PROTECTOR OF THE SEA AND THE VERY FIRST VEGAN SAINT

Yesterday afternoon we went to watch a ceremony in the small boat harbour in Nervi.  It was the annual blessing of the sea by Saint Francis of Paola (or Francesco di Paola as he is better known here). Last year we missed it, so I was glad we had an opportunity to see it now.
   It was a hot day and there was quite a crowd watching the procession of the statue of Francis arriving to the porticiolo. First, he was transferred to a small boat with the priest from the local parish and they then went out to the sea.

Francis is thought to be the patron saint of all mariners, boatsmen and the navy. As with all saints, there are many stories about miracles associated with him.

  According to one legend, Francis of Paola was once refused a passage by a boatman when crossing the Strait of Messina to Sicily. Despite this setback, Francis managed to get to the other side. He put his cloak on the water and made it a rudimentary sail by tying it on his staff www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Francis_of_Paola. The wind took to the sail and carried Francis over.

A small number of boats followed to the spot where the actual blessing took place, while the spectators on shore were entertained by a local brass band. They returned 15 minutes later and St Francis was put back on dry land. Couple of very strong looking guys lifted up a big cross of Christ, followed by the statue of Francis and then the procession moved towards the small harbour, stopping every now and then for prayers.

Slowly, we approached the local church, which was not far away.

The bells of the church started playing a very joyful melody as soon as the procession appeared.This was definitely not a pre-recorded tape, but someone who was clearly enjoying a bit of a "solo".
  St Francis, by the way, founded an order of monks. He was very fond of animals and therefore this must have been the very first vegan order in the world as the monks were not allowed to eat meat, fish, dairy, eggs or cheese. Quite ahead of his time, I think.

A GARAGE IS WORTH A FORTUNE

"There in 5, just have to find a parking space first!" said a text from a friend. 

I know what this means. The chances of finding a parking space near our apartment on a busy weekend night is slim and it might be closer to 15 minutes before my friend appears. But in truth, finding a free parking space in whole of Genoa is a real pain. 

We don't own a car at the moment because it is more practical and less costly than having one. True, there has been moments when I wish we had a car, for example, when I am coming home from a supermarket with three bags instead of one, when waiting for trains which never arrive or not being able to drive to a beach in France at a moment's notice without planning well ahead and renting a car. 

  But if we had one, we would almost certainly also need a garage or "box" as it is more commonly known. These are not cheap: they cost anything between 50 000 to 120 000 euro to buy, providing that you find one in the first place. When buying an apartment, a box  is not necessarily included in the deal either. Instead of sinking this amount of money just to keep the car out of the street, many people prefer to rent a parking space or a box. This is considerably cheaper, approximately 80 to 100 euro a month. 

For the time being, owning a car is more trouble than it's worth for us, but who knows, one day we might be in a queue for a box...