It's been a whirlwind of 4 days traveling through some amazingly enjoyable cities and towns. But today I left Gallipoli with plans to drive up the Western coast of the heel and across the heel back to Villanova (Ostuni). I drove along the coast as far as the signs would show which wasn't as far as I had wanted but I am always open to a change of plans if needed. I have seen many amazing sites more by accident than ones being planned. And today I got to drive on some one-lane gravel roads through farms growing olives, apples (golden), grapes and fields of something I couldn't distinguish. So I took a close up picture and will ask someone. It almost looks like artichokes. I also got to pick some figs off of some trees where they were just right to eat. Some were a little past ripe and were exuding drops of juice from bursting open. S. Mario a Bagno was a lovely coastal town and S. Caterina. Then I drove inland through Copertino, Leverano, Veglie and Avetrana where I sat at the roadside and watched a herd of sheep with their herder and what looked like a German Shephard as the herds' dog. Shortly after seeing this I saw another, very similar size herd and same kind of herding dog. I can't say enough from watching how attentive these dogs were to their master. So submissive. The first dog laid right down next to his man and laid on his back with all 4 feet up in the air I think just waiting for his man to tell him what to do. Allura.
Then it was on to Oria, the city at the base of Francavilla. I am getting very good at this driving into the cities and navigating around on one-way streets so narrow they are scary. Then on to Ostuni where I could see the ocean again as I approached Villanova. It is good to be back in my familiar setting. I left Gallipoli at 8:30, stopped once just for gas and I arrived in Villanova at 1pm. The wind here is as strong right now as it was in Gallipoli. The waves are big outside and not one person is out there. It is very beautiful. The wind is howling so loud and my doors are rattling back and forth. The sky is a beautiful blue with not a single cloud. I locked the doors in my bedroom so the wind wouldn't keep banging them. When I pulled the door shut in the kitchen, with the key on the table, I pulled it so hard, it locked. I was locked out. So I went to Giusseppe, because I know he knows Filamina and told him my story of woe. He did not have Filamina's phone number but as I was rifling through my purse, I found where I had written the phone numbers of Claudio and Marco. Giusseppe called Claudio--no answer. He called Marco and he said he would be right over. All this 15 minutes before Giusseppe would be closing until 5pm for afternoon siesta. Again luck or something was on my side.
So now I am sitting having a few beers, watching the waves and listening to the wind.
I've loved everything about these 4 days.
Thursday, September 27, 2018
Wednesday, September 26, 2018
Sept. 26th Wed. Gallipoli
After spending all day Monday walking around Lecce and loving it all, I felt I saw most of all I wanted to see. So that night I wrote in my little notebook directions to Gallipoli, an hours' drive away. I really don't know why I bother with writing directions to anywhere. Street signs and sometimes highway numbers do not exist. I kind of just find a sign to a town, look up on my map and if it's in the vicinity of anywhere near where I am going, I go there. The advantage of this, as I repeat myself, is I get to see a lot of the countryside otherwise never experienced. On my drive to Gallipoli, I drove through many farms. In fact all farms on both sides of the small country road. Still olive farms extend over to this part of the "boot". I also saw a field of pomegranate trees all overloaded with huge fruit hanging down. There were also many grape vines extending as far as I could see.
I drove past a Henny Penny grocery store in Nardo before heading in the direction of the coast.
I knew my hotel by its' pictures was the tallest building in the area so it was easy finding it just before going over the short bridge to the old town of Gallipoli. There is NO parking at the hotel but was told I could park for free at the church just a short walk away. So my Aygo is parked there all day yesterday and overnight. I will have to go and see if it's still there although I have never seen a single tow truck while in Italy. I think the worst is a ticket costing some money.
Lunch at the hotel yesterday was in an impressive looking dining room with floor to ceiling windows overlooking the harbor with many sail boats and fishing boats.
The lunch was a "salad bar" consisting of iceberg lettuce, shredded carrot, wedges of tomato and CORN! That was it. A bread basket of the traditional Taroli and sliced bread was served. Then came a piece of baked fish (sea bream) topped with diced tomato. I didn't care for it. The fish although mild in taste was so dense and not to my taste. Then a dish of fresh fruit consisting of a almost white-colored melon with very little taste, a bunch of white grapes, a piece of pineapple and a few chunks of coconut. Then a tiny scoop of Tiramisu'. This is the second time I've had Tiramisu' while on this trip and not to boast but the Tiramisu' I used to make was way better. They soak the cake until soggy. So I concluded this was not the restaurant to eat at again. Although since this hotel is a B&B it does have a free breakfast buffet which I just came from. Trying to eat healthy is challenging at best. For breakfast many, many sweet cakes are served. All kinds. I think the best is the pastry cream filled ones that I must stay away from. So I had a little bowl of dry cereal with milk, a lovely very fresh piece of crusty bread with sliced cheese on it, a scoop of scrambled eggs and 2 cups of cappuccino. I grabbed some fresh plums for later.
At lunch yesterday as well as today at breakfast there were about 20 or so school aged children about the age of 12 in this dining room. The boys sat with the boys and girls sat with girls. Each attended to their smart phones. The boys all had the same haircut; shaved sides with a wide but short mohawk. The girls all had extremely long hair.
The wind outside yesterday was so strong I had to stop and stand up against a building for fear of loosing my balance. Once I got over the bridge and between to 2 story very old buildings it wasn't so bad. I had to remove my sunglasses before they flew off though.
Last night I went to dinner. When I packed to come on this little 4 day excursion, I could not imagine needing any of the warmer clothes I had brought.
Because of the extreme wind, almost everyone in town had Winter coats on, zipped up to their neck. And me with my sleeveless shirt and capri pants. I wasn't cold though. I'm hoping I can get through today without having to buy a coat. I don't need another coat. But I'd be happy with just a shirt with sleeves today. The wind is much stronger today that yesterday. Back to dinner last night.
So far this trip I have not eaten any meat except for a few slices of deli meat in a salad. Last night I couldn't eat where I wanted because they didn't open until 8. It was 7 and I needed to get in from the wind somewhere. So I went to a restaurant that was open. It had lamb on the menu; my favorite. So here I go in the description of my dinner:
Three rolls of lamb filets each wrapped around a whole or piece of lamb liver and kidney or heart and held together with a string-like looking thing which turned out to be the lambs' intestine, all baked to a med-rare. I know, sounds disgusting but with the proper trimming, I did enjoy the taste of the lamb meat and the kidney and liver was probably healthy for me. But I niched the intestine. The potatoes they served with it were good. I think I will stick to some seafood and mostly vegetarian meals.
I'm on the 9th floor and the wind outside is howling like crazy. I have to venture out to see if my car is still where I parked it. Then I will make my way across the bridge to"Old Town" again. The white caps in the ocean are now white-capped waves. No boats out.
Well my car is still there. I ended up buying a sweater made in Italy so I could stay out in the Old City and walk every street in comfort. But it's a sweater I really like and will wear again.
There is a family of all black cats living over the sea wall in and amongst the rocks at the sea. I have to believe they eat well because all along the road there are many restaurants. So They probably get lots of food from them.
I drove past a Henny Penny grocery store in Nardo before heading in the direction of the coast.
I knew my hotel by its' pictures was the tallest building in the area so it was easy finding it just before going over the short bridge to the old town of Gallipoli. There is NO parking at the hotel but was told I could park for free at the church just a short walk away. So my Aygo is parked there all day yesterday and overnight. I will have to go and see if it's still there although I have never seen a single tow truck while in Italy. I think the worst is a ticket costing some money.
Lunch at the hotel yesterday was in an impressive looking dining room with floor to ceiling windows overlooking the harbor with many sail boats and fishing boats.
The lunch was a "salad bar" consisting of iceberg lettuce, shredded carrot, wedges of tomato and CORN! That was it. A bread basket of the traditional Taroli and sliced bread was served. Then came a piece of baked fish (sea bream) topped with diced tomato. I didn't care for it. The fish although mild in taste was so dense and not to my taste. Then a dish of fresh fruit consisting of a almost white-colored melon with very little taste, a bunch of white grapes, a piece of pineapple and a few chunks of coconut. Then a tiny scoop of Tiramisu'. This is the second time I've had Tiramisu' while on this trip and not to boast but the Tiramisu' I used to make was way better. They soak the cake until soggy. So I concluded this was not the restaurant to eat at again. Although since this hotel is a B&B it does have a free breakfast buffet which I just came from. Trying to eat healthy is challenging at best. For breakfast many, many sweet cakes are served. All kinds. I think the best is the pastry cream filled ones that I must stay away from. So I had a little bowl of dry cereal with milk, a lovely very fresh piece of crusty bread with sliced cheese on it, a scoop of scrambled eggs and 2 cups of cappuccino. I grabbed some fresh plums for later.
