Pisa!

As part of orientation we had a scheduled field trip to Pisa for the day! Before heading to Pisa we made a stop at IKEA in order to get the necessary essentials that we wanted to make our apartment feel a little bit more at home. After spending some time in IKEA, the bus departed for an hour long bus ride to Pisa. The weather today was a cool 80 degrees and it drizzled continuously throughout the day. The bus ride to Pisa was filled with beautiful sights to see. As we traveled through the windy roads of the Tuscan region I saw fields filled with thousands of sunflowers, chickens and roosters walking on the side of the road, and people tending to their agriculture. As we approached Pisa you could see one of Italy's most famous monuments, the leaning tower of Pisa in the distance. We walked through the streets of Pisa in order to get to the main square. Inside the square there were three main things: the cathedral, the baptistry, and the leaning tower. The tower was nothing like I had imagined it would be. I had envisioned the tower being much bigger. I also did not know the leaning tower was the bell tower of Pisa. It was very entertaining to watch all the different tourists from around the world pose differently to take their picture with the tower. Some held it on their back, some touching the top, some looking as if the tower were falling on them, and some just used their own creativity! Of course I could not go to Pisa without taking the typical tourist picture as well! The leaning tower was renovated in 2002 and is said to remain leaning and standing for at least the next 200 years. We were given a guided tour of the Cathedral and Baptistry. The architecture, the paintings, and the stained glass were very detailed and beautiful. After our guided tour we got back on the bus and headed back to FIRENZE! Unfortunately, I was quite disappointed with Pisa. There was not really much to see or do besides taking your typical tourist picture with the tower. After arriving home, some friends and I went and sat on the steps of the Santa Croce. In the center of the square there were people playing the saxophone as others danced and clapped along. Tomorrow starts the first day of classes! I am very anxious, nervous, and excited to meet my professors, learn new things, and experience a new school environment! My first class is Italian at 8 o'clock am so I am off to bed now! CIAO!