Baths on the briny

It was flat as we went to sleep, but it got rollier in the night, and Kevin and I both had to get out of bed to stop doors banging or things falling about. We woke up to a ghostly Jemima drifting around the room; she can't get out of her bed in the motorhome (it's too high) so she took the opportunity to get up and explore while she could.

The first thing I did was have a bath: blissful. Then I dragged Jemima into the bath for her fortnightly wash (I am only slightly exaggerating...). She complained at first (the shock of the unusual) but soon enjoyed it. Meanwhile, Kevin was starting to feel a little peaky, so he had some anti-seasickness tablets. Then Jemima turned white, so we tried to get one into her. After a number of failed attempts, I bought a croissant and hid it in that - she shuddered a few times as she was eating it, but the love of a croissant spurred her on, and it did go in.

And then passed a quiet morning: Kevin sleeping through his seasickness; Jemima and I sharing a mid morning sandwich, once she started feeling better (something about travelling makes me constantly hungry); and then reading and watching DVDs. By lunchtime Kevin was well enough to head out, so we had lunch at the self service place (we learned our lesson about the waste of expensive meals on ferry crossings on our Santander to Portsmouth trip last November); then Kevin went back to bed and Jemima and I went to play.

We had a lovely time, first in the kids' room where we met some Italian children; and then on the sun deck, where we found a shady sheltered spot and played a game (Roll and Play, it's brilliant). After a few hours of fun (and a hunt for my sunglasses, which I lost, AGAIN - but thank goodness these were £15 from M&S and I bought two pairs for this exact eventuality; I have finally learnt my lesson), we headed back home for a rest.

And before you knew it, we were approaching Genoa and had to leave our cabin. Kevin carried a sleeping Jemima to the bar where we were supposed to wait; and then it was back to Beatrix. A desperate tussle with Genoan traffic (some sort of accident meant the autostrade was closed and the diversions very slow); and finally we were at the campsite.

You could see the difference in infrastructure with Sicily instantly we disembarked: no rubbish; good roads; well kept buildings; safe pavements (Kevin says he would describe Sicily as "broken concrete"). But we've also left the warmth behind us: it was sunny, but not summery. We will see more what Genoa has to offer in tomorrow's daylight

(There are a couple more photos - I'll finish them tomorrow...)

Genoa Ferry Port to Arenzano: