Livorno - Colour me unimpressed.

We decided to forego our plan of going into Pisa today, firstly because Ingo and I were tired (Ingo because he might be fighting off the virus that got me, and me because I’m still recovering, although I’m pretty much fine now), and secondly because it would be a bit of a hassle and trek to get to Pisa. We therefore decided to go into Livorno, take a look around, and see what there was to be seen.

The shuttle bus into Livorno cost 1 Euro per person, oddly, and took about 20 minutes, as we were docked at the industrial port. When we got off, we waited till the crush died down at the little information kiosk, and then got a map. Yet another place where nobody has heard of queuing.

Livorno is not very pretty, and there is a lot of traffic, with motorcycles whizzing everywhere. It was somewhat scary to be a pedestrian. I don’t really have very much positive to say about Livorno – we tried to find a nice café or restaurant, and failed dismally, partially because nothing appeared to be open, even though it was 1 pm. The shopping areas seemed dingy, with bargain-basement types of shops on the one hand, and generic Euro-clothes (Benetton etc.) on the other. There was a fairly large market that sold nice produce and various other oddments (buttons, clothing, fish), but nothing all that interesting. The nicest place we found was the fort, which had been transformed into a park inside, and was apparently a concert venue. Even there, the grass was studded with cigarette stubs and broken glass.

Eventually, we gave up and headed back to the shuttle bus pickup point. We were excited to see that there was a bus there, and were sure that we’d quickly be on our way. Alas, no. The driver had apparently toodled off for an indefinite amount of time to take a break, letting the line grow longer and longer. We wound up waiting for 45 minutes or so in the sun, becoming more and more aggravated and watching 4 Princess Cruise Line shuttle buses go by, until finally another shuttle bus came. Unfortunately, this was the cue for all queue jumpers to try charging ahead, and yet again, there was a mob of people at each bus door. I was only able to get in with Torsten because Ingo blocked the door for me with the backpack, and even then, there was a lady blocking the aisle so that I couldn’t get to the remaining seats (she kept telling her husband to get on the bus, and stood completely in the way). I wound up telling Ingo to get on the bus, handing Torsten to him so that he could get to the seats, and then loudly yelling “Don’t worry, baby, Mama’s coming!” while pushing past people standing in the aisles. Not a fun experience.

Back at the cruise ship, we sat and waited for the mob to board the ship, then boarded with no fuss. The rest of the day was spent quietly on board the ship. I hope Villefranche is better!