greondastravels

We have spent 5 days at Lipari on the Aeolian Islands. We were met by Giuseppe at the ferry terminal and taken to our fabulous apartment, in the main street of Lipari, overlooking the Citadel, Castello and old town.

We had the top floor plus a roof top terrace all to ourselves. Greg cooked up a storm some nights in our rather fancy tiled kitchen and most nights we spent upstairs on the rooftop, drinking and relaxing! The streets came alive at night with people wandering and eating.

Lipari is the largest island in the Aeolian Island group, full off narrow alley ways and lots of shops and restaurants, but not too touristy.

It has 2 harbours separated by the Citadel and Cathedral set in a cliff top position, which was the original historic fortified part of Lipari. The Cathedral of San Bartolo, the patron saint of the Aeolian Islands, was built in the 12th Century and had a beautiful, frescoed ceiling.

The views of the town were rather good from the Castello.

The Piazza di Marina Corta was a great place for a drink and to people watch. Also, a great place for Greg to take photos!!!!

We had an interesting time one afternoon in this piazza. We were minding our own business having a drink and there was a table of Italian “young guys” next to us obviously enjoying a “bucks turn”. At some stage Greg made a comment to one of them and all of a sudden, we were part of their celebration!!! They tried to get Greg to try their “local local local” wine which he wasn’t keen on! Rhonda decided to use “google translate” and wish the groom all the best for his wedding the next day and then we would quietly leave! We tried, but all of a sudden, they bought us drinks, so we had to stay and then they wanted to take photos! It was quite an experience to say the least!

One day we took the hydrofoil to the island of Salina, the second largest island in the archipelago , and known as the “green island”, because it has lots of vineyards. The ferry docked at Santa Marina, we wandered through the small village and decided three was nowhere that we liked for lunch so took a short bus ride (too hot to walk) 3 kms up the road to the small fishing village up the road called Lingua. It had a small sea front promenade and a little piazza.

We had a fabulous lunch! The eggplant parmigiana and the stuffed baby calamari were sensational, the meal of the trip so far! Funnily enough the restaurant was owned by a lady from Sydney!

Greg decided to have a swim in the crystal-clear waters.

We had a charcoal grill bbq at our apartment and Greg decided to try his hand at grilling some spigola (Rhonda’s favourite). We went to the fish monger and with a little help from Google translate we purchased 2 good looking spigola to grill. He prepared them for us , told us to salt them and grill them for 4 minutes each side. Look at the result! Perfeccto!! Well done Gregory!!!! Delicious!

Another day we caught the hydrofoil again to the island of Stromboli, which is one of the 4 active volcanoes in Italy.

Stromboli is known as “the lighthouse of the Mediterranean” because of its frequent minor eruptions visible from many parts of the island and from the sea. Its last major eruption was in 2019. We did see Smoke but no sparks!!!!!

Stromboli is well known for its black sand, due to all the volcanic activity, it was quite weird, and the “beach” consisted of black volcanic pebbles.

Seeing it was Friday, that means pizza day and we had a great pizza lunch. Our 2 pizzas were pizza Norma and Diavola and they were delicious!!!

At the town of Lipari, there is no beach, only harbours for the boats coming in and out, so we ventured on the bus around to a village called Canneto for a swim one afternoon. Although it was a pebbly beach and a little tricky (especially for Jude and Rhonda) to get in and out of the water, it was really refreshing.

Greg has still been enjoying his pistachio ice creams, he thinks it’s a good way to finish off the day!

As you can see by the photos, the weather is warming up now around 30 degrees and a little above. Lucky, we have air conditioning in our apartments, after last year that is now a prerequisite!!!

So, it’s that time again, time for another aperol!!

Love to everyone back home!

Greg , Rhonda and Jude!

xxxxxx

We successfully picked Jude up from Palermo airport and took her back to our apartment in Castellammare. We let her settle in before taking her out on a day trip the following day.

We headed first for Segesta to see the Greek Temple.

It dates back to 5th century BC and it was built by an architect from Athens and is deemed to be the best surviving example of Doric architecture in Europe. It was pretty stunning.

