Highlights-Livorno (Pisa)
I woke up at 0610 to catch the sunrise from the Explorer Lounge, but sunrise on the approach to Livorno was 0601! (Consult the Viking Daily next time — though I suspect real Vikings lacked such things.) I consoled myself with a latte, a piece of skylebrod (slightly softer than a bagel with custard and coconut on top), and a peanut butter smoothie. Despite missing the sunrise, it was a pretty approach to the harbor. I went on the included excursion to Pisa. We spent an hour at Piazza dei Miracoli (Cathedral Square). I walked around the Pisa Cathedral, the Pisa Baptistry, and the Monumental Cemetery — admission to the really old buildings was not included in the “included tour.” I did some quick prayer in a roped-off chapel of the Cathedral. There is free admission for the devout (or just claim to be, there’s no test). Then I rejoined the group for the snaking follow-the-leader drill back to the bus. Some people had to be corralled — despite the guide’s raised Viking paddle. Some of these people would get lost in Selfridges (I bet they’d find the bar)! I had a nice view of the port of Livorno from the Explorer Lounge as I worked on my trip notes. I focused on the boats and tacky postwar buildings, ignoring the foreground (rubbish and mountains of dirt, what do they do with all that dirt?). Florence this isn’t.
