Leaning Tower of Pisa - is still leaning

Our next day destination was Pisa to see the famous Leaning Tower of Pisa. Just like the Eiffel Tower, I have heard of this historic monument since my childhood. In fact when I heard of it being leaning, I wondered whether it would be there when I grow up as then there were predictions of its falling down one day. But thankfully, it is still leaning and has no signs of falling and I finally had a chance to see it in all its grandeur and might.

My wife and son standing outside our Motel before leaving for Pisa

 The early morning deserted roads of Milan

We left Milan by road and headed towards Pisa - distance of some 285 kilometers and took us three and half hours to reach the town of Pisa. As I mentioned in my previous post, the roads in Italy are not of very quality. But road leading to Pisa was very pathetic - specially the last 20-30 kilometers and the speed limit was 30 KMPH due to its patchy and bumpy road. I wondered why the Italians could not have it repaired as Pisa is one of the famous tourist attractions of Italy.

The Pisa Tower (Torre di Pisa) or the Leaning Tower of Pisa (Torre pendente di Pisa) is a campanile, or freestanding bell tower which is part of the city's cathedral surrounded by high rising walls. The tower rising to a height of some 55.86 metres developed a fault while it was still being built but for unknown reasons it continued to be built the same and was leaning right from the outset. Thus on the lower side, it stands 55.85 metres (the leaning side) and 55.67 metres on the higher side. Many efforts have been made, specially between 1990-2001 by putting counter weights to stabilize its unintended tilt. As of now the tower is horizontally displace 3.9 metres from its center.

We entered the Pisa town and the sign posts took us to the compound where the cathedral and the Pisa's Tower are located. Vehicles, other than special, are not allowed to enter the compound, so we parked our car outside the compound in a large car park. And it was here that I first caught a glimpse of the Tower for the first time in my life.

As we started moving towards the compound, the view of the Tower became cleaerer and seeing it bit by bit added to our enthusiasm till we reached inside the compound and saw its full might.

As per Wikipedia, the construction of the tower occurred in three stages over 199 years. Work on the ground floor of the white marble campanile began on August 14, 1173. The tower began to sink after construction had progressed to the second floor in 1178. 

The cathedral compound was already full with tourists and visitors enjoying the Pisa's landmark in full bright sunny day and mind you even in October it was quite hot and precipitating.

 

 My family and me joining them in a slefie

 The architecture from the close quarters - the entrance to the right is used for those adventuring to stair up to the top 

 The Pisa Tower side by side the city's cathedral

Like all historic and tourist intensive places, there are shops selling souvenirs and clothes exclusive to the city besides a number of eateries selling local Italian cuisines, pizza being the most sought out dish by the tourists. We too bought a few souvenirs and ate freshly baked pizza - something that we had never tasted like before.

 My wife poses in front of one of the souvenir's shops

 A homemade tram for the city tour of tourists

The old building dating back more than two hundred years now house motels and shops on ground floor

We had to travel to Florence to see the famous statue of David and thus hurriedly packed up our visit to Pisa - adding yet another nostalgia to our memory lane for it may not be possible to revisit Pisa again as there are many other destinations in Italy yo visit. But it is not all for Pisa visit as I will talk about the bronze man of Pisa in my next post. 

If you like Jaho Jalal, please follow us on Facebook

Read More

A lone Georgian woman's travelogue of one of most dangerous countries on earth: Pakistan

Mail Online is one of my favourite reading sites on Internet and I share many news and posts in my blogs. Today while going through some of the older posts, I stopped in my tracks about a post Katie Amey who wrote about the travel adventure of a lone 29 years old Georgian photographer who chose to visit Pakistan despite caution and apprehensions of her family and friends.

The story is about Teo Jioshvili, from Tbilisi in Georgia, who travelled to the perilous country of Pakistan ALONE in 2014 and visited the historic city of Lahore - often labeled as the showcase of Mogul architecture.

