Kevnjan's big adventure.

Sun. 11th. Mar. Set off bright and early to explore Pisa. It's a place Jan has dreamed of visiting all her life. We found free parking by the river about half a mile from the old town and walked along the river bank in bright sunshine. The view up river from the first bridge was wonderful, the old buildings on both banks are painted different colours, mainly shades ranging from cream to brown, through orange, they seem to be so well maintained, compared with the condition of properties in other old towns. Pisa feels as though it's people care for it. We walked through the old town, through narrow streets of tall buildings, struggling to get a view of the famous leaning tower. We had no map and were just following our noses when we turned a corner and were surprised to be confronted by the tower right in front of us. Janet was speechless, (that doesn't happen often) and it was the suddenness of it's appearance that made it even more special. Again, we knew what to expect but still weren't prepared for the reality. The tower is only one of several similarly wonderful white, marble buildings in a piazza, called Miracoli. (miracle) The cathedral, the baptistry and several palaces, now museums are beautifully preserved and surrounded by grass, unusual in Italy. We walked around, enjoying the scene and taking pictures, sharing it with hundreds of other tourists who seemed similarly taken with it. We paid €15 each for the dubious privilege of climbing the tower. Janet made light of it. It was easy for me after Siena, this tower only had 290 steps!! We had a slice of pizza and a gelato for lunch and dragged ourselves away past lots of cheap nasty souvenir stalls, through the streets of the town, lined with stalls selling everything from antiques to silver to baloons. Great atmosphere. The weather was perfect and the day was great. Left Pisa around 4pm and headed for Lucca. Parked on a car park on the edge of Lucca where Jan made me barbecue two enormous steaks. Lovely way to end the day.