un viaggio dentro un viaggio

On our way to TOULON to visit our friends, we planned an overnight stop in Genoa (home of Christopher Columbus). Despite the rain we had while we were there, we all agreed it is a delightful city.
We found a great, relaxed restaurant. It was in Da Maria that I realized we have hit a milestone. When we walked in, the host asked us in Italian if we wanted to sit right there or eat 'sopra' (upstairs). Maddy picked out the word 'sopra,' and without a second's hesitation said, "sopra! sopra!" The host was delighted and showed us upstairs and I realized our kids were using Italian without thinking to engage with people outside the family and even outside school.
The next thing we noticed about Da Maria is that it's not built for foreign tourists as the menu a) comes without prices, and b) is hand-written in Italian cursive. On the first count, I have to say this is the first restaurant I've heard of that didn't have prices because you CAN afford everything (cheapest place we've been yet!). On the second count, it's clear to me that our hours of helping Maddy and Gus with homework are paying off- two months ago I wouldn't have been able to decipher this menu. When we did decipher it, we found it was full of fascinating names for the local dishes usually including the descriptor 'buonissimo' (super good). When we ordered our food they yelled the order down the dumbwaiter and up it would pop in a matter of seconds.
The next morning we went straight to the Aquario to see all kinds of fish, otters, penguins, and even hummingbirds. In one of the pictures here you might recognize the 'Finding Nemo' tank.