Our plane flies early on Monday morning, leaving Chiavari at 3:00 AM to be in Milan to catch it. Till then, we will visit the sea whenever possible. We and so many others watched the sea wall (that may not be the right word for the retention walls that break the waves coming in) as it was being rearranged. The arrangement uses very large equipment – a giant dredger (marvelous name – a dragaggi, which sounds like a giant dragon would sound if made of steel )with a claw and giant rocks being dumped into the sea to build a definitive barrier. The results appear to create an Olympic-sized inner pool of water, now used for swimming, and probably again after the redo, as it is a very popular spot. A public beach directly in front of 2+ million dollar condos.
This little bit of sea has some fabulous water noises and rocks for meditation. And so I sat, again, at one with the natural world. The thoughts that came were rich and somewhat ordinary at the same time. Soap Bubbles — lyep that was the visual.
The real significance was appreciating this moment and not trying to hold onto the experience too long. Let this be perfect and enjoy everything. Like soap bubbles, let them be beautiful and ephemeral, then let them go with joy. Do not try to ruin things by hanging on to them too long or past their moment. Sigh. Such perfection.
Meanwhile, we are walking to the seafront tonight for a dinner at a restaurant recommended by the landlord. I do like seafood, but after watching My Octopus Friend, I can’t eat one. It has to be something different.
Some negatives—In case you think I’m only rosy-hued about Italy, we had our first bread that we didn’t like—imagine a poor, tasteless bread in Italy! Horrors. We have seen two or three homeless people. They look pretty much like homeless people everywhere. I saw a parent who ignored her children while she entertained her friends nearby.
We found a concert a few piazzas away and let ourselves be entertained by modern composers. I’m of mixed enjoyment of dissonance in my piano appreciation, but the pianist was very good. The performance featured operatic voices—all students from someplace, each one with a great voice. I thought about it and hoped there was a world where they would have brilliant careers in an uncertain future.
So, one last rock-sit, this one in warmer weather, surrounded by bathers. They do this magic undressing in a towel thing and then lay on the rocks. One last giveaway of extra stuff, and then we continue to try to fit the 60-lb of things into the 50-lb suitcase. OMG! The next couple of hours will be interesting.
We had such a great send-off from our friends in Genova last evening. It was warm and lovely to feel like we had made friends here. We even both got on the train and stayed on the train for the whole trip—together. The fast train only stops twice between here and Genova Brignole (Breen-yo-lay), so it is nearly worth the extra cost to have the fast train — labeled EASY on the side. Today, we saw an other slower commuter train with ” BASIC ” written on the side. That’s us — easy and basic both. We can take either one.
Lastly, the Hertz office is a riot of Italian silliness. We picked up our car, and were prompt, 15 minutes early – she sent us away to wait till the appointed minute and hour. She had no other customers. Lew gave her his passport again, and each time she looked at it, she read each line to verify what she had already verified three times before. But, apparently, one cannot be too careful. I think this is not unusual. Stores are open randomly to those who don’t speak the language – usually, stores are open only till 12:30, except when they are not. Usually, everything is closed and shut down at the markets by 12:30-1:00, except yesterday, they were open at 4 PM. I’m not sure we ever got the timing right, so we just go out and find something, any day or time. Something is always open and available if you don’t have a specific one in mind.
We thank you for all your good thoughts and wishes and your willingness to read my stuff. We return, thinking of you all with loving hearts. Caio tutti!