Well I made it to Genoa OK but the boat ran late by about 4 hours so instead of arriving at 5.30 in the afternoon we finally got off the boat around 10.30 that night. I met this Australian couple (hi Gary and Sandra) in Palermo and spoke to them a bit both at Palermo and on the boat. The poor buggers were supposed to go straight to the Cinque Terre that night but since the boat was so late getting in they missed the last train so we all piled into a taxi and ended up at the hotel I was staying at. I should point out here that the boat was late due to rough seas. I got up in the middle of the night to go to the toilet and it was tough going to stand up straight (Dad you would have been throwing up something awful). Oh I also had the cabin to myself even though I had booked to share so that was good!! OK back on track we got to the hotel in Genoa and I found I had a TV in my room. I got to play with the remote for an hour or so but since I could only watch CNN or MTV the thrill just wasnt there for me in the end.

Got up the next morning and went exploring Genoa - I couldnt get into the hostel until 4pm anyway. compared to the cities in the south I found Genoa v.v.v. quiet i.e. no sirens, horns blaring and people yelling at each other. Very conservative when compared to the south - also hardly any graffitti (Naples is covered in it). It is a very pretty city but since I feel like I have seen every museum known to mankind in the last few weeks I didnt bother with any of them but did stick my head into a few churches.

After wandering until 3 I went back to the hotel and picked up my bags and headed to the train station which was only 100m up the road, bought a ticket and hopped on the train. The train ride was boring but as usual I forgot to validate my ticket and got in trouble with the conductor. I think I will eventually cop the €5 fine one day but I swear I can never find the confirmation boxes.

Got down to the Cinque Terre OK and found the hostel in the town of Manarola. It probably has a total population of about 1000 people and the biggest noise you hear is the church bells calling everyone to mass. Makes it a very peaceful place to be.

Got up the following morning and decided to do the hiking between Corniglia to Monterosso. Its about 7km so you would think it wouldnt be too hard but it would have at a minimum 2000 steps you need to negotitate (both up and down). My knees were feeling it going down the steps by the end of the day and this morning I found it difficult to walk on my heels (esp the right since i lead with my right foot). The views though along the track made it worthwhile. Its hard to explain how the Cinque Terre works but essentially it is terrace farms cut into the side of mountains that have been around for centuries. It would be very hard work to maintain those farms and it is now a UNESCO protected site and a national park. In some places the tracks got very narrow and very basic but overall I sweated alot, took some great photos and was absolutely buggered at the end of the day but thought it was a great experience and would recommend it to anyone (if they have the leg strength and cardio fitness to get through it).

Today I am checking out La Spezia and will probably go back to Monterosso for a better look then head off to Florence for 3 nights tomorrow. I only have 2 spare nights after this to figure out what to do as I have a night booked in Rome on 3 April so I can fly out on 4 April to Istanbul. I cant believe its nearly been a month and have done everything I have done. Its been great so far and am looking forward to whatever comes next.

Ciao Toni