Leaving again ...
This morning, I set the alarm for 6.15am, giving me time to clean the apartment before leaving ... two loads of laundry to do.
I woke at 5.20am and lay thinking how unfair it was, knowing there was no way to sleep again.
I showered, put the first load of laundry through, and packed. I began mopping floors and then voila, almost 8am, and I needed breakfast.
I sat at an outside table at Caffe Degli Specchi, with a cappuccino and brioche, realising that today was the day of leaving Genova ... again.
And so I walked, through the city's centro storico ... walked until just after 8.30am. The air is a soft 17 degrees celsius, the sun is out and, as always, all around me was the quiet hum of this city I love.
'Ciao!' is everywhere. It makes me smile. People arrive in the cafes, pass each other in the street, arrive at work ... 'Ciao'.
I'll miss that.
Someone has written a long story on the footpaths here. Beautiful Liguria has the story on Facebook. I didn't have my camera but I stopped this young guy and asked what it was about. Apparently, it's something to do with WWII. It's neatly written and seemed like another of those surprises that Genova presents to her people. It happened in the night I think.
Anna, from the Beautiful Liguria website, let me know about the story today: 'It is a story of love between a Jewish lady and a Russian guy in world war II.'
Laundry is already out and hanging across via Ravecca. My kitchen window is open and, here I am, this New Zealander who simply loves those times when she comes stay awhile in this private, elegant, chaotic, sometimes dirty, exquisite, secretive, ancient, post-modern city nestled between the hills and sea.
The question is ...
I haven't known if my moods were flucuating on their own, or whether it was the fault of the city.
Today, I decided that it's mostly the fault of Genova ... aka La Superba.
The light pulled me outside again. The morning light in the caruggi has been so good these last two days. And there was 'treasure' to be found everywhere.
And then it's about the people too. I stopped at Caffe Degli Specchi for coffee, then wandered down into the narrow alleyways in the ancient part of the city.
The light, the light! ... she muttered.
Then, just to add to a kind of surreal heightening of the senses, I heard a huge number of children singing. I followed the sound and discovered some kind of mixed-age choir performing on the steps of the San Lorenzo cathedral
I passed nuns, chatting as they wandered along the street, and I stopped in at a fishmongers to photograph my beloved Anchovies ... seeing the art of them rather than well ... dead fish.
There's more but here is one of today's photographs. Taken on via Canetto il Lungo, I caught morning shoppers at one of the vegetable shops, and couldn't resist ...
The light in the caruggi, Genova
Today was one of those days, when the light was right, down in the ancient heart of Genova.
Genova, another kind of reflection
I was walking in the caruggi this morning, unable to resist the light.
I had some huge luck. The light was exquisite, people were kind and voila ... I met some bubble-blowers in a tiny piazza someplace here in the narrow streets of the ancient city.
Caffè degli Specchi, Genova
This warm and welcoming cafe has become my favourite place to stop for a breakfast coffee, here in Genova.
Caffè degli Specchi, or the Cafe of Mirrors, is like so many of the cafes here in the city, a hub of activity. The Genovese call in on their way someplace else, select a pastry, and order their cappuccino or espresso. Some drink standing at the bar but I love to sit outside and watch the world pass me by. The sandwiches make a rather nice lunch too.
Jimmy, pictured below, is responsible for the best cofee I have had in a long time. He greets customers as they arrive and switches to English for those who, like me, are liguistically impaired. Their aperitivo, later in the day, is also rather special.
Located at Salita Pollaiuoli 43, it's not far from Palazzo Ducale and is a must-visit kind of cafe.
