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Italy

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May 11, 2011 12:56 pm

ITALY – THE LEANING TOWER OF PIZA

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by admin    in Language Learning

Here we were, with all of the other tourists … looking at one of the Seven Wonders of the World Today … The Leaning Tower of Pisa.  It is located in a city called Pisa in northern Italy.  The day was sunny with blue, blue skies overhead.  We came by car ourselves, but big tour buses were parked all over the parking lot.  There were crowds of people everywhere.  It was hard to take any pictures without having people we did not even know in our pictures.  One of the favorite shots seemed to be people positioning themselves with their arm out as if they were holding the Tower up by their arm, thus saving the Tower from falling over.  It did seem to lean a lot to the side.

It really does look like it is going to fall over because it is leaning too much to the side.  Engineers have built stilts or poles to keep it from falling.  The Tower of Pisa is a freestanding bell tower of the cathedral of the Italian city of Pisa.  It is located right behind the Cathedral and is the third oldest structure in Pisa’s Cathedral Square.

The Tower is 186.02 feet high on the high side and 183.27 feet high on the low side.  That creates a significant lean.  It really does lean a lot.  The lean has been caused by unstable ground.  The width of the walls at the base is 13.42 feet and at the top is 8.14 feet.  Its estimated weight is 16,000 tons.  The Tower has 296 steps, but the seventh floor has two fewer steps on the north facing staircase making that side 294 steps.  Before restoration work in 1990 and 2001 the tower leaned 5.5 degrees.  But today after the restoration was completed it now leans at 3.99 degrees.  This means that today at the 3.99 degree lean the Tower from a horizontal position leans out 12 feet 10 inches from where it would be if the Tower were perfectly vertical.

There were three steps to the construction of the Tower.  It took 177 years to finish.  The marble campanile began on August 8, 1173 during a prosperous period for the military.  The Tower began to sink as construction progressed to the third floor in 1178.  This was due to unstable subsoil and a flawed design from the beginning construction and so construction was stopped for almost 100 years.  This stoppage was caused by all of the military battles Pisa was involved in with Genoa, Lucca and Florence.  This allowed the subsoil to settle.  The seventh floor was finally completed in 1319.  

There are seven bells in the Tower, one for each note of the musical major scale.  The largest one was installed in 1655.  The bell chamber was finally added in 1372.

To see this wonderful edifice was worth the effort and the trip.  It truly is a Wonder of the World.

Tell us about any Wonders you have seen in this world.

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April 8, 2011 11:06 am

ZERMATT, SWITZERLAND – WHAT A PLACE

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by admin    in Language Learning

International flights into Switzerland usually arrive at either Geneva or Zurich airports.  Geneva is the second most populous city in Switzerland.  It is also a global city, a financial center, and a worldwide center for diplomacy.  As I looked around I could pick out people from Japan, China, India, Italy, France, Germany and many other countries.  Listening to them speak was a real treat … a melody of languages.  Both of these airports are very convenient to traveling to Zermatt, Switzerland, a gateway to the Matterhorn.  But don’t miss taking a little time to visit the azure blue lakes; Lake Geneva and Lake Lucerne with their castles.  Then it’s on to the Matterhorn, Switzerland’s most famous mountain of 14,692 feet; the mountain that movies have been made about.  It is located in the Penninie Alps on the border of Switzerland and Italy.  In German “matte” means “meadow” and “horn” means “peak.”   It is the tenth highest peak in Switzerland.
There were seven of us, four adults with three children, in our Honda Odyssey making our way towards the Swiss Alps.  The morning was sunny with a few white billowy cumulus clouds making their way lazily across the wide expanse of blue.  The road was very straight most of the time with a few curves intermingled.  Looking out the window, we saw green fields dotted here and there with acres of yellow flowers that looked like sunflowers.   The beauty took my breath away.  It was so picturesque, just like in the travel magazines I had seen.
Off in the distance, I could see mountains rising up from the green plains we had been traveling through.  At last I could see them … the Swiss Alps.  This was the home of Heidi, my favorite childhood novel.  I can still remember some of her adventures.  Her grandfather lived here and cared for her in these wondrous mountains.  The Heidi book is among the best known works of Swiss literature and well worth reading to your children.
As we drove into Zermatt, a beautiful, little tourist town at the foot of the Alps, we parked our car on the outskirts and walked from there.  No cars or big tour buses allowed in the village.  The train stops here and goes no further. This is one of the great ski and climbing centers in the world.  This deep valley is nestled between two steep, sculptured mountains.  The air is crisp and clean with an Alpine flavor.  Summer flowers drape themselves from each building along the way.  Its cobblestone streets and pathways take you back in time to a simpler way of life.  It is beautiful.  It is exhilarating.  It is special to be here; to see this great mountain and walk the cobblestone streets of Zermatt.
The Matterhorn is truly a magnificent mountain.  A dream comes true, just to be here.

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March 22, 2010 9:24 pm

TRAVEL GUIDE TO MILAN ITALY

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by Pimsleur Method    in Travel

 Milan, the second largest city in Italy, is also its most important city financially speaking. It is the industrial center of the country wherein the major industries that promotes the growth of the economy are textile manufacturing, chemical manufacturing, food manufacturing, tourism, shipbuilding, etc.  But although Milan is not that known for its tourist spots, it is considered the world’s fashion capital. This city is more about lifestyle and leisure trips. It is the haven for fashion aficionados, supermodels and international paparazzi, who visits the city two times a year for both spring and autumn happenings. The city is also perfect for artists and part goers. When visiting this city, the must sees also includes its mystical monuments, palaces, churches and museums. 

            As the fashion center of the world,  it overpowers such fashionable cities as New York, Paris and London. Milan is home for some of the most popular international designers such as Gucci, Prada, Armani, Versace, and Dolce & Gabbana. Of all the things in this city, the thing that its visitors really look forward to is the wide range of choices of clothing. The city is the perfect place for those who want to follow the footsteps of famous Italian designers. It as well houses a range of fashion schools where those eager to learn how to design can learn the knowledge and know the skills. 

            Walking is the best option for the visitors of Milan. You can go around from shop to shop and attraction to attraction and stop by at museums then later on take breaks at while dining at restaurants and cafes. You can get your best experience of Milan through this. Getting around the city through public transportation is also very easy and it is highly recommended.  Driving in the city’s center should be avoided as the streets in the center of Milan are crowded all day and night.  And another thing, parking is also very difficult.  Paying for hotel or private garages in the center of the city is not practical as the cost may be over the top. 

            Milan has a variety of art museums, that are of Italian Renaissance and Baroque designs. Must visits are Pinacoteca di Brera, Pinacoteca Ambrosiana, Poldi Pezzoli Museum, Bagatti Valsecchi Museum, Societa’ per le Belle Arti ed Esposizione Permanente, The Sforzesco Castle, Civico Museo Archeologico, Contemporary Arts Pavillion (PAC), Museo del Duomo (Museum of the Cathedral),  Museo d’Arte Paolo Pini, Galleria d’Arte Moderna. Also, Milan has the oldest churches in Italy. Some of the most beautiful churches that are worth visiting are The Duomo, Saint Mary of the Graces, Saint Ambrose, and Saint Maurice. The historical monuments are Castello Sforzesco, La Scala Theatre, Cimitero Monumentale,  Old Hospital, La Rotonda della Besana, Chiaravalle Abbey.

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