DOWNTOWN | Genova

The port city of Genova put on some beautiful weather for me. I went up to the lookout, explored the old town, San Lorenzo the Cathedral in the City, and the oldest sweet shop Pietro Romanengo fu Stefano. Looking back I didn't shoot very much in the city, probably because I was too busy exploding my eyeballs. I drove past the aquarium but didn't go in, it looked impressive though!

next: boating around on the Peninsula 

Waking Up In Paradise

WAKING UP IN PARADISE

Two hours south of Milan on the Ligurian coast is the beautiful town of Nervi. Once a small fishing village, now a suburb of Genoa, I was very lucky to be able to stay with some family friends at their home in this beautiful part of the world. Waking up in a room of my own on a bright, sunny morning after a month in hostel dorm rooms was as much of a treat as I needed, never mind being able to walk down the hill to the beach and go for a long-awaited run along the coastal boardwalk. A big big big thank you to Stefano, Silvia, Lupo and Maretta for having me in their home!

next: Downtown

Milan | Final Days | Days 36 - 38

Days THIRTY SIX, THIRTY SEVEN and THIRTY EIGHT

It is with great pleasure that I can finally present to you the last city in this daily series! Milano was one of the places I was most excited about while we were still in the planning stages of this trip (because shopping, obviously) but perhaps not surprisingly, different things stood out to me than I had expected. I didn't buy a thing! We did splash out a little and had a really nice lunch at an actual cafe (no hot chips on the street!)which was delicious. I had a bruschetta to start and then a salmon dish - mmmmmmmm! We stayed in one of the best hostels of the whole trip - Madama Hostel, would recommend! - and the weather was giving my hair some delicious volume (thanks Milan for your toxic pollution levels). 

^ The dining room of the Madama hostel 

^ About to be approached by a man trying to sell me bird-seed so 1001 pigeons could poo on me

^ The 2015 Expo was hosted by the city of Milan under the theme Feeding the Planet, Energy for Life. We didn't make it to any of the events :( Something I regret in retrospect.

^ Tyler finding himself at the right place at the right time  

^ There were some really pretty flower, leaf and herb walls at the Expo - I couldn't resist a quick snap

^ No idea why this one is so over exposed, but I like the picture anyway. Yeah, that's a three wheeled mini truck transporting huge tropical plants while not paying any attention to the road rules.

^ This is the last photo I took of Tyler as we were saying goodbye at the train station... I cried, partly because I'm lame and partly because I was excited to not have to look at that bizarre mustache again ^_^ 

Can you tell he was excited to be flying to Canada in a few hours?

^ My collection of badges from every place we visited. There's a gap for Vienna because I was so sick when we were there that I couldn't leave the hostel for long enough to buy one. I shall just have to get one next time I'm there!

And finally I want to say thank you to you Tyler for coming on this crazy and haphazard trip with me. What a bloody emotional rollercoaster, with some super highs and super lows. Thank you for the friendship and support you've given me ever since I met you, the hard words I sometimes needed to hear, and all the good times we have shared. Proud of you for sticking it out in Canada through the winter, and so so happy that you've found a place in the world where you seem truly happy. Chur.

_________________

next: gamelkateintheworld solo edition

Florence | Days 34 & 35

Days THIRTY FOUR and THIRTY FIVE 

I liked the light in Florence, and I managed to capture some streetscapes which I was quite pleased with. The streets of central Florence were very pretty. In a way it felt like a city hiding its true nature. The streets seemed to be missing the locals. Like Venice, the main street was packed, while the streets either side were deserted. Where were all the interesting people hiding?! There were some clues, such as a few nice bookshops we found, and some cleverly vandalised street signs dotted all over the city which, combined with the knowledge that a lot of designers, composers and other interesting characters are/were from Florence, made me feel as if the streets were somehow waiting for the tour groups and buses to leave before they revealed their true nature. Put up a cardboard town and charge to enter. I came to Europe for the opposite experience and here I am feeling like I'm at Disneyland. Another beautiful town with an absent soul.  The two policewomen walking and talking (pictured below) was a nice exception. Of course we were only there (in the highly touristic places) for a couple of days, so who am I to judge... 

Yet another place I would have liked to stay longer and meet the locals.

Channeling my inner Di Vinci next to the River Arno, 

the same one that runs through Pisa. Hi again pretty river.

^ Possibly the most Italian looking picture of Italy possible? ...Flamboyant cars and over confident men...

With love from Florence xx