Crazy Adventures in Exotic Places
Posted by Jackie , 06 November 2010 2:53 PM
The enormity of traveling through a foreign country on my own didnàt hit me until I touched down in Genoa earlier today.
Italy is an incredibly challenging experience when one doesn't know the language (or what the keys mean on an international keyboard!). I went to Mexico once, but that doesn't really count as a foreign language experience. So much of Genoa looks like what I've seen in the US or UK...some of the architecture is different, and the cars all look kind of funny, but it's got the same basic set-up.
It's the language that gets me. I'm completely surrounded by people yet utterly alone. I've got a few phrases in my guide books and that I printed from the internet, but I'm definitley not as prepared as I would like to be. For example, I realized that I don't know how to say "and." This makes ordering a piece of pizza AND a bottle of water rather difficult (in fact I bought my water at another store because I wasn't on the ball enough when this developed). The language barrier isn't a negative situation or one that detracts from my visit; it simply makes for a more memorable experience. I've realized that if I'm too timid, I could end up eating pizza and gelato the entire time I'm in Italy because those are very easy to point to (lol)! I reslove, therefore, to go to a real restaurant tomorrow and have something delicious.
Flying into Genoa was uneventful, though I got an amazing view of the city as we flew into the airport. From there, I took a shuttle bus to the city center train station. There it took me (quite) a few minutes to get my bearings, but once I did it was only a fifteen minute walk to my hotel. It's a little B&B place, owned by a family that lives on the first floor. They consist (so far), of three middle-aged women, one man, a tween aged girl, an old lady that watches a baby that wails like a cat being given a bath, and a dog. I like the dog, he's really cute.
Once settled, I ventured into the city! Genoa is very compact in the city center, so I walked through a few piazas, explored an antique fair in the Ducal Palace, saw Christopher Columbus's childhood home, and attended part of a mass in the San Lorenzo Cathedral. All in about two hours. There was some sort of international science fair being held around the Palace as well, and I picked up some delicious cheese focaccia from an outdoor vendor. It was absolutely the best piece of cheesy-bread-deliciousness I've ever tasted.
I called it an early night at got back to my hotel room around 7, but I don't want to stay out too late on my own here and I'm tired after a full day of travel. I'm up bright and early tomorrow, and promise to post some photos when I can get them in better light.
Ciao!
