Mia Vita in Genova

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So the first thing I did before I decided to write today was to try and figure out when was the last time that I wrote, and I just figured that it has been five weeks, my longest stint without committing anything to writing on my trip to date!

Perhaps there are reasons for this, the first is that I spent my first two weeks in Genova discovering the city, reading all the tourist information guides, theatre guides, getting lots of sleep, cooking lots of food and of course starting at a new school.

My first two weeks in Genova

I timed my arrival into Genova perfectly as on my first weekend here the biggest boat show in the world namely Salon di Nautica that is held in Genova annually was on, the boat show is a whole other story in itself but for you boaties amongst my readership (check out the photos here and on my website).

To summise the key themes were, money money money, those who wish they had money but had none dreaming about the kinda boat they wish they could afford, big fat boats of all types, pimping stink boats with huge big sun beds on the back (my kinda boat), some classics like the beautiful Swan 80 and also the exact boat starring in Casino Royale (latest bond film - boat was a sunseeker)… for those amongst the readers who don’t know anything about boats well there was just boats and a hell of a lot of em!!

Also in my first two weeks I spent a lot of time in bed sick, with some kind of virus that seemed to have knocked down the total working population of Genova. This virus was the awful kind that zapped all of my energy, my patience and sometimes my nice demeanour!!

I must admit I did help the virus along a bit by staying out too late my second Friday night in Genova. I was feeling kinda lonely for the first time since I have been away (…After turning up to school and for some reason all of the school students that the school told me were enrolled were permanently not in class (i.e. non existent…yes I have a whole school to myself….good in some respects but not great for the social life…) so I decided that I would take things into my own hands, put on some good shoes and decent “vestita” (clothes), find a lonely bar stool…. buy some drinks and hopefully some bar maid or man will feel sorry for me and start chatting to me. Well I was lucky… talk to me what, after a few vodka red bulls(never again..) I was best friends with Julia the owner of the bar “Good Vibes”…. and had about 100 new friends (well 3).

Fortunately these friends were of the good kind and looked after me and walked me home at some ungodly hour in the freezing cold to make sure I got home safe. Yes Genova can be a tad dangerous after dark (don’t worry though mum and dad) the worst I copped was goddamn influenza!

Anyways these friends are two English teachers one from Canada and the USA and also a middle aged guy from of all places Salerno who calls me every week to tell me how fab it was to meet me and that next time he is in town he will take me for some lemonades and chicken nuggets!! (lol)….bless count … in the 100’s…

The first weekend I was sick I missed going for a sail in Savona with some of my Italian Hobie mates and also had to give up free tickets Vicky had for me for the AC Milan (yes the major soccer team) paying the local Genova side in Genova…..another blow to the social program! Oh well you get that I guess.

There were a couple of small highlights in my first two weeks, I became best friends with my computer, worked out you can download desperate housewives series 3 from Limewire for free, started watching some Italian TV (yes men cry a lot on Italian reality shows), cooking food and oh taking my first ride on a “moto” or vespa with Carlo a friend of Vicky’s who I live with to a real Italian dinner party.

For those who have not experienced and Italian dinner party is was pretty cool, about 10 people, lots of good Italian rosso, bianco and the main ingredient for every course “funghi”….Why you might ask??….ask my mate Carlo who was in the “foresta” all day picking the mushrooms. Was I scared you bet…particularly after hearing a week earlier some Italian died in the North for eating poisonous mushrooms. I hear later that Vicky was the guinea pig and she is still alive and so am I… actually… it was a really nice night and also listening to the Italians talk about their woes and the problems with their country makes me realise how lucky we are in Australia.

What does the lucky country mean, well a couple of case in points may illustrate to you why Italians struggle day to day. Generally Italians can’t afford an apartment (even a small one) until they are 40 and it is not uncommon to be still living at home with your parents in your mid 30’s (not by choice remember these are Northern Italians in a big city, the south is much worse).

I must say that night I felt a bit bad that at 28 I had built my own home and probably earned before 3 x what the person at the dinner table was earning….and that I was taking a year off work questions were along the lines of “how do you think you will ever get another job?”. Another common concern amongst Italians… not enough jobs to many people wanting them! - something of which we all know as Australians having such a strong economy we are still the land of opportunity!

Although I am not a huge fan of some of the Aussie PM’s policies at least our PM has not been summonsed for trial for crimes committed whilst PM accused of embezzling big money from the government of into his private family businesses - viva Italia (this is actually happening at the moment FYI of the previous PM).

