Duomo - If it ain't Fireworks, it is 'climb-a-bility'

A friend Dane once made the comment that a building is only as good as the fireworks that you can launch off them - think New Years Eve and things like the Sydney Harbour Bridge. I guess the 2nd consideration would be weather or not you can climb them - (ok I'm being traggic with my tourist hat on now).

So I've climbed the Eiffel Tower, Arc de Triomph, St Peters, Leaning Tower of Pisa and today it was Florence's Duomo. It is another massive cathedral, 4th largest in the world, with a massive hexagonal done on it - won't get into the engineering feat with this one (that you walk inside to get to the top).

Again a wonderful view from the top and that is one of the great thing about European cities that I've seen thus far. Their sky line isn't screwed up by skyscrappers everywhere. Most buildings don't get past 6 stories and if they do, they are church spires and cool things.

As an aside, those who know me from engineering days know I have a fascination about tower cranes. Today I saw a really cool one. European cities have no space so they put up electric tower cranes everywhere (they have the flat, non movable boom. The ones with the boom that moves in a vertical arc is deseil and I haven't seen one of these yet in Europe - probably because the smoke coming out of these things would stain the buildings worse). Today, this one was mounted on rails high above the street. So the whole crane could move from one street to the next.... ok, enough engineering geek factor.