At lunch yesterday as well as today at breakfast there were about 20 or so school aged children about the age of 12 in this dining room. The boys sat with the boys and girls sat with girls. Each attended to their smart phones. The boys all had the same haircut; shaved sides with a wide but short mohawk. The girls all had extremely long hair.
The wind outside yesterday was so strong I had to stop and stand up against a building for fear of loosing my balance. Once I got over the bridge and between to 2 story very old buildings it wasn't so bad. I had to remove my sunglasses before they flew off though.
Last night I went to dinner. When I packed to come on this little 4 day excursion, I could not imagine needing any of the warmer clothes I had brought.
Because of the extreme wind, almost everyone in town had Winter coats on, zipped up to their neck. And me with my sleeveless shirt and capri pants. I wasn't cold though. I'm hoping I can get through today without having to buy a coat. I don't need another coat. But I'd be happy with just a shirt with sleeves today. The wind is much stronger today that yesterday. Back to dinner last night.
So far this trip I have not eaten any meat except for a few slices of deli meat in a salad. Last night I couldn't eat where I wanted because they didn't open until 8. It was 7 and I needed to get in from the wind somewhere. So I went to a restaurant that was open. It had lamb on the menu; my favorite. So here I go in the description of my dinner:
Three rolls of lamb filets each wrapped around a whole or piece of lamb liver and kidney or heart and held together with a string-like looking thing which turned out to be the lambs' intestine, all baked to a med-rare. I know, sounds disgusting but with the proper trimming, I did enjoy the taste of the lamb meat and the kidney and liver was probably healthy for me. But I niched the intestine. The potatoes they served with it were good. I think I will stick to some seafood and mostly vegetarian meals.
I'm on the 9th floor and the wind outside is howling like crazy. I have to venture out to see if my car is still where I parked it. Then I will make my way across the bridge to"Old Town" again. The white caps in the ocean are now white-capped waves. No boats out.
Well my car is still there. I ended up buying a sweater made in Italy so I could stay out in the Old City and walk every street in comfort. But it's a sweater I really like and will wear again.
There is a family of all black cats living over the sea wall in and amongst the rocks at the sea. I have to believe they eat well because all along the road there are many restaurants. So They probably get lots of food from them.
Sunday, September 23, 2018
Sept. 23 Sunday Kissed my car
I decided to spend 2 days in Lecce walking around the old city because I love all the old stuff built in the time of the Romans. I got a 2 night stay at a B&B right in the old part of Lecce. I left at 7:30am giving myself some time to get lost as I always do. Without GPS or a phone, just a highway map, I knew finding this place was not going to be easy. Lecce is only an hours' drive from Villanova. There are virtually very little street signs with their names in and around Lecce.
So after riding around the city and not having any luck, I parked the car, walked across the street to a magazine stand to buy a street map. The man was very nice, spoke some English and showed me on the map where I was and where I wanted to go based on the address of the B&B. The map was plastic coated and shiny so you couldn't write on it. I had to try to remember where he pointed our location. How could I be so lucky? I was just about 1/2 km away from where I wanted to be. The streets are very short in Lecce and after walking around the block where MaMa SiSi B&B on Via Richel Rubichi 3 was supposed to be and not finding it, I stopped to ask 5 cute policemen where it could be. They all were very nice and said to just go around the corner. Well what I didn't know was all the B&B's in town were on the 2nd and 3rd floors of some very old buildings. On the street level were storefronts and bakeries etc. You have to find this little keypad with some doorbell buttons to push next to the name of the person or business you want to let you into. I found a little keypad with the words MaMa SiSi B&B and rang their bell. I was originally looking for a much bigger sign for this business. I told them who I was and they let me in. I went up the spiral staircase to the 2nd level. There the attendant told me they had a problem in my room and was waiting for a technician to come but could send me across the piazza to another B&B. So down I go to find this other B&B in a city with next to no street signs. It took me a while but I finally found it. It was Hotel Mirage on 12 Fanteria. Now I had to do a LOT of walking to find this place and I didn't wear my walking shoes. I had sandals on. So I checked in finally. The time was 12:30. Now... I had to find my car!!! After a lot more walking and walking I saw it. I walked up to my little AYGO and KISSED it! The thought occurred to me a few times that I might not really know where I had parked it. But luck again was on my side. So I drove it a little closer to the B&B and parked it at the Piazza Mazzini recognizable by a large sculpture in the middle. Now I had to just find the B&B again and I would be golden. The streets in Lecce are not parallel or are in any order. The city is a large maze of one-way (mostly) streets.
I got to see a lot of the old city, took a lot of pictures and really love this city. During one of my stops to ask directions, I went into a cafe', ordered a coffee Americana (with milk) and a still warm croissant filled with vanilla and chocolate cream. MMMMM. The owner was a really nice guy who brought me outside and took me down the street a bit to point in the direction I needed to go. Some of these Italians aren't so bad after all.
My feet hurt but I am oh so happy!
So after riding around the city and not having any luck, I parked the car, walked across the street to a magazine stand to buy a street map. The man was very nice, spoke some English and showed me on the map where I was and where I wanted to go based on the address of the B&B. The map was plastic coated and shiny so you couldn't write on it. I had to try to remember where he pointed our location. How could I be so lucky? I was just about 1/2 km away from where I wanted to be. The streets are very short in Lecce and after walking around the block where MaMa SiSi B&B on Via Richel Rubichi 3 was supposed to be and not finding it, I stopped to ask 5 cute policemen where it could be. They all were very nice and said to just go around the corner. Well what I didn't know was all the B&B's in town were on the 2nd and 3rd floors of some very old buildings. On the street level were storefronts and bakeries etc. You have to find this little keypad with some doorbell buttons to push next to the name of the person or business you want to let you into. I found a little keypad with the words MaMa SiSi B&B and rang their bell. I was originally looking for a much bigger sign for this business. I told them who I was and they let me in. I went up the spiral staircase to the 2nd level. There the attendant told me they had a problem in my room and was waiting for a technician to come but could send me across the piazza to another B&B. So down I go to find this other B&B in a city with next to no street signs. It took me a while but I finally found it. It was Hotel Mirage on 12 Fanteria. Now I had to do a LOT of walking to find this place and I didn't wear my walking shoes. I had sandals on. So I checked in finally. The time was 12:30. Now... I had to find my car!!! After a lot more walking and walking I saw it. I walked up to my little AYGO and KISSED it! The thought occurred to me a few times that I might not really know where I had parked it. But luck again was on my side. So I drove it a little closer to the B&B and parked it at the Piazza Mazzini recognizable by a large sculpture in the middle. Now I had to just find the B&B again and I would be golden. The streets in Lecce are not parallel or are in any order. The city is a large maze of one-way (mostly) streets.
I got to see a lot of the old city, took a lot of pictures and really love this city. During one of my stops to ask directions, I went into a cafe', ordered a coffee Americana (with milk) and a still warm croissant filled with vanilla and chocolate cream. MMMMM. The owner was a really nice guy who brought me outside and took me down the street a bit to point in the direction I needed to go. Some of these Italians aren't so bad after all.
My feet hurt but I am oh so happy!
Friday, September 21, 2018
Sept.22 Sat. BITS & PIECES
Peter vs Giusseppe
These 2 men each have a market on this Main St. just down at the end of my block. The blocks here in this part of town are about 200 ft. long with 2 story apartments on each side of the one-way street. I went to Peter's store first because he was right out there with his fresh fruit and veggies. He has a few other stuff too. Like one or two bottles of olive oil, a bottle of Balsamic vinegar, one pkg. of toilet paper. You get the idea. He is the one with a smart phone with language translator. I just speak into the phone in English and it translates what I say into Italian. So we can correspond very well.
Then a few doors down I discovered in the basement of Giusspppe's apartment building is his store. It's about 8 times bigger than Peter's and has things like meat and cheese and beer and household cleansers etc. But the problem, because they are rivals, I feel like I am dishonoring one when I shop at the others'. It wouldn't be a problem except for the fact that most of the time they are sitting outside their respective store and can see who shops at whose store.
I went to Peter's store one day to get peppers and because he always has the better lettuce (not iceberg). This day he didn't have any peppers so I walked to Giusseppe's and Giusseppe saw this. He asked me something like "he has no pepperocini"? So I found myself one day taking the car and parking on the next side street and sneakily going into Peter's to get lettuce. When I came out with my bag I saw Giusseppe sitting watching me. He wasn't outside when I went into Peter's.
Sounds so silly but they are the only stores in this part of town. There is a bigger store down the road in the center of Villanova about a mile away. I live in S. Villanova. But I can find almost anything I need in Carovigno at Euro Spin. So I went there yesterday.
