The Last Post

Yes, this is the last post. We're home! It's taken me a while to write this post because jetlag kept me from thinking clearly enough for a bit. We've also been thrown head-first back into the wind issue so our spare time has been limited.

But that's enough of reality! Back to the last leg of the trip.....

We left Vieste and had a long drive north. Some places we drove through were beautiful. One part reminded us of Piedmont with its vine-covered rolling hills and mountain villages. In the distance were beautiful snow-covered mountains. It's hard to get great photos through the car window though!

We left very early that day because the town we were heading to, Ravenna, is famous for its mosaics and most places where they can be found close at 5pm.

We checked in at about 3pm then headed straight out to start exploring. With map in hand and the route planned we made our way through churches and baptisteries discovering the amazing mosaics inside. From 400 to 700 AD, Ravenna was the capital of the western Roman Empire. Mosaics were all the rage at that time and some of the world's best early Christian mosaics can be found here.

We walked into our first church - Basilica di San Vitale -  and found that we were walking on the old mosaic floor! How are we going to leave anything for future generations if we are all walking on the mosaics? Then again, they've obviously lasted just fine for the last 1,500 years or so!

As nice as they were, it wasn't the floor mosaics that were so amazing though - stunning mosaics lined the domes and recesses of the church. There were many gold tiles used and the figures were incredibly accurate.

Add some paintings to the central dome and you have a pretty impressive church!

It was just a short walk across the lawn to the next stop, the Mausoleo de Gallo Placidia. From the outside, many of these buildings were quite plain.

The insides of these buildings were a different story though! I think this one was my favourite because it was much smaller so we could easily see the details up close and without craning our necks.

We moved on through the wet afternoon to our next stop, the Basilica di Sant'Apollinare Nuovo. Gosh these names are hard to say - and harder to type! The mosaics here were absolutely stunning. High up on on one wall, 26 martyrs walked towards Christ, each one with his own expression and features. On the opposite wall, 22 virgins did the same. Each figure seriously looked like no other one. It was incredible, especially seeing they were so old! They have been restored though.

We then went looking for Dante's tomb - Dante the poet died here - but we didn't find it. What we did find though was far more interesting! In the back of a church was an underground area that was designed as a tomb for a priest. It had a mosaic floor. It was renovated in the 1970s but water kept leaking in. It's now underwater and has goldfish swimming around over the old mosaic floor. Strangely, there's a table under the water too - we never found out why! It was very strange and incredibly atmospheric.

We finished the last night of our trip with a wonderful meal at a very cool restaurant and bar. The next day we drove the airport, dropped off the car and began our loooonnnngggg trip home. One bonus of the trip though was that I got to see my scrappy friend Jelissa! It's always so lovely to catch up with her, even if it was only quick.

So there we are, two Aussies finally on our way home. We landed in Melbourne and our kids were waiting for us. I had been dreaming of this moment for a long time and, needless to say, it was very exciting to see them again! So exciting that I forgot to take a photo!

Looking back on the trip, we had some really special times. It's funny but the best times seemed to involve friends, both new and old! We saw some amazing places and had some hard times and some boring times but mostly great times.

A few of you have asked me questions about favourite places and where best to visit so we've put together a list of our Top 10 places from this trip. Ok - we couldn't choose just 10 so we ended up with 12!

No 1: The Lycian Way, Turkey.
This walk is one of the hardest, and most rewarding, walks we've ever done. The days were long and the terrain was often difficult but at every turn there was another ancient tomb, an old ruined town or a gorgeous bay with mountains tumbling down to crystal clear waters. We climbed mountains, swam in the sea (once - the water was still cold!) and explored forests and beaches, The people were amazing - they were so welcoming and so warm. We felt we could trust anybody and we always felt safe. The food was incredible and there was always soooo much of it!
If you don't like crowds, visit Turkey asap. A combination of perceived danger from terrorism or war plus a president who seems out to offend every other nearby country, has kept the tourists away. As soon as people start coming back, its going to be packed. Go now!



No 2: Cappadoccia, Turkey
The surreal landscape in this remote area was out of this world. 'Fairy chimney' stacks of limestone rose up out of the barren landscape like gnarly fingers reaching for the sky. For centuries people have lived in these stacks, hollowing out the stone to form homes and churches. The outside appearance looks like something from a fairy story with little windows and doors dotting the weird walls. If you like, you can take a hot air balloon ride over this incredible landscape. We've never seen anything else like it in the world.

No 3: Lake Bohinj, Slovenia
Oh my gosh - this place was so incredibly beautiful! It reminded us a lot of Switzerland with its snow-capped mountains, manicured lawns and flower-boxes at the windows of houses, but it was somehow wilder and not as formal as Switzerland. We walked and rode bikes past alpine meadows and the incredibly gorgeous lake. I swam and kayaked on that lake. This was a really special place.