We then headed to Marsala for a coffee, even though we had been before, but thought Jude would like a look. We liked the Church of Purgatory with its Baroque facade which was rather stunning and the Porta Garabaldi which was part of the original wall built in 17th century. It was where Garabaldi landed in Marsala on his unification of Italy.

We then drove the Salt Road around to Trapani, to see the windmills. The ancient windmills used to be the main instrument for pumping the water and grinding the salt.

We then arrived in Trapani and it was time for a drink , a rest and something to eat. The Cathedral of San Lorenzo is considered to be one of the most well-preserved examples of Sicilian Baroque architecture and built in 1421 but restored many times.

That night our “live in “chef cooked us a great dinner of Sicilian busiate pistacio pasta. It was sensational!

The next day we had to be up early to drive into Palermo to do a food and history walking tour with Dominico. He was a rather amusing tour guide which held our interest during the 3 hour tour. He took us through the magnificent Church of San Cataldo, erected in 1154 with Arab Norman architecture. It is UNESCO listed and we could certainly see why. The mosaics and tiles inside the church were amazing! The gold mosaics date back to the 11th Century and the tiles to the 16th Century.

Dominico then walked us through the Ballaro food market, the oldest in Palermo and we tried lots of different street food.

Another busy day for the knees, 10500 steps and nearly 8 kms!

We spent our last day in Castellammare relaxing and repacking for our next move. We went out for dinner and Greg had another vongole, he will look like spaghetti and clams soon! We took some last photos whilst wandering the streets at night after dinner. We really enjoyed our stay!

Next day we set off for Cefalu but had a stop at Monreale on the way. Greg and Tony did another wonderful job negotiating some very narrow streets and in particular driving into the Centro of Monreale. Jude and Rhonda kept their eyes shut! However, once we parked the car it was worth it to see the Cathedral.

It is considered to be one of Sicily’s top attractions and the greatest example of Norman architecture in existence today! It began its existence in 1174 by William 11 with beautiful mosaics and more than 1800 kgs of gold inside. It was worth the stress of the drive! Stunning.

We then made a memory stop to Sant Ambrogio , a small village that we had stayed at twice before. Greg was recognised by everybody! Not surprising as sometimes he is larger than life. The girl in the cafe where we went every day told him he had put on a bit of weight and looked older!!!!! How rude!! But funny! As he was always known as Mr Pistache, due to the fact he had a pistachio ice cream each night we were there, he had to re live the memory!

We checked into our accommodation in Cefalu after a loooong delay, but that’s another story for another day. We had a lovely apartment with a fantastic view BUT the road up to it was horrible, extremely narrow with lots of blind hairpin bends. Again, it was a “shut eye ” experience for Rhonda and Jude!

The next day we decided to spend the WHOLE day down in the old town of Cefalu considered to be one of the most beautiful villages in Sicily. It is tourist heaven with loads of souvenir shops but it was still nice to wander the narrow alleyways.

Cefalu has a beautiful beach, although we didn’t have time to swim , plus it was very busy.

The Duomo, in the centre of the old town is UNESCO listed and built in 1131 by Roger 11 after his ship found refuge in Cefalu after a storm. Apparently, it has beautiful mosaics, but it was under scaffolding and being renovated so couldn’t see them!

We spent the evening sitting on our balcony drinking Grillo , the local wine and taking numerous photos as the sun continually changed the colour of the view.

Greg does have more but he thought this was enough!!!!!!

We have now arrived at Lipari on the Aeolian Islands and loving it, but that’s another blog, it’s time for a drink, and we don’t mean water! The weather is heating up, and we see that in Melbourne it is rather chilly! Know where we would rather be!

Ciao ciao for now

Lots of love

Greg Rhonda and Jude!

We left Siracusa to head to Agrigento for a two night stay but on the way we stopped off at Modica, known as “the city of 100 bells and 100 Churches” but more importantly , the home of the famous Modica chocolate! The city is UNESCO listed and we can see why, it was a stunning Baroque city perched on the side of a hill.

We didn’t visit 100 Churches , but we did poke our noses into 3. The Duomo di San Giorgio is considered to be one of Sicily’s most impressive Baroque Churches and going up the 250 steps was a challenge!