I gave the little Black Lab puppy some water yesterday after asking his "old man" if I could. I can't imagine how this old couple will be able to take care of this dog when it gets bigger. The man can hardly stand without help. The old lady needs help with everything. She wants nothing to do with the puppy and shoos him away when he tries to play with her feet. All she does the whole 2 hours she sits here is shuffle through what looks like a small deck of cards. They don't speak. All dogs have to be on leashes. This Black Lab will get bigger and stronger and easily pull the man to the ground. This is not good. The puppy just wants to do puppy things and the old man keeps saying "basta, basta" "stop stop". The puppy needs to chew because he's obviously teething. Sometimes he resorts to chewing on the leather strap of his leash. I want to get him a chew rawhide or something but I am not sure how the old man will accept it.
These people are NOT friendly to outsiders. To each other....YES.
Thursday night very late, around 1am I could hear people singing and playing an accordion and tambourines. So I went out and stood by watching. They waved me to come and sit with them. There were 6 men, 1 woman and 1 boy about 12. One man was playing the accordion and 2 were playing the tambourines. They were singing in Italian on the edge of the beach at 1 in the morning! This little town stays up so late with kids bouncing a basketball in the street outside my door and yelling. So after I sat down to listen to the guys singing and making a lot of noise, they handed me a glass of Champagne that they were all drinking. They indicated they knew I could only speak English. I've been here almost 2 weeks now so they knew. I stayed for about an hour and said "grazie" and "buonanotte". Thank you and good night. They all smoked. Except for the 12 yr. old. (yet)
So far Fasano has the best pizza. And they serve it during the day. Pizza is only served after 8pm here.
The man with the fresh, just caught fish is here outside again.
It rained here yesterday! Just for a minute and was precluded by a few hours of loud thunder. It rained just enough to get the streets a bit steamy.
Today looks beautiful again.
These 2 men each have a market on this Main St. just down at the end of my block. The blocks here in this part of town are about 200 ft. long with 2 story apartments on each side of the one-way street. I went to Peter's store first because he was right out there with his fresh fruit and veggies. He has a few other stuff too. Like one or two bottles of olive oil, a bottle of Balsamic vinegar, one pkg. of toilet paper. You get the idea. He is the one with a smart phone with language translator. I just speak into the phone in English and it translates what I say into Italian. So we can correspond very well.
Then a few doors down I discovered in the basement of Giusspppe's apartment building is his store. It's about 8 times bigger than Peter's and has things like meat and cheese and beer and household cleansers etc. But the problem, because they are rivals, I feel like I am dishonoring one when I shop at the others'. It wouldn't be a problem except for the fact that most of the time they are sitting outside their respective store and can see who shops at whose store.
I went to Peter's store one day to get peppers and because he always has the better lettuce (not iceberg). This day he didn't have any peppers so I walked to Giusseppe's and Giusseppe saw this. He asked me something like "he has no pepperocini"? So I found myself one day taking the car and parking on the next side street and sneakily going into Peter's to get lettuce. When I came out with my bag I saw Giusseppe sitting watching me. He wasn't outside when I went into Peter's.
Sounds so silly but they are the only stores in this part of town. There is a bigger store down the road in the center of Villanova about a mile away. I live in S. Villanova. But I can find almost anything I need in Carovigno at Euro Spin. So I went there yesterday.
I gave the little Black Lab puppy some water yesterday after asking his "old man" if I could. I can't imagine how this old couple will be able to take care of this dog when it gets bigger. The man can hardly stand without help. The old lady needs help with everything. She wants nothing to do with the puppy and shoos him away when he tries to play with her feet. All she does the whole 2 hours she sits here is shuffle through what looks like a small deck of cards. They don't speak. All dogs have to be on leashes. This Black Lab will get bigger and stronger and easily pull the man to the ground. This is not good. The puppy just wants to do puppy things and the old man keeps saying "basta, basta" "stop stop". The puppy needs to chew because he's obviously teething. Sometimes he resorts to chewing on the leather strap of his leash. I want to get him a chew rawhide or something but I am not sure how the old man will accept it.
These people are NOT friendly to outsiders. To each other....YES.
Thursday night very late, around 1am I could hear people singing and playing an accordion and tambourines. So I went out and stood by watching. They waved me to come and sit with them. There were 6 men, 1 woman and 1 boy about 12. One man was playing the accordion and 2 were playing the tambourines. They were singing in Italian on the edge of the beach at 1 in the morning! This little town stays up so late with kids bouncing a basketball in the street outside my door and yelling. So after I sat down to listen to the guys singing and making a lot of noise, they handed me a glass of Champagne that they were all drinking. They indicated they knew I could only speak English. I've been here almost 2 weeks now so they knew. I stayed for about an hour and said "grazie" and "buonanotte". Thank you and good night. They all smoked. Except for the 12 yr. old. (yet)
So far Fasano has the best pizza. And they serve it during the day. Pizza is only served after 8pm here.
The man with the fresh, just caught fish is here outside again.
It rained here yesterday! Just for a minute and was precluded by a few hours of loud thunder. It rained just enough to get the streets a bit steamy.
Today looks beautiful again.
Thursday, September 20, 2018
Sept. 20 Thurs. TRIP to BRINDISI
While in Rome several years ago (Janis) I viewed part of the Appian Way from the bus tour I was on. I was told it was one of the first Roman built roads and parts of it still remains very sturdy and intact. Today I drove to Brindisi which marks the end of the Appian Way through an arch with traffic still running through it (one-way). The Appian Way was started around 330 BC, starting in Rome and extending down the Western coast to Taranto and across the boot to the Eastern coast to Brindisi. Across the street a ways is the port of Brindisi where ships travel to Turkey and Greece. Many years ago Brindisi was a major port between these cities. It's amazing how many people have never heard of Brindisi. It was the airport I flew into.
Driving around the city with its' many, many one-way roads was stressful, taxing and just plain horrible giving way to almost giving up in the effort to find the port which is where I knew the "arch" to be. Again...Italian drivers are soooo awful, disrespectful, rude and every other synonym relating to horrible.
I passed by a vendor selling fruit and veggies so made my way around the block so I could park and not get run over. When I saw the tomatoes I wanted, the man who was selling them got very annoyed because I only wanted to buy a Kilo of these beautiful baby Roma (Plum) tomatoes. It cost all of $1.90E (about $2.35). He wanted me to take all 3 baskets. I just wanted part of 1. I ended up taking all of one. Still annoyed with me.
I got out of the city as fast as I could, back on the Autostrada towards Bari. Several miles before my exit to Villanova, I got off the exit to Serravova. It looked like it might take me to a nice beach. But to get to the beach I had to go on this road that was really meant for 4 wheel drive. The further I went the narrower the road got until it turned to just sand. Flashbacks to getting stuck in the sand with 3 other friends at Virginia Beach on Easter weekend on a military base. I buried the wheels up to half way and had to find help to pull us out. I was driving my VW Rabbit.
I decided to turn around and just forget about the off roading today. Maybe tomorrow.
I returned back to my apartment, glad to be in one piece with no scratches to my poor, overworked Aygo. The town is starting wake up now. I wonder how late they will stay out socializing with each other on the sidewalks. Last night they stayed out jibber jabbering until 1am. Wish I knew what they were saying.
Driving around the city with its' many, many one-way roads was stressful, taxing and just plain horrible giving way to almost giving up in the effort to find the port which is where I knew the "arch" to be. Again...Italian drivers are soooo awful, disrespectful, rude and every other synonym relating to horrible.
I passed by a vendor selling fruit and veggies so made my way around the block so I could park and not get run over. When I saw the tomatoes I wanted, the man who was selling them got very annoyed because I only wanted to buy a Kilo of these beautiful baby Roma (Plum) tomatoes. It cost all of $1.90E (about $2.35). He wanted me to take all 3 baskets. I just wanted part of 1. I ended up taking all of one. Still annoyed with me.
I got out of the city as fast as I could, back on the Autostrada towards Bari. Several miles before my exit to Villanova, I got off the exit to Serravova. It looked like it might take me to a nice beach. But to get to the beach I had to go on this road that was really meant for 4 wheel drive. The further I went the narrower the road got until it turned to just sand. Flashbacks to getting stuck in the sand with 3 other friends at Virginia Beach on Easter weekend on a military base. I buried the wheels up to half way and had to find help to pull us out. I was driving my VW Rabbit.
I decided to turn around and just forget about the off roading today. Maybe tomorrow.