Anyways enough gloom I do really love Italy, the loud noises of my neighbours enjoying their evening “pasta”, the same lady mopping the floor in the shoe store I walk past every morning, the same lady that serves me every day in the supermarket that she now says ciao to me instead of Buongiorno, my favourite foccaccia shop, the carabineri that are always so keen for a chat, my local fruit store owned by one of the many Arabs living in Genova who I am actually teaching some English - we are starting with F&V, and the list goes on and on, this stuff perhaps best described as the simple life (no not Paris’s simple life!! - I wish).

My First Visitor...

Anyways back to the fun stuff. So after I regained some strength again after my mystery Italian virus finally seemed getting a bit better it was time to welcome Andy for the first time to Genova. I was so happy to see him even though his train arrived at 1.30am on Saturday morning and I was sick and freezing and over drunks passing out, & sleep talking in the train station it was all worth the smiles & the big hug I got when he arrived!

Saturday we did what all tourists do in Genova… what you ask?…. We went to the Aquarium. There are about 50 museums and 10 theatres in Genova but we decided that we wanted to go where the kids play and particularly us kids that love the water so much.

Well we were really impressed with the aquarium. The place is huge, actually the biggest in Europe, and in my opinion even better than the Sydney aquarium. We looked at about 10 types of sharks, some beautiful dolphins, crocodiles, orange frogs(hmm), tropical fish, iguana’s, blue gropers, turtles and some other weird looking fish and creatures I never have seen in my life.

Saturday night I ate my first meal out in Genova with Andy and we had a few nice drinks in a couple of bars before having a reasonably early night because on Sunday I had arranged a city tour for us so that all the amazing buildings and streets I had been exploring in the first few weeks I would now have some idea of their history.

Well the cittia tour it is the best 15 euros I have pretty much spent on my holiday so far and Andy and I were treated to a fab walk “in giro” in Genova looking at so much old stuff…. here are some of our highlights

• A church that has an old rich Italian coffer (yes his family used to own the church…hmm for those interested their name was Doria) buried under the “finestra” (window) and inscriptions in their church of their names etc.

• Looking at a street that was built because some Italian rich guy wanted to walk direct to church so he bought all of the houses in his way and knocked them all down and created a street (yes believe it, it happened!).

• The beautiful gates to the old city which have been standing since 1155 and have such a beautiful Latin inscription saying all are welcome in Genova if they bring peace, and if they bring war the gates will slam shut on them, if only!

• Piazza Dante where you in one view can see the old and the new (refer to photos), the oldest Sentile moved from Piazza Ferrari when it was built, Chris Columbus House, the second tallest sky scraper in Italy

• The baroque vs. gothic architecture in the 12th c Basilica St Lorenzo, which has survived two bombings one as late as world war 2 when a bomb hit the wall, incidentally the bomb takes pride and place in the church now days as a reminder. Also some interesting decorations in the stones in the front of the church, which are meant to represent the large Arab, influence in Genova.

• Finding out the first patron saint of Genova was St George and for those Boag’s readers there is fresco’s of St George & the Dragon everywhere. He was later taken away as the saint as people felt that he represented to much fighting so they wanted a more peaceful saint, so they chose St John the Baptist.

• The top floor prison in Palazzo Ducale that had its own special bridge to transfer inmates to the law courts in the building next door so they could remain in secrecy from the wandering nosy Italian’s below…

• Oh and last but not least the best thing was visiting Christopher Columbus’s house (he was the famous guy that discovered America) he grew up in Genova.

Sunday afternoon after the tour our legs were tired, and we decided that we just had to have that greasy kebab we were craving on our way home after double espresso’s to wake us up… gosh exercise lately is a foreign word for me I get so tired so easily…Ill blame the mystery Italian virus. Sunday night Andy was treated to the now infamous Nonna Gulia’s risotto, and caprese (I thought of you Maria, Sof, Johannes and Annette).

I farewelled Andy at the train station the next day and got my head back into school mode for the rest of the week.

A new friend....

News flash I met a new friend and her name is Gabby, everyone meet her (photo here). Our circumstances are absolutely identical except Gabby is from Brazil , she was a new student so we were now two in the zoo oh I mean the school (temporarily though)….

