We would only realise how significant it was to see the marble in this raw form once we set eyes on the finished product.

Pisa - 9 May (stopover before heading on to Florence)

Without an ongoing ticket we had not yet decided whether to remain in Pisa overnight. Although we had heard from many who have travelled their before that it lacks points of interest, on the contrary we found the walk through the markets and piazza from the station to be as good as any other city so far. Camilla received her first 'Bella' from the ladies in the fruit stalls which felt special as they delivered it with a smile.

Down a somewhat dingy street we caught our first glimps over a graffiti covered wall of the famous Leaning Tower of Pisa gleaming in contrast to the brilliant blue sky and green grass. We entered the ritual conversation all tourists undertake at Pisa; 'No you push it over, no, I want to hold it up, no you first, oh alright but a feel like a dork...'. With gusto we joined the other 1000 tourists holding their arms in the air taking directions from accompanying photographers and produced the desired result.

A packed lunch was enjoyed on the grass in the shadow of the Dome watching crowds of school children. Our tickets allowed us access into the brilliant cathedral and dome. Inside the cathedral we entered a deep discussion about the variations this particular one has with the other 8 - 10 major cathedrals we have seen so far. With sunlight beaming through the windows and deeply moving religious effigies we realised that each visit is entirely different even though the themes are the same. Steve exclaimed rather abruptly 'Camilla, I am sure we have seen this one before...', nevertheless it was exciting to be here.

By coincidence our visit to the Dome was in time for a demonstration of the acoustics by a trained singer. Luckily we had already climbed the narrow staircase to the higher level where for nearly a minute each time the vast space was filled with resonating tones from the singer below. As the sound trailed off it was impossible to relate what we heard to a human voice. Caught up with the romance and beauty of the place it was difficult to pull ourselves away from the square.

We took a final moment to reflect on the beauty of the 900 year old structures, what it would sound like if the tower actually fell, and how many times a day the 'hold the tower up' photo is taken' we entered the nearest souvenir shop (totally out of character). A couple of nice postcards where first purchased and as we were leaving the store THEY WERE FOUND. On our list of must reads Camilla has at the very top the number 6 Harry Potter: The Half Blood Prince, Steve has been wishing to find Robert Louis Stevenson's classic, Treasure Island. THEY WERE SITTING NEXT TO EACH OTHER (in English)! Leaving them quietly on the shelf for the next customer... what are you talking about, screw the additional weight ... SOLD.

Walking back to the train station where we had paid to leave our large backpacks (stroke of genius from Camilla) we decided there would be little else gained from staying the night in Pisa. Outside of a not so swanky hotel was a near perfect original condition Bentley from what must have been the early 1600s. Well maybe not that old but we are talking first rate open wheeler, deep british green with leather straps holding in the engine (not that it is likely to jump out of the bonnet).

New books in hand we where hoping for an 8 hour train trip or some catastrophic delay, unfortunately, everything went to plan so we arrived in Florence within 1.5 hours.