I returned back to my apartment, glad to be in one piece with no scratches to my poor, overworked Aygo. The town is starting wake up now. I wonder how late they will stay out socializing with each other on the sidewalks. Last night they stayed out jibber jabbering until 1am. Wish I knew what they were saying.
Thurs. Little Black Lab puppy
Oh so funny. There is an elderly couple with a Black Lab puppy. The woman uses a walker, taking very little steps to sit under a tree ocean side. The man alongside her also taking tiny steps. And then there's the puppy; leashed to the walker. And the puppy is trying to run so fast but cannot. But his pulling is forcing the old woman to pick up her step. The very young pulling the very old. I must video this tomorrow morning. And to appease the puppy, they have given him an empty plastic water bottle as a chew toy. How our dogs are spoiled!
Sept. 20th Thursday OK about Octopus
First things first. When visiting Gianni and Grazziella yesterday, they clarified that Octopus are already dead before the catcher slams them repeatedly on the rocks. The slamming to to tenderize them otherwise eating them would be impossible. Now I feel better.
My visit with Gianni was very pleasant. He filled me in on the upcoming olive harvest and getting 6 WWOOFers to help. I was a WWOOFer when I found his farm to work. Gianni totally redecorated and improved the apartment where I lived as he and Grazziella now live in it. He will be moving out to the farm that includes 3 or 4 individual houses/rooms for the WWOOFers. He informed me he is now 78 and Grazziella is turning 80 on Oct. 9th this year. She doesn't look a day over 60 and he the same. But he will be doing less of the physical work and more writing and administrative stuff that goes along with selling his olive oil. He still has Franco who I worked with and is employed by Gianni all year round. Franco is about 50ish and takes care of his dad, mom, brother and sister who all have some kind of disorder that does not enable them to take care of themselves. Sad. 6 years ago Franco used to as Gianni put it "climbs the olive trees like a cat" to shake the olives too stubborn to fall by themselves. This year though he will not. An olive tree shaker will do this job using a machine to do the shaking. Gianni still remains one of only a small few who uses truly organic methods of making olive oil. Gianni also writes books (9) of which he proudly says in now on Amazon U.S. for purchase. The only ones that are translated into English are his poetry books of which I have read one while here 6 years ago. All in all we had a lovely visit filled with many laughs about memories he has of long ago. He was and remains a great story teller. One story he reiterated was the one about "the little white dogs" that every farmer owned who yipped all the way to the farm to get the donkey to keep going carrying the farmer out on the hour long trip.
We shall get together again so I can go back the farm when he moves there sometime next week.
Another sunny day here but with no internet in my apartment. I am at a cafe drinking coffee in town. The only one that is open.
My visit with Gianni was very pleasant. He filled me in on the upcoming olive harvest and getting 6 WWOOFers to help. I was a WWOOFer when I found his farm to work. Gianni totally redecorated and improved the apartment where I lived as he and Grazziella now live in it. He will be moving out to the farm that includes 3 or 4 individual houses/rooms for the WWOOFers. He informed me he is now 78 and Grazziella is turning 80 on Oct. 9th this year. She doesn't look a day over 60 and he the same. But he will be doing less of the physical work and more writing and administrative stuff that goes along with selling his olive oil. He still has Franco who I worked with and is employed by Gianni all year round. Franco is about 50ish and takes care of his dad, mom, brother and sister who all have some kind of disorder that does not enable them to take care of themselves. Sad. 6 years ago Franco used to as Gianni put it "climbs the olive trees like a cat" to shake the olives too stubborn to fall by themselves. This year though he will not. An olive tree shaker will do this job using a machine to do the shaking. Gianni still remains one of only a small few who uses truly organic methods of making olive oil. Gianni also writes books (9) of which he proudly says in now on Amazon U.S. for purchase. The only ones that are translated into English are his poetry books of which I have read one while here 6 years ago. All in all we had a lovely visit filled with many laughs about memories he has of long ago. He was and remains a great story teller. One story he reiterated was the one about "the little white dogs" that every farmer owned who yipped all the way to the farm to get the donkey to keep going carrying the farmer out on the hour long trip.
We shall get together again so I can go back the farm when he moves there sometime next week.
Another sunny day here but with no internet in my apartment. I am at a cafe drinking coffee in town. The only one that is open.
Tuesday, September 18, 2018
Sept. 18 2018 Tuesday POOR OCTOPUS
I went out on the beach early this morning. But before I went out a man came to my door going on and on in Italian pointing to his car that was parked a few feet away. So I put my shoes on, told him I don't speak Italian and followed him to his car. He opened his hatchback. I knew what he had because he kept saying "paeche" FISH. He was trying to sell me some fish he just caught. I told him I had no way to clean and cook it. He didn't understand and went on his way. It amazes me how they still go on in Italian even after you've made it clear that you don't understand.
I know I needed some sunscreen so asked the lady at the little beach stand if she had any. She spoke English and directed me to a man who I think might have been her father. He waved me to follow him. We walked all the way to Giuseppe's store and he bought some for me. If he could have said it was in Giuseppe's I could have gone there myself. But he was happy to do it and I paid him later. Then Filomina stopped by and left me 4 bottles of sunscreen. I think I'm all set. After about 2 hours I think I was cooked enough and went in and made a salad for lunch. While eating I could hear a familiar noise just a few feet away. I had heard it before but when I got up to look what it was.....
well I don't think I will order Octopus here any more. I think after he fishes for them, he has to beat the crap out of it to kill it. It made me ill to think this is how they treat the octopus. What an awful way to end your life.
I decided to go for a ride to Locorotondo. I then found myself on the road to Taranto, the other side of the heel on the Ionian Sea.
Locorotondo was very beautiful with many Truilli's, the stone and concrete conical houses built this way for the heat.
Taranto was disgusting as I knew it would be. A truly industrial city being the 3rd worst polluted city in the world. I smelled it as soon as I came over the hill and saw it spread out before me almost like in a science fiction movie. Thousands of people were affected by the steel plant polluting the air and water. Many premature and still born babies were born as well as all the breathing diseases like tuberculosis and emphysema resulted by this pollution. I took the first exit off the highway that brought me there to get me out and back towards Bari.
On my way back I drove through Martina Franca, Cisternino and Ostuni.
Tomorrow I will meet up with Gianni and Graziella in Carovigno. I'm bringing an assortment of cookies as is the tradition.
I know I needed some sunscreen so asked the lady at the little beach stand if she had any. She spoke English and directed me to a man who I think might have been her father. He waved me to follow him. We walked all the way to Giuseppe's store and he bought some for me. If he could have said it was in Giuseppe's I could have gone there myself. But he was happy to do it and I paid him later. Then Filomina stopped by and left me 4 bottles of sunscreen. I think I'm all set. After about 2 hours I think I was cooked enough and went in and made a salad for lunch. While eating I could hear a familiar noise just a few feet away. I had heard it before but when I got up to look what it was.....
well I don't think I will order Octopus here any more. I think after he fishes for them, he has to beat the crap out of it to kill it. It made me ill to think this is how they treat the octopus. What an awful way to end your life.
I decided to go for a ride to Locorotondo. I then found myself on the road to Taranto, the other side of the heel on the Ionian Sea.
Locorotondo was very beautiful with many Truilli's, the stone and concrete conical houses built this way for the heat.
Taranto was disgusting as I knew it would be. A truly industrial city being the 3rd worst polluted city in the world. I smelled it as soon as I came over the hill and saw it spread out before me almost like in a science fiction movie. Thousands of people were affected by the steel plant polluting the air and water. Many premature and still born babies were born as well as all the breathing diseases like tuberculosis and emphysema resulted by this pollution. I took the first exit off the highway that brought me there to get me out and back towards Bari.
On my way back I drove through Martina Franca, Cisternino and Ostuni.
Tomorrow I will meet up with Gianni and Graziella in Carovigno. I'm bringing an assortment of cookies as is the tradition.
Monday, September 17, 2018
Sept. 17 2018 No driving today
After driving all over creation yesterday, I stayed here today. I relaxed on the beach, finished my book that I wanted to never end. So good. I swam in the ocean, came back to my apt., made a salad, ate some peaches, went for a walk and had 3 beers! I never cared what time it was or having to go anywhere. I can't believe I've been here a week already. Time has been flying by. Of course it took me 3 days to just chill and get used to the idea of where I was and I didn't have to do anything!
I used the olive oil on my skin and after about 2 hours I felt kind of burned a little. I saw Filomina and she said I was red. I said I couldn't find sunscreen anywhere. She said she would bring me some tomorrow "from her heart". But now a few hours later I don't see red at all. I got a little tan! These women here are sooo brown. And I don't think they sell 2 piece bathing suits in Italy! Young and old they all wear tiny suits. So me in my one piece must look like a visitor. That's ok. I did see a guy who was whiter than me though. He was in the water and after being in the water for a couple of hours I noticed he was bright red. I've gotten badly sunburned a few times in my life. Don't ever want that again.
