Elaine was a member of our tour and I'll always remember the look on her face when she saw the sight that greeted us as we entered the gate of the walled city of Pisa. She immediately turned back to me with the most awe-struck look on her face. There was the scene we had seen for years - right in front of us.....FOR REAL.

As one tour book tells it, "no plastic model or commemorative ashtray can even begin to capture the mad splendor of Pisa's crazily tilting tower." Another tour book tells it this way, "The medieval belltower is one of the world's most familiar images and yet its beauty still comes as a surprise,..." and "Coming upon the 'Field of Miracles' is startling."

Unfortunately, we encountered a slow but steady drizzle during our visit to Pisa, but it was very special nonetheless - notwithstanding the plastic models and commemorative ashtrays which were everywhere.

The Leaning Tower of Pisa was still closed to tourists while experts from around the world attempted to cure the tilting. There was a belt around it when we visited. Several months after our visit, however, the Tower was finally opened to visitors again because they had corrected the tilt somewhat.

A picture was taken of us trying to do our part to right the Leaning Tower.

Construction had begun in 1173 but before it was completed, it began to dangerously tilt which stopped the building from proceeding for almost a century. It was finally opened to visitors in 1372 but it continued to lean a bit each year.