"Vacation Re-Wind" - Day 8

The Leaning Tower

This is what you see as you walk through the city walls.

The leaning tower of Pisa is the Bell Tower of the CathedralThis is one of those things I saw in a book - I never expected to actually see. It was bigger than I expected.

Saving the leaning Tower
After 800 years in which the Leaning Tower of Pisa tilted steadily to the south, engineers have finally moved it back 45 centimetres (17 inches) and got it stable.
Computer models suggest that it should have toppled once it reached a tilt of 5.44 degrees - but by 1990 it was leaning by 5.5 degrees, with the seventh level, just below the belltower, overhanging the ground by 4.5 metres (15 feet).
The engineers solved the problem - at least for a couple of hundred years - by placing lead weights on the north side of the tower, and removing tonnes of soil from underneath the building using corkscrew drills. The tower slowly sank into the cavity created.

By June 2000, the tilt had been corrected by 16 cm (six inches) returning the tower to the angle it was at in 1870.
By the time work finished on 6 June, 2001, the tower had been returned to the position it was in 1838, before work to dig a walkway round the base of the tower caused it to lurch rapidly further south.
45 Centimeters is ALOT, if you search the web for pictures pre 2000, there is a significant difference. The tower learned much farther than it does today.
Why is the Tower Bannana Shaped?
The tower is "banana-shaped", with the belltower 1.5 degrees closer to the vertical than the base.
The first four stories were built in the late 12th Century, the next three in the 13th, and the belltower was added on in the 14th - there are four steps up to it on one side, and six on the other.
The tower may at first have leaned to the north, leading the builders to over-correct, and send it inexorably moving south.

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The town of Lucca, Italy Lucca is a small walled city in Tuscany

San Michele in Foro is a Basilica Church in Lucca

Sharon and I walking in a large courtyard

"Vacation Re-Wind" - Day 7

Monte Carlo, Monaco

This is the port that Sharon and Jerry to really wanted to see.

The Grand Casino

We went into the Grand Casino (only a small part is open to the public). They take everything that you have, including your hat. No pictures - period. We had to log our passports and we had to give them money. No visitors the area where 007 plays.

Inside,everything was gold flecked, and quite over the top.

Sharon won money here.

Play ground for the rich and famous.

"Vacation Re-Wind" - Day 6

Castell de Montjuïc, SpainBuilt in 1640

This Castle/Fort was a big disappointment after the others we saw. This one had many modern things added to it (like electrical cords everywhere). It changed the mood.

Sick of Castles yet? This is the last of our driving/Castle tour - at this point we have boarded the boat, and are on our way out to the Mediterranean.

"Vacation Re-Wind" - Evening 5

Young French WineA vineyard we drove by with perfect grapes.
The French Beach

Look at this manicured beach....

Most of you know I don't really like the beach, and I'm afraid of water, however I had to get my feet into the beach before we left France. (I have to touch everything) I got a little more wet than I intended, but managed to keep from falling in.

"Vacation Re-Wind" - Day 5

Fort de Salses, France

Built at the end of the 14th Century. See a few more pictures from the post below.

This picture is strictly for scale. This is the largest moat that we saw on our Castle tour. Look at how small I look standing on the edge. It must be 30 foot high, and 50 feet wide.

Notice the sign (warning you about falling over), and my husband standing on the edge! It's impossible to get this whole castle in a photo. Google Earth has a great shot from the air.

This castle takes up 2 acres, and is mostly complete. All the walls/moats are intact.
"Its layout and architecture, innovative for the time, present a rare example of the transition between medieval castle and the fortresses of the modern period."

The Courtyard

Here are two video clips. One is on the outside, the other in the courtyard. Yes - I realize I'm not a great filmer.

Roger how big would you guess this Moat?

A Battle Ground State

I've never voted in an election where my vote mattered.

I have only voted in the state of Washington. I've only lived in the Northern Seattle area, and it's obviously VERY BLUE.

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Washington State is always blue, so my vote hasn't really mattered, except maybe for the most recent Gregoire/Rossie election. Don't get me wrong, after the events in Florida a few years back, I hope for blow-outs - for all Americans.

I'd also like to point out that I have not always voted blue. My very first presidential election was not a blue vote.

I live 8 miles from West Virginia, and 15 miles from Maryland, but I do in fact live in Northern VA. Virginia has voted red since 1964, but this year - its very purple.

Rumor has it that Virginia's 13 electoral votes could go blue.

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So - how are things different in a swing state?

First off, it's all over the place - I'm so sick of it. Do I really care what people in a bar think?

I can assume that Virginia is being bombarded with more (and different commercials) - but there is a different atmosphere here. Northern VA is purple, but southern VA is red. We were in Southern VA at the amusement park this weekend, and I was too afraid to even carry a blue 7-11 voter cup.

"Vacation Re-Wind" - Day 4

THE Carcassonne Castle, France

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The city inside the two walls.The largest fortified town in Europe today, dating back to the early 13th century. Carcassonne's double walls are more than 2 miles long with 52 towers. Walt Disney visited with his family in 1957, and built his theme park castle after this one. Parts of Robin Hood (1991) with Kevin Costner were filmed here.

A day at the park.

Its toward the end of amusement park season here. It was about 1/2 off, so we decided it was time to start checking them off!

This is "Kings Dominion"

http://www.kingsdominion.com/attractions/index.cfm

Spenser and I needed some quality coaster time together.

We rode wood ones, upside down ones, standing ones, feet dangling ones, one that go under water, one that shoots you from darkness out a volcano, and one that drops you 272 feet at 70mph! Wood ones, old steel ones, and a nice smooth new steel one.

Behind us is my friend Jen, and her friend Marshall.

Look at my hair!!

"Vacation Re-Wind" - Day 3

The Puivert Castle, Southern France

This castle was built in the 13th century, and has a long history of battles. I think it's too far out of the way for most tourists - so we had it mostly to ourselves. There will be pictures of the inside posted on ofoto.com, as well as down a few posts.

It was a VERY hot day, while we cooked on the outside, much of the main part of the castle is still intact, and we were able to go inside all 3 floors. It was amazingly cool on the inside. If we built our houses like these castles - we would not need A/C.

We did alot of stairs this day. As you can imagine all castles are built on the top of a hill - and each floor had flights of stairs. You take a sprial stair case to get the top ... I had to stop along the way cause I was getting dizzy.

A well preserved Castle/Fort, well worth the visit.