I think a food truck selling hamburgers, hot dogs and egg sandwiches would be a bit hit here in Italy.
I like cooking for myself after going to these tiny fruit/vegetable stands. I don't know why but I don't feel hungry here. I eat just to try some of their stuff. Their pizza is really good.
I used the olive oil on my skin and after about 2 hours I felt kind of burned a little. I saw Filomina and she said I was red. I said I couldn't find sunscreen anywhere. She said she would bring me some tomorrow "from her heart". But now a few hours later I don't see red at all. I got a little tan! These women here are sooo brown. And I don't think they sell 2 piece bathing suits in Italy! Young and old they all wear tiny suits. So me in my one piece must look like a visitor. That's ok. I did see a guy who was whiter than me though. He was in the water and after being in the water for a couple of hours I noticed he was bright red. I've gotten badly sunburned a few times in my life. Don't ever want that again.
I think a food truck selling hamburgers, hot dogs and egg sandwiches would be a bit hit here in Italy.
I like cooking for myself after going to these tiny fruit/vegetable stands. I don't know why but I don't feel hungry here. I eat just to try some of their stuff. Their pizza is really good.
Sunday, September 16, 2018
Sept. 16 2018 Crazy day
I decided I was going to take this beach chair Filomina gave me and go just outside my door and lay in the chair and read. Sandy beach areas for sunbathing are a bit hard to find or get to in this area. A lot of the coast is rocky and impossible to walk on. So this small sandy area just outside here apparently is well known. And being Sunday there ended up being a lot of people on this small beach. It is probably 40'x50' I'm guessing. Maybe a little bigger. I found a spot on a big rock with sand on it and grass growing over it. I opened the chair and saw it was only about 3" off the ground. How was I going to get up out of that? I told myself I'd worry about it later. After a short while a couple came and set their chairs right next to mine. And then more came. My little secluded spot got filled up as did the whole beach area with several people swimming.
So I read my book. The first couple that came was a man and woman, extremely tan as everyone is here. I am WHITE. This couple was probably 55-60 yrs. old and by all accounts acted as I imagined a true Italian couple would act. She took care of his every need from helping him off with his shirt to giving him a piece of fruit to eat. He did nothing. She handed him his snorkel stuff and off he went in the water. Around noon time she got her stuff and left. I guess she went home to get his lunch ready. I'm thinking this is what this generation of Italians do.
Since I am planning on meeting Gianni next Wednesday at Euro Spin in downtown Carovigno, I thought I would go back to Carovigno to see if I could find it again. Plus I needed to find these coffee cups for my coffee maker that no one carries in town. On the way there I drove through the many olive farms again and noticed several for sale signs. Doing an olive harvest is super hard work and from what I see many young people after going to college move out of these small towns for the bigger cities where there's more opportunity for a good paying job. Gianni is getting up in years and I don't know who will take over for him when he no longer can do this work. I think his son and daughter live around Milan area with their families.
So I found Euro Spin. This is where I shopped when I lived here and was told it is owned by the same people who own Aldi's and Trader Joe's. I found the few things I needed except sunscreen. So, because I found organic olive oil (no one had it in town) I'll use that when I sit at the beach. I'll always remember when I was 16 I went to Spain and used olive oil on my skin at the beach and I had the best tan of my life. We'll see.
After Euro Spin I decided to try to find the apartment I lived in. The town square is at the very top of the town and getting there can be treacherous at best. The streets are so narrow; originally made for the donkey carts just 50 years ago when there were no cars here. Most of the roads (alleyways) are one-way and with cars parked on each side makes it almost impossible to get through. I took some videos of this. But I made it through with not a scratch on my car and without hitting anyone. I can't imagine traveling these narrow alleyways with anything wider that this car. It is a Toyota Aygo and is very little. This town is much easier getting around on foot.
Very pleasant day and I will return to walk Carovigno later.
So I read my book. The first couple that came was a man and woman, extremely tan as everyone is here. I am WHITE. This couple was probably 55-60 yrs. old and by all accounts acted as I imagined a true Italian couple would act. She took care of his every need from helping him off with his shirt to giving him a piece of fruit to eat. He did nothing. She handed him his snorkel stuff and off he went in the water. Around noon time she got her stuff and left. I guess she went home to get his lunch ready. I'm thinking this is what this generation of Italians do.
Since I am planning on meeting Gianni next Wednesday at Euro Spin in downtown Carovigno, I thought I would go back to Carovigno to see if I could find it again. Plus I needed to find these coffee cups for my coffee maker that no one carries in town. On the way there I drove through the many olive farms again and noticed several for sale signs. Doing an olive harvest is super hard work and from what I see many young people after going to college move out of these small towns for the bigger cities where there's more opportunity for a good paying job. Gianni is getting up in years and I don't know who will take over for him when he no longer can do this work. I think his son and daughter live around Milan area with their families.
So I found Euro Spin. This is where I shopped when I lived here and was told it is owned by the same people who own Aldi's and Trader Joe's. I found the few things I needed except sunscreen. So, because I found organic olive oil (no one had it in town) I'll use that when I sit at the beach. I'll always remember when I was 16 I went to Spain and used olive oil on my skin at the beach and I had the best tan of my life. We'll see.
After Euro Spin I decided to try to find the apartment I lived in. The town square is at the very top of the town and getting there can be treacherous at best. The streets are so narrow; originally made for the donkey carts just 50 years ago when there were no cars here. Most of the roads (alleyways) are one-way and with cars parked on each side makes it almost impossible to get through. I took some videos of this. But I made it through with not a scratch on my car and without hitting anyone. I can't imagine traveling these narrow alleyways with anything wider that this car. It is a Toyota Aygo and is very little. This town is much easier getting around on foot.
Very pleasant day and I will return to walk Carovigno later.
Saturday, September 15, 2018
Restaurants in this area so far
I've eaten out a few times in Villanova. Last night I went to Al Pescatora. I arrived at 8 when they just opened so was the first one there. All seating was outside. All these 'al fresco' restaurants have plastic chairs because you sit outside. The big dining room inside was void of all furniture. The wait staff speaks very little English which is why I never really know what I'm getting. They all hand me a wine list expecting everyone wants wine. I have tried wine a few times and they all feel like fire going down and I never finish the glass. So I either order beer which would be Peroni or just water. Water is always brought in a 2 liter bottle and left on the table. You order water with or without gas. At Al Pescatora NO meat of any kind was offered. Just seafood. They had just short pasta. No linguine or spaghetti. So I got Cavatelli with white fish and tomato and a salad. The broth for the pasta was not tomato base. No pasta sauce in this area uses tomato paste. It's more like tomato water. Sounds weird but it's tasty. There were tiny bits of white fish barely noticeable around the pasta. It was all about flavor. The salad came as Arugula and halved cherry tomatoes. The bread is always sliced, in a brown bag with Terone', a little twist of dough almost like little round twists of pie dough and a bit crunchy. You're allowed to take the bag of bread home with you if you don't eat it which I do in case I want to fry a piece of bread for breakfast. I don't have a toaster.
The couple next to me brought their little dog, a French Bulldog who stayed right with her mom waiting to be hand fed which she was. The dog was very well behaved but did manage to get his leash all twisted around the chair legs. Another table ordered some kind of fish which was skinned and deboned by the waiter at the table.
The bill for my pasta, salad and water with a service fee tacked on was 20Euro. Not tipping in Italy. I think the service fee of 2Euro takes care of that.
Other restaurants offer veal dishes and sliced deli meats in their antipasto. Ham is always offered on some pizzas. I haven't seen hamburg or sausage offered on a pizza. And Roma tomatoes aren't offered in this part of Italy. Just cherry tomatoes. And so far all the salads are either iceburg or arugula or both. All the ingredients as I see it are locally grown. The arugula last night was exceptionally crisp and peppery. Pizza is usually only offered at night I think because they are all baked in a wood fired oven and it's too hot to start the fires during the day. On the street in Fasano yesterday I had pizza and it was PERFECT. No sauce. Just cheese and on top some halved cherry tomatoes and a bit of arugula (rocket or rucola). It was 6Euro. Beer is 2.50Euro at a grocery store or restaurant. Same price for a bottle.
More tidbits:
Garbage men wearing bright orange and lime green uniforms were out here this morning at 6am.
Adults and children stayed out on the street or on the sidewalk in their little plastic chairs until 1:30 am this morning. Maybe because it was Saturday night. Usually all is quiet around midnight.
