Posted by: gardner310 | September 2, 2012

Alberobello to Lecce

 

In the main piazza of Lecce

828  I actually made breakfast this morning.  Spent a few hours packing and working on the free internet.  Boy, I hated to leave that, slow as it was.  My drive today was not as long as the first day.  I was headed to Lecce via Ostuni.  I printed the directions at home from Alberobello to Lecce but when I decided to go to Ostuni, I had to do it the old fashion way, by map.  Fortunately it was not complicated and I made it an easy day.  Ostuni is another white city with a lovely cathedral (15th c) but the traffic was brutal and I had no city map.  This means I am trying to find brown signs that say cathedral or basilica while not side scraping a car.  Wasn’t easy but got through it unscathed.


From here I stopped in a town called Carovigno because it has a humongous castello that you can see from the main road.  Took that quick left up the hill, of course, and found that the Castello Dentice di Frasso (15th c) is only open from 5-8 pm.  Unfortunately, it was 2 pm and I was not going to wait that long so the only photos are from the outside.  Disappointed but glad I got to see it.

Posted by: gardner310 | September 1, 2012

Driving in Italy

I think I’ve figured most of it out.  The Italians are pretty good drivers but a little scary until you figure out the system.  I’m sure I scared a few of them this week as I worked my through roundabouts and sensa vias (one way streets) the wrong way!  It looks to me like the reason they tailgate so much is that if you are the passing lane more than 30 seconds you get run over by the Audi screaming up behind you.  So they hug your tail until there is room to pass and then whip around you, almost cutting you off in front.  But it works.  I haven’t heard many horns, cars just seem to meld in and out of traffic circles and around corners.  You do have to be careful as a pedestrian but the drivers seems quite reasonable if you are in a crosswalk.  Not that they necessarily stop but they do slow down.

Now don’t get me started on the parking situation…

Posted by: gardner310 | August 31, 2012

Lecce at Night

I’m sitting in the main Piazza in Lecce at11pm and it is crowded with couples, families with small children and groups of friends. A group of 3 street entertainers just finished a great program which had hundreds standing around in a circle watching. They were gymnasts,two guys a girl, who did a lot of tossing the girl around and she ended up in air on hands. Very good.

There is a opera playing in the amphitheater behind me, the same one I was in the other night.

This is Europe, especially Italy and the Mediterranean countries. The restaurants and cafes are full. Life starts at night! I think I live in the wrong place. Wheaton closes up about 9, even our ships are quiet by 11:30pm. Off to the gelateria on my home. nope. I would have been # 32 in line- at almost midnight.

Enjoying it while I can. You can experience the same joie de vivre (French,I know), come to Italy. I’ll be happy to plan your trip. Viva Italia!

20120831-222655.jpg

Posted by: gardner310 | August 28, 2012

Trulli? What the —- are trulli?

Trulli, Alberobello

 

827  After sleeping in, I headed out on foot to the zona trulli.  I was told it was 15-20 minutes away but they neglected to say it was all uphill.  I have to remember that in Italy, almost everything is up a hill.  Fortunately I had my hat and water bottle so I just followed the signs.  I was expecting ruins in the tradition of Pompei but I got the opposite.  It is a beautifully restored area, sparkling white and bustling with shops, restaurants and tourists.  The streets are made for wandering (uphill and downhill) and everywhere you look there is a photo op.  The Siamese trullo is the oldest in the neighborhood, dating back about 1500 years, now a lovely linens shop.  Here also is the trullo church of St. Anthony di Padova.  Sitting inside and looking up at the arches and the thick walls was quite comfortable, even without air conditioning, and you could understand the benefits of this architectural style in this arid area.
I decided to have lunch in Trulli City since I missed breakfast and the heat was taking its toll.  The Locanda di Gallo turned out to be the perfect respite.  The inside is typical trullo with lots of small rooms but they had a tented courtyard so I ate outside and enjoyed the breeze that was blowing with a little too much gusto but felt good.

Lunch in Trulli City

Of course I had to try the local specialty, burrata, a dish of prosciutto type ham and a ball of runny mozzarella type cheese, a salada misto with the local house vino rosso.  Even in a tourist area my 1/4 litre cost only 2.5 euros.  Being the lightweight drinker I have become, it would have been too much if I was driving.  However since I walking I finished the whole thing and enjoyed every drop.

Burrata, Ham and Cheese

From the zona trulli I walked downhill, crossed a main street of shops and restaurants, and headed back uphill to see the Basilica.  As European basilicas go, it is small but lovely.  Behind the basilica is the largest trulli are that is authentically a neighborhood, not a tourist attraction.  Had the lady in the informazzioni oficio not told me to go there, I would have missed some great street wandering.  And I am all about street wandering!  I wandered my way back to my hotel about 6pm, checked email and left in the car for Locorotondo, a nearby white city.  By the time I got there it was almost dark so I took a couple of roadside photos and headed home.  I will see it in the daylight on my way to Lecce, non,c’è una problema..

