Saluti, Italia!

Departed Eugene on Tuesday afternoon, September 7 for a quick flight to San Francisco. A short layover in SF almost caused me to miss my flight to Europe, but I quickly settled in for the brutal 12-hour slog to Frankfurt, Germany.

Based on my experience flying to Korea last year, I knew I wasn't going to be able to sleep much on this long flight -- regardless of the time of day -- so I whiled away the hours reading "Cactus Eaters" by Dan White and watching Iron Man 2 at least twice.

With a short layover in Frankfurt, I boarded a two-hour Lufthansa flight to Milan, the largest city and a center of commerce for Northern Italy. The last part of my journey -- to Genoa (photos above of the city skyline and port) -- would be an adventure.

Standing at a bus stop for Genoa outside for well over an hour, a kindly taxi driver informed me that the busses had stopped running to Genoa for the day, and that a taxi would be too expensive. He suggested the motor coach from Milano Malpensa airport to the Milano Centrale train station. Milano Malpensa is maddening: no one but me spoke English, so I had to rely on my trusty Rick Steves' Italian Phrasebook. It came in handy.

Once I found the right bus, I felt a little more comfortable, but the hour was now getting late; it was almost 9 p.m. local time when I reached Milano Centrale trail station, and I was having a difficult time both finding the correct train and a restroom.

Eventually finding both, I settled into my berth on the train for the two-hour trip to Genoa, the capital of the province of Liguria on the Mediterranean Sea. Arriving close to midnight at the train station in Genoa, it was a short taxi ride to my hotel -- the Cristoforo Colombo, a charming, family-owned facility (above).

My hotel was located in the heart of Old (read: medieval) Genoa, near the birthplace of the famous explorer (above), who reportedly discovered America.

I had reached my destination after traveling for 24 hours. I adjourned to a neighboring bar -- the Cafe Barbarossa (below) -- for several beers before turning in.