The couple next to me brought their little dog, a French Bulldog who stayed right with her mom waiting to be hand fed which she was. The dog was very well behaved but did manage to get his leash all twisted around the chair legs. Another table ordered some kind of fish which was skinned and deboned by the waiter at the table.
The bill for my pasta, salad and water with a service fee tacked on was 20Euro. Not tipping in Italy. I think the service fee of 2Euro takes care of that.
Other restaurants offer veal dishes and sliced deli meats in their antipasto. Ham is always offered on some pizzas. I haven't seen hamburg or sausage offered on a pizza. And Roma tomatoes aren't offered in this part of Italy. Just cherry tomatoes. And so far all the salads are either iceburg or arugula or both. All the ingredients as I see it are locally grown. The arugula last night was exceptionally crisp and peppery. Pizza is usually only offered at night I think because they are all baked in a wood fired oven and it's too hot to start the fires during the day. On the street in Fasano yesterday I had pizza and it was PERFECT. No sauce. Just cheese and on top some halved cherry tomatoes and a bit of arugula (rocket or rucola). It was 6Euro. Beer is 2.50Euro at a grocery store or restaurant. Same price for a bottle.
More tidbits:
Garbage men wearing bright orange and lime green uniforms were out here this morning at 6am.
Adults and children stayed out on the street or on the sidewalk in their little plastic chairs until 1:30 am this morning. Maybe because it was Saturday night. Usually all is quiet around midnight.
Friday, September 14, 2018
Sept. 15 2018 NOT for the faint of heart
Shower
I have had to use several showers during my stays in Italy but this one is by far the smallest. I measured it. It measures 18"x18". Yes, inches not feet. It's got what looks like the same deal as my apartment in Carovigno as far as the hot water operates. In Carovigno I had 45 sec of hot water. Here I have 10. Literally. The cold water is never really cold but colder than I would like taking a shower at home. Not sure if I got all the shampoo out. But who cares?
I have had to use several showers during my stays in Italy but this one is by far the smallest. I measured it. It measures 18"x18". Yes, inches not feet. It's got what looks like the same deal as my apartment in Carovigno as far as the hot water operates. In Carovigno I had 45 sec of hot water. Here I have 10. Literally. The cold water is never really cold but colder than I would like taking a shower at home. Not sure if I got all the shampoo out. But who cares?
Sept. 14 2018 Looking for the perfect beach
Today I drove down the coast a bit but still in Villanova, Ostuni looking for this place that Filamina talked to me about as her favorite place. There were cars dispersed here and there along the rocky coast with the road to drive on all sand. Not sure why this is like that. People were set up with their beach chairs and umbrellas just sitting around on small patches of sand. No one really swims here. There is a lot of rock in the water and you have to carefully seek out patches where there is a sandy bottom. There are no houses or cottages around here. There was though a small hut set up renting beach umbrella and I assume soft drinks to buy. I drove on the sandy pathway as far as I could before it turned dangerously rocky. I still haven't figured out who all these people are. Are they visitors that just want to get some beach time? I think outside my apartment the elder ladies who live in the apartments around me just enjoy carrying their beach chair down to the water and visit with each other. I think these people just really love being by the ocean. There's been a lot of screaming children out here too so maybe they live nearby and need to get out of their very hot apartments. They are beautifully tan and are not shy in the least in showing their "not fit for a bikini" bodies in a tiny bikini. How nice it would be to just let it all out for the world to see and not be judged. I think that is the case here.
I went to a new fruit/vegetable stand and found Roma tomatoes. But the lady would not let me pick out the ones I wanted. She just grabbed some and put them in the bag. I got another head of garlic to see if it has any taste. What I want to have to eat when I go out is a lot easier to make myself. So I bought some linguine made with mushroom, little hot peppers and some bread. I just cooked some peppers, garlic, anchovies in olive oil to mix into some cooked linguine. I will add some Roma tomatoes to this. I tried to get something similar for lunch today, telling the waiter I wanted their fresh pasta with tomatoes but what I got was 3 homemade ravioli filled with something (I don't know what) all covered with a bit of crushed canned tomatoes. It was good. Just a surprise. Last night I ordered Octopus and Cuttle fish that was grilled and a salad. It was very good but the salad like all salads here was iceberg. Not complaining just reporting.
The kids here at night still stay out very late-midnight- making a lot of noise. It doesn't bother me. I just wish I knew what they were saying and then maybe I could yell some Italian back.
I don't think this is a tourist town per se but many come maybe to visit their grandparents and spend time at the sea. There is always someone fishing on the rocks out my window. This one guy tonight had the longest pole I'd ever seen! Didn't see him catch anything yet.
Giusseppe was supposed to get me some Roma's for today. He's a shop owner, very nice who is probably around 52 with a son, Giusseppe who probably is 10 and with him in the store in the evening. I think his wife is the one who sits outside the market with their little dachsund dog.
NO ONE makes eye contact on the street while walking. NO ONE ever says Chao. I don't know why.
Tomorrow I will go up the coast is search again for a nice beach to plunk myself with my book. I started reading 'Orphan Train'. Very good.
Chao
I went to a new fruit/vegetable stand and found Roma tomatoes. But the lady would not let me pick out the ones I wanted. She just grabbed some and put them in the bag. I got another head of garlic to see if it has any taste. What I want to have to eat when I go out is a lot easier to make myself. So I bought some linguine made with mushroom, little hot peppers and some bread. I just cooked some peppers, garlic, anchovies in olive oil to mix into some cooked linguine. I will add some Roma tomatoes to this. I tried to get something similar for lunch today, telling the waiter I wanted their fresh pasta with tomatoes but what I got was 3 homemade ravioli filled with something (I don't know what) all covered with a bit of crushed canned tomatoes. It was good. Just a surprise. Last night I ordered Octopus and Cuttle fish that was grilled and a salad. It was very good but the salad like all salads here was iceberg. Not complaining just reporting.
The kids here at night still stay out very late-midnight- making a lot of noise. It doesn't bother me. I just wish I knew what they were saying and then maybe I could yell some Italian back.
I don't think this is a tourist town per se but many come maybe to visit their grandparents and spend time at the sea. There is always someone fishing on the rocks out my window. This one guy tonight had the longest pole I'd ever seen! Didn't see him catch anything yet.
Giusseppe was supposed to get me some Roma's for today. He's a shop owner, very nice who is probably around 52 with a son, Giusseppe who probably is 10 and with him in the store in the evening. I think his wife is the one who sits outside the market with their little dachsund dog.
NO ONE makes eye contact on the street while walking. NO ONE ever says Chao. I don't know why.
Tomorrow I will go up the coast is search again for a nice beach to plunk myself with my book. I started reading 'Orphan Train'. Very good.
Chao
Thursday, September 13, 2018
Sept 13 2018 Visit several small towns by car
Today I decided to take a drive to Francavilla. It's kind of close and I could get there by way of back roads and not the highway (Auto Strada). I did get to drive through several olive farms observing the very start of the olive harvest. Tractors driven by elderly men were the only vehicles I met along these narrow, bumpy roads. Althought the olives are very tiny right now, there is much work to be done to get ready.
Francavilla was not a small town but is probably considered so by the residents there. The roads were made of blocks of granite and lava rock. I don't know when they were built but before I leave Italy I need to know. I believe they were built by the Romans and have not been worked on since. Extremely durable. I stopped at an outdoor cafe' for something to eat. But as I am well aware, in Italy breakfast is only espresso and some kind of pastry. I opted for cookies and an espresso with milk. There is really no such thing as "coffee to go". The espresso is of course served in an espresso cup and a cup of water as a chaser is served along side to wash it down. It is very strong.
Everyone SMOKES! There are all ages sitting at the cafe's smoking as well as butts everywhere. I don't know the price of cigarettes but the price of gas remains the same; $8.00/gal. I've never known it to be any different. There is a lot of garbage along the roads.
After Francavilla I drove through the smaller towns of Sava, Menduria, Oria, Latiano and Messagne. The roads through each town were very narrow and many were one-way. I learned right away what to look for so I wouldn't go down a one-way road again. People do love to blow their horns though. And not only at me. On the Autostrada coming back I maintained the posted speed of 110KMH. MANY cars passed me going a lot faster. Peugot is a popular car here as well as VW. Fiats of course are everywhere and cars with names I don't recognize.
It was a fun day but as soon as I headed back East and I saw the ocean again, I was happy.
Some quick notes about the food so far:
The fresh garlic has NO taste. I will continue to look elsewhere at other markets though.
The long hot peppers that I thought would have some heat---do not
I passed by one veggie stand where I saw Roma tomatoes but couldn't stop. In town here-no Romas.
I cannot find organic olive oil in any of the stores.
