As the train drew closer, it was probably the expectation of the predictable or maybe because it was a college town (overly optimistic teenagers, irritatingly pedantic talk, rowdy drinking) but Pisa did not rouse that same excitement it had just a few months back. The tower was there; we were here. The visit felt almost compulsory. The Leaning Tower was near the top of our list of attractions in Tuscany. So why the change of heart?
I diagnosed it as an acute episode of misanthropy, which had been steadily brewing over the last week. They were just everywhere; these foreign tourists (wrinkling nose). So numerous I had begun classifying them into groups.
The Complainers. The ones who were most vocal about how different things were from things back home, as though everything would miraculously change to suit their whims. The service was always too slow. The food tasted nothing like what they were used to. The looks of dismay that the staff did not understand English.
The Disrespecters. There was a reason why the guards at the Sistine Chapel in the Vatican ask that visitors not take photos (flash or otherwise) of the ceiling or the walls; the repeated daily exposure to bursts of light deteriorated the delicate artwork. But they did so regardless. They also willfully ignored the rules of modesty at places of worship. Cover those god damn shoulders and knees!
The Delayers. These could be found flitting about, snapping countless pictures of paintings, plaques, and points of interest, rarely lifting their heads to see what their cameras were capturing. They were also first to snap up any objects the tour guide professed to be the perfect souvenir of the place. The hope was to relive these images and trinkets back in the comfort of home.
But the worst of all were The Posers. Hellbent on the finding the right photo angle, they held their arms ridiculously akimbo, pretending to prevent the tower from collapsing. The experience of this marvel was cheapened by its use as a mere prop. So self-absorbed was this group that they were oblivious to the surrounding beauty, let alone be able to truly appreciate it.
