It was pouring down rain as our pilot met us in the harbor to guide us to our berth in Livorno, Italy. This Ligurian Sea port city is located on the western coast of the Tuscany region of Italy. The cruise industry uses this port as a gateway for tours to Florence and Pisa, Italy. We would not be going to either on this rainy day (we’ve been before), instead today’s mission was to find a grocery store and pick up “snacks” (chocolate, cookies, chips and ramen noodles being the most requested) to distribute to ship’s crew as a “thank you” for taking care of us. Many times, the crew do not get a chance to visit the ports we stop at either due to schedules or because they cannot obtain a visa based on their nationality.
Dan braved the drenching rain and boarded the free shuttle, provided by the city, to the local shopping district in the city center. Since it was a Sunday, many of the shops were closed and the weather kept the vendors that would normally set up in the square away.
Using Apple and Google maps, Dan walked the streets in streets looking for a grocery store only to find them closed upon his arrival. He eventually found a “Pam Local” store that was open and fairly well stocked, so he loaded up treats and made his way back to the bus pickup point and waited (and dried out). The bus arrived about 15 minutes later and whisked him back to the ship. Today’s treats will be added to others we picked up at earlier ports (or brought with us from home) and distributed to random crew members throughout the rest of our trip. It was a good day.