 Children in particular fascinated Jioshvili - such as this street girl

Children going to school

The intrepid traveller, who aspires to be a travel photographer, first got the idea to visit after a trip to Iran. 'When I was in Iran, I met amazing people from Australia who crossed Pakistan - and one of my Georgian traveller friends had also travelled there,' she tells Mail Online Travel. 'Their stories inspired me.'

A street painter

Her travel experience are both interesting and much revealing about the hospitality and warmth of the people of Lahore and of a country where travellers are cautioned not to visit by their governments. Although the country is plagued by the menace of terrorism, it does not mean that Taliban or the terrorists roam in the cities of Pakistan with weapons slung on their shoulder and killing every foreigner in sight. Perhaps it was for this misconception that Miss Jioshvili was warned of her Pakistan adventure.

But she has fond memories of her visit to Pakistan.

'I was often stopped on the streets and in Bazaars someone would ask me to take a picture of him or her with me,' she says. If ever any men asked to take a photo with her, they were always extremely respectful. Infact if there was another male (another traveler or guide) with me, they would ask him for the permission to take a photo with me. I think that was a really beautiful sign of appreciation.' Most of the time, people would just give me an apple or an orange. That was just very sweet.' 

Jioshvili aith a group of young Pakistanis

She was taken to a wedding party on her very first night in Lahore by a German tourist staying in her hotel. The wedding was 'wedding party was just an incredible experience with its music, traditions, smiling and curious faces, women in colourful dresses. I am just very happy that I said "yes" to that girl,' says she. 

The eyes captivated Jioshvili

 Jioshvili enjoyed photographing the women and children of the city - in particular, their eyes - something that is very captivating and adorable.

 Jioshvili with her German friend and the groom

The bride's colourful bridal dress with Hina on her hands

She admired the architecture of Lahore, specially the Badshahi Mosque (The Royal Masjid) which according her is just one of the most impressive heritage sites that I've ever visited.

 An exotic wall of Lahore Fort with miniature paintings

Jioshvili with a children in the courtyard of the Badshahi Mosque, Lahore

Summing up her visit to Lahore, Jioshvili says: 'I did not expect that it would be so easy to get around Lahore. People were so generous and friendly that I was really impressed. Lahore is a huge city, but I was never lost and I always knew if I got lost that someone would definitely help me, which is a very important feeling especially when you are a lone female traveller.

Break time for a shopkeeper selling spices

Have you ever been to Lahore? Do share your expereinces - and if not, do visit it whenever you intend visiting South East Asia, for Lahore and its hearty and hospitable will always reside in your memory forever.

Read the complete post at Daily Mail
To see more of Teo's pictures visit www.teospics.com
Read more about Lahore at Pakistanpaedia

If you like Jaho Jalal, please follow us on Facebook
Follow @JalalsPages

Read More

Goodbye Holland – I will cherish your sweet memories

So finally the day came after four best days of my life spent in Holland, please do forgive me for calling the Netherlands so but I like the former name for it has childhood associations attached to it. 

Groningen, Holland was our first destination of our almost ten days long tour of three Schengen countries; Holland, Belgium and France. Why I had chosen Groningen, an otherwise unknown city to the tourists, as my first destination in Holland? 

I (left) with Tariq Hashmi (right) in front of his house

Well I went there to meet my school days friend Tariq Hashmi at Groningen to meet him after 43 years. We enjoyed his hospitality for the next three days. He and his family looked after us immensely well – they even vacated three of their bedrooms for us and tucked their entire family in one room for as long we stayed in Groningen.

My wife (left) with Mrs Tariq (right) in Groningen city center market

Everyday dawned with a hearty breakfast with a variety of breads, peanut butter, Nutella (I hear is going to be no more by the end of this year) beside eggs and kebabs, coffee and fresh juices. The lunch and dinner tables were equally elaborate – which spoke their love for us. His wife remained busy in the kitchen throughout the day to make mouthwatering dishes for us – I never felt more at home in someone else’s home ever in my life as I did in Tariq Hashmi’s house.

