Firenze

Surrounding the Leaning Tower of Pisa, one will find hundreds of tourists posing for pictures. Some pretend to push on it, some "hug" it, some kickbox it, and some "climb" it. There is never a lull in this activity. There is always someone taking a picture of that sort.

Of course, Karen and I joined in on the fun the second we got there and took a bazillion pictures like that. I just found it very hilarious that literally everyone who comes to see the Tower feels the need, the pressure, whatever, to do so. It's also funny to me that the Tower is honestly the only attraction in the town of Pisa. At least, the only attraction tourists want to see.

But, pictures and tourist insanity aside, the Tower really is amazing. It just looks like it's going to topple over at any minute. I love the architecture of it too. It's really beautiful.

Back in Florence, we went on a free guided tour of the town, which we escaped from after about two hours because the guide was taking SO long on each building/sight. We had only covered four of the 20 or so sights by the time two hours had passed. We have things to do, places to see, thank you very much. :)

We met a girl from the U.K. who had lunch with us. We exchanged stories about creepy Italian men over pizza. Honestly, though, nowhere in Europe have I felt truly threatened. Seattle, on the other hand, gives me the creeps at night, and even in the daytime sometimes. I already know the secret to avoiding creepsters, and that is to look straight ahead, look confident, and not give them the time of day.

At our hostel, we're in a room with seven other girls, which makes for rather loud, sleepless nights. Snoring, opening of suitcases, shuffling around, reading until early morning: yeah, not so fun. Thankfully, my earplugs stayed in for most of the night last night (they usually fall out after about an hour), so I slept better than I've slept in a while.

Today, on to the David! And something called Casa Buonarroti, which, as far as I understand, is a house Michelangelo bought and is now a museum for some of his pieces. I believe it's free as well, which is always a bonus.