Genoa

Genoa

Along the A8/A12 from Cagnes-sur-Mer through the Costa Fiori to Italy and Genoa. Supposed 2 hour drive turned into a 4 hour drive due to a few wrong turns and gusty Tramontana winds falling down to the sea from the surprisingly high coastal mountain range which caused some slowdowns. Roads extremely well marked and bedecked with electronic signs (in Italian only, no concessions for tourists). On the Italian side, the road seemed to be composed entirely of either tunnels or bridges as it soared along the sides of mountains. Very little actual flat land in this region (Ligorio).

Actually passed a young lady in a Ferrari (during a traffic slowdown, but still….) en route, quite an achievement considering the Italian flare for driving “Con Brio”! Drivers a little less disciplined than the French but since most of the cars are tourists, generally well-behaved except for the usual tail-gating and a tendency to hug the white line instead of the edge of the road which makes their overtaking manoeuvres seem more exciting than necessary.

Climbed a fairly serious hill in Genoa to our B&B in an apartment complex overlooking the eastern end of the town’s amazing harbour. Greeted by our charming hostess Gabriella who vacates the apartment when she has guests and moves in temporarily upstairs with her son. She even made a reservation for us at a restaurant since our French phone stopped functioning immediately at the border (just like at home) and all of Genoa goes out to eat on Sunday. Have to look into getting an Italian SIM card tomorrow.

Genoa sprawls along the coast for 30 Km or so and boasts 15 train stations. We’re going to shoot for the Old Town tomorrow and the Aquarium. Columbus’ House is a toss-up target of opportunity.

Realize I forgot to Blog on Nice. Have to make an Off-Site report later when occasion presents. Don’t give up hope, all you Nice fans.