Gabby is 27, and guess what?.. she lived one street away from me in Manly…at the same time I was living there, she moved to Australia to study English and met her Swiss boyfriend and decided to follow him back to Europe and study Italian a bit to regain her Italian citizenship from her father who is also Italian like mine.

I loved meeting Gabby, first of all I had a friend in Genova…yippee, second of all we were so a like, and third we were going through exactly the same stuff.. We went to the movies together and watched scoop (go see it it is cool), and made one fab discovery together about Genova. You can go out for 5.5 euros the cost of one drink and eat as much aperitif “cibo” that you want for free, yippee so for two nights in a row we went to bars had a nice drink and ate fab food! Gotta love discoveries like that.

Well, all good things come to an end and for Gabby it was a short week in Genova as she had some problems with her family and her accommodation situation and had to go back to Switzerland. Massive bummer for me, but I can tell you having someone in my life even only for a week was so great and we already have plans to meet each other again in Europe…so its all good.

Moving right along…a trip to my relatives in Asolo

For a long time I have been really looking forward to seeing my relatives again who I visited four years ago, so Friday two weeks ago as soon as the school bell rang (yes it was just me in class!) I was off on the next treno to Milano, and then the next treno to Vincenza and then the next treno to Castelfranco (8 hours in total - supposed to be 5 but viva Trenitalia, Alitalia and any other transport means operated by the state of Italy…I hear the Napolese taxi drives are pissed off too!!!)

I did get to experience a new phenomena in Italy for the first time on longer haul routes what I will call “extreme train crowding”. I had to stand up for 2.5 hours from Milano to Vincenza as take note “Ill Giovedi 4.30pm treno da Milano a Venezia is full to the brim”. All because I missed my 3.30pm connection along with what seems the rest of the world. Another learning they don’t check your ticket when you are standing….

Anyway it was great to see Pia and Analdo waiting for me at the train station in Castelfranco vicino a Asolo dove loro abitono.

I have to say I had an amazing weekend with my family. It was short but full of so many special surprises and moments. The first surprise is that I am now a “zia” aunty…well second auntie (as Michele and Julie are my second cousins) to my new nephew Simone.

If that wasn’t cool enough the weekend I picked to visit was his christening and it was such a special experience to see Michele and Julie with their first baby in such a beautiful church and enjoying a lovely ceremony. Lucky for me I did my first gig as a photographer (joking..) well it kinda was and my little nephew Simone now has 1000 photos (not that many..) for the rest of his life of his battissma (as they call it in Italy).

After such the ceremony we all went off to the most exclusive restaurant in Asolo(the whole time I was thinking there was a handful of people I wished were there with me) in a very old villa and consumed more food than I ever could fit into my stomach but all so good I could not refuse any of it (see menu in the photo). My first experience of a real Italian 6 course meal and I loved it.

Anche Simone, and the rest of the family as we chatted in Italian and just enjoyed the great food and company. I always feel so grounded when I visit my family as I tell you they have it all worked out, simple food, simple life, lots of love, vino and each other. No fancy stuff for them, but are they happier than most of us?…you betcha!

Anyways it was “arriverderci” for me at about 4pm Sunday time to take the treno back to Genova feeling extremely satisfied and perhaps a little happy after a few bevvies that afternoon at the villa.

This is where Trenitalia key learning’s just keep coming, ok I tried to leave but they would not sell me a ticket as all the trains back via Milano that night were full…. Full my “xxx” (you know what I mean, I know what full is, “extreme train crowding”)…so I bought a ticket to Vincenza on the local train, waited for the Eurostar to turn up, bought some ticket for another train going to Milano four hours later, jumped on the Eurostar and had a seat the whole way.

I can tell you generally Trenitalia staff are the pits, (I have only met one of them who has been r nice). Needless to say not only did I get back to Genova but I got back there on the trains I wanted…..so take my advice don’t believe what you get told in Italy by the treno staff!!!

A short week and another trip back to France (yes I know the train ride off by heart now!)

A short week in school for me as I was going to visit Andy in Aix again as we decided that we were going to sail together in a regatta in Marseille (yes those memories keep coming). I found out that last Wednesday was a holiday in Italy so it was a perfect excuse to skip school for an extra day as I was leaving Thursday anyways and head to Aix two days earlier.

As usual we had a great time together in Aix before heading down to Marseille, we ate simple food (as I blew my budget doing so many trips everywhere), and caught up on all of my French favourites, cheese, rose, baguettes, pastries etc etc.

