the fab five takes Pisa

On Saturday, Laura, Olivia, Grace, Hannah and I went to Pisa! We took an 11 o'clock train from Florence, a much more respectable time than all my previous day trips, and we arrived in Pisa at noon. It's a really cute town, and you can walk across it in less than half an hour easily.

the train station

Since this was our first trip we planned ourselves, and we didn't have any sort of schedule to keep, we ate lunch right when we got there. We found this smaller restaurant and had our first lunch of the day. I had salad and a pizza, and ate every bite. I'm loving the smaller portions here, so I don't have to feel weird about eating an entire pizza alone. After lunch we wandered through town, crossed the Arno (which is the same river that flows through Florence), and found the Leaning Tower! It was surreal to finally see it, since it's one of the most infamous landmarks in the world. We of course took the obligatory pictures of holding up/karate chopping/licking the tower.

Grace

Laura

Hannah

nomnomz

zee group!

The Cathedral and Baptistry of Pisa are in the complex with the tower too, so we bought tickets to go inside those monuments. The Baptistry is shaped like a cone, and it's a fairly small building. It's the oldest Baptistry in Italy, and because it was built on the same unstable land as the tower, it also leans– but it leans less than one degree, so it's not noticeable at all.

inside the Baptistry

After the Baptistry, Laura, Olivia and I climbed the leaning tower! I hadn't even realized you could do that. The stairs are made of marble and have been worn down by so many people using them, so the climb was a bit treacherous, especially coming down. But the view of Pisa was so great!

Pisa

Olivia, Laura and I

After that we went inside the Cathedral. I'm not religious, but I love being inside churches. The Cathedral in Pisa was beautiful.

Next, we went touristy shopping in the booths lining the monument complex, and I got a leaning shot glass. Our stomachs were calling for second lunch, so we went in search for a place. However, as one will quickly learn, finding hot food from a restaurant at 4 in the afternoon is no easy feat in Italy. After being turned away from at least 10 places, we found a very touristy place that was still serving food. I had a cheese crepe, which totally satisfied my craving for one I've had since I arrived in Europe. Paris' supply of crepes is pretty much the only thing I like better about it than Florence.

We mosied on back to the train station after eating, and then found ourselves rushing to buy our train tickets and then sprinting to the train platform to catch the train leaving in 2 minutes. We made it with time to spare, as the train left 10 minutes late. All in all, a very successful trip! I much preferred planning it with friends, rather than acting like a sheep in a tour group (or, the singular version shoop, as Laura would say).

Hannah, Olivia, Grace, Laura, and me in front of the Arno

New thing: Independently planning a day trip in Europe!

Bonus- Laura's new thing: prosciutto in bed