Friday, February 26, 2010

Borderland

Bridge on the Scolmatore, LivornoThe “Scolmatore” is hardly the Litani or the Yalu river, but even if you usually cross this bridge without a thought, you will soon be surrounded by people who speak a different Tuscan dialect, which is a subtle difference lost even on most Italians ears but quickly caught by locals.Armchair on a beach, CalambroneLivorno has mostly a rocky coast, while the stretch from here to the mouth of the river Arno is sandy. In the first part is full of former “colonie” (sort of summer camps), then of nice beach resorts. I am not sure if this is the Pisan idea of the seat for a life guard, but I won't be surprised.Round ball of Posidonia oceanica, CalambroneAnother thing I don't know (I am not so knowledgeable of Pisan things) is what are these perfectly round balls on the beach. There are thousands of them in various sizes.White heron, Scolmatore, LivornoThis heron is obviously on the Pisan side of the canal only because heavy machinery is at work on our side.Boat, Scolmatore, LivornoNot many boats here and not in very good shape.

More Walks

23 comments:

James said...

I really enjoyed looking at these pictures. The bridge is great and atfirst I thought the round things were coconuts. The chair picture is clasic. :)

Gunn said...

Nice shots!
The chair and the boat are the photos I like the most.

Lowell said...

The bridge is marvelous! I know what you mean about dialects...sometimes when traveling in certain areas of this country I can barely understand the folks!

I don't get the chair-looks abandoned. And those balls of twine or whatever...what in the world is that about?

The heron shot reminds me of Florida. And the old boat is probably not a vessel I'd go very far in.

Fun post, VP!

dianasfaria.com said...

I'd love to know the mystery behind those balls, be they man made or nature made?
I guess every country has random pieces of furniture in odd places, we get that too.

nobu said...

Wonderful photos, each of them are very poetic.

BlossomFlowerGirl said...

I love the bridge and the reflection in the water. The chair is a great photo - just sitting there as the waves roll in.
I don't know what the hairy balls are either - it looks like some type of fibre.
Cheers.
Melbourne Daily Photo

Dina said...

Wow, those Pisans really have balls!
Thousands of them??

OK VP, you have to find out what they are! A great mystery . . .

Andreea said...

Nice series, beautifully shot. Everything looks very romantic. I especially like the first two, the bridge shot and the abandoned chair.

Wolynski said...

Love the photo with the armchair on the beach. And what are these strange balls?
Do I detect a hint of (ancestral) animosity towards the Pisans?
You are so good with water.

Cezar and Léia said...

wow adorable set of pictures, that chair could be a postcard, so cool!
Also loved the cute heron!
Your pictures are always magnificent, well done!
Ciau
Léia

Lois said...

What an interesting set of pictures! I too am curious about those balls. The chair shot makes for a lonely looking picture.

VP said...

I have just added a link to explain the natural formation of the mysterious balls.

Unknown said...

These photos are wonderful, VP and I am enjoying your subtle sense of humour. A chair for a lifeguard sounds reasonable to me. (Haha!)

Thank you for adding the link about Neptune grass. I've never seen it before and I am very interested in this sort of thing.

mia said...

I really enjoyed these pictures. I really like the chair picture. It is so odd! I'd like to turn that chair around, sit on it and stare into the ocean for a bit. And those balls! They're so quirky. I can't imagine what they must be. Maybe the playthings of those herons? Nature can be so weird, but in a good, fun way :) Great shots!

cieldequimper said...

Wonderful series of photos, the last one of the not so well kept boat is gorgeous. Are those "mysterious" balls collectible? I mean, do they smell horrible once you've put them in your bathroom for decoration?

Unknown said...

Every shot has its own beauty and I like them all, but the sofa wins! :-)
And I must tell you that Posidonia oceanica (lol) is absolutely fantastic! Never heard of such a plant before...

Hilda said...

I agree with JM — the shot of the armchair is the most fantastic, hands down. So strange.

Thanks for the link about the round balls. It is so amazing that they get that way naturally!

VP said...

@ ciel - I think this is their final status, if kept dry they are like straw or wood shavings.
Next time I'll try to smuggle some and watch if they behave...

Small City Scenes said...

All very interesting pics. I would love to have some of those funny round beach balls. Interesting. MB

brattcat said...

I'm glad I came late so the ball mystery was solved. Great series of photos, VP.

Ilse said...

So many interesting photos! The bridge is powerful.

Kaori said...

What a mysterious place! But that image with the chair is wonderful :)

tapirgal said...

It seems Pisa is full of differences and mysteries. I loved this series! The chair on the beach is surreal, and your comment made me laugh. I've never seen anything like those round balls. Thanks for the explanation in Wikipedial. And, while the boat may be a mess, it's very picturesque, and your photo is charming.