Tonight is the night I spend cleaning the apartment and packing to leave Genova.
My airline changed its usual flight times between Italy and Belgium. I need to leave here earlier than usual but, realistically, I can't do the big clean-up-before-leaving in the humidity that is ... It's a long journey home. One that involves a bus, a train, another train, a plane, a bus, and a tram. It's only 1 hour 15 minutes between airports and countries but there's the reaching the airport thing ... and the getting home too.
It becomes epic but I have my snazzy new luggage... she trails off. That would be the bag that blew my budget upon arriving in Italy ... the replacement for the red one that had had the powerfully stinking fish juice spill on it. Ho hum. Nice bag. I guess it can be an early birthday gift to myself, a thought that may help absorb the pain of paying full price and then some for luggage in an airport.
Hmmm, note to self, the pain of that experience still isn't out of my system.
But mostly this visit has been about good people. There was Roberto, a lovely guy I met last time I was here. He very kindly introduced me to some places in the city I hadn't explored. And he survived my New Zealand-English. Grazie mille, Roberto.
And there was Anna, from Beautiful Liguria. It is always, without fail, inspiring and exciting to spend time talking with her.
And Outi, another lovely friend I made last time I was in Genova. An inspiring woman too!
Actually, I was here to meet Diny. A truly remarkable woman who was a pleasure to spend time with. We worked together on both Saturday and Sunday, then had dinner on Monday and ended that evening out in Piazza De Ferrari, eating gelato and enjoying the cool breeze of the evening. It was a real delight to spend time with her.
I was out with Barbara tonight, aperitivo after lunching with her earlier. One day I will stun her with my fluent Italian. Well actually, I'll probably stun myself first ... there is so much grammar to learn.
And Lorenzo. Some days, we met for a coffee after he closed his cafe for the day. He came to Belgium last year, searching for the grey skies that Belgium does so well. He introduced us to the vegetarian 'meat' products while he was over. We love him for that.
And Stefano. I had lunch with him back in those days when I first arrived. It's always a pleasure to catch up with this lovely man, responsible for the Righicam website. The site with those cameras that look out over Genova.
The humidity here has been high. Higher than I'm used to. Sometimes two showers per day and a complete change of clothes was the only solution. That said, I've loved being warm ... loved watching my skin change to brown even though I haven't spent any time sunbathing.
So yes, I'm leaving on a jet plane ... but I DO know when I'll be back again.
I'm back in September, with 50 photographs selected for my book and as much text as possible. There is a plan.
The image that follows ... I'll write more on it once home and unpacked. I need my notes but it's divine don't you think?
