Leaning

I have not done any research on this point, but the “Leaning Tower of Pisa” must be one of the most recognizable monumental buildings in the world.   I know that in Seattle it is not uncommon for there to be a photograph of the bell tower of the Cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta hanging on the wall somewhere in an Italian restaurant.  I know of it like I know of the Eiffel Tower; foreign and hugely famous.

People travel from all over the world to have their picture taken in front of the bell tower in some comic, benign or obscene way.  I never expected to visit Pisa myself.  I am a traveler who enjoys seeing new cities and getting my bearings of a place first hand.  A visit to Pisa was certainly not on any kind of list.  I am here today because I need to be in Tirana tomorrow, and coming from Stockholm through Pisa will save me around two-hundred dollars.  

That said, the Leaning Tower of Pisa has been an idea in my head since I was a boy.  It is one of the few things about Italy which I have always had some projected knowledge of; like the space shuttle in Florida or great white sharks in Australia.  I had no idea how deep an imprint the tower had made in my brain before today.  This afternoon, as I was descending the off-kilter spiral staircase around the tower I began to laugh and was inexplicably elated.  

“I am in the Leaning Tower of Pisa,” I told myself.  I may well have been walking atop the Great Wall of China, parachuting out of an airplane or shaking hands with Clint Eastwood.  Life is so truly wonderful and surprising at times, it is difficult to feel anything but joy and excitement at the prospect of living until tomorrow.