Our train ride was a lovely 5 hrs long. Why the train and not a plane you ask? The cost would have been pretty comparable but flying within Italy, cheaply, can highly depend on airline, flight availability, location, etc. Many times when friends and I fly to destinations outside of Italy from Genoa we: a) fly from Genoa for a higher cost and limited flight availability (meaning you can't leave when you want), or b) we train it to Milan where there are more options at a better price. Plus taking the train meant we got to see some beautiful scenery, when not going through the mountains.
The ride didn't seem that long when you're with others and the conversation is flowing, snacks are enjoyed, bevies are had and card games are played. It actually afforded us some great quality time together, and dad could have a nap. ;)
5 out of 6 seats in the carriage were occupied by us.
Poor person who got stuck with the Simonsen clas ;)
Close to arriving in Genoa I had warned my family that they'd only have a couple of minutes to get off the train, so we needed to make sure we gathered things together and were ready for disembarking prior to the train stopping. At this point, I'm pretty sure my mother thought I was exaggerating at the length of the disembarking time. However, she secretly timed the event and after getting everyone off, my sister and I handing suitcases off the train like an assembly line, and the train started to leave I think she realized that I indeed was not exaggerating (she timed it as 2:30 minutes). You know that feeling when a moment lends itself to "I told you so".......very sweet. ;) lol (Although I'd definitely never say it aloud to her).
At the train station we took a couple of cabs to Piazza San Matteo where we were to meet the lady of our next apartment rental place. I got a kick out of walking out of the train station to the cabs only to be told "no" with a finger wag that the guy couldn't take all of us because of too much luggage and then he started to walk away. Of course, in my newly acquired sense of not going to be pushed around aka Italian way, I said yes he'd take us but we could take two cabs. Oh my, the problem solving abilities some days.
In true Genoa fashion, the cab could take us only so far as the narrow winding streets didn't allow them to drive all the way to the piazza. So with suitcases bouncing haphazardly over the cobblestones, we made it to the piazza (a new one to me so it was fun to see this different part of downtown Genoa), met the lady in charge of our rental and headed to the apartment.
One can only imagine the looks on our faces when, as she opened the door to the building, we stepped inside and....saw the mountain of stairs before us. Thankfully there was a one person/one suitcase tiny elevator just up the first flight of stairs. So, 7 loads/lifts later we made it into the apartment. You know that moment when you open a door and what lays behind does NOT match the exterior? That was it for us. Tired, sweaty, sore we walked into a beautiful, clean, spacious apartment that we came to find out (Whitney hid this info from us - she was our accommodations booker for the holiday and had done a marvellous job!) ...... had 4 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms, a living area and dining room. It was a great Christmas treat!
Once unpacked, a cup of tea had (the spread before us was amazing!) we ambled out for dinner. I took them to a quaint little British pub nearby where we enjoyed a lovely Christmas eve time together with cider, Guinness, fish and chips, burgers and wurstel.
Oh boy! I think jet lag was really kicking in here lol,
Our day started with a trek to my place so they could see the place I call 'home'. It was fun to share that with them, and to have them get a better understanding of where I spend my time (this is true for all aspects of Genoa).
Piazza de Ferrari
Only a few months ago I had my first picture here too!
We were very grateful that the buses were running that day, limited routes of course but main ones still a go. I'm very appreciative of the workers whose time away from family allowed me to share Genoa with mine.
Waiting on the 17.
Next we headed to Nervi as I wanted to take them to the seaside and share the beauty of the Ligurian Sea with them. Nervi is great for this as there's a beautiful walkway right alongside the coast. We enjoyed a leisurely stroll to the sea through Nervi's main district and had fun window browsing along the way. A few blocks later, we made it....the "boardwalk" and a spectacular view that can take your breath away.
Sibling love
The boys taking a break
Merry Christmas! :)
The best people in my life! Don't know where I'd be
without these two :)
We capped off our time there with an aperitivo while watching ships come and go, and hearing the water caress the rocks below. The perfect ending to a perfect outing.
Keeping an eye on the ships
Catching the bus back home we popped back into my place to grab materials for our Christmas dinner. Thanks to some Genovian friends, I had a menu planned out for a traditional Christmas meal for my family: proscuito crudo/cheese/breadstick appetizer, trofie with pesto, roast meat (in this case a roast beef), and a pandoro cake. Yum! Unfortunately the meal took a little longer to make than anticipated (it was the roast's fault) so our dinner ended up being at 10:30pm :o Oh well. Eating late is very typical in this country, not really that late though haha, so at least we were keeping the spirit of the country alive in our adventures. And we gladly passed the time away while waiting with rousing cards games and bubbly bevies. It was so much fun to have a non-typical North American Christmas this year. However I am going to have turkey, cabbage rolls, stuffing, rutabagas, mashed potatoes and gravy when I'm home next, regardless of the time of year.
Causing shenanigans while we waited
December 26th started off with another trip outside of the centre for us to see my school, the International School in Genoa. I kinda felt a little like I had my own paparazzi going here today. Again it was fun showing them the place that I spend most of my days, and having them see exactly what I meant in my dialogues over the past few months.
Showing where we each currently reside in the world
Next we headed back into the centre for a walk down to the port. Another nice day befell us and we meandered our way through winding streets, past street sellers and artists, while taking in the flavour of the city and finally ending up at the old harbor area.
Bellissima!
So many comments.... ;)
In the room where you could see the fish below AND touch them.
Nemo!
The aquarium was unfortunately the last stop in Genoa for us. We had to head back to pack up and get ready to leave in the morning. The sense of pride that came over me as I was sharing my new place of residence (school, casa and the city) these few days was quite intriguing to me. Those moments together in Genoa finally capped off the move for me and I was able to completely grasp the idea of calling Genoa home now.
Tomorrow we head off for our 3rd stop in the Simonsen Christmas Travels adventures.....Venice! SO excited for this leg. I think it's my most anticipated of all!
Genoa Links:
Rental Accomodation
http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/VacationRentalReview-g187823-d4914699-Casa_Ripa_Maris_Marvellous_5_bedroom_apartment-Genoa_Italian_Riviera_Liguria.html
Acquario di Genova
http://www.acquariodigenova.it/en/
The International School in Genoa
http://isgenoa.it/
Ms. Simonsen's 3rd Grade Purple
http://rsimonsen.blogspot.it/
10 Reasons to visit Genoa
http://slowitaly.yourguidetoitaly.com/2015/01/10-reasons-to-visit-genoa-next-time-you-are-in-italy/
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