Day 37 just a little slice of Pisa!

The lads in the room last night were a great laugh, but I really didn't need lights on at 1am! I wake to early for that. 

That said they were a good bunch. 

Getting up after eating a yoghurt for breakfast and queueing for the loo only two in the hostel is not really enough! 

Still I'm in Pisa and I'll make of it what I can! 

there are some really nice real murals and some great architecture

a river through these town always adds a bit to the feel this one is called the Arno 

and with a bright sunny day it's looking great! 

It doesn't take long to reach the leaning tower 

silly picture taken as is required! And some external shots of the Battisterio Di San Giovanni 

and the Cathedral di Pisa none of which I paid to enter I'm enjoying the sun too much! 

i head into a little market just outside the town walls where about 40 stalls were all selling the same plastic towers t-shirts and caps.. nah they had no more luck than the guys selling fake Rolex watches by the tower! 

There are some nice things to see here but I'm not going to stretch it out for a day! And with bad weather coming in a few days I decided to cut my losses and head to Rome early booking a train and hostel for four nights starting tonight!

The train journey is over three hours to Rome and the familiar scenery with the Mediterranean on my right is a little hazy until sunset where try as I might I was foiled every time I tried to get a sunset picture!

it's been a regular thing with on train photography that you always get an obstruction on the picture you're trying to capture! 

Into Roma Termini and out of the station into the dark of the evening, I've got a flare up of a knee injury for some reason, so after a quick snack pizza for tea I'm into a local pharmacy for some pain killing gel, hopefully that helps. 

My hostel is only a few streets away from the station and conveniently for my Rome visit so is a metro station, a quick walk and I'm booking in, sitting on my bunk I realise the travel fatigue is back so I get an early night glad that I'd already eaten!.

Day 36 just traveling

Not much to report for today, it was a late start with a bit of a wander around Genova saying goodbye! 

Really nice town, one of the best so far 😊

But the journey continues as it must. 

After arriving at the stazione and writing yesterday's blog in the waiting room, I'm up on the platform with cold wind blowing, eager to get out the wind I jump on a train..... The wrong train .... That's two wrong trains in two trips in and out of Genova! And as last time the next stop is the cure to the mistake! 

Not before I'd been chatting to two very good English speaking Genovan's Paulo and his wife, really friendly couple who explained my predicament to the conductor.... That helped no end! 

During our conversation the topic of the Genova flag came up, where previously in Milan the red cross on white was for saint Ambrose, in Genova it's actually for saint George, more interesting tho is that we the English borrowed the flag to put off pirates while travelling across the Mediterranean! As Genova had considerable power here! 

We just never gave up this flag of convenience! 

With Paulo and his wife's aid I was, after a ten minute wait back on the right train! 

And watching Italy in winters embrace..... Bit like a grey late spring in the UK tho mountains in the distance are holding a good layer of snow at higher levels

All along the coast here Italian houses are stacked almost one on top of the other as they are sited higher and higher up the hills they're on

father South and I can see the season begin to change with those broccoli trees I'd seen in Spain and citrus trees beginning to show, oranges and lemons again..... Still grey tho. 

Arriving at Pisa i'm headed straight to the hostel

the cheapest so far at 17 euros per night and it shows it! It's ok I'm not complaining the lads in my dorm are friendly a mixture of itinerant workers from North Africa, and one Italian, all friendly enough, tho working to a different sleeping schedule lights still on at 1am, but I can sleep through that ok....

Now the hostel is sited in a dodgy area walking to the shop wasn't the best and the prostitute's outside the hostel added another ambiance! 😄

Still lifes about experience right? 

No I didn't!! 

Day35 Genoooooh!a

Waking from a night in one of the most comfy hostel beds so far at the Marathon hostel I'm properly rested, lovely!!!

The next few weeks will be interesting I think! Now I feel ready to face them, I've been feeling travel fatigue from all the train journeys.... Not something I'd even heard of let alone considered likely! 

So today with hostel cappuccino (wish they were British sized!) and a focaccia bread for breakfast (traditional here) I head off into Genova, today's pretty planned as I have a lot of places to visit tho I'm still going to wander I'm sure!

