Beach Bound (Wednesday, October 19, 2011)

This morning we packed up our bags and headed north. We were headed to the Italian version of the French Riviera, the Cinque Terre. This is an area of 5 beach towns that are old and beautiful, and I couldn’t wait to snap some pictures with dramatic views.



We're not so original...



First we stopped off in Pisa, to see the leaning tower. This was mostly because the tower is something that our children have heard of and were interested in seeing. Brian and I were feeling sort of sheepish, stopping at such an obvious tourist attraction. The guidebook suggested parking at a bus parking lot, where you could park for free, then getting on the bus (which cost all of 2 Euro for the 5 of us) for a round trip ride to the tower area.

We were the only ones on the bus, and the kids stood in the “joint” between the two connected bus lengths, so that when the bus turned a corner, they spun back and forth with the connector. We got off when the bus stopped and the driver said “This is it.”

Stepping off the bus, we were immediately brought to a long line of African market items and Italian souvenirs, but eventually we stepped into the square where the leaning tower is visible. And we all got a kick out of it.

It’s really quite amazing! We’d read about the history of its construction, the many different attempts to right it and the fairly recent success of sinking the opposite side a bit so that it is stabilized. And here is this enormous marble tower, right next to a couple of matching marble buildings, and it is leaning way over, just like in the pictures. I can’t explain why this is so much fun. The square was not as overcrowded as it could be, but there were still about 50 people lined up along the walkway at any given time, putting their hands or feet up to look, in pictures, like they were holding up the tower. If you’ve ever been to the Mystery Spot in northern Michigan, then you have some idea of this. It’s gimmicky, but it is still crazy fun. Don’t ask me why. I liked the Mystery Spot too.



The short bus ride back to the parking lot was almost as entertaining. It started off badly—the bus to go back was packed. But as soon as the driver started peeling around corners and racing up and down hills, the two joined bus sections bounced and twisted, and the people on the bus were shrieking and laughing as if they were riding a roller coaster rather than an overpacked tourist bus.

...here are some of the other people posing
like they are holding up the tower.



Some thoughts on driving in Europe. Brian has driven a lot of places now: Nigeria, Costa Rica, Guatemala, and a good portion of Europe. This trip, he’s noticed that the drivers in Vienna were by far the most polite, with Budapest coming in second. Croatian highways were easy, due to the lack of traffic, but the tiny streets in the cities make it a bit more challenging. Then there is Italy. In Italy, he says the mentality is sort of the same as Nigeria. It’s like Non-Defensive Driving. Whereas in the U.S., you don’t stick your nose out until you are sure it is clear, with the understanding that you should never trust other drivers to stop for you, that is not the way in places like Nigeria, Guatemala and Italy. In such places, you should stick your nose out carefully, or you will never be let into traffic. You have to assume that others will not WANT to hit you, but that conviction is sorely tested by the omnipresent scratches on every vehicle you see.

Our long stretch of sunny, summery weather finally came to an end just as we hit the Cinque Terre. Instead of driving through the picturesque towns, we drove straight to the small beach village we are staying in that is practically the same area. We had a leisurely dinner, stretching it out with a stop for gelato on the way home, and had a quiet evening with the fam. Very nice, even with rain intermittently pouring down. Maybe we’ll see what the beach really looks like tomorrow morning when we head out again!