Back with Ugo and Deb

Camping is fun, but after two weeks with limited gear, it was good to get back to Genova and to Ugo and Deb. Our wonderful hosts were awaiting us with open arms. We regaled them with tales of our trip while they began to prepare the first of many amazing Italian meals for us.

Ugo is a chef with masterful talents, and Deb is his capable and efficient sous-chef. Our first evening back, they had arranged a bit of a dinner party with another couple, and it was like a grand reunion between old friends. It is so nice to be so far from home and have this kind of generosity and warmth in our lives. Ugo and Deb have been true "salt of the earth" people. They really have given us all a little taste of Italy and their passion for food and things Italian has been infectious. They are also both very conscious about being socially responsible human beings -- it has been nice to be with people who care so deeply about our planet and the people and living things we share it with.
So much of the food prepared by Ugo and Deb was thrown together in a matter of minutes with great passion, excellent ingredients of the highest quality, and with mouth watering results. Here is a simple organic tomato salad with balsamic vinegar, fresh basil and extra virgin olive oil made from olives grown in their own trees in a nearby community garden . . . Wow!
Tuna is a very traditional food in parts of Italy, and Ugo spoiled us with this amazing feast cooked to perfection on the barbeque with fresh herbs from his terrace garden. What an amazing treat!
As is the case with most Italian meals, there are different parts or courses to the meal. The next course involved a pasta dish with this incredible delicacy (very hard to come by apparently): a salted and dried egg sac from a tuna fish, cut and sauteed with the pasta. Once again it was quite the culinary experience, one which we would never be able to afford in a restaurant.
Ugo and Deb had Sunday free, so they planned to take us on a lovely hike on the coast just East of Genova. It landed up being quite a steep and strenuous hike. The hike took us along typical Italian paths from times gone by -- paths that took us between quaint villages and along stunning coastal scenery. It was hot, so we landed up at a lovely coastal swimming spot and spent the afternoon hanging out in the turquoise waters of the Mediterranean. Pippin and Kai had a great time hanging out and playing with Ugo and Deb!
The coastal region around Portofino is part of a marine park and is protected, so there was an impressive variety of colourful fish to check out in the water.
Ugo was happy to get right in there with the kids and do some "serious" swimming. He would dive down deep between the rocks and expose all kinds of critters for the kids to check out. He really knew how to connect with the kids. Thanks for that Ugo!
Like much of Italy, the coastline is densely inhabited. This picture gives one a sense of the "rural" region outside of Camogli.
The gorgeous Mediterranean in the late afternoon sun!
Ugo was keen to make a traditional Genovese Pesto with us while we were here, and so he roped the kids in on the process. For those who do not know it -- "pesto" comes from the word pestle (as in mortar and pestle) and refers to the act of grinding the ingredients. In Ugo and Deb's home, only the best local, organic basil was permitted for the job.
There was definite method to the use of the mortar and pestle -- Pippin has now been well trained by the master!
Just imagine that amazing aroma from the basil . . .
By now there was basil, pine nuts, salt and olive oil -- dried parmaggiano reggiano and pecorino was to be added next!
The final product was by far the best pesto dish we had ever had . . . The pasta and pesto were combined with new potatoes and green beans. It was out of this world!
While we were here, we spent some time in the old quarter of Genova. The city has a long history going back to Roman times. The real glory days seem to have been the sea faring times around the 15oo's when Genova was considered one of Europe's most important cities. This is where Christopher Columbus set out from on his maiden voyage in search of a route to Asia (and instead, as we all know, he stumbled upon the Americas.) The city is steeped in history and has many grand buildings reflecting the wealth and oppulence of those times. There are churches we saw that make it easy to understand why the Catholic church came under scrutiny for having lost touch with the founding principles of Christianity -- too much gold and glitter! Still one has to appreciate the beauty and the attention to detail. This church above was probably one of the most ornate we saw in all of Europe.
This building is one of many fancy residences built by famous/noble families from the 1500's -- they were all competing to 'out do' one another. The whole neighbourhood has become a world heritage site to preserve some of these amazing buildings.
Skye admiring the old town! She's not particularly fond of this nostril-showing shot, but Ronato likes it!
Kai and Pippin during one of their sibling "moments." We have spent a lot of time together in the last six months. In fact, we have not really been apart at all this whole time. As much as there have been some challenging sibling moments, this trip has really allowed Kai and Pippin to become closer to one another -- there were many times where they only had each other's company.
Well it is hard to believe, but this is likely to be our last post from European soil. We are leaving today to return the car to the rental place in Nice, and then it is off to the airport where we will spend the night before departing early Friday morning.

This has been an amazing time, filled with incredible experiences. It has been very healthy to step outside of our lives and have the opportunity to contemplate other angles and perspectives from a distance. It is funny how all of us have been experiencing mixed emotions in the last few days. There is the readiness to return home to some routine and familiar comfort, but also some sadness to say goodbye to this amazing adventure and time we have had as a family. We have had a particular closeness and a real simplicity in our lives for the last six months. Most days were simply about what we should eat and where we should go explore, and yet it was so much more than that. What a gift!

We hope to do some final reflection from Canada, and we will add a final travel blog or two from there.

Hope this finds you all well. Until next time . . .

Skye, Ronato, Kai and Pippin