Saturday Pisa

We got up around 7:00, took a shower and then went down the main floor for breakfast. The sisters and most of the priests went on a skiing trip to northern Italy so we were the only ones in the dining hall. Breakfast was good though: rice with hot dog/Jufran and fresh-baked bread. There was also a capuccino machine and the coffee was very good. We were joined later by Adela, the Filipina cook and chatted about the Collegio Filippino and the OFW's life in Italy.

Returned to our room after breakfast to get our things and then walked to the Metro Station to catch the subway train to the Roma Termini. The train to Pisa was delayed for 15 minutes so we walked around and bought snacks and water for the trip. It wasn't a bullet train so it was a bit slower and made more stops along the way. The railroad tracks were near the coastline though so we were able to enjoy the seaside scenery thanks to a very bright and sunny day. One amusing thing about this trip is what I discovered about the toilets. While the bullet trains have onboard septic tanks like airplanes and buses, the local trains flush the 'stuff' down on the tracks. I happened to look down after flushing and saw the tracks zipping underneath when the flap opened up. I guess the train's speed will take care of the 'dispersal'. One reason not to walk on the railroad tracks. I also feel sorry for the mechanics that work on the train's undercarriage. Yuck!!!

We passed a US Army base with an airfield just before arriving at Pisa and was able to see the leaning tower after a friendly Italian lady pointed it to us. It was also fairly easy to find after we got our free handouts from the tourist information center outside the train station. It is a good 15-20 minute walk (if you don't go inside the small shops along the way) and the directions are clearly marked. All the buildings of interest are within one walled compound which makes it easy for the one day tourist to see everything. The cathedral, leaning tower, Baptistery and the Camposanto Monumentale can actually be fitted into one picture. Needless to say, we took a lot of pictures including mom's cheesy shot of holding up the tower (along with the rest of the tourists). I think this is the main reason why the tower hasn't fallen down. We didn't go up the tower anymore (didn't wanna get blamed for causing it to fall down) but went inside the cathedral. Since it was a Saturday, there were plenty of tourists with busloads continuously arriving and departing. The guards were quite busy keeping people off the grass.

We started walking back to the train station to catch our 5:00 pm train back to Rome and stopped for a quick snack and a capuccino in a small cafe along the way. Also took pictures at the Piazza dei Cavalieri which was nearby and then continued on. Train was delayed for 25 minutes this time so we just bought snacks and drinks from the machines which were a lot cheaper than the trains' goodies. It was already dark during the trip back so we just relaxed and rested our feet. Took the subway back to the Collegio, ate our sandwiches and went to sleep.