(written in parts)
On a train to Genova. So confusing trying to get a ticket today. I went to the ticket office but there were so many people it probably would have taken me over an hour just to get a ticket. The machine is the way to go, it just means more problem solving. I bought the pricier ticket so I would only have to wait 1 hr instead of 2, on an intercity train, which I guess you need a reserved seat for. Then I had to figure out again what the final destination for the train was and where it stopped, and eventually found my train. Now, lots of waiting and then walking to the next hostel with my heavy bag. Yay.
I feel that, for the most part, I have been well prepared for this trip, however not having a proper map and trying to find each hostel is quite difficult and frustrating. I stopped for a break to have a slice of pesto focaccia, tasty but greasy, then after a few wrong streets found the hostel, which is closed for cleaning. Awesome. So I went in search of gelato and a place to sit. Found gelato, but nowhere to sit. So now I'm in some little alley piazza behind the hostel just resting my tired back. People are just staring at me and my giant backpack.
I left that area and found a little church right by the hostel. So naturally I went inside to check it out. Very pretty, the walls and ceiling were painted with angels and there was gold decoration everywhere. I decided to just sit in there until the hostel opened, a full half hour. Very peaceful and for the most part I had the whole church to myself.
I was finally able to check into the hostel, definitely not as nice as the others I have been staying at. I can handle 2 nights though. After settling in I decided to go explore the city. My original plan was to go down to the port, but I found piazza Ferrari with its big fountain and meandered through there. Then I followed the masses down a busy shopping street and along some smaller streets with even more shops. I figured if I followed the crowds I would find my way. Wrong. I had no idea where I was and had only a section of the map. I kept peeling into little cafes and bakeries, trying to see where I could eat. I stumbled into one which had all kinds of bread and focaccia and beyond - a door that led into an amazing food market, with all kinds of vendors selling fruit and vegetables and meats and cheese and more bread. I was so thankful that I had gotten lost, because otherwise I would not have found the market! The veggies they had were gorgeous, and the variety! - roman cauliflower, all kinds of lettuces, fennel, basil! It made me so disappointed to live in Charleston. I ended up buying some tomatoes, 2 nectarines, potato bread and fiore di bufala cheese! So I decided to head back to the hostel and make a little meal. Of course, I got very lost. I ended up at the train station somehow, then realized it was not the station I had come in at. Great. Lucky for me, I had directions for the hostel from all 3 stations and I was able to find my way back. Lesson learned: get a good map or stick to your hood. So I had my wonderful little dinner and am spending a quiet and tired evening at the hostel. Hopefully tomorrow I will be able to see more of what I had planned.