No 4: Swiss Mountains
We had a fantastic few days with John's old friend, Matt, in Murren. The weather here was cool but sunny, perfect for showing off those spectacular mountains and emerald green valleys. Nobody in the world does alpine houses like the Swiss - those timbered houses alive with flowers are simply sensational. Every turn brought us a spectacular chocolate-box view. I had one of my best days of the whole trip riding a bike downhill through valleys and stunning villages, all with huge mountains towering over them. At a later point of the trip, we again came through Switzerland, this time staying next to Lake Geneva. Again, the views and the countryside were simply superb! PS - It's such an expensive country though!

No 5: Piedmont
This wine-growing region of north-western Italy had us in raptures. It had it all - vines covering rolling hills with their spectacular autumn colours, castles perched on hilltops, fantastic food, white truffles and amazing wines. What more can anyone ask for?

No 6: Halki/Greek Islands
Yes, Halki is our favourite Greek island by far, however that's got a lot to do with the great times we have there with John's family. We also absolutely loved Naxos. Again it's got a lot to do with great times with friends! But seriously, Greece has that special something to me. I don't know what it is but I love it!

No 7: Istria, Croatia

This is a part of the world that I think is going to boom tourist-wise. Like an undiscovered Italy, Istria has amazing food and wine, truffles, spectacular scenery and friendly people, but without the crowds. There are ancient, atmospheric towns and gorgeous beaches. Aussies are now starting to pour into southern Croatia but the north is yet to be overrun.

No 8: Montenegro

Montenegro had a few key standout places for us - Kotor (because of the wonderful people) and the national parks (for the fantastic scenery). We felt right at home in our wonderful apartment owned by Zoja in Kotor. We made friends with the grill guy across the road and had a great time with the cheese'n'prosciutto man on the side of a mountain, even though he spoke no English! We loved Lovcen National Park for its evergreen beauty and Durmitor National Park for its jaw-dropping mountains!

No 9: Saint Hippolyte, Alsace, France

This stunning village was an absolute delight to explore with Fads and Mark. This is wine country and the pretty little town was busy with small tractors bringing in load after load of freshly picked grapes. To get to our rooms we had to walk past the wine-making equipment. You can't get much more genuine than that! The town was incredibly pretty with the old German-style buildings painted in pastel colours. There were other stunning villages nearby but for some reason they were overrun with tourists but Saint Hippolyte wasn't. To top it off, they made the best whites........

No 10: Korcula, Croatia

This is one of those places that is lovely, but it is the people that make it special. Korcula is an island in southern Croatia and the old walled main town sits spectacularly on a peninsula. We stayed in a room right beside the walled town and our room overlooked the square beneath. We soon learned that the square was the hub of local life. Our host, Zvonko, hung out there and we soon met Mariana, the lovely shop owner next door. The old town was fantastic and I loved riding a bike to a nearby beach for a swim. It was a fun and magical time!

No 11: Pietrapertosa, Italy 

One of our last stops, Pietrapertosa was stunning! Perched on a mountain top, and backed by huge, craggy fingers of rock, this little town was a real gem. It was surrounded by beautiful forests and afforded stunning views over the mountains and valleys. The town was one of the more genuine places we stayed at in Italy. You could still see little old ladies in black walking the streets, market day provided a chance to get fruit and veges and the locals would all say hello to us. We had a great time in the one local restaurant that was open. We froze but it was worth every icicle!

No 12: Ephesus, Turkey

These Roman ruins are the largest in the word outside Rome. They were huge, yet only 20% of them have been unearthed. It was once one of the greatest cities in the world. There were plenty of tourists here yet the place was so large that it didn't matter. We saw an entire suburb covered and enclosed to protect the painted walls and mosaic floors while they were being uncovered and restored. Amazing!

So that's it for our big adventure. It was a truly wonderful journey and we will never forget it.

Thank you for sharing it with us. :)


John and Heather

Puglia - Really and Trulli

We left the Basilicata region and headed into the Puglia region, which isn't far away. We stayed in a town called Locorotondo which earned that name because the old town sits on top of a hill and the houses are built in circles around the hilltop. This is the gorgeous view that greeted us as we approached the town.

These houses are all built in a similar style - tall with steeply pitched roofs. All the houses in the town are painted white and it's quite pretty.

However the region is also known for another, much older, style of housing. These are called trulli houses. Trulli houses are circular with stone roofs - they look like they're built for hobbits! There is no timber used in their construction. The best thing about our visit to Locorotondo was that we stayed in a trulli house! It was awesome! This is our house.

Most trulli houses are a couple of hundred years old although they can be up to 800 years old. Originally, the houses were just one room where all the family slept. Other nearby rooms were for the animals and farming equipment etc. Today, it's common to join all the rooms to form one larger house although each room still has its own pointy roof. Many trulli houses get renovated as they're protected so you can't knock them down. Many people in Puglia live in trulli houses like this one.

