Turkish Genova - Meeting not so local People

Tobias Heller
30. Jan. 2017
7 Min. Lesezeit

At the same day I walked through the five villages of Cinqueterre will I arrive in Genova, which is the capital of the northern region Liguria and serves as one of the most important Italian ports in Italy. It also is the birthplace of Christopher Columbus.

Prologue & Sightseeing

The turkish Crew - A nice Welcome

Tired I arrive late at night in Genova, expecting to meet up here with my Couchsurfing host Berna at the entrance of the station. After not spotting her anywhere closeby I look at the map on my phone, checking the possibility of accidentally being located at the wrong station as there are several train stations in Genova. It is not the case, though I get slightly confused if she might have meant me to wait for her at the bus station instead of the train station, which is just around the corner, though after checking this I am quite sure the by the time completely empty and darkened square is by no means the place she suggested previously. I then log into one of the cities free wifis and after an incoming wave of messages due to a whole day without wifi connection I read Berna's message that she would not be able to pick me up but thefore gave me an exact description how to arrive at her place. To get there takes me about forty minutes, mainly walking along one of the cities broad main roads, therefore not seeing much that seems appealing. Confusion starts to settle in - the given number, even after double checking both street and house number, actually leads into a restaurant. There must be something wrong I guess, and try to find some hidden inner courtyard or a passageway. I am tired, sweaty and a bubbling, blubbering deep growl from somewhere deep inside tells me it is way beyond time to fill my empty stomach. But wait, a moment, i notice some kind of weirdness in the way the numbers go on at the street. After a row of continuing odd numbers, one of those numbers suddenly occurs once more again, so it goes 5, 7, 9, 11, 5. I got an idea now and move further on, and then there is the number I searched for right in front of me for a second time, this time not attached to a restaurant but a block of appartments. I happily ring and I am welcomed by Berna and her flatmate Efin, two turkish girls living in Genova doing their Erasmus. Busra, one of their friends joins later and we immerse into card games until late, when I finally creep tiredly into bed. Busra volunteers for today to go on a walk with me, showing me around in Genova. The old center is impressively constructed with high growing buildings and the typical dark green or pastel yellow window shutters are omnipresent along the facades. Once we pass over into one of the main streets, the Via XX September, which leads far off into the west and east with various shopping possibilities up to the most important square Piazza De Ferrari, the buildings and it's architecture around get more impressive, an archway ensures cover from weather influences from above.

Sightseeing

Piazza De Ferrari - Power and Might

The Piazza De Ferrari is the main square of Genova, with various offices, banks and business buildings in vicinity. It is right in between the old and the modern center and serves as a connector amidst those. Circling around the Piazza we find various important buildings, such as the local theater, Museums, Churches and Palaces. Here everything strategically connects, the harbor is in reach to the west in a few minutes walk, the nightlife area is to be encountered just a stone's throw around the next corner, and the shopping area is attached to the east, with the broad main street leading straight on here. At night the enormous fountain in the middle is lit in rainbow colored light, which alternates in a row around the outlines of the circular basin with the strong jets of water.

Strolling & Curiosities

Hidden Details

We take a coffee together in a small cafe next to the cathedral of genova, and once done have a look at the church. How many churches have I seen since I travel? I reckon that - with Rome drastically increasing the number - I am nearly about to reach a three-digit number. Busra hops up the stairs of the entrance, instead of going inside she points at one of the decorations of the church. Along the lines a small, crippled looking dog has been carved into the stone, something you'd never be able to see if no one indicates it to you. The background of this is, that during the erection of the cathedral a constructor accidentally killed one of the local's dogs during the ongoing works. Overcome with guilt he carved this little piece of memory onto one of the cathedrals main entrances sides. After visiting the inside of the church we pop into a little Kebab store, led by friends of Busra and we drink some turkish tea before we continue our walk.

