Snow in Genova
Hi All,
Let me first provide a brief introduction to the purpose of these emails… Normally, as many would attest to I am very lazy at emailing full stop, let alone when I am travelling. These emails are a concerted effort to change this. However there is actually an alternative motive. Each week, a letter is sent from the Melbourne branch of the Manners family to my grandparents in Perth. As such, this email is written with this in mind. I hope that you all enjoy reading it, but I am sure that it contains details that are boring.
As these emails will hopefully continue in one form or another indefinitely, I propose rather than to risk becoming a spammer to allow people to choose to receive these emails. I will also put them as a text file on the web site so that they can be read at anytime. Therefore, in future I will only send this email onto those who request it. I hope this satisfies those, I know, who dislike receiving continual emails…
Well, to start the email proper. I was afraid of having nothing to write about this week. Last
weekend I had a relaxing time studding Italian and had dinner with Ottavio and Chiara and the start of the week was fairly mundane, work, Italian lesson, home, sleep etc… That was until Thursday morning…
I should prefix this story with the following. Prior to coming to Genova, a college of mine from
Melbourne, moved from Genova to Melbourne. I was speaking with him about the weather in
Genova and what to expect. Francesco assured me that the weather in Genova is very similar to that in Melbourne, only slightly colder in winter, he assured me. It is close to the ocean the reason given. “Ohh, it does snow, but only once every 5 years or so, very rare. It snowed last year so you won’t get ANY snow whilst your there.”
Well, for those more astute can already probably guess that it has in fact snowed and as I write this email, is STILL snowing. Recently there has been a period of exceptionally cold weather in Russia, with Moscow recording temperatures of -30°C to -40°C and below. Well I woke up on Tuesday morning and had my enormous breakfast that Laura insists on preparing for me (We have to remember that I am incapable of domestic duties…) and said, the next week is going to be VERY cold. First we get cold weather from Russia, then from Greenland!! Well, I said, OK, it can’t be nearly as bad as what Montreal is capable of and Francesco says it NEVER snows so that’s cool. I verified this report with people at work so was expecting wind, rain, maybe sleet. Wednesday turned out fine. Thursday morning I made my way to work and noticed the first few snow flakes falling. I got to work and my view out over the Mediterranean was gone!! Without gravity, it would be impossible to know up from down! A continuous grey. Throughout the day, it kept snowing and snowing and…
When it came time to go home, about 5cm had built up throughout the city. Now I know this is
NOTHING, but the Genovese were worried. The city is not used to snow. It shuts down in the
event of snow. I got a lift home with my immediate college Tony and made my way up the hill to the B&B. Previously at work, we had made arrangements to go out that night and I stayed indoors until 8:30pm. I then headed outside. Well, by this time the snow had built up to about 10-15cm it was beautiful white, fluffy snow. You couldn’t make a very good snow ball try as I might, it just wouldn’t stick!
I was picked up by Darrio in his Cinquecento (the one in the photos) and I have to add this note, I WANT ONE!!! It was perfect for the conditions, light weight, chains on. Off we went to Ottavio
and Chiara’s place where we met up with them and a friend of Darrio’s, Enrico. Well, in addition to Darrio’s cinquecento, Enrico had a old Austrian four wheel drive!! Excuse me as I forget the exact details, but it was fractionally longer than the cinquecento (only because it was the long wheel base, the short wheel base is the same length!). Had a 600cc engine mounted at the rear, NO centre differential and the possibility of locked front and back diffs. This gave it the ability to go ANYWHERE at ANYTIME. Apparently, this make were made for the Austrian and Swiss armies between 1950’s and 1970’s. It was an amazing car in PERFECT condition and as if I expected any different, the engine has been “tweaked”. So, off we went, hooning around the EMPTY streets of Genova in a little cinquecento and a 30 year old Austrian four wheel drive. Needless to say, we all had a ball. I have put some video on the internet of you adventures, and will post the photos as soon as possible. For those not used to snow, the Genovese and me in particular snowball fights were a blast.
I have more to write, but I need to go to my Italian lesson now, and I need to save stuff for next
week.
Again, those interested in having this delivered to you, please just send me an email, blank I don’t care. For the others, check out http://james.manners.net.au for future ramblings…
I hope your all well.
James