Finding My Inner Princess & Hiker

Remember when you were younger, and the first day of school was actually exciting and not like somewhat depressing because you realize your classes were only getting harder? Well that's how it is here! I had actually no clue what to expect from my classes here, but they are actually interesting because all of my classes are with people from all different countries, which usually results in the class comparing their countries in different aspects- #cultured.

Anyway, besides going to classes Maddy and I, along with two other friends, planned a little trip to set off our first of many weekend getaways. We planned to go to the city of Genoa, it was only an hour bus ride away and let me tell you- Flixbus is the BEST way to go. This bus was only 13 euro, and it had WI-FI, and it was just very convenient. So, we realized that trips kind of do take more effort than we originally thought, but we are going to learn how to do it easily, I know it. Anyway, we planned to set out Saturday morning, and return Sunday afternoon. Genoa is a port city so it is on the coast, but more of a port for cruise ships and other boats. We didn't research it a lot before going, just heard that it was very pretty- again we are learning people!! We also had to purchase accommodation for the night, and since we were slightly last minute, our cheapest option was a hotel, in which we snuck two people in #oops- but the hotel was about 27 euro a person, split with 4 people!! Aka- don't plan last minute.

Before we set off to Genoa we went on a small adventure Friday- to a CASTLE!! Castello Sforzesco is a castle that is very close by to us, so we walked there and I channeled my inner princess (not hard to find). But, the fact that people actually lived in these castles is intriguing to think about- now there were just a bunch of cute kittens around the castle (not really sure why but not complaining). We walked around and found a lot of hidden gems of Milan, including little book stands that just stand up in the middle of the street that were adorable.

Then, the next day we set off to Genoa, or Genova as it is in Italian. First things first, the bus ride was honestly like a roller coaster. If you have ever been on a bus through the mountains, you know what I'm talking about. But, when we finally arrived, we were a) starving and b) completely unsure of where we were supposed to go. Luckily after walking in the right direction we found a market occurring where there was a variety of goods being sold and one tent had a dead pig just chilling on the table. So after I got that image out of my mind, we got nutella filled sugar coated donuts, and BOY did they hit the SPOT- Nutella is huge in Italy. After eating those we decided to walk towards our hotel some more but of course got distracted by this cute restaurant and just had to grab a mimosa. And this mimosa wasn't made with some bottled Tropicana we got fresh SQUEEZED orange juice, and it was amazing. Then, we walked more towards our hotel and went up and down at least 20 flights of stairs, we found another market where we bought these beautiful hand-woven bracelets made with coconut. (we get distracted easily)

When we finally arrived at our hotel and successfully snuck two people in, we researched where we should be going next- because we were over the aimlessly walking around deal. Once we found the areas we should go to- we set out again (Genoa consisted of a LOT of walking). This wasn't a city like Milan where there was public transportation, but this was a good thing because we got to see a lot of things. We ended up walking to yet another bar for aperitivo- the best thing on earth. You order one drink and get food with it- for FREE. Every place is different though, so some places you get like cheese and meat, and other places they point you to a buffet and are like "have at it". Anyway, we went to this pizza place and all got fresh strawberry mojitos and Margherita pizzas- per usual delicious. Then- we set off to the center of the city which had a beautiful fountain and buildings that were tall and gorgeous, but also contained a lot of shops. This one store had very trendy clothing, but none of it fit me right- causing a minor upset streak, but I got over it.

Then, we found a look-out that we apparently had to see- little did we know we would have to climb to the highest point in Genoa. (okay this is an exaggeration but it was a hike) But man was it worth it. This city and its outline on the water could al be seen from this point. It was truly beautiful. After marveling at this beautiful city we all decided it was time to head back towards the hotel because we had no idea where we were in correlation to the hotel. We stopped for some more aperitivo on the way because why not, and then we went to a restaurant that was pretty populated. The only reason we got a table was because 1. a man spoke english and could understand our pleading and 2. we took two tables from oppostie sides of the restaurant and put them together. Now that I write this I realize how annoying that was... again #oops. I had heard that Pesto was originated in Genoa, so I of course had to get it and I, of course, loved it. The noodles did resemble worms but they were delicious so who cares!!

We then went to the hotel for the night, as Genoa does not have a very popping night life, everything was closing as we exited dinner around 8:30pm. In the morning we ventured to a different cafe for some treats and then back to the bus stop we went! Back to Milan for the afternoon/ night and this was the first time Milan felt like home for me- it was familiar at least. This was also the first time I realized that our local grocery store is not open past 1 on Sundays- but it's okay we'll float on.

~Until next time~