Pisa, it is really leaning!

Our Second day in Italy we did a lot, mainly because we got an early start going here, the Leaning Tower of Pisa.  It really is an amazing thing to see.  I was skeptical, but once I saw it, I got it.  You just kind of stare at it and think "It is going to fall any minute...it has too".  I had to laugh because when I looked at most of our pictures afterwards, the tower doesn't look like it is leaning.  I think that is because we were lining up with the tower and not the landscape, so you don't get the magnitude of the lean you would in real person.

This is practically the only photo took, where you can really see the tower leaning.

 For a long time I didn't realize that it was a bell tower for the basilica here.  In Pisa, this area is called the "Field of Miracles".  You can see the milestones of the Pisa Citizens life here at the Field.  As babies they are baptized in the baptistry.  The Bells of the leaning tower mark the passing hours, days and years of their lives.  They are married in the Basilica, and eventually the buried in the cemetery behind the Basilica.  I loved this tribute about Pisa...it really brought this area to life for me.

 Of course we had to do the tourist "thing" and try to get a picture of pushing or holding up the tower.  My kids picked pushing...nice of them!  It was hard to get a good picture, my kids do not like to hold still for long.  This was a good one of Hannah "pushing".

 Matt and the girls were able to climb the Tower of Pisa.  The boys were too young, so I elected to wait with them while the other's climbed.  For the sake of time (I am all about time management when on vacation) I decided not to make them all wait, while I climbed it.  It was fun just sitting in the square and waving to them when they made it to the top.

 There they are, on the top of Pisa.

Off to the left, waving to me down below!

 I tried to get one of all the girls holding the tower up...boy was that one a challenge.  Trying to line up all their hands and angle the camera just right, and then making everyone hold still...near impossible.

This was the best we could come up with, but we had fun doing it anyway.

While we were sitting in the square, just basking in the presence of so much History, a sweet, elderly Italian woman approached us.  She started rattling off in Italian, and Matt could understand most of what she was saying due to his Spanish training.  He would talk back in spanish, she would correct him in Italian, and they were holding this huge long conversation.  They exchanged the time, talked about families and she showed us pictures of her grand babies.  The Italians have loved our boys so far, and she was no exception.  She also kept going on about how big and beautiful our family was, and how big!  When we said goodbye, she gave the boys each a little wooden whistle carved into Pinnochio.  Then I got my first European salutation, the infamous two cheek kiss.  It was awesome.  

Such a wonderful woman we met.