Duomo di San Pietro is one of the most historical buildings in Modica due to the 12 Apostle statues.

The Church of Santa Maria do Betlem dates back to the 14th Century.

We found the oldest chocolate shop in the city ,unfortunately there was a tour group in there surrounding the “tasting table” so thought better about trying some , after seeing all the fingers grabbing for samples, (our first thoughts were Covid central) we bought 3 packets and left! We stopped for lunch and had the best arancini so far. It was yum!

We then continued on and arrived in Agrigento., one of the oldest Sicilian cities and founded by the Greeks in 581BC.

It’s main claim to fame is the Valley of the Temples, and after reading more online we decided that the view of it from our balcony was better than spending 10 euros and seeing piles of rocks!

We liked Agrigento, lots of winding streets and alleys, but not too touristy. First night we splurged and went out for pizza, basically because we couldn’t find a supermarket! It was pleasant sitting on steps with a nice bottle of red , watching the world go by and us being watched by one of the many stray cats that wander the city!

It’s no wonder Gregs knees were talking to him. For the day we had walked over 10,000 steps , done nearly 8 kms , and climbed 27 floors (according to Google).

The next morning , we rested , and in the afternoon we went to check out the Scala dei Turchi, translation.. Stair of the Turks. It is a rocky cliff on the coast about 13 kms from Agrigento formed from limestone and clay and quite spectacular. It got its name according to legend because it was used by Turkish pirates who during their invasions would climb up “the steps” and loot nearby villages.

Another challenging day for Greg’s knees, nearly 12,000 steps and 9 kms!

We left Agrigento to head to Castellammare del Golfo for a lovely 8 night stay. Along the way we stopped off at Marsala, obviously famous for it’s Marsala wine. We liked the city even though it was a quick visit. We may return with Jude later in the week. The Mother Church dedicated to St Thomas of Canterbury was quite majestic on the outside but nothing stunning on the inside. The city has numerous gates.

We then arrived in Castellammare del Golfo, and according to Google it is “an historic little fishing port in a picturesque location between steep mountain slopes and the sea” and we agree.

One feature of the town’s history is its past notoriety as a Mafia town with links to Sicilian and American Mafia but luckily no signs of any Mafia yet!

We love our apartment, within walking distance to the main drag and the marina. We have 2 balconies to choose from, one overlooking the main street , which is good for people and car watching, and also afternoon drinks cause it’s in the shade, and the back balcony has a sea glimpse , and also everyone’s washing lines!!!!!

Although it is a little touristy for us, and it “jumps” a bit too much at night, we still really like it. We had dinner down on the Marina and had a great meal….yep you guessed it…..SPIGOLA! It was sensational as was the baby calamari for entree .The wine wasn’t too bad either, a local white.

We needed to walk off our meal, so we wandered around the Marina, dodging all the young people drinking, and took some night shots!

Yesterday we ventured into the bustling city of Palermo. Greg and Tony did a great job, dodging cars and people to get us there safely. Rhonda just closed her eyes! We wandered around trying to remember places we had been to before. We found the stunning Cathedral, and the Four Corners, and loved wandering the streets.

We wandered through the market, stopped for an arancini and beer for lunch and we made a purchase of a couple of tablecloths, a larger one made to measure on the spot especially for us!

It was a good day and another not so good one for Greg’s knees. 9200 steps and nearly 7 kms!

Today we had a restful morning before heading to the beach for an afternoon swim. We drove about one hour to San Vito Lo Capo, a holiday destination for locals. It is a gorgeous beach, clear water, and overlooked by Mount Monaco. It was stunning!

So now you are up to date with our travels. Tomorrow, we head to the airport to pick up Jude. It will be exciting to have her with us!

As you can see the weather has been great, no complaints from us, and not as hot as last year, perfecto!

So it’s that time again

Ciao ciao

Love Greg and Rhonda

xx

Our week in Siracusa has come to an end, we leave tomorrow but we have been busy.

We have enjoyed staying in our Air BnB. It has been in a great location, an easy walk to everywhere, very comfortable and our hosts have been excellent with many recommendations for us.

We discovered that in the 5th Century Siracusa was the most dominant military and economic power in the Greek world, outside of Athens.

