I wonder how many people visiting the Campanile look up before entering and think to themselves, "Self, how am I ever going to climb all those steps to get up there without dying?" Yes, there are 204 steps, but if you take it easy, visit every level and don't think about it too much, you'll be at the top before you'll know it. Or just take the lift if it's working. But ascending the Campanile with the lift just isn't…
Ascending the Campanile you don't just get to see the original bell clappers, you also get to see the original clock (below) and bell (above) mechanisim.
During the renovation of the Campanile bells, the original clappers were replaced with more modern ones that could "reset" to ring the bells a lot faster. The old clappers have been renovated themselves and have been put on display on one of the levels as you go up the tower.
Looking down onto the harbour from the Campanile observation deck, one just can't help but wonder where in the world these cars are being exported to.
At the top of the Campanile there is a glass trapdoor you can actually see the bells through. I was lucky enough to go on a tour up the Campanile with somebody from the Mandela Bay Development Agency who was in charge of the renovations and he opened the door for me and allowed me to stick my camera inside.The Campanile originally had 23 bells with another two being added during renovations making it a carillion of 25 bells. A carillon is…
Although I posted a number of posts featuring the newly renovated and reopened Campanile towards the end of the year, I decided to do another one as a follow up of yesterday's post. The first post of 2018 featured the Donkin Reserve, one of Port Elizabeth's most iconic attractions. The Campanile definitely is another one of those. The word Campanile comes from the Italian word campanile which means bell tower with our Campanile holding 25 bells. Originally there were 23 bells with…
And with that 2017 is gone and 2018 have arrived. I have seen a lot of people say that they are glad 2017 is over and done with and I took a little time to contemplate my own 2017. I came to the conclusion that it actually wasn't a bad year for me at all. It was very busy though both from a personal as well as a work point of view and right now I can't see 2018 being…
Looking down from the Campanile steps at Miggie playing the Ghost Bells (I posted about yesterday)
One of the new features in the Campanile is the Ghost Bells which can be seen as one climbs up to the top of the tower. The Ghost Bells are installed under the actual 25-bell carillon (the original 23 plus the two new bells) and light up during chiming or when visitors press keys on an interactive silver console keyboard. The Ghost Bells aren't just in the same position, they're also the same size as the real bells. Looking at…
This is the last of the Campanile View trio of posts (There should have been four but it seems I never took a pic out the new big viewing window of the whole harbour). Unfortunately the south viewing window doesn't open like the north and west windows, probably because the new lift's doors is right by the window. Looking out the harbour dominates the foreground while the beachfront with all it's recognisable landmarks are visible in the background.