Genova

The three of us, Drew, Rike and I, have been planning to go on a trip together, somewhere, just us. We couldn't really figure out when because we always had something to do. Finally we found a few days that we could go. Rike had a week of a seminar with her organization, so Drew and I were left here. We decided that if we work all week with only one day off and take the two days of our free days, put them together in a row and have three days off in a row! It was accepted by Paul and Elisa, so Drew and I worked for seven days straight. After those loong seven days, we left early Monday morning to GENOVA! Honestly, I did not know much about the city, but I was all up for a trip! We took the regional (slow) trains up there, which in total was about 4-5 hours. I think it was definitely worth it because we got a preview of the sea, which we would see on the way back.

We arrived in Genova around 3 pm and went to the hostel right away. Now, you have to know that Genova is a really interesting city. It stretches over 30 km and is basically on a hill. That means that the roads leading up to the top of the hill curve, and curve often. There are even elevators in the city!! So, we took the bus up to the hostel, about a 20 minute ride. We got settled in and went out to meet with Andreas, a friend of Rike. He showed us around the city and the major things (he was an Erasmus student there for the semester). Sitting in the port, looking up the hills, seeing the boats, listening to the ropes squeak against the metal, I felt like I was back in Amboy and I missed it, a whole lot. After walking around, we went to an aperitivo bar with friends of Andreas, most of whom were Erasmus students as well. But the best part of that bar? The Hungarian girl! And I got to speak Hungarian with her! After the bar we kind of ended up going to a party. I must say, strangest party I have ever been to. It was a few Erasmus students and people they met that night in a tiny apartment. It wasn't exactly amazing. Rike and I felt really uncomfortable, so the three of us ended up going back to the hostel.
The next morning we got up, went down to the city and started our tour. We saw a few of the major tourist attractions but just mainly walked around. Without our knowledge, we ended up walking through the most dangerous part of town, that not even the locals suggest going to. Boh! Maybe the fact that Drew could have passed as our bodyguard scared off the potential harm doers.
Genova is famous for some of its culinary contributions. Focaccia and pesto for example. Focaccia is this wonderful baked dough. We found this one bakery that sells them for a very good price. (We ended up going back there again the next day. We got them right as they came out of the oven! Imagine the temptation as you are holding hot, fresh focaccias in your hand.) Pesto, in case you don't know, is a paste of basil leaves, garlic, olive oil, and pine nuts served with pasta. Since we were in Genova, we just had to try both! For lunch we ended up going to vegetarian restaurant, which was good, but not exactly filling for Drew and I, so we got kebabs after. :)
In the afternoon we met up with Andreas again and went to Nervi, a coastal town, about 10 minutes by train from Genova. All of us were so excited to be near the sea! Of course, I climbed down the rocks to be right next to the water. We walked along the coast and sat on the rocks for quite some time. The experience of being there is something that I can't really explain with words. All I can say is that I was very happy and content.
After getting back to the city, the three of us went on a quest to find a place to eat dinner. We ended up finding a little restaurant in an alley that was perfect. It had wonderful wines and wonderful foods. We spent nearly three hours there. I had real authentic pesto genovese, that was, oh my goodness, so good. For a second course I ordered a cheese platter that I split with Rike. Oh, that night was so nice and relaxing! We finally didn't have to worry about rushing to finish dinner and run to do dishes! After dinner we decided to walk up the hostel, but we kind of got lost, so we took the bus back. Sleeping and finally being off your feet after walking 14 hours in the city felt so good!
On our last day in Genova, we slept in. After checking out, we went back to the city and got on a train towards Cinque Terre. Cinque Terre consists of five coastal towns "that dramatically cling to the cliffs." That is exactly what we got. Little towns clinging onto the cliffs. We ate lunch on top of a large rock in the sea and I spent a some time alone on top of elephant sized rocks. I can't believe how relaxed I was those days! We got on the next train that came by to the last of the five town (we got off at the first, Monterosso), to Riomaggiore. We had bit of difficult time finding the actual way to the scenic view, but after that, WOW. This town is incredible. The picture is just a portion of the reality. Unfortunately, we didn't spend a lot of time there since we had to catch a train to the place where we would transfer to Firenze. The three of us weer very happy and content as we got on the trains. Absolute serenity indeed.