Genova & XXmiglia

7/3-8/3
This weekend we decided to go on a random italia trip! final plans were made Wednesday night (or maybe even Thursday) to leave Saturday morning for Genova, stay Saturday night there, and then head back Sunday and spend some time in Ventimiglia before heading back to nice. This was my first trip back to Italy since December when I left, and in a way it felt like I was going home. After all my traveling last semester I felt like I could live in a number of different countries and cities, however I did feel like I could rule Italy out of the running. France, for instance, is still the number one choice and I‘ve always felt like I can identify the most with their culture of all the European ones. While I love Italy, I’m definitely not the loud, social extrovert and I need a little more time structure (though I’m sure I would just get used to nothing being on time ever.. I mean I kind of all ready did). But upon returning to Italy this weekend it made me so happy! It felt like going home. Because even if it was hard to get used to in the beginning, I adapted to the Italian way of life and Italy was my home for that period of time. And now, even if I’m clearly not Italian and am not trying to be, I have a sense of belonging in this culture. I have an understanding of it. And I have stories about it that make me feel like I fit in. I loved seeing little things that reminded me of my stay in Italy. All of these things reminded me of good times I had last semester. This was also sad, because all these good times were shared with amazing people that are now located all over the world. It’s so hard to go from seeing someone everyday, to never seeing them! And it’s not the same to go back and experience those things that you loved together, by yourself. This is what makes me a little apprehensive about my viterbo trip. I miss viterbo sooooo much. but I don’t know if it’s the town I miss or the people, or both (I think its both). Because the town without the people is empty and sad, but the people in any other place just doesn’t even seem right. How I wish we could have a reunion soon! It also doesn’t help to relate personal anecdotes to everyone about how this sign in Italy reminds you of this other time you lived in Italy and had a great time when they weren’t there. I am sure I am boring people with all my stories, which to me seem funny and nice, but to them mean nothing, sorry! Anyways in Genova we walked and walked and walked. We must have gone down every street at least 3 times. We started the trip off right with some gelato and foccacia from a foccaciaeria! It was probably the best foccacia I have ever had. Then we did little pieces of some walking tour on the back of our map and then decided to head up to the hostel to drop off our stuff. The hostel looked far away on the map but we assumed it was just the map that made it seem that way. Well it actually was incredibly far away, and thank god we took the bus. It was on the top of some mountain, completely set off from the city center. It would have been an impossible walk. The hostel looked like an old mental hospital, very stark and white, but at least the rooms were big and clean. It isn’t well marked though, because we missed it on the bus up and had to wait for the bus to turn around and then take it back down. After dropping our stuff off we got back on the bus and went back to the city, to walk round and look at the water, the centro storico, the old palazzos and Christopher Columbus’ house. There was even an ice skating rink right next to Europe’s 2nd biggest aquarium! Then we decided to get dinner at a pizzeria and then went on a search for gelato all around the city, only to find that everything was closed. It was probably for the best, since we had just eaten a ton of food anyway. Then we took the bus up the mountain again, but it was a night bus that took a slightly different route, so we got off too soon and ended up having to walk up the last stretch of the hill only to see the bus meet us there later. When we got in we quickly got ready for bed because someone in our room was already asleep and we were also tired. The next morning we got up early and went back down to the train station to get on our train to Ventimiglia. On the way I had an amazing Italian cappuccino, oh how I missed those! After the 3 hour train ride along the Ligurian coast (Italian Rivera) we arrived in Ventimiglia and spent a couple of hours walking around the new part of town near the beach, getting massive gelatos and then walking around the older hilly section which, although small, contained at least 4 churches. Ventimiglia is really cool because it’s right on the beach like Nice, but you can see the snow capped alps right behind it! And it’s so Italian, despite the fact that you can see French towns from the coast. Well it was a nice weather weekend and I got to practice my Italian so all and all a good trip!