So, Genoa. I understand why it's Vince''s favorite. There's something amazing around every corner. There are winding medieval streets everywhere. The place is graspable as a pedestrian. There are all these renaissance merchantile palaces, in rows and rows, with stone streets, these incredible canyons, with excellent acoustics. Everywhere I went, I found good places to perform.

I tried, really, and people were happy to stop and watch. But there were almost no English speakers, and my act depends heavily on my smart mouth, my gift of gab. Any of you who have seen me perform should be unsurprised by this. The only times in my act that I shut up, it's for comedic effect to show that I'm stunned by what just happened. My plan was always to perform for English speakers, but the unseasonable cold snap drove me south. So here we are. I need a non-verbal act to thrive in Genoa, and I don't have one. Yet.

I did make some money as a fortuneteller. Any time I can find outdoor tables that are not served by their owners, I can buy something, then set out a sign. That sign is in ENGLISH and it does the job of selecting for customers who speak that language. I now set that sign out every opportunity I can find, and money trickles in that way. It's not a street show though. The best analogy I can come up with is a street show with a crowd gather and a hat pass is like going out with a fishing boat and a big net, and spending the afternoon at a sidewalk cafe available to tell fortunes is like fishing with a line and pole.

Anyway, as a tourist, I adore Genoa. Walking the streets makes you feel like you're in a classic D&D city. There are little shops everywhere, organized thieves, smiling prostitutes in winding back roads, beautiful churches, palaces, it's cool. As a street performer, it's not for me at this time, and I leave it for Vince, who I know must thrive there.