Heading towards Piazza Raffaele de Ferrari along some attractive yet major roads with pleasing advertising hanging above the walls ways!

It adds to the feel rather than intriguing upon the ambiance! 

Onwards I'm surprised how quickly I find the piazza, it's often difficult to judge city size from just looking at Google maps! 

The piazza is Grande! 

with the inevitable statue

Pleasant place, but path goes north west from here to the Cathedral di San lorenza , beautiful facade!!!!

so many designs add to the beauty!

Inside and out! 

it amazes me that humanity has the ability to create such diverse designs! And yet has the harsh politics no matter which side you take to destroy this.... Our RAF bombed here during the second world war and navy bombarded from the sea... Yes we received the same if not worse, luckily this place survived with a dud bomb only taking down one part of a wall

It's an odd feeling. 

Leaving with this reality on my mind I head for more beauty..... 

Passing the painted Facade of the Palazzo San Georgia my need is not for human design right now but natural, It's needed and it supplies in abundance.... I've come to the Aquarium De Genova not the cheapest entrance at 35ish euros but well worth it! Anything from tortoises to jellyfish

to crocodiles

to Manatee

to Dolphins

The dolphins were beautiful! Swimming happily around a rather huge tank blowing bubble rings!

 and bursting them with their noses or playing ball!

such happy creatures! 

From the aquarium to a view around the busy harbour

In all it's forms..... Both fantastical

and defensive/offensive

once again into old town I find the basilica Della Santissima annunziata del vastato not a place I'd planned to visit but another beauty! 

although here again were signs of war

this section once again down to us. 

A wander is now needed so I head uphill along tiny brick paved paths heading up at serious degrees! The salita di S.Gerolamo certainly took my breath

this Pano not barely catching the angle of ascent! 

But the wander up was worth it to catch a rooftop view of the harbour

before descending on another red brick path the salita inferiore de Sant'Anna..

once again into my favourite old town roads some of which are bare feet away from touching at the gutters and some randomly with British pubs! 

twisting away from here I'm yet again in search of a Carrefour for a cheap dinner.... Gps failure as ever in these tight ally's leaves me scratching my head at location taking way to long to locate my store but necessity wins out and my day sack is bulging with goodies for the coming evening. 

Where the beer and the comfy bed stop me from writing this blog.... Currently sat at Genova station killing a few hours the following day catching up! Lol

Day 34 lala? no one of the others?

An early and grey day see me on the yellow line from the local metro Turati to Centrale FS the stazione!

Back through it's beautiful arch ceilinged lobbies to platform 21 and the train south to Genova!

Out of this city and into the flat agricultural land which in it's winter garb lacked much of interest all the towns the train passed through were a bit drab and run down, it's a bit like the fens here and probably this northern swathe of Italy was at some time marsh land, fed by the waters that are now concentrated together into the river Po (any excuse for a telly tubbies title!) over the Po and the land remains much the same until distant hills appear to the south, this range seems to extend down the Italy like it's backbone much the same as the Pennines do at home, tho here industrial towns still cling in the deep valleys coming from the hills, with presumably a history of mining and smelting, many tired old factories still exist here.

the train is threading through tunnels as it heads south, through one long tunnel the train catches me out, I'm not paying attention and I miss my connecting station in the center of Genova, I only realize when the train reverses direction, to late for me to jump off.... Getting off at the next station I have half an hour standing on a freezing cold platform with the distant hills showing snow! 

My train arrives and I get to Genova Brignole station which once again has beautiful architecture, heading into town through the high, street houses that crowd either side I'm getting very intermittent GPS signal and my route to the hostel goes way off a few times, before it dawns on me that the hostel is up since steps that look as though they belong to a fancy hotel!, which they might buy at the top Hostel shows complete with bar and restaurant, I can book in a few hours early luckily, so I dump my rucksack in this latest dorm, feeling pretty exhausted after a reasonably short train journey I Google for a reason for this seems I have travel fatigue! No surprise after over a month's travel.... I'm thinking I'll have an extended stay in Rome probably a good week, this should reset me system, but that's likely a good three- four days from now. 

Dragging my self from the soft mattress (much better than the hard one at Milan) I'm out in the cold and waking up again thankfully! 