Locando del Gallo – Lunch

Posted by: gardner310 | August 28, 2012

Matera the Magnificent

Image

826  I flew into Naples, picked up a Hertz car and actually found my way out of town to the A3 quite easily.  My first stop was Matera in Basilicata, the state just west of Puglia.  Matera is an OLD city based on homes built out of the stone called sassi.  It looks so much like ancient Israel that Mel Gibson’s film, The Passion of Christ, was filmed here.  There were actually people living in the caves of the city up until 60 years ago or so.  The sassi are currently inhabited by locals and many of them have been turned into retail establishments.  The city is a mixture of new and old and it has turned itself quite an attraction.   The evening I left, they were erecting a stage for a concert in the piazza.  My stop was for only a few hours and I was wishing that I had planned the night there to enjoy the outdoor cafes and music.

“This is the most outstanding, intact example of a troglodyte settlement in the Mediterranean region, perfectly adapted to its terrain and ecosystem. The first inhabited zone dates from the Palaeolithic, while later settlements illustrate a number of significant stages in human history. Matera is in the southern region of Basilicata.”

Image

It is normally just over an hour to Alberobello but I lost Route 604 somewhere so my arrival was delayed for a bit.  The Hotel Ramapendula is not the easiest to find but once there, I discovered it is a lovely place conveniently located to both the city center and the zona trulli plus it has free parking. I was impressed with the hotel’s rooms and pool especially since the large room cost me only 65 euros per night including breakfast.  I would send anyone to stay but would provide detailed directions to the driver.

Image

Hotel Ramapendula Lobby

Posted by: gardner310 | August 28, 2012

Exploring Puglia, Arriving

Vietri sul Mar on the way from Naples near Salerno and the Amalfi Coast

825  So we are off to sea again.  This time we are headed to Venice to board the Nieuw Amsterdam.  We will spend a couple of months in the Adriatic and Mediterranean Seas call in Turkey, Greece, Croatia, Italy, France, Spain and Tunisia.  In mid november we will arrive in Ft. Lauderdale to begin a series of 7 day cruises in the Caribbean.  For once it was relatively easy packing because I didn’t need to bring all the heavy cold weather clothes.

For the 8 days before we actually board the ship, Michael is headed to London to visit his sister and some friends.  I am taking the opportunity to visit an area of Italy unknown to me and a lot of other people, Apulia or Puglia.  It sits in the heel of the boot in the southeast section of the county.  The big draw here is a particular architectural style called the trullo.  The trulli are cone shapes roofs on top of small, almost cavelike rooms  with lots of arches that form a home.  Although they can certainly be larger to the point of being a church like St Anthony’s in Trulli city.  The adventure begins…

Flying Alitalia started me off experiencing all things Italian.  For a start the sound system was a mess on the trans-Atlantic portion of the trip.  No apologies, just an “oh well”.  So I finished my book, guess that was a good thing.  We were a bit late arriving into Rome which put me into an even shorter connecting time.  Does it matter to the security people that you have to clear again, even though you are just transiting?  No!  The lines looked like a ride at disneyland.  Does it matter to the immigration official stamping your passport? No!  Turned out I got to the gate just in time to get in line for boarding.  Okay, then, all set.  No!  We waited on the tarmac for 55 minutes before taking off.  Got to Naples and waited 50 minutes for my one lousy bag.  Where am I again?  Italy, of course.  The correct response is yes, but I got the bag.  So by now I am running on Italian time and am saying “non,c’è una problema”.

Posted by: gardner310 | August 20, 2012

28 Places to See Before You Die

Image

Iguazu Falls, Argentina

Almost 2 months off at home and I am now planning on leaving Saturday for the next contract.  I’ll be spending the first week on land in Puglia, Italy seeing new places including the famous architecture of the trulli.  I’m making a stop in Matera in Basilicata to see the old city that starred in the movie, The Passion of Christ.  Before I leave I am catching up on a lot of reading material from the travel trade magazines.  Smithsonian had an article the 28 Places to See Before You Die.  I liked it since it is much shorter than the book, 1000 Places to See Before You Die.  I’ve seen a number of these but there a few still on my own bucket list.  Thought you might enjoy the list and give you some ideas for your next vacation.   Image

Angkor Thom, Cambodia

1.  Mesa Verde and the Ancestral Puebla Indians

2.  Pompeii, Italy.  You, too, can find the original pizza oven here

3.  Tikal, Guatemala.  Amazing pyramid founded in 200AD

4.  Petra, Jordan.  Haunting rock city from the 1st century BC

5.  Pyramids of Giza, Egypt

6.  Taj Mahal, India.  This truly makes the entire trip worthwhile.  Amazing.

7.  Easter Island.  Monolithic effigies 13 feet tall, weighing 14 tons.  How did they get there?

8.  The Great Wall, China.  4,500 miles long built to keep out the invaders

9.  Aurora Borealis.  Northern lights seen from above 60 degrees latitude

10. Serengeti, Africa.  Means “land of endless space in MAsai it is the only place where the migration of wildebeests occurs

11. Iguazu Falls, South America.  Seen from Brazil or Argentina, there are more than 200 waterfalls strung along 230 foot high cliffs.

