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Took a (3) hr train from Nice to Genoa....it certainly felt a lot longer as a result of getting home in the wee hours of morning. Sitting next to us was an American guy who had been studying in Germany, which led to a good conversation about the differences between the North American and European ways of life. There was needless to say a little entertainment to follow when the ticket "Boss" came along to check tickets and when handed the American's Euro Rail pass went into overdrive with his "Power Trip". The American had not penciled in the day for this particular train ride - the result a 50 Euro fine plus an additional day used on his rail pass - ouch (the price for this train trip is only 15 Euros)!! The "Power Trip" was not yet over, he then kicked the two young girls sitting beside Isabel out of their seats for not having a reservation, then fined them and finally booted them off the train.

We used Genoa as a home base (Hotel Soana - very clean and nice staff, centrally located), to visit the small towns/villages that hug the Italian coastline. Genoa itself is a huge port city and has a limited about of touristy things to do. The old city is certainly worth the time to meander among its narrow streets and alleys, but it is not the cleanest of places. Prositutes are evident throughout the day and night and with darkness brings the seediness of any port town.

Our first day in Genoa was spent taking the train 45min east to Santa Margherita where we caught a 15min boat to the small town of Portofino. We had really been looking forward to this trip, as not only was one of our favorite restaurants in Bermuda named Portofino and owned by Italians, but the restaurant walls are plastered with beautiful pictures of the Italian Riveria that just teased you with the urge to go on a trip here. Portofino lived up to its expectations and was everything that we had seen in the restaurant - our profile picture was actually taken in the Portofino restaurant. The place was teaming with tourists which was expected, but my no means did they take away from the beauty and charm of the wee village.

After making our way back to Santa Margherita via ferry we headed back to Genoa with one last stop in Camogli - a 5min train ride. This small fishing village was absolutely beautiful and in many ways much nicer than Portofino. Besides the to-die-for gelato, the place felt lived in.....by that I mean people where going by their daily lives, fixing fishing nets, refinishing their boats etc. Highly recommend going here. Italy so far has been a breathe of fresh air, although the "cover/table" charge is something we had forgotten about since our last visit. We were unpleasantly reminded when we ordered (2) salads totalling 12 Euro and then were charged an additional 6 Euro for sitting down - this is the lazy mans/womens way of earning a tip - wow how we forgot about all the hidden fees when dinning in Italy.

The weather has been quite cool and infact sweaters were brought out today for the first time in a month.

Tomorrow we head to Vernazza to visit Cinque Terre......looking forward to the hiking and the stairs!!!!!!!!

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