My son (left), Tariq Hashmi, I and Tariq's elder son (right) in front of Groningen city's mayor office

Although Tariq’s eye was to be operated upon in a few days’ time and was forbidden to drive, but for us he dared and took us around Groningen, its market places and the city center to show the little city – clean and lively.

At Dolfinarium, Harderwijk

It was from here that we went to see Amsterdam by road one day and then to the Dolfinarium in the city of Harderwijk. It was at Harderwijk that I saw a real and working original Dutch windmill besides the dolphins and walrus performing just a few feet from us. 

Posing with Obama's wax statue at Madame Tussaud's museum, Amsterdam

And in Amsterdam, beside a ride in the boat around Amsterdam and a visit to the Dam - the city center, Madame Tussaud’s museum was something that was a  surprise as I thought it was only in London.

My family with Tariq Hashmi and his wife - just before we bid them farewell on our last day in Groningen

Tariq’s hospitality continued for full three days till we finally bade goodbye to him and his family and left for The Hague and later Rotterdam to be guest of Shahid Latif, another fine gentleman from Lahore and his Moroccan wife. 

We left Groningen for The Hague on the fourth day in search of the Panorama Mesdag - but due the road repair work and detours, our car navigation system took long to lead us to our final destination. 

My son posing in front of the closed Panorama Mesdag museum

But when we finally reached there, it was already well past five in the evening and museum had closed and except for a few snaps outside the museum, we had to return to the city centre to walk through streets markets, pose in front of the Noordeinde Palace, the King’s place of work and Binnenhof - complex of buildings in the city centre of The Hague, next to the Hofvijver lake.

 Standing in front of the Noordeinde Palace, the King’s place of work

My family in front of the Binnenhof - complex of buildings in the city centre of The Hague, and Hofvijver lake

And then we left for Rotterdam to meet another good man from Lahore, Shahid Latif and his Moroccan wife. We were received by Shahid Latif who took us around the city of Rotterdam while his wife prepared a special dinner for us with a Moroccan delicacy.

After a long ride through Rotterdam - known as the vertical city for its sleek and high rising buildings, we returned to Shahid Latif flat where his wife waited for us with a big smile and a hearty dinner she had prepared.

The Moroccan specialty Shahid Latif's wife had cooked for us beside a wide variety of dishes

Like bidding goodbye to Tariq Hashmi and his family in Groningen, the goodbye to Shahid Latif and his wife was something that we shall also never forget. We had a special breakfast and a photo session with the couple. 

View from Shahid Latif's flat

I (left) and Shahid Latif (right)

We with Shahid Latif and his wife

As we were about to leave, Shahid’s wife presented us clay made decoration pieces, as seen the photo above, which decorate my TV room today, reminding me of the nostalgia of being with some of the best people I had met in my life and of their hospitality.

We bade farewell to the couple and of course Holland - may be for that time. May be I am lucky enough to re-run the tape once more and go to Holland once more to meet all the good people I had met. But for now it was time to leave Holland and leave for France through Belgium. from now on it will be another journey - another country, but nothing will be like Holland and its good people.

You may read detailed account of my visit to Holland in my following posts:

To Netherlands- meeting a friend after 43 years

A day out in Gronigen, Holland

The lone windmill of Holland

Aqua Bella - the Dolphins Show, Dolfinarium, Netherlands

The Walrus Show - Dolfinarium, Netherlands

Train to Amsterdam

Amsterdam boat ride

Dam - the Amsterdam's city center

Madame Tussaud - Photo Album (Part-1)

Madame Tussaud - Photo Album (Part-2)

Photo session with Obama in Amsterdam

To The Hague - to see Panorama Mesdag

To Rotterdam - for a Moroccan Dinner

If you like Jaho Jalal, please follow us on Facebook

Read More