So therefore there are many ruins (piles of rocks according to Greg) throughout the city and surrounds.

We visited the Neapolis Archaeological Park which included both Greek and Roman ruins.

The Greek Theatre dates from 500BC and in its hey day seated 15,000 people. We would have preferred to see it without all the “modernization ” of the wooden seats and theatre props.

The Roman Amphitheatre dates from 1bc and was used for horse races and gladiator and blood sports!

The Ear of Dionysius is named after the city’s ancient dictator, and it is said that he would sit on the top of the cave and use its acoustics to eavesdrop on the slaves below!

We spent a day travelling around some hill top villages close to Siracusa.

First stop was Sortino to check out the birthplace of our friend Tina. Hope you enjoyed the photos Tina!

On route to our next village, we commented that Greg has become more and more like a Sicilian driver , by driving up a one way street the wrong way! We think the locals must be used to it as they all stopped and waved us through.

We arrived in Vizzini and shock horror it was raining! We parked Tony and we were searching for the direction to Centro, when a local lady accosted us and took us on a private tour of the Museum Giovanni Verga, a famous (apparently) Italian author , musician and photographer. She spoke no English, we speak no Italian , but we got the gist of everything, she demanded Greg take photos , and then gave us a brochure in English which included a map of the village! It was quite amusing. We found our way to the Mother Church of Gregorio the Great and it is dedicated to Saint Gregory! Quite apt.

The next stop was Monterosso Almo , another hill top village! We went inside the Church of San Giovanni Battista , one of the few buildings that survived a massive earthquake in 1693.It was quite lovely inside.

We have found a few good spots for coffee and cake! The holiday starting weight is now being challenged!

We spent another morning wandering around Ortigia. We kept well off the tourist routes and found the local market and some gorgeous quiet little piazzas in the old Fishermans Quarter.

By 12 noon we needed to hydrate , so found a lovely little bar to sit and sip! We ordered a GnT and an aperol spritz and were asked if we wanted an “ordinary” aperol or a Sicilian aperol. Well, when in Sicily…It was quite delicious and very refreshing!

We went back home to rest up Gregs knees before we walked back for dinner that night. We went to a restaurant recommended by our host and it was delicious. Rhonda had ….yep…spigola and Greg had the first of the many Spaghetti Vongoles that he will have on this trip , and also a nice bottle of red to wash it all down.

We wandered around to take some night photos. It was pretty quiet as all the people were back on their cruise ships!!

By the time we had returned home , we had walked 14kms, so it was no wonder Gregs knees were aching. It was a good day and no rain.

Today we explored the Maddalena Peninsular around the coast from Siracusa. It was a very rocky coastline in places but also had some nice beaches but a little too cold for a swim, although Greg did paddle!

Tomorrow, we go to Agrigento for 2 nights where there is apparently, much to Gregs annoyance, more piles of rocks!

So its that time again

Ciao ciao

Greg and Rhonda.

After 3 uneventful flights we arrived in Rome to begin our adventure.

However after arriving in Rome it turned to “shit”.

Firstly , when collecting our luggage , our suitcases had obviously been physically man handled and were definitely not in the same condition as when we checked them in!

Next, our mobile phones refused to work which delayed us contacting the car lease company , but after one hour and the assistance of some poor unsuspecting Italian lady who kindly allowed us to use her phone, we were able to arrange the pick up of our car. We have named him Antonio but will now be called “Tony” for short!

We finally left Rome and travelled to Rende for our first night. However during the trip down , numerous and we mean a lot, of Italian drivers tried hard to run us off the road. Welcome to Italy! They really are mad drivers, and we hadn’t even got to Sicily where they are worse. We also endured some extremely heavy rain which slowed us down….not the Italian drivers though.

On arriving in Rende it took us over an hour to eventually find our Hotel. We were both rather tired and emotional , needed a drink and a good pizza!

After a half decent sleep we set off to make our way to Sicily. We got on the ferry and did as is the custom…..had an arancini ball on the way.

We arrived at our first stop at Siracusa and despite the horrendous traffic found our “home” for the next week. It is a great little apartment and Tony can be parked out the front quite easily!