Our house was great. A new kitchen and bathroom had been added on and the other rooms were joined together and formed bedrooms and living areas. New doors and windows were added in and the whole building was freshly whitewashed. Our bedroom used to be the stable and the room that the original family lived in became a living area. We loved it here!

We went for a number of walks in the area and found a few older houses that were falling down.

Most trulli houses around Locorotondo were really well maintained. Many had similar whitewashed walls and roof tips.

Some weren't in such good condition but really had character.

The weird thing was that our trulli house was right in a modern town. There were clusters of trulli houses like ours scattered in among apartment blocks. It was strange to see.

We went for a walk out in the country and it was gorgeous. Like the trulli houses, the dry stone walls are also protected. They were generally very well maintained.

How cute is this little guy? We fed him grass. He was so friendly.

We discovered something incredible a little while ago - persimmons! It's persimmon season and they're hanging off trees in abundance. Persimmons have got to be the sweetest fruit I've ever tasted. It's like someone has soaked them in sugar syrup. They are too sweet for some people.

We drove around and explored a few places. I had to drag John to a town called Alberobello because it's very touristy but I figured it would be worth it. It was! Alberobello is famous for being full of trulli houses. It was amazing!

True to the town's reputation, the streets were filled with cruise ship tourists tottling along behind a leader holding a number aloft. They came in waves though so I was able to get photos without too many people in them. Apparently there is a port nearby where the cruise ships dock. It was strange to see so many tourists when we've barley even met another tourist for a couple of weeks. In Italy, the season stops dead at the end of October. Many hotels and attractions are now closed. 

The trulli houses along the main streets were all converted to souvenir shops or restaurants. It was pretty tacky. As you know, John hates crowds so he nicknamed this place Trulli Disney. Just after he said that we found these for sale outside a souvenir shop!

There was a national park near our town and we had a lovely walk there.

We dragged ourselves away from our gorgeous little house and headed north. We had one stop at a castle en route to our next destination. It cost us 10 euros each to get in and it was really boring! We were in and out in 10 or 15 minutes. Oh well, I suppose some things have to be underwhelming.

Our next stop - and the last main stop on our trip - was Vieste. Vieste is a summer holiday place, which means nobody's here in early November! We do like that it's a 'real' town though. It's quite busy at certain times of day. Summer time finished last week and we are on the far east of the country which means that the sun comes up at a reasonable hour but it sets at around 5pm! To make matters worse, nobody eats before 8pm so there are about 2 or 3 hours of darkness before we can get dinner. It's a really strange way to operate.

We were constantly amazed at the local timetable. Shops open from 9am til 1pm then from 5pm til 8pm or so. From 1pm til 5pm people would go home, have a cooked lunch and a siesta. This sounds fine for the hot season but it was quite cold while we were there and it's not even winter yet. People were all indoors during the warmest hours of the day then they would go back to work just as it was getting dark. Meanwhile, anyone who didn't work in a shop would begin the daily promenade at around 6pm. People, mostly older men, would walk around the main square, stopping for long chats with friends. Younger people tended to do laps in their cars. By 7pm they've mostly gone and by 10pm the streets are dead, even on a weekend!

In promenade mode, we strolled around Vieste on our first night and watched the moon rise over the water.

We checked out the large working port and found something else for you Troy!

On a more sombre note, this stone is the place where the Turks beheaded thousands of Vieste citizens when they sacked the town in 1554.

The town was quite beautiful in the evenings.

We went for a walk in the Foresta Umbra - the Forest of Shadows. True to its name, it was quite dark under the dense foliage. It was absolutely beautiful though and it was nice to not be surrounded by people all the time too.

On the way back from the forest we went looking for trabucchi. These are hand-built wood and wire structures that reach out over the water so fishing nets can be lowered into the water from them. Our first challenge was to negotiate the very narrow roads heading out to the one of them. We were lucky it's off-season and hardly anyone else was around. It must be a nightmare trying to drive to these places in the height of summer.

We found our first trabuccho but the gate to it was closed so we had to check it out from a distance. This is quite a well-known one. There is a restaurant attached where you can watch your meal get caught. You can't get fresher than that.

Nearby, building stones had been quarried from the shore. These must make great kids' swimming pools!

We finally found one trabuccho that we could get close to. They're quite amazing structures. All that wood and wire reminds me a bit of a ship in a bottle. It certainly doesn't look very strong or permanent but the concept has been around for centuries

We had bumped into an Aussie couple the previous week and we arranged to meet in Vieste as we were all going to be there at the same time. We had a couple of good nights out with Mark and Minnie. On the second night, John had the most amazing seafood soup. (Thanks for the photo Mark and Minnie!) 

We finished our time together with the best gelato I have had in Italy - it was lemon meringue flavour. Yum!

I'll be back with our last post soon!

Heather and John