Pilgrimage from Molini to Genova 23/07/07

What a beautiful day. I started early, the temperature was perfect and I had a wonderful view.

The only discomfort was a larger climb than I had expected…I went back up to 800m. By the time I got to the top it was blowing a gale, the fog had rolled in and it was freezing. If this is what it is like on the other side I’m not going to be doing much swimming ;)

Luckily it wasn’t. After a kilometer it was back to normal with another stunning walk down in to the valley.

And then there it was…the Mediterranean, or a harbor with the Mediterranean in it ;) But it felt good all the same. For some reason it is very fulfilling to start at the sea on one side of a continent and travel until you hit the sea on the other. It is good for the soul…

It was only 13:00 by the time I got to Genova, so this gave me plenty of time to track down a hostel. Unfortunately, after checking the internet, the only hostel was back on the edge of town where I had come in. I wasn’t going back :)

Italy doesn’t appear to be so good for backpackers but at least if you have a tent there are a lot of campgrounds.

I decided to try my luck with the hotels and wondered around until I found a good deal. This place is awesome! I saw some hotels here that are some of the dodgiest I have seen anywhere in the world!

I managed to find a bargain, right near the station I got my own room for €20. It wasn’t the cleanest but it was by far not the dirtiest I had seen either.

My neighborhood was cool. It was made up of 90% N. African, 4% Pakistani (or S. Asian), 4% Chinese (or E. Asian) and 2% other. It really felt like I was in Africa :) It was even quite common to see the elders in traditional African dress. It was great! It seemed like the only thing missing was some chickens and goats :)

So as they say, “While in Genova do as the Moroccans”, so it was off to find a local restaurant. I found one that looked busy and it was a good choice. I got a big plate of beef, carrots and peas in a curry gravy for €4. I love cities!

Luckily for me it was a Monday night and I was in a predominantly Muslim neighborhood so all the bars were quiet. After wondering the streets for a little while it was off for an early night.