27 October ’05, Thursday.
I know we all do the same thing. When we have to get up a little earlier than normal, our built in ALARM CLOCK clicks in. Now the thing that I don’t understand is why does it insist on waking you every 30 minutes or so throughout the night ??? Hell, as it was, I was ready to get out of bed 15 minutes prior anyway… Well the shower was done, and we had just about finished packing the van when Ann arrived. 10 minutes later, and we were on our way to the airport. We left the campground just at 7am and had to be at the airport by 9. Under daytime, no traffic time, it is a 30 minute ride, but this is the “rush hour” traffic, and we had no idea how long it would take. About ¾ of the way there we knew we were going to be real early, so we stopped for a “coffee break”. Just before 9 we dropped Ann off and Louise and I headed north. We had just about reached the turn off to Pisa when it was time for Ann’s plane to take off. On our return trip up the coast of Italy, we wanted to stop and see the “Leaning Tower” of Pisa, so that was what we planned and accomplished. We didn’t take a long look, but what we did see was worth the time. It was bigger than I had imagined, and the slope of the lean was more than I had thought as well. The weather has continued sunny for us over the last week, and seeing the tower on such a day was great. We opted out of the 294 step climb to the top, as just seeing it from the ground was enough. The tower was built on marshy land back in the 15th century, and because of this, the foundation didn’t hold and the tower began leaning. It continued to lean about 1 mm a year, and that was even before it was finished. It started to tilt after the 3rd floor of the total 7. Finally they found a way to stop the “flow”, and visitors are again allowed to climb. Leaving Pisa, we headed for the campground we had stayed at in Levanto. This is the campground right on the coast and the jumping off location to see the Cinque Terre villages. It was a good days drive, and will give us a good days drive onto Antibes, France in the morning.
I know we all do the same thing. When we have to get up a little earlier than normal, our built in ALARM CLOCK clicks in. Now the thing that I don’t understand is why does it insist on waking you every 30 minutes or so throughout the night ??? Hell, as it was, I was ready to get out of bed 15 minutes prior anyway… Well the shower was done, and we had just about finished packing the van when Ann arrived. 10 minutes later, and we were on our way to the airport. We left the campground just at 7am and had to be at the airport by 9. Under daytime, no traffic time, it is a 30 minute ride, but this is the “rush hour” traffic, and we had no idea how long it would take. About ¾ of the way there we knew we were going to be real early, so we stopped for a “coffee break”. Just before 9 we dropped Ann off and Louise and I headed north. We had just about reached the turn off to Pisa when it was time for Ann’s plane to take off. On our return trip up the coast of Italy, we wanted to stop and see the “Leaning Tower” of Pisa, so that was what we planned and accomplished. We didn’t take a long look, but what we did see was worth the time. It was bigger than I had imagined, and the slope of the lean was more than I had thought as well. The weather has continued sunny for us over the last week, and seeing the tower on such a day was great. We opted out of the 294 step climb to the top, as just seeing it from the ground was enough. The tower was built on marshy land back in the 15th century, and because of this, the foundation didn’t hold and the tower began leaning. It continued to lean about 1 mm a year, and that was even before it was finished. It started to tilt after the 3rd floor of the total 7. Finally they found a way to stop the “flow”, and visitors are again allowed to climb. Leaving Pisa, we headed for the campground we had stayed at in Levanto. This is the campground right on the coast and the jumping off location to see the Cinque Terre villages. It was a good days drive, and will give us a good days drive onto Antibes, France in the morning.
