Saturday, April 6, 2024

Our day began in Genoa, Italy — the 9th day of our Sun Princess Cruise. All four of us were excited to be in Italy again, as we very much enjoyed our time in this country the past two weeks. We’ve visited the southern cities of Capri and Sorrento, and traveled throughout the central Umbria Region. Today, we had a chance to explore areas of Northern Italy.

There’s something special about the Italian landscape! Even the cruise port was beautiful displayed outside our ship balcony this morning. One thing Andi and I have commented on again and again is how different the style of architecture is in each country we’ve visited. Italy has a distinct “look” about it, and we were glad to wake up to it again this morning.

Andi and I opted to skip exercising in the cruise ship gym this morning because we knew today would be an active day on land. We also wanted to get an early start to our day in Genoa as we planned to travel from Genoa to the Portofino Peninsula.

After a quick breakfast in The Eatery buffet on the ship, the four of us made our way off the Sun Princess. From the cruise port terminal, we walked across the street to the train station. I’m glad that we’d utilized Italy’s train system several times before so that we knew how & where to obtain train tickets. Well, kind of. There always seems to be some sort of hoop to jump through at the train station, and eventually Andi was able to get the tickets we needed to take the train from the Genoa train station to the town of Santa Margarita. From Santa Margarita, we planned to walk the rest of the way to the town of Portofino.

Even with some previous knowledge of the train system, we still find navigating the board to be tricky. It’s important to know that the cities listed on the big boards are the first and final stops of the train, but the trains make many more stops along the line that are not shown. Such was the case today when the train stopping in Santa Margarita was listed as Sesiri Levante. It’s best to look for the train number on the board, not the destination though that can still be a little nerve-wracking because as we question if we’re really on the correct train.

Google Maps helps to know which cities the train stops in, or Andi also uses a website called Rome to Rio. In Italy, passengers also need to stamp their tickets at one of the green validation boxes positioned throughout the station. Only a simple note on the train ticket that states the ticket “must be validated” tells of this important step. Without doing so, passengers may be fined.

The train ride from Genoa to Santa Margarita was easy once we boarded the train. The four of us used the restroom at the train station (not a pleasant experience), and then walked down by the water to take in our surroundings. Wow, what a gorgeous place! The sky had been gray and cloudy in Genoa, but in Santa Margarita there were blue skies, and the sounds of the sea filled the air. Fishermen were busy mending their lines and cleaning out their boats after a morning out on the water. A few other groups of tourists gathered, some as part of a guided Sun Princess tour group.

Taking the advice of Andi’s cousin, Laura, we decided to walk from Santa Margarita to the small resort town of Portofino this morning. People have been attracted to this city along the Italian Riviera for decades, including many big-name stars.

The path from Santa Margarita to Portofino followed the coastline. It was flat, paved, and relatively easy walking. Lots of other people were also out for a stroll, or a run making the walking path busy, but not too crowded.

The color of the water was absolutely breathtaking. It sparkled a gorgeous teal blue color.

Even though our walk wasn’t very physically challenging, the four of us still worked up a sweat walking along in the sunshine. Temperatures were in the high-60’s by lunchtime. As we reached the village of Portofino, there were a few more hills to climb which made a drink on the patio in the Bay of Portofino all the more satisfying.

We reached Portofino at 11:45am, and many of the waterfront restaurants had yet to open for the day. Seems to me, those restaurants were missing out on some business as the handful of restaurants we did find open were packed with customers. Andi picked a table at Portofino Bistrot, knowing full well that this probably wouldn’t be the best service, food, or pricing we’d find in the area. At a touristy waterfront restaurant such as this, we knew we’d better lower our expectations and get out our wallets. As I told Andi though, “this is our excursion for today — walking to Portofino (which was free) and having lunch with a view.”

The four of us were seated in a small booth right on the water’s edge. Literally, if I would have dropped my fork, it would have landed in the water. There were plenty of pieces of silverware (and who knows what else) already on the sea floor. We could also see jellyfish and other species of fish swimming around the shallows.

Andi ordered a seafood platter to start, and an additional piece of grilled fish for his entree. Given our geographical location, he said he felt seafood was a must. Tory and Aden decided to split a bowl of pasta, and I ordered a caprese salad. Since we were back in Italy, Italian cocktails were a no-brainer. Andi enjoyed an Aperol Spritz, and I ordered a Limoncello Spritz to pair with our meals.

The seafood was surprisingly delicious! I’m not much of a seafood person, especially choices such as squid, clams, and mussels, but it all tasted so fresh.

After lunch, we decided to take the ferry back to Santa Margarita instead of walking back on foot. We arrived at the vessel a minute before it departed the bay which was lucky timing and made it on the ferry just in time. The sparkling blue water was even more beautiful from a boat. The four of us thoroughly enjoyed the warm sea breeze as we made the 15-minute ride back to Santa Margarita.

Andi promised the kids a treat, so we navigated our way to the nearest gelato shop called Cafe Bonani. Aden picked his usual scoop of vanilla, and Tory opted for a pinguino, which his an ice cream cone dipped in chocolate.

Santa Margarita is a pretty cool town, but we were all sweaty and tired. We decided to take the train back to Genoa instead of walking around any further. The 30-minute train ride back to Genoa was an easy trip without any hiccups, as was our re-entry onto the Sun Princess ship.

Back on the cruise ship, Tory, Aden, and I changed into our swimming suits while Andi stayed back in our stateroom to work for a while. Tory and I had enough sun for the day, so we laid in a shady spot on the pool deck. Aden probably should have stayed out of the sun, too, as his face is already sunburned, but keeping him away from his friends swimming in the pool wasn’t going to happen.

Can you find Tory hiding underneath a beach towel?

For dinner, we decided to go back to the Americana Diner one last time. The kids love their root beer floats and strawberry milkshakes. We ordered our usual buttermilk chicken, sticky ribs, bbq wings, and mac & cheese entrees.

As soon as we finished eating, the four of us went to the Princess Arena for tonight’s production show. This is the first night the cruise ship has a big production show which, honestly, is a bit of a bummer. This is a brand new ship, and Sun Princess has admitted that their entertainment department wasn’t quite ready for guests. Tonight was the debut event, and there was a buzz happening already an hour before the show began. Fortunately, we had reserved seats in the theatre with our Premier Package, so we didn’t have trouble getting seats but I know a lot of other passengers were turned away from the show.

The pirate show was fantastic with lights, music, dancing, and acrobatics. Plus, it was a great tale about two long-lost siblings who find each other and reclaim their heritage. Aden initially wanted to go to Neon Grove Tweens Club, but we convinced him to stay and watch the show. I think he really enjoyed it.