The Orange Tree: Pisa and Lucca

PISA
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When you are in Tuscany, you definitely have to visit the Leaning Tower of Pisa, which is known as one of the top 5 Tuscan treasures. We even went up the tower and I tell you, I was a little scared when I reached the top. (Ok. Maybe not a little.) I felt so unsafe as if the tower was going to topple anytime soon. I had to hold on to the hand rails while my trembling legs took me from one end to the other to take pics of the panoramic view of the town.

Tower aside, we met a kind soul while we were in Pisa. At the Pisa train station, a Chinese man who's in his early 50s came up to us and warned us to be careful with our belongings. Apparently, he noticed that a few teenagers who were pickpockets were ready to strike on us. He then asked us where we were heading to. We told him we were heading to the Leaning Tower of Pisa but had no idea which direction was the correct way to our destination. He kindly offered to show us the way as he was also heading there. During our journey, we had a lovely chat. We learnt that he was actually from Penang and had stayed in Italy for the past 20 odd years. He came to Italy to study, met his wife who's a Taiwanese and decided to settle down in Italy after they graduated. He is now an owner of a pub cum restaurant which is located near the Leaning Tower of Pisa. He even brought us to his pub to take a look! It was a spacious and tastefully decorated pub. It's a pity I forgot to take a pic of it and even forgot to ask for his name. Never mind. If we do return to Italy, I'm sure we would visit him at the pub.

Here you can see the cathedral, baptistry and tower.

The Leaning Tower of Pisa. I never knew my little finger was so strong! Hee!

On top of the tower. I wasn't holding on to the hand rails cos I felt safe standing next to my knight in shining armor.

Captured this beautiful view of the river while we were blissfully lost in town.

This is one of my fav pics taken during the Italy trip. Isn't that a lovely church?

LUCCA

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I am in love with Lucca. It's a quaint little town whose charm I cannot resist. I am captivated by its beauty which I simply cannot put into words. I love the long stretch of medieval wall which greeted me when I walked out of the train station. I love the romantic park which is lined with bare trees. I love the beautiful square where happy kids sat on the carousel. I love getting lost in the winding cobblestone lanes. I love dreaming about living in one of those gorgeous houses I came across while walking on the street. I love Lucca.