I cannot find real cream for my coffee. But will look elsewhere
The peaches are excellent. As well as the grapes
Marinated olives, cheese and bread all good from the market
Tomorrow I think I shall get a fresh roll. Put some cheese and peppers on it and find a quiet beach and read.
The beach outside my door is full of "OLD'' people and little kids.
Francavilla was not a small town but is probably considered so by the residents there. The roads were made of blocks of granite and lava rock. I don't know when they were built but before I leave Italy I need to know. I believe they were built by the Romans and have not been worked on since. Extremely durable. I stopped at an outdoor cafe' for something to eat. But as I am well aware, in Italy breakfast is only espresso and some kind of pastry. I opted for cookies and an espresso with milk. There is really no such thing as "coffee to go". The espresso is of course served in an espresso cup and a cup of water as a chaser is served along side to wash it down. It is very strong.
Everyone SMOKES! There are all ages sitting at the cafe's smoking as well as butts everywhere. I don't know the price of cigarettes but the price of gas remains the same; $8.00/gal. I've never known it to be any different. There is a lot of garbage along the roads.
After Francavilla I drove through the smaller towns of Sava, Menduria, Oria, Latiano and Messagne. The roads through each town were very narrow and many were one-way. I learned right away what to look for so I wouldn't go down a one-way road again. People do love to blow their horns though. And not only at me. On the Autostrada coming back I maintained the posted speed of 110KMH. MANY cars passed me going a lot faster. Peugot is a popular car here as well as VW. Fiats of course are everywhere and cars with names I don't recognize.
It was a fun day but as soon as I headed back East and I saw the ocean again, I was happy.
Some quick notes about the food so far:
The fresh garlic has NO taste. I will continue to look elsewhere at other markets though.
The long hot peppers that I thought would have some heat---do not
I passed by one veggie stand where I saw Roma tomatoes but couldn't stop. In town here-no Romas.
I cannot find organic olive oil in any of the stores.
I cannot find real cream for my coffee. But will look elsewhere
The peaches are excellent. As well as the grapes
Marinated olives, cheese and bread all good from the market
Tomorrow I think I shall get a fresh roll. Put some cheese and peppers on it and find a quiet beach and read.
The beach outside my door is full of "OLD'' people and little kids.
Wednesday, September 12, 2018
Sept 12 2018 Rental car day
I realized right away that I was not going to be able to see the places I wanted to see or go to the places I wanted to go....on a scooter. So I went online, rented a car, asked Claudio for a ride to the airport and got a Toyota Aygo. It's nice and small, 5 speed on the floor and we still drive on the right. Of course I got lost in the many parking lots of rentals because I do spend most of my life being lost. No one to ask as first but finally found someone and my car was not even close to where the lady at Hertz rental said it was. So this time it wasn't totally me.
Claudio got me some maps so I am all set.
I know no one but me would come here, not speaking much Italian, alone and NOT have a Smart phone. The owner at this tiny market where I got some fruit had a Smart phone and he brought up immediately a Google Translate app where he could speak Italian and I could see the English translation on his phone. And it worked in reverse. I spoke English and he could see the Italian translation. How easy is that!
Sometimes I don't know why I set myself up for these almost impossible challenges. I guess I feel good about myself once I get through all these dilemmas. Having a smart phone solves sooooo many issues.
So off I went in my little Aygo, headed North towards Carovigno. On my way I found Specchiolla. It was a town I walked to, on the ocean, from Carovigno 6 years ago. Driving through this little coastal town brought up so many emotions. All good. From there I found my way to Carovigno via olive farms on a very narrow road bounded by all stone walls. I again saw some olive trees I know to be over 100 years old. I base this on the lessons I learned from Gianni the farm owner I worked for. And then there I was at the entrance to Carovigno. It's a relatively small town with hilly streets and many one-way streets. After going the wrong way on a few of these streets and horns blown at me, I worked my way out of town, past one of the grocery stores I shopped at. Memories again. The best way to see this town is on foot. I walked these many street many times during my 7 weeks here.
Gianni is now up "in the North" as he puts it relaxing until next week when he and Graziella his wife will return to Carovigno to begin yet another grueling season of very hard work in harvesting his 1200 olive trees. We have been in touch and hope to get together in the next few weeks. His wife does not speak English but is a fabulous cook. She had a spectacular lunch of many courses ready for us when we quit work each day at 1:30pm. But they are in their 70's now and I wonder how long they can continue. But I don't think his son or daughter are interested in taking over. They are bother college grads with I think great jobs around Milan. This is where Gianni is now.
Villanova is just a few miles from Carovigno and I headed there to spend some time at the ocean.
Claudio got me some maps so I am all set.
I know no one but me would come here, not speaking much Italian, alone and NOT have a Smart phone. The owner at this tiny market where I got some fruit had a Smart phone and he brought up immediately a Google Translate app where he could speak Italian and I could see the English translation on his phone. And it worked in reverse. I spoke English and he could see the Italian translation. How easy is that!
Sometimes I don't know why I set myself up for these almost impossible challenges. I guess I feel good about myself once I get through all these dilemmas. Having a smart phone solves sooooo many issues.
So off I went in my little Aygo, headed North towards Carovigno. On my way I found Specchiolla. It was a town I walked to, on the ocean, from Carovigno 6 years ago. Driving through this little coastal town brought up so many emotions. All good. From there I found my way to Carovigno via olive farms on a very narrow road bounded by all stone walls. I again saw some olive trees I know to be over 100 years old. I base this on the lessons I learned from Gianni the farm owner I worked for. And then there I was at the entrance to Carovigno. It's a relatively small town with hilly streets and many one-way streets. After going the wrong way on a few of these streets and horns blown at me, I worked my way out of town, past one of the grocery stores I shopped at. Memories again. The best way to see this town is on foot. I walked these many street many times during my 7 weeks here.
Gianni is now up "in the North" as he puts it relaxing until next week when he and Graziella his wife will return to Carovigno to begin yet another grueling season of very hard work in harvesting his 1200 olive trees. We have been in touch and hope to get together in the next few weeks. His wife does not speak English but is a fabulous cook. She had a spectacular lunch of many courses ready for us when we quit work each day at 1:30pm. But they are in their 70's now and I wonder how long they can continue. But I don't think his son or daughter are interested in taking over. They are bother college grads with I think great jobs around Milan. This is where Gianni is now.
Villanova is just a few miles from Carovigno and I headed there to spend some time at the ocean.
Tuesday, September 11, 2018
Sept 11 2018 MY FIRST FULL DAY IN PUGLIA
I just realized that today is 9/11. I don't think it means much to these Italians but.....I did a little contemplating about where I was when it happened and my action and feeling after. Also how that day changed all of our lives here in U.S. forever. Security everywhere has changed and how I look at Middle Eastern people.
So this is my first full day at the ocean in my little home. I spent much of the day reading and sleeping on and off. I went for a walk and realized now more than ever how important it is that I get a car to use. Scooters are abundant with very young boys driving them. The wind is constant which is nice but on a scooter would be a bit scary. So tomorrow I have asked Claudio to take me to Brindisi to get a FIAT.
Filomina took me in her jelopy of a car show me the real downtown Villanova, about a mile down the road. Yesterday I was thinking that what I saw outside my apartment was the downtown Villanova. But the real downtown has so much more.
Because this is a town with several residents including many children who stay out well past midnight, making a lot of noise, sleep was very interrupted. So today I caught up on that. But tomorrow I will venture out with map in hand and possibly revisit where I lived for 7 weeks 6 years ago----Carovigno. Going back there will be strangely interesting.
Ostuni and Gallipoli are definitely on my agenda.
Last night I went to a restaurant very close called Holiday Osteria di Mare & Pizza. I had a homemade pasta with seafood (mussels, clams, sea breem and squid). It was very good.
During the day here there arrived many elderly women with beach chairs in hand to sit by the beach. No swimming here. Waves are too big for that. And what I remember from previous visits is the women who in my mind should never wear such sparse clothing wear very sparse bikinis. And they are tiny bikinis where the bottoms are hardly noticeable; getting covered by well you know...bulges.
But I realize that we Americans are so obsessed with our perception of what women should look like.
After all we all can't look like Jane Fonda.
Filomina has 4 children. She is 56 yrs. old. She has a PHD in Psychology. Each of her 4 children have either a Masters deg. or a PHD as well. Her husband is Vincenzo who is a Veterinarian.
Her son Lorenzo is also a Veterinarian. Then there is Marco and Claudio. Her daughter is...oh I forgot. It'll come to me. They own and rent out several properties.
Tonight I will walk to a restaurant noted for seafood about a mile walk. It is called GLI ARCHI.
Giovanna. That's the daughter's name. It's also the name of my apartment. I think Filomina named each of her apartments after her children.