After a couple of beers Andy got brave and invited me to a lecture of American Civilisation where I learnt about the Sugar Act and all of those acts that basically preceded the American constitution, actually really interesting stuff, all taught in English. It has been a while since I have been at a real university and I had a lot of fun learning about something completely unrelated to what I know.

On Wednesday we took the Hobie down to Marseille, treated ourselves to some Indian (you know I miss the multiculturalism of Aussie food) and then did a big walk around the port and then we went up to the beautiful Basilica our Lady of the Guard which sits up right over looking Marseille. It is a great view and we were treated to some additional spectacles because the mistral kicked in at 40 knots so clothes were everywhere and people were getting blown over left right and centre!!!

Friday we started sailing and I tell you I was really exited to be back on the water again after what feels like forever but I can say there is a reason I used to pack my boat up for winter and that reason is I don’t own enough sailing gear to sail around in 10 degrees and actually I don’t even like doing it as I remembered all so suddenly those cold Polar Bear regattas of the past.

However I did have a little help from my man who added a spray suit and two rashies to the collection of my gear (whilst he could not wear his dry suit as he forgot his thermals) I was still bloody cold and he was bloody colder. To give everyone some picture of what I was wearing here goes - Two titanium rashies, my titanium zhik wetsuit, my hobie spray jacket, a spray suit over all of that stuff and of course harness and life jacket!! Man I could not move.

We had moments of brilliance but most of the regatta our results were average, something we attribute to the following things. Lack of concentration by both of us, hmm our port hull carrying around at least 20 litres of water (cant work out why as in the Duc De Albe it did not leak a bit - we thought we fixed it with the bung seals but on the last day we still had as much), and to be honest some really hot competition from four or five of the top Frenchy 16 open sailors, and any other sailor that we had to start with including the 20+ H16 youths with spinnakers, those shit dart 18’s (what a waste of a boat - I agree with you now Derwood). However we had fun and that was the main thing, time together what ever we are doing is always fun for us.

Socially we had fun too, it was also great to catch up with the usual crowd, Marie, Cedric, Laurent, Lara, Silvia & Damien (we missed you Pauline & Yann!!) and some new friends Arnold and Gobi. On Saturday night (was about 5 degrees) we treated ourselves to a great Italian and some solid entertainment from Damien (trying to eat, pee whatever) who after about 1000 whisky’s on Friday night decided that it would be a good thing to break one wrist and severely sprain the other one. A game of football was to blame and perhaps Cedric copped a bit of the blame too….after dinner we went to the Old Irish pub along the bay where Simmy, Nomes, Suze, Gav, Dazzy you may recall we drank at after the ISAF Games! Oh one for Old Times sake.

Sunday night we drove back to the Dinsdale house to defrost and we were treated to Milla’s great food again before retiring, muscles sore and bodies aching after a scolding hot shower. Yesterday I “met “ Decathlon the world’s best sports wear shop where I started to search for some of the kit I need for Costa Rica… cool place and oh so cheap. Category Killer at its best!

Well that is the wrap of my last five weeks. My next update will have hopefully some stories about my time in London as I head there next week for three days of pre expedition boot camp for Raleigh International before I head to Costa Rica in January and also a rendezvous with my mates from Salerno in Roma which is happening in early December.

Just to finish - for those Italians amongst the readership have a laugh and leggo below, for everyone else grab a dictionary and translate my ideal day. I had to write this in class today.

La mia giornata ideale…

Mi sveglio alle 10, faccio calazione a letto (calazione cereali con frutta tropicale, e vevo frullato). Io mi also alle 11. Mi sdraio a sole e leggo un libro con un cocktail. Dopo mangio ostriche e gambietto e filetto di carne. Resto seduta per un’ora e dopo nuoto in mare con gli occhiali da snorkelling. E finito il giorno guardano il tromanto, beve un coctail con Io mio regazzo in una vasca di schuima. Allora noi veniamo all restaurante per aperitif di champagne, e poi doo abbiamo cena insieme nel chiaro di luna sulla spiaggia. Noi mangiano cibo di thailande e bevono molto. Dopo cena noi andiamo a letto.


La Dolce Vita

Tutti Bacci
Bella

PS Website is updated check it out, lots of pics and some oldies too Website:
http://web.mac.com/bellaissailing/iWeb/Site/Welcome.html

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