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Made it to Genoa!!

Early in the morning yesterday, I wrote this note on Facebook.... 

 Woohooo!! Made it through immigration in Amsterdam without a glitch, and I think that's it for "official stuff"....whew!! It is now morning in Europe, but my body thinks it is midnight...ugh!! It's going to be a long day before I finally make it to Genoa (waiting for departure to Venice, then have 5 hours in Venice before I catch the train to Genoa)!! But it's all part of the journey, and I'm grateful for a quick and uneventful flight from PDX to Amsterdam!!

 I sailed through the Venice airport without a second immigration glance, caught the bus (which entailed dragging my bags from one end of the bus area to the other....then back again...trying to find the right bus!!) to Mestre train station (hoping they might let me take an earlier train to avoid the 5-hour layover)! Unfortunately, I would've had to buy a whole new ticket at double the price, so I decided to stick with the one I already had and entertained myself in Venice!
I figured I'd take the opportunity to see a bit of Venice (and the nice lady suggested I take the train into the main Venice station, check my bags for 6 Euros each and see a bit of Venice bag free), which is what I ended up doing and was oh so grateful not to have any bags as I climbed up and down those stair cases on the bridges crossing the canals!! Those bridges look like gentle slopes in the pictures, but they are really quite steep (to allow the boats to pass underneath)!! Here's a glimpse of one of the many canals I traipsed over in the freezing cold!! Sure is picturesque even if it's freezing!!
I wandered around a bit and froze my behind off, stopped in for a pizza (and coffee, of course), then wandered a bit more (trying to stay warm in 32 degree weather....leaving crumbs along the way to avoid getting lost in those mazes of streets)!! I had fun while eating my authentic Italian pizza.....chatted with a mother and son from Germany, as well as two college girls from Russia! I just love that about traveling....people are so open, friendly and chatty!

 15 hours after writing my note in Amsterdam, I finally made it to Genoa and met my first family!! After 30 hours of NO SLEEP and a long afternoon in Venice (followed by a 5-hour train ride to Milan, then Genoa).....I'm finally here and SO READY to crawl into bed!!
This is a picture of my new home for the next month or so (the peach-colored one on the right side) with a wonderful long-distance view of the harbor and the Ligurian Sea! I'm looking forward to seeing the sights in the area and exploring this beautiful, historic city!! The family seems very nice, helpful and interested in making my adjustment an easy one, so I think all will be well as I adjust to my new surroundings!! 

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