A stop at yet another Carefour and provisions for tomorrow are procured.

My plan has been to have a walk to the coast this afternoon, my meandering takes me back to near the stazione before heading south, this is a nice area and I'm starting to warm towards Genova, wide streets take me through what I think are modern copies of traders houses and where the street widens I imagine the markets for foreign goods rather than the car parks and busy roads.... And would you believe it..... Another arc de triumph!!! 

Beyond a near naked statue of a man thankfully with his tackle concealed

is the sea!

i get a little arty with my photograph of a nearby fountain...

creating a partial eclipse! 

Pretty pleased with this wander back to grab dinner at the bar and after catching the blog up, bed.

Day33 'Meh lan' not so bad!

I can't say I'm Milan's biggest fan.... Nope I'm just not a fan, honestly it's just a bit grubby! 

But it does have some good points and today I found some! 

So yay? 

Yeah the metro isn't the most connected of underground systems with different lines not generally being linked and an ok knowledge of the streets above can be required to get your journey to work! 

But it works.... And it got me to where I wanted to go today and that's all I needed, this was the Mudec museum it's a little out of town so the metro was appreciated here, 

I liked the way the museum did it's pricing there were two modern art exhibitions that cost and that I had no interest in! And there was the permanent exhibition, this I was interested in ..... Not just because it was free! 

Ascending stairs from the entrance you encounter a rather pleasing atrium from which the three exhibitions spread, the atrium is high ceilinged with design to represent waves and flowing water, it's really rather nice!

with flowing video in each panel with subtle colours.... The image fails to convey the height of this, which does reach a good 10mtrs to the ceiling. 

The permanent exhibition portrays Italy's colonial past it's trade the rise and fall of colonialism in Africa and South America and Italy's close links and in part occasional occupation in the north by Spain! Milan itself having been under Spanish control.

Exhibits were rather special the intricately carved conch shells being particularly impressive! 

South American demons were rather fun

and a good collection of Spanish Dollar locally made in South America to be exported back to Spain to be recast..... A simple way to enable the transit of silver....

tho as the image shows the quality of silver varied immensely! 

Imperial efforts in Ethiopia really didn't go well with this image portraying the defeat of the Italians at the hands of Negus Menelik the second.....

enough to enjoy here but not too much to lose my interest. 

Completing the tour I left in search of the Naviglo Grande a canal system linking the surrounding towns.... Nice on a sunny day

the waters are shallow but very clean and teaming with fish and the occasional Gondola! 

from the canal I headed off to find the metro to my next stop, on route tho I found a red leaved oak native of south America and a few hundred years old.... Sadly in its supporting frame it just reminded me of king Kong in chains on a stage if you remember the movie! 

behind it you can see yet another arc de triumph! 

You can't have a city without one it seems!

Through a park and I find the metro Vetra which I take to Cairoli to see the Sforzesco castle rather impressive from the outside! 

internally it's lost much of the original structures with a few courts and surrounding almost moorish arched walkways, to the rear impressive long gardens with in the distance yet another arc de triumph! Lol 

back through the courts and I spot the coat of arms for Milan! 

Which explains the number of England flags I'd seen..... Yep even tho the red cross on white is identical to the St George flag this one is for St Ambrose 

Yet another dragon tho.....?

My next sight for the end of the day was the Bosco Verticale a tower block covered in trees and bushes, that in summer must be impressive, the choice of shrub in winter really loses its charm .... Luckily some of the few tower blocks here are really nicely designed and made the diversion worthwhile

only a short walk back from here to the hostel and this took me past a tiny stretch of abandoned canal now cut off from the network by a few miles the original system must been quite impressive during the industrial revolution!

now it's slowly rotting away and will no doubt fade from history under more concrete. 

Back at the hostel it's just me and another chap in the room, I had no idea he was English!!! And a fellow traveller just on his return trip from India after a month and half pursuing his interest in yoga, from having said nothing to each other we spent the evening discussing philosophies and life's intrigues! 

We all follow our own hippy trails and he's certainly done his properly! 

India will hopefully be reached at some point on my trip! 

This is Josh ..... Occasionally to be found driving a yellow and black tuktuk in Bristol! 😄

A great conversation to finish the day.