The Traveler's Perspective

One of the great things about being a foreigner in a new land is that there are so many things to do and places to explore. Visiting incredible places always makes me wonder about the people who live there, do they realize where they are and appreciate it the way the out-of-towners do? Chances are that they don't, we are all guilty of allowing our surroundings to fade into the background of our daily lives, rarely giving them a second thought.

This has never been more screamingly obvious until spending time in Italy. I walk around these ancient cities past walls and buildings and art that is hundreds or sometimes thousands of years old. I am still in the mindset of being blown away by this but then I observe those around me, walking by these same amazing sights in their rush to get to work, while talking to someone on their cell phone, or whizzing by on a scooter at warp speed.

Today I decided it was time to see the Leaning Tower of Pisa. It's a very easy 1-hour train ride from Florence to Pisa so I figured why not? Seize the day. As I had been forewarned, I found that the city of Pisa is not particularly elegant, clean, or charming. I walked from the train station over the river into the main shopping district, which contains all the same stores as Florence but decidedly lacks the appeal. But I was not there to shop, I was on a mission.

I wended my way through the streets in what I hoped was more or less the right direction and by chance looked up over the rooftops in front of me, stopping dead in my tracks. There is no missing the Leaning Tower of Pisa – there it was in its full tilting glory just a stone's throw away. A short block later and I was in the square that holds some of Pisa's greatest treasures.

Seeing the tower for the first time really is something, somewhat like the moment of seeing the Duomo in Florence. It blows your mind that you are standing in front of something that has been the stuff of legend until that moment. And it truly is a fantastic sight. I coughed up the rather staggering fee to get my ticket for the 3pm trip up the tower stairs and spent the next hour and a half wandering around Pisa's Duomo and Camposanto, the burial place of ancient Pisan nobility.

At the appointed time, I went to stand in line to get into the tower. They take this leaning thing quite seriously (as well they should) in that you are not even allowed to bring a bag with you and they only allow about 20-30 people up the tower at a time. As I climbed round and round up about 295 stairs (cross off workout for the day) I couldn't help noticing the very obvious warping of the marble. How many millions of feet over hundreds of years would it take to cause that? Once at the top you get a commanding view down on the Duomo and out across the skyline of Pisa. Despite the decidedly high cost, it was worth it so I can now say that I climbed the Tower of Pisa. (The photo of me was taken by my new friend from California whose name is Bong. Seriously. Though I may not have the spelling right.)

As I headed back in the direction of the train station I again noticed the locals – packs of high-school kids, mothers with baby strollers out to get some afternoon air, workers on their way back to work after the afternoon break – just passing by this amazing place as a matter of course.

I realize that you can't stay in a constant state of admiration for the place that you live, appreciating its unique attributes every day of your life. That is what traveling is for, so you can go and admire in other places what the natives take for granted. And then hopefully, upon your return home, you can look upon it with a renewed appreciation. Even just for a little while.

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