Leaning Tower

Went to the Leaning Tower of Pisa. My camera is still acting up so no pictures. I didn't climb it either. Paying 15 euro to climb a tower that's not that tall and falling over when I could go to a balcony of restaurant that's stable with a better view seems like a waste to me.

The Tower started to fall as it was being built. The base wasn't big enough for the height of the tower. Combine that with the fact the ground is a big sinkhole and you've got a problem. I don't know why they didn't tear it down and start over. It leans another 3 inches every year. Won't be around much longer now I imagine.

Prepositions

Italians say sitting "on a chair" but standing "in your feet." This seems backwards to me.

Happy Halloween everyone! I'm sad to miss my favorite holiday. Italy doesn't celebrate it and their candy sucks anyway.

Planes

Unless you have a huge interest in aircrafts, do not read this post.

This place is where Italian flight was born.

They had a tribute to the Wright Brothers and Kitty Hawk.

It's a plane. It flew places.

And another one.

The camo on it allowed it to be concealed in the jungle so they wouldn't have to throw random brush on the planes.

This one's bigger. It could carry multiple passengers.

An older model of planes used for sea rescue missions.

This plane was found in the desert. Experts say it's really well preserved and flyable with a new exterior. They must know more than I cause it looks like a piece of twisted scrap metal and I wouldn't trust my life to it several miles up.

Engine.

Uniforms for the different jobs.

Usually flags are kept in these but when I opened it, there was only a can of Fabreeze inside. Did they lose them or something?

Some trippy flying art.

There was a vintage car show going on outside. Where else would you have a car show if not at a military plane museum?

Castello Orsini Odesalchi

Pros: It's a castle!
Cons: Are you kidding me? There are none. It's a castle! Although Tom Cruise got married in it which is a bit of a downer but still, castle!

Oh God. Oh God. We're almost there.

I have such a love for old buildings. They all have stories to tell and the history seems to drip from the walls and it's incredible what man has been able to build before machines and and and they're great.

More castle!

Even more castle! Sorry, I'll stop.

Castello Orsini Odesalchi was built in the late 1400's/early 1500's. It was never conquered due to it's prime location on top of a high hill with a lake covering its back. The walls are built is such a way that keeps the elements out, making all the paint in the castle fairly well preserved.

Animals were brought in alive and butchered in the kitchen. Drains were set up to allow the blood to flow outside. The oven could fit four cow-sized animals at once.

Bronze kitchen pans.

Vases and junk.

Only the kitchen and outside were available for picture taking so I'll just throw out some random facts for the rest even though they won't have anything to do with the picture at hand.

The symbol of the Orsinis was a five petaled rose. Since no rose has five petals, it looked more like a red buttercup. Mother bears statues were also common since that was protector of the castle.

Isabelle of the Medici family, 11, married Paolo Orsini, 12. It was a political marriage so she had no love for her husband. She would take a lover for the night and have him leave through a secret door. On the other side was a 300 foot pit with razor blades to cut up the man. Lye was at the bottom to destroy all traces of the body. Royalty.

Paolo didn't love his wife either and fell in love with another woman. He killed Isabelle "elegantly" by strangling her with a piece of red silk. Again, royalty.

Toilets were chairs with chamber pots underneath them. Seats could be lowered and the chair would also be used for recieving guests and eating. Ew. Male toilets were large and comfortable while female toilets were small and cramped.

The sizes of the beds were what you would expect a 10 year old to sleep in. People were so tiny back then.

After a series of auctions, the castle wound up in the Odesalchi family, hence the name.

That's about it. I regret that pictures weren't allowed inside.

Italian buses do not announce where they're going or what stop they're at. You have to constantly pay attention and know exactly where you are. It puts me on edge every time I go somewhere new. The first time traveling by myself I hopped on a bus and it ended up in a suburb. The school director had to come pick me up.

After eating so much pasta and pizza, I'm beginning to crave them at meal times. They've wormed their way into my blood.

A dump truck driver honked at and cat called me. What.

Underage in America + Over the age in Italy = dumb college students

I saw a Hummer last night. I wish I had gotten a picture of it because it looks so out of place on the road with all the Smart Cars.

Scattered around big cities are cigarette vending machines. They amuse me for some reason.

Everyone seems to own a dog. They're all mutts too. I like you Italy and your lack of pedigree pomp.

Being in a country where you're unable to communicate with nearly everyone is hard. Often I try to mime things or speak Spanish in the hopes that languages are close enough that my point will get across. I knew this was going to happen but it still depresses me. I feel so isolated.

Greek Museum and Temples

We'll start with museum since it's the less interesting of the two.

The diving man. It was on the inside of a tomb. It symbolizes a man jumping from the plateau of life into the sea entrance of the underworld.

Another tomb painting. They stay preserved because the elements can't get to them.

Hunting scene.



This was an attempt to match how the Greeks would paint their temples.

All right, enough museuming. Let's get outside.

This sign greets you as you enter the park. Good to know that should I be attacked by a ranger, the guards will swiftly waggle a finger at him.

Hera's temple.

Gah, I just realized I don't know what I'm talking about with these. I just played around in the area without reading the sings. OK, maybe the museum was more interesting in terms of comments.

I leave you with this image. The park was lovely but I'm like a five year old in places like this. Climbing around is more interesting than the history.

Capri Island

I didn't take many pictures. I wanted to relax.

This sums up the entire island. It's paradise on Earth.

This seagull let me get real close to him. Being a bird lover, I named him Scully and took his picture.

This isn't an American tourist spot at all.

Vesuvius the Volcano

So after that grotesque post, I give you Mt. Vesuvius up close. Yes, I ignored my own advice and climbed up an active volcano. For science!

Climbed all the way up to the crater.

See the smoke on the right side?

The veiw is stunning. The fertile soil allowed a dense forest to grow around the volcano.

All these people will most certainly die the next time Mt. Vesuvius erupts. I know it happened a long time ago but don't theose corpses serve as any warning?