We stroll onwards from the cathedral area and several tiny narrow streets to Via Garibaldi, a street on those both sides palaces are situated one after another, such as Palazzo Doria Tursi and Palazzo Rosso - yes, my dear friends, I had to look that up again, my brain is not capable of using up that much data space for hundreds of palaces during traveling. I am sometimes on the verge of deleting my relatives names in order to organize some free memory space up there. As we walk around the road, the way is blocked at a certain point, with people apparently protesting, whichever the occasion is is.The protesters here light colored smoke bombs, from which a huge cloud of orange-red smoke escapes in thick clouds, gradually uprising by the warmth below. It spreads and dissolves slightly, putting a veil of color over the street, the colors strong luminance only fortified by the lights in the streets that must have flickered into life several minutes ago. It appears somehow like someone put an unsuccessful real life filter over the the whole street, thereby giving it a slightly surreal look.

Viewpoint

Miniature Genova - The best View

Büşra then leads me into a elongated tunnel, with an elevator at the end. I am somehow puzzled where this one would take us, obviously upstairs, I am clever enough to figure that out. Once the large, with large mirrors equipped elevator stops it's ascent, a bright clang announces the arrival and the doors swing open. In front of me lies one of the most gorgeous views down onto a city that I have seen so far, though it may not be due to high skyscrapers or a blindingly bright array of lights shining upwards, but the mayor ground plan of the harbor and how the city is situated around and about is just too picturesque, and the light is magic. The sky is a deep soft blue, clouds are fading into the background, while the soft ripples on the water surface reflect the lit up objects in a blurry haze. Little high ranking cranes appear to be miniature toys, rowed up cleanly behind one another, in the middle the upper spotlight of the lighthouse turns around and shines forth once it's ray is directed towards us. A huge neon sign adds to the fantastic playful on a small scale, shining upwards with bright neon colors. Perfectly as well fits the green withered dome shape of another building that sits in the front. I could be staring at this view forever, observing the lights, enjoying the quiet atmosphere and the muffled sounds that are barely audible from below.

Harbor & Seaside

The Harbor - Day and Night

I am overly tired by last nights events, once more the girls have been up late, playing cards and board games in the smoky kitchen, whose shelf is filled with hundreds of empty wine bottles. And it all ended with me and the girls being with a Russian guy in the middle of nowhere in an expensive car, surrounded by fog, until the guy pulls out a gun from the backside of his car. As you may notice I am still alive, I may not explain further. Just a typical standard lunatic night in Genova.

The harbor, already seen from above is the place I want to explore today. I meet with Martina, a local living here in Genova and a friend of Gianfranco who did Erasmus in Hamburg with him, therefore she also speaks german very well. She shows me around the area, in which the aquarium of Genova sits with the biosphere next to it, as well as various museums. A huge modern tent sits in the water, with thick poles spiking out of it and the white walls surfaces bend in a fluid shape. The harbor is sits a bit further inside the mainland, fulfilling a large semicircle bow, for which reason, depending on which side you stand, a different part of the city would sit in the background. Cities with a harbor always tend to attract me more than others, the rusty metallic cranes used for maintaining the ships giving the area a harsh look, the various masts that are rowing up and seem to be a bunch of tiny matches from further distance, the occasional shrieking of seagulls, the busy clang of fishermen working and the soft blubbering sound when a light disturbance in the water thuds against cement walls of the promenade's side. The grey sky does not turn down my lifted mood while taking a long stroll with the scent of salt ever so prominent in the moist air, and the conversations with Martina are entertaining and engaging.

Sun has set already and I take a last walk to the harbor, the waters reflecting the incoming lights of the surrounding in long stripes. I linger around here for a while, slowly trotting along a walkway past the aquarium and the biosphere into the middle of the harbor, while I enjoy the silence and peace, as there are not many people around, and those who are, seem only to enjoy the tranquility themselves. Tomorrow, I will finally go on to my last Italian City Torino on that trip, and I am also somehow looking forward to this. I absolutely love Italy, especially here in Genova I enjoyed a good time, with interesting people and new insights, nevertheless I am happy to enter a new country and gain new experiences.