Visiting Livorno, Italy/ Carlos Pueblo
Livorno is
nearby Florence/Pisa, on the west coast of Italy, north of Rome.
It is the
third harbor which the cruise anchors. I selected walking across a
wild field
instead of paying for shuttle bus to the train station and downtown.
There is an
abandon route on the field of some rail tracks. The passenger can
walk down to
the wharf yet there is nothing bus waiting. There were two pairs
, a pair of
recent dental school graduate and a Germany family of three, walking
along with
me. One by one, they dropped pursuing downtown by walking. The
walking
route is like a reversed baseball field, a rectangular shape clockwise.
Home base is
the terminal, making a right turn on the third base through two
bus stands
and a warehouse. Between third base and the second, there is a
custom gate
to inspect all vehicles passing through. I was the few pedestrian
with
oriental face. When I came back in the afternoon, the security guard was
so released
without checking on my passport. I made another right turn on that
gate area
towards first base, the entrance of downtown Livorno. There are some
offices,
stores, and a busier cruise terminal.
Entering the city, I had to pass a
toll gate
yet I was free by walking. I had to go through several waterway of
small
fishing or leisure boats area. There is an ancient coastal garrison castle
under
water. Additional
waterway, bridges, park is on the way to the city center.
I carried my
labtop computer with me expecting for a free WiFi connection at
a downtown
store. First I found a McDonald store and was not working, the
staff
advised me to try next door café and was not connected as well. I gave up
and was
waiting on a bench at a beautiful town square. This area is the city center,
consist of a
classical cathedral, modern office building and shopping stores, and
the city
hall is also nearby. I found a big open air market on one of a street. There
are
three
sections of the market, vegetable and fruit, fresh fish and meat, and dry
goods,
spread out
on several street. Vegetable and fruit section is a big square and I can hear
the merchant
shouting to advertise the inventory just like small vender in Taiwan
rural area
market. I run into a Chinese student who studies at Livorno. She was from
Chiangshi
province on the southeast part of China.
I was very
satisfied after visiting the market. I walked toward the ship and was not quite
Sure in the
area after the city hall and canals. I asked an Italian senior for direction
In Spanish
and he answered in English. He pointed to the first base area cruise terminal
and I
pointed to the home base colorful ship. He understood and asked me to follow him.
He walked me
up to a route with some angle to an overpass and pointed it to follow a
Route by the
canal. I could recognize where I came from in the morning. I did return
to the ship
easily. On my way back through the custom gate, I met a Spanish couple who
were from
Valencia, Spain. Valencia was my next city to visit after cruise. We had had a
very good
conversation. They used to live in Miami and Boston long time ago. They did see
that I
walked through the abandon field in the morning.
