SeaCures

The sea, I do declare, can cure many an ill and so with this in mind I decided to take myself on a day trip to visit her. I chose to go to Livorno because it is the closest point but I think next time I will go further to somewhere a little more ambient.
Last time I visited Livorno I had a bike so I remembered the trip from the train station to the sea being an exuberant ride of wild pedaling, windswept hair and  ecstatic 'wheeeeeees'!!
Without a bike, not so much.
It took me an hour and a half before I even located the ocean front, ending up right outside the shipping port. I actually love watching the big container ships ploughing across the sea.  Secretly praising Archimedes Principle for keeping them afloat. When I was in Istanbul I often used to sit on the rocks of Kadikoy and watch the great beasts pass by on their way to the Black Sea.
Sitting port side  in Livorno was definitely less fun so I walked further down the coast  searching for a scenic spot which seemed constantly out of reach. Eventually I settled for some rocks where I could at least sit and watch the boats in the distance, quietly dreaming of being on one.
It wasn't the soul-satisfying adventure I had hoped it would be but I was glad that I had gone, that I had tried just the same.
I ended up taking a bus back to the train station sans ticket - scandaloso! There simply wasn't anywhere to buy one and I didn't fancy another bleak stroll through the grey, dampish streets.  As I sat on the bus it made me think back to Basel and one night when I went up to the Bruderholz with a friend. It was late spring  and my sandal had suddenly snapped so I was walking along the streets in bare feet which didn't bother me ( I am Australian) but worried my friend ( You'll get sick!) I remember leaping on a tram without a ticket ( a high risk venture in Switzerland) and my friend's eyes filled with panic. I don't know if that was his first Schwarz Fahrt (  Swiss for illegal ride - ha ha!) ever but he was on edge until we got off.  Ah such criminal days.
I also remember towering over his head at one stage and he asked me what I was looking for. I said, hair. And we really laughed so our stomachs hurt, and it didn't matter that I  was a barefooted vagabond or that we had ridden trams without fare.

Everything just felt light.

Memories really are like little gifts to our souls.