Picto Diary - 27 June 2018 - Genoa

Above: TIMDT. Piazza de Ferrari. Genoa, Italy. 27 June 2018.

This was my third visit to Genoa, Margaret's first, though she had whipped through without stopping a couple of times on the Autostrade de Fiori on her way to Cinque Terre and La Spezia.

In the early naughts I took a ferry to Palermo from Genoa.

On another occasion, with a friend, we had motorcycled to the city, found a cheap hotel, and walked around quite a bit in the area of Piazza de Ferrari.

On this visit, one could not help note the contrast between Genoa and Rome. Genoa was clean.. spruced up... beautiful. And, as I noted in a previous post, Rome was trashy.... trashy streets, and overflowing bins everywhere (everywhere we went, that is).

Our Genoa guide noted our complement about how nice her city looked, but, wanted to remind us that it was not always so... even until recent times.

Above: Mynduveroan stands at the birth place of Christopher Columbus. Genoa, Italy. 27 June 2018.

Then: Discoverer of the new world... opens way to sea faring knowledge, discovery, new settlement, wealth.

Now: Rapist, slaver, and bringer of disease to native Americans.

The fact that the people in the new world were also slavers, kidnappers, rapists, engaged in human sacrifice.... who did little to advance civilization and the human condition is ignored in much of today's politically correct, imbalanced discussion on the period of western exploration.

Above: Catch of the day. Camogli, Italy. 27 June 2018.

Above: San Fruttuoso, Italy. 27 May 2018.

In the early 'naughts, TIMDT and Mwah (sic) walked here (not reachable by car) from Portofino, north of here.

Today we took a boat from Camogli, south of here.

Then: Peaceful former monastery turned into museum. Small cafe to nibble and muse by the sea side.

Now: Jam packed with tourists and beach goers. We let the kids swim for a bit but the hoards were such that we left one ferry ahead of what we planned.

Above: Lunch at Ortoprego Restaurant. Camogli, Italy. 27 June 2018.

We had intended lunch at San Fruttuoso. To crowded. We took the early ferry back to Camogli. Lunch here was fine!

Above: TIMDT contemplates at Chiesa del Gesu e dei Santi Ambrogio e Andrea cathedral. Genoa, Italy. 27 June 2018.

Above: Mynduveroan. Genoa Cathedral. 27 June 2019.

Its hard to say how this trip will impact the kids. It has to help on some level. I had no conception of this type of travel at Mynduveroan's age, nine. My first overseas trip was at the age of nineteen. And, looking back at my travel during that period, I'm shocked about my low level of awareness about the world even as a teenager having traveled a bit.

Travel continues to excite me and my curiosity level remains high. I have much more time to read today than ever before in my life. And, reading helps fill in a lot of the blanks that persisted throughout much of my life. I've traveled to 120 countries since that teenage voyage. I've lived outside of the United States for twenty years, spending at least six months or more in France, Egypt, Lebanon, India, Philippines, Australia and Japan.

I hope this travel experience has some value to Mynduveroan, her brother and her cousins. These millenium old cathedrals tell a story of the rebirth, post classical culture, of human progress, flowering of arts and architecture, aspiration, and devotion. Will western culture continue to advance culturally today? Or will it slip back into another "dark ages" as it did post Rome? I don't rule a measurable probability of a Rome like back slide out, by the way.

Perhaps Mynduveroan's reflections are not as ponderous as mine, but, at least in visiting the Genoa cathedral today, she has a reference point if and when such reflections come to her.

Addendum:

Just back from Russia..Moscow and St Petes. Saw 3 matches incl Argentina vs Nigeria and Portugal vs Morocco.
Terrific organisation by the Russkis.

Enjoy Italy and games. Great Matches today...Must watch. Knock Outs stage. Argentina/France, Portugal/Uruguay.

Scout,
Mumbai, India