I received an email from Apple letting me know that my phone in Italy should work. The problem is, I'd have to erase it. So I backed it up and saved all my pictures. It seemed to work fine but it was going to take 5 hrs to restore.   At this point, it was already past 10 pm. I realized I couldn't sleep because I relied on the iPhone alarm to wake me up. While it's restoring, you don't have access.   So I laid down. I drifted off a few times but woke up to check on the progress. At about 1/3 of the way, it gave me an error. Arrrr! I thought I'd try it again. So again, I tried to sleep a bit and checked on the status partway. It happened again! I decided to set it up as a new iPhone and do the restore from my aunt's house.   At least I have access to the Internet and my alarm. The problem is I have my itinerary I prepared as a document on my iPhone. Guess what. It's on my backup which I can't get.   Arr! Tip #11 of my top 10 list..."Bring a spare alarm clock." Better yet maybe a spare iPhone!!!  

Reality is, things happen on trips. Always have a plan B. We get use to our gadgets and they become necessities. Could I have had a good old fashioned plastic alarm clock? Of course! How did we ever manage before all this technology? Can you take a day and not use your phone or Internet? Try it....I dare you. Hmm. I know I can't!!

I'm on the train heading to Ventemiglia. I then catch a train to Nice and then to Les Arcs where my aunt lives. I Googled her address this morning but the map doesn't look right. I hope I can find it ok. I told her not to worry about picking me up and that I could walk. I hope I don't knock on a strangers door!!

My first impresses of Genova were negative because of the confusion with the streets and directions. After my self-inflicted challenge yesterday and coming across so many interesting sites, I've changed my tune. I think one full day there was perfect. It was just enough time to see the city. I'm thankful that it was a beautiful day!  

What was the most memorable thing?   Well, as many of you know I'm a big foodie! I can't tell you how delicious the shops smelled as you walked by. Coffees. Pizzas. Focaccia. Breads. The aromas were an incredible blend that danced inside you. At one point I just stopped in the street and took in all the flavours!   Oh wow! I can smell it now! Mmmmm.  

What do I regret? Genova is famous for its pesto.   I found out after the fact that pesto and focaccia are 'must haves' here.   I guess I'll have a reason to go back now, won't I?  

The next several entries will be minimal because it's with family. I will do my best to update things I do but I don't think I will be seeing much more than I did last time. I might even venture into Nice. My cousins might even have something planned. I am not sure!   


Q7

Who was the famous explorer born in Genova, Italy?