For once
Genoa did not disappoint. We
always arrive there on Sundays when everything is closed. My friend Chris the bassist had been
longing to visit one of the museums and it just so happens that museums in
Italy are one of the few things that are not closed. He knows I’m a museum nerd and that he could easily get me
to tag along. Not open until the
afternoon we looked at our map of attractions and found there was a “biosfera”
by the waterfront. This was
obviously immediately intriguing and we had time to kill. It was small but full of unique and odd
plant species. There were banana
and papaya trees, coffee and cinnamon plants, brightly colored birds and piranhas
just to name a few. The guy in
charge was pretty knowledgeable and chatty with us. Did you know that the stalk of the banana tree is similar to
a succulent and is full of water so they can grow in height in just a
year? I touched it and it was
oddly squishy!
Exhausted from our tropical environment lessons and a decent
amount of walking already we stopped for some pizza. Mmmmm pesto pizza in Genoa is where it’s at! Straight to the gut pronto! Refueled we
walked back across town getting lost at least 5 more times looking for this
museum. It was called Museuo Di
Palazzo Reale and was an old palace full of art and lavish décor. But it was known for its hall of
mirrors, which is exactly what Chris wanted to see. And what a sparkly hall it was. I realized once we got there that I had visited the free
museum on the lower level with my mom two years ago. I would never forget such a gorgeous building and
courtyard. The view is much better
from the balcony above!
Onto some serious excitement in Gibraltar… Some of the
ports we visit you have to work a little harder to find the fun. But this time we really rocked it! About 9 of us went for an epic hike up
to the top of the Rock of Gibraltar.
It was so steep that a lot of it was actually carved in stair
switchbacks. What gorgeous views
climbing up the side of that rock and it was a killer workout.
This area is known as the Gibraltar Nature Preserve/
Upper Rock and consists of nature walks but also home of the Great Siege
tunnels, WWII tunnels and St. Michael’s Cave. I visited the tunnels and cave two years ago on a previous
visit so we kept our eyes on the prize- the summit. Our walk began heading uphill through the city until we
reached the park entrance known as Jew’s Gate. Once a hot spot for Jewish
merchants trading with Morocco, it is now a fabulous look out point with views
of both Morocco and Spain. From
here we followed a nature trail known as the Mediterranean steps all the way to
the top.
On the way back down we made a mandatory stop at the
Ape’s Den. They are technically tailless monkeys, and are one of Gibraltar’s
infamous attractions as they roam freely throughout the nature reserve. They are swarmed with van loads of
visitors daily and have gotten very good at jumping on people’s backs and bags
to steal food, hats, sunglass etc.
I’ve seen them come in like Indiana Jones and snatch ice creams out of
visitor’s hands.
There’s no secret that Lisbon is one of my most favorite
places ever. I don’t know how many
of those little custard pastries I could eat if you just left me there but I
bet it’s a lot. The food is pretty
good but the tid bits of art scattered all of the city is what makes me love it
so much. Nothing is very over the
top and showy but it’s subtle and detailed and ornate. The old tiled buildings are covered with vines but it only enhances their beauty.
A little bit of street art all around. Our main mission for the day was a walk through the city and a few bottles of port wine!
And then walking through the designs shops I spotted this pillow and it inspired to make this piece!
I'll catch up with you all from the Baltic! XO
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