12. Machu Picchu, Peru.  The royal retreat of the Incas was constructed in the 15th century and is a breathtaking site

13. The Louvre, Paris.  Mona Lisa, Venus de Milo, Winged Victory, all waiting for you here.

14. Zen Garden of Kyoto. The garden’s meaning remains a mystery.  Perhaps you can solve it.

15. Uffizi Gallery, Florence.  The palazzo is home to Renaissance masterpieces and one of the world’s oldest collections.

16. Fallingwater, Pennsylvania.  Frank Lloyd Wright’s most ingenious residence as it totally fits with nature.

17. Yangtze River, China.  A river cruise will get you here in a comfortable way

Image

Yangtze River

18. Antarctica.  Vast unexplored territory that evokes awe and wonder how the multitude of penguins and seals survive here.  Read the book, The Endurance, for a great look at Shakelton’s adventure.

19. Mount Kilimanjaro, Tanzania.  Only 1 in 10 people complete the trek to the top of this 19,340 foot peak

20. Grand Canyon, Arizona.  6000 feet deep, 277 miles long you can descend via foot or mule or raft the river

21. Pagan, Myanmar.  There are more than 3,000 temples here constructed between 1057 and 1287

22. Parthenon, Athens.  Dominating the skyline of the Acropolis for 2400 years, it is worth the climb

23.  Great Barrier Reef, Australia.Largest coral reef in the world, being affected by global warming. Go soon.

24. Galapagos Islands, Ecuador.  14 major island with unique wildlife that inspired Charles Darwin on evolution

25. Venice, Italy.  Built totally on tiny islands the city continues to amaze and impress visitors.  The perfect walking city but a boat ride is fun, too.

26. Amazon Rain Forest, South America.  Covers more than 2 million square miles, spans 8 countries.

27. Angkor Wat, Cambodia.  A vast metropolis of temples built from the 9th to the 15th century.  Awe inspiring.

28. Ephesus, Turkey. Busy seaport in the second century AD, it will take to you ancient Rome as you walk the streets

Image

Antarctica

How many have you visited?  Which ones appeal to you?  Have fun getting there.

Posted by: gardner310 | June 3, 2012

Kayaking in Halifax

Halifax weather today was not exactly the most welcoming we’ve seen. It was a gray chilly day but I was heading out of town about 45 minutes to the kayak outfitter. Hat, gloves, rain jacket, water shoes, iPhone camera-check!

We drove through the lovely countryside and arrived to see perfectly flat water in front of us waiting for our colorful kayaks to glide over it. Despite the lack of sun and warmth it was a perfect kayaking day.

Our guides Paddle Pete and Andre were wonderful, full of knowledge and personality. Our little group of 8 all had a great paddle. As a bonus when we landed our vessels there were fresh cooked mussels, fresh fruit and cookis as a snack. This will remain one of the highlights of this Canada/New England season.

Check out the crystal clear water in the photos, from an IPhone no less

20120603-131329.jpg

20120603-131353.jpg

20120603-131446.jpg

20120603-131524.jpg

20120603-131618.jpg

Posted by: gardner310 | June 1, 2012

Canada and New England

We have been on the ms Maasdam in Canada and New England during the month of May. Being early in the tourist season not everything is fully open and the weather has not been balmy but it is beautiful. Today Bar Harbor, Maine is sunny and in the high 60’s.

The ship sails between Boston and Montreal on 7 day cruises. We visit Bar Harbor, Halifax , Sydney, Quebec and the two cities of Boston and Montreal. It’s a lovely way to get a taste of this area.

20120601-144240.jpg

Posted by: gardner310 | January 30, 2012

Vietnam

Nha Trang is a place that I remember from the movie, “Good Morning Vietnam.  It is the capital of Khandh Province and well-known for its pristine beaches and excellent scuba diving.  Looking out from lower promenade deck, all I could see was a fleet of dive boats.   This was frustrating since I knew I did not have the time to go diving.  It’s a thriving beach side resort town with a beach promenade several miles long, lots of hotels and a variety of restaurants.  The old part of town shows its origin as a fishing village with the Long Son Pagoda and its huge white Buddha statue.  Unfortunately I only saw this from a bus heading to an airport on my way to Cambodia.  Sigh, yet another place I need to put on my return list.

« Newer Posts - Older Posts »

Categories