I ate at "the arches" GLI ARCHI tonight and because of the language barrier, I ended up getting almost the very same dinner as I had last night. Homemade pasta (spaghetti) with seafood. But it was good. I just couldn't get my Google Translate up fast enough to tell the waiter what I wanted. The internet service is not only weak but it goes in and out a lot.
Because I sat outside under a veil of some kind or vine, not grapes, there were several cats looking for a hand out. I know it doesn't rain much in this part of Italy so outside dining is typical. I did have a chocolate souffle' (Kim) and it was very good. Not as good as the one in Las Vegas. Another very typical dish here is pizza with arugula and fresh tomato on top. I had just arugula and fresh tomato salad.
I wash my clothes at the end of the day in the bidet next to the toilet. It is really just an oversized, oval shaped sink with a stopper and a faucet. Works very well for this task. I have a plastic clothes drying rack on the sidewalk outside my bedroom door. With the breeze that constantly blows, my clothes dry reasonably quick. I like living this simple life with no tv, no washer and dryer or air conditioner. There is no oven or microwave. Just a 4 burner propane stove.
People, usually couples sit outside at night on there tiny little porch. At night also children play in the streets. Teenagers jibber jabber with each other on the street and socialization with each other is very common. There are many Gelerteria's selling gelato. As of yet I haven't had any.
So this is my first full day at the ocean in my little home. I spent much of the day reading and sleeping on and off. I went for a walk and realized now more than ever how important it is that I get a car to use. Scooters are abundant with very young boys driving them. The wind is constant which is nice but on a scooter would be a bit scary. So tomorrow I have asked Claudio to take me to Brindisi to get a FIAT.
Filomina took me in her jelopy of a car show me the real downtown Villanova, about a mile down the road. Yesterday I was thinking that what I saw outside my apartment was the downtown Villanova. But the real downtown has so much more.
Because this is a town with several residents including many children who stay out well past midnight, making a lot of noise, sleep was very interrupted. So today I caught up on that. But tomorrow I will venture out with map in hand and possibly revisit where I lived for 7 weeks 6 years ago----Carovigno. Going back there will be strangely interesting.
Ostuni and Gallipoli are definitely on my agenda.
Last night I went to a restaurant very close called Holiday Osteria di Mare & Pizza. I had a homemade pasta with seafood (mussels, clams, sea breem and squid). It was very good.
During the day here there arrived many elderly women with beach chairs in hand to sit by the beach. No swimming here. Waves are too big for that. And what I remember from previous visits is the women who in my mind should never wear such sparse clothing wear very sparse bikinis. And they are tiny bikinis where the bottoms are hardly noticeable; getting covered by well you know...bulges.
But I realize that we Americans are so obsessed with our perception of what women should look like.
After all we all can't look like Jane Fonda.
Filomina has 4 children. She is 56 yrs. old. She has a PHD in Psychology. Each of her 4 children have either a Masters deg. or a PHD as well. Her husband is Vincenzo who is a Veterinarian.
Her son Lorenzo is also a Veterinarian. Then there is Marco and Claudio. Her daughter is...oh I forgot. It'll come to me. They own and rent out several properties.
Tonight I will walk to a restaurant noted for seafood about a mile walk. It is called GLI ARCHI.
Giovanna. That's the daughter's name. It's also the name of my apartment. I think Filomina named each of her apartments after her children.
I ate at "the arches" GLI ARCHI tonight and because of the language barrier, I ended up getting almost the very same dinner as I had last night. Homemade pasta (spaghetti) with seafood. But it was good. I just couldn't get my Google Translate up fast enough to tell the waiter what I wanted. The internet service is not only weak but it goes in and out a lot.
Because I sat outside under a veil of some kind or vine, not grapes, there were several cats looking for a hand out. I know it doesn't rain much in this part of Italy so outside dining is typical. I did have a chocolate souffle' (Kim) and it was very good. Not as good as the one in Las Vegas. Another very typical dish here is pizza with arugula and fresh tomato on top. I had just arugula and fresh tomato salad.
I wash my clothes at the end of the day in the bidet next to the toilet. It is really just an oversized, oval shaped sink with a stopper and a faucet. Works very well for this task. I have a plastic clothes drying rack on the sidewalk outside my bedroom door. With the breeze that constantly blows, my clothes dry reasonably quick. I like living this simple life with no tv, no washer and dryer or air conditioner. There is no oven or microwave. Just a 4 burner propane stove.
People, usually couples sit outside at night on there tiny little porch. At night also children play in the streets. Teenagers jibber jabber with each other on the street and socialization with each other is very common. There are many Gelerteria's selling gelato. As of yet I haven't had any.
Monday, September 10, 2018
Sept 10 2018 My first night in puglia
As I walk down the narrow streets in Villanova, I walk past tiny porches on people's apartments. They only have enough room for 2 chairs and a table with a very small television on it. Since it is warm but a cool breeze is constant outside, the people sit out on their little porch together and watch tv. Since electricity is so expensive in Italy, I know I will not see any air conditioners anywhere. The breeze is constant as well as the waves just outside my room.
Dinner places typically don't start serving till 7:30 or 8 pm.
Dinner places typically don't start serving till 7:30 or 8 pm.
Sept 10, 2018 ARRIVING IN PUGLIA
I arrived at the airport in Brindisi Italy at 3:00 pm. Claudio was waiting to pick me up on time as he said holding a sign with KAREN written on it so that part was easy. Claudio drove me to the small town of Villanova which is a town in Ostuni with Ostuni being just 4 miles away. I had requested Marco, Claudio's brother to have a coffee pot available which he did with a single cup server using K-cups.
The apartment was much smaller than expected but I will make it work. The only problem I can see as I sit at the kitchen table writing this is the road between my apartment and the beach has some traffic (very slow traffic) right outside my window and the exhaust is BAD. Marco said he has other places available if I want. We'll see. I met Filomina, Claudio and Marco's mom. She is extremely nice as are her sons. I think Filomina and myself will be getting together some night to cook something together.
I needed to go to the extremely small market once it reopened at 5pm tonight to get cream for coffee, toilet paper, water and some fruit. They were closed as is most businesses in the afternoon. After 5pm, I walked there and met the shop owner, Peter who spoke very little English but showed me his Smart phone where I spoke into it in English and it translated what I said into Italian.
Before going to the market I stopped a few doors down to the "BAR". I sat and had an Italian beer and met an interesting couple. The man looked much like Jeff Goldblum from Jurasic Park movie. He was an engineer. His wife traveled a lot with him and has just returned from Africa helping the under privledged with medical issues and clean water. They gave me a good tip on where I should eat in town within walking distance. I will be renting a car for a week because this place (Italy) is just so big and the towns I want to visit are too far to scoot to.
They have octopus at this restaurant as I have become kind of obsessed with a good octopus dish. At the market I saw long hot peppers but could not get anchovies but maybe tomorrow. The bread here as in most of Italy as I remember is so good. And it is available each day as I was told from Peter.
Out in the street right now as I write there are boys around the age of 8-10 kicking a ball back and forth in the street. So safe.
The waves are crashing outside and it's a beautiful day in the neighborhood!
The apartment was much smaller than expected but I will make it work. The only problem I can see as I sit at the kitchen table writing this is the road between my apartment and the beach has some traffic (very slow traffic) right outside my window and the exhaust is BAD. Marco said he has other places available if I want. We'll see. I met Filomina, Claudio and Marco's mom. She is extremely nice as are her sons. I think Filomina and myself will be getting together some night to cook something together.
I needed to go to the extremely small market once it reopened at 5pm tonight to get cream for coffee, toilet paper, water and some fruit. They were closed as is most businesses in the afternoon. After 5pm, I walked there and met the shop owner, Peter who spoke very little English but showed me his Smart phone where I spoke into it in English and it translated what I said into Italian.
Before going to the market I stopped a few doors down to the "BAR". I sat and had an Italian beer and met an interesting couple. The man looked much like Jeff Goldblum from Jurasic Park movie. He was an engineer. His wife traveled a lot with him and has just returned from Africa helping the under privledged with medical issues and clean water. They gave me a good tip on where I should eat in town within walking distance. I will be renting a car for a week because this place (Italy) is just so big and the towns I want to visit are too far to scoot to.
They have octopus at this restaurant as I have become kind of obsessed with a good octopus dish. At the market I saw long hot peppers but could not get anchovies but maybe tomorrow. The bread here as in most of Italy as I remember is so good. And it is available each day as I was told from Peter.
Out in the street right now as I write there are boys around the age of 8-10 kicking a ball back and forth in the street. So safe.
The waves are crashing outside and it's a beautiful day in the neighborhood!
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