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Italy
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Took the train up to Pisa, Italy.
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I just love the feel of the European towns.
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I've heard about this place all of my life, and here I am. The Leaning Tower of Pisa, one of Europe's great icons.
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The Leaning Tower is a freestanding bell tower. The tower and the cathedral are in an area called the Piazza dei Miracoli.
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They started building the tower in 1174. The reason it tilts is because the foundation was built on unstable soil.
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The Leaning Tower of Pisa is a good example of Romanesque architecture.
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Made it to the top after climbing 294 very tilted steps!
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A view from the top. Along the red tiled building were tons of souvenir shops with lots of fun stuff to buy.
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I thought this was such a beautiful photo of the top of the cathedral.
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This is the view you see from another side of the Tower.
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It was even creepier going down the steps. You can really notice the lean of the tower.
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Well.......I ALMOST made it look like I was holding it. :O)
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Here is a piece of trivia for you. In the movie Ocean's 12, the Leaning Tower of Pisa is mentioned in connection with their scheme to tilt a building in order to gain access to it.
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After leaving Pisa, I took the train down to Rome. This is the first view I saw of the Colosseum.
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The Colosseum was the largest amphitheater ever built in the Roman Empire. It is one of Rome's most visited tourist attractions.
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This is the original facade, which I find unbelievable since construction began around 70-72 A.D. It opened in 80 A.D. Today it remains as standing proof of both the grandeur and the cruelty of the Roman world.
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The Colosseum was capable of seating 50,000 spectators. It was used for gladiatorial contests and public spectaculars such as mock sea battles, animal hunts and executions.
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This shows what is called the hypogeum, which means underground or the part of the building that was built below ground.
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The Colosseum was ruined because of devastating earthquakes and stone-robbers who wanted the stones for building materials.
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This is my "I went to the Colosseum" photo.
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I took the tour that takes you underneath the Colosseum where you could see many of the tunnels. That's where they kept the slaves and animals used for the gladiatorial games. The arena had a wood floor covered with sand. Not only was the sand there to hide the trapdoors, but also for catching the blood. The slaves and animals were let up through the hidden trap doors under the sand which provided continual surprises for the spectators and the contestants! Whoa.........SURPRISE!
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Even though it seated more than 50,000 and had room for 10,000 to stand, they were still able to leave quickly because there were 80 exits.
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Charles Dickens visited the Colosseum. In 1846, after his visit, he wrote the following: "It is the most impressive, the most stately, the most solemn, grand, majestic, mournful sight conceivable. Never in it's bloodiest prime can the sight of the gigantic Colosseum, full and running over with the lustiest life, have moved one heart, as it must move all who look upon it now, a ruin. God be thankful: a ruin!"
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What an experience! It's certainly one that I will never forget.
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The next day, as I headed toward St. Peter's Square, I met some kids on a field trip. No matter where you go, kids like the "high five."
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Of course, we had to have a group photo.
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This is the large public square outside St. Peter's Basilica in Vatican City. They call it St. Peter's Square, but it is actually round, with the perimeter marked by two huge colonnades.
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The day I was there they were putting out the chairs for members of the Vatican. The Pope would later come out and address the massive crowd. Believe you me, it really WAS massive.
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These are the Papal Swiss guards. The bodyguards for the Vatican was established in 1506 and are now the only Swiss Guards that still exists.
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This is the central balcony and is called the Loggia of the Blessings, and is used for the announcement for the new Pope.
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The windows that have the yellow banners over them indicate the Pope's residence.
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These are the apartments for the Pope's staff.
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This is the interior of St. Peter's Basilica. It has the largest interior of any Christian church in the world, able to hold 60,000 people. It WAS huge, but I was stunned when they told how many people it can seat.
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After going through almost all of the Basilica, including the tombs underneath, I needed a rest. So I stopped here for a coffee and a cannoli cake. Yum!
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These guys were everywhere, giving the tourists good photo shots from their trip to Rome.
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Well, my day of sighteeing is over, and it looks like his was, too. Could he be hungry and stopping for a panini? Yup.....he did.
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