The city of Siracusa is made up of 2 parts , the more modern mainland (where we are) and the small historic island of Ortigia connected by 2 bridges and a 10 minute walk from the apartment.

We went for a walk near to the apartment this morning around the harbour , it was a gorgeous sunny blue sky day….sorry Melbournites..and 20 degrees. We loved all the fishing boats on the harbour.

Then we wandered over to the island of Ortigia.

We walked across the bridge ,the Ponte Umbertino, which is the Gateway to the island.

We stopped at Piazza Archimede , named after Archimedes, the Greek scientist , who was born in Siracusa!

We then moved onto Piazza Duomo, which not surprisingly has the Duomo at its centre. The structure was originally a Greek Temple, and through the years has been influenced by Byzantine, Arab, Norman and Baroque styles. We opted not to enter, just admired it from the outside.

The Piazza is considered to be one of the most beautiful in all of Italy! Maybe ????? We reserve judgement on that one!

We then continued onto Castello Maniace, a citadel and castle and fort built in 1038. It was free entry as it is Republic Day here in Italy so decided to go in. Lucky we didn’t have to pay the 5 euro entry as we would have been disappointed!

We wandered the narrow winding streets , of course stopped for a drink or 2 , then Greg had to find a restaurant for lunch that served Rhonda’s favourite “spigola”, and he succeeded!

We stopped at “Daves” , a very Italian sounding name for an Italian restaurant, for lunch and chatted to a lovely English lady. Charlotte , we hope you enjoyed your spigola, and Happy Birthday for Monday!

The spigola was great, it was the first of many more to come!!!

We are liking Siracusa so far , but still have a lot more to see.

It is that time again!

Ciao ciao

Greg and Rhonda.

Well that 13 weeks has gone very quickly. Tomorrow we endure the trip back home to Aus, however we have the last week to let you know what we have been doing.

We left Clermont Ferrand to travel to the French Family in Perigueux for a few nights. It was great to catch up with nearly all of the family again. The day we arrived we saw Delphine . Clothilde and Sylvain and all their girls.

Jean and Francoise took us on an afternoon little trip to Terrasson to see the “Jardin de Imaginaire” or the Imaginary Garden designed in 1996 and is classified as a “Notable Garden” in France.

That night we went to La Peniche for dinner, a boat that sits on the river. Greg had steak tartare which he said was yum and Rhonda had cabillaud, a French fish which was quite good too. Of course when there is a creme brulee on the menu it MUST be ordered, AND it was actually very good! It was a lovely evening with lots of laughs.

We still had to catch up with Noel and Natascha and so off to Bordeaux we went. We had a lovely lunch with the family and Cassandra , 5 years old, is learning English at school, so she was very happy to try to talk in English and was very inquisitive to learn words she did not know. It was a lovely afternoon.

We left Jean and Francoise and headed to Amboise in the Loire Valley for our final stay. On the way we dropped in to Rochechouart to begin our “Chateau hunting”. The Chateau is a 13th Century French castle and is now an Art Gallery. It was worth the stop.

We arrived at our little Air BnB in Amboise. We were a little worried about the parking situation as reviews had said it was very tight. Luckily Pippo JUST fitted in.

We unpacked and went into the main drag and it was “wall to wall” people. Well, it was a Sunday afternoon and everyone is still on holidays here. We decided that we hadn’t eaten a crepe since we had been in France so a crepe it was for dinner with a bottle of cidre , or cider, as is the custom in France when eating crepes.

We were up rather early the next morning to return to the “main drag” to get some photos without the crowds. It is a very pleasant village although for us a little touristy!

Amboise is most famous for it’s Chateau , The Royal Chateau of Amboise which was a Royal residence for many years of the Kings of France. Leonardo Da Vinci spent the last 3 years of his life at the Chateau and is buried in the Chapel of the Chateau.

Our little house has a very cute little terrace with a bbq so we took advantage one night. Greg cooked some Toulouse Snags , and we enjoyed a lovely meal with a bottle of Beaujolais sitting on the terrace watching the sun set, the flight paths and the odd hot air balloon!

We decided we needed to do some more Chateau chasing and Greg had wanted to return to his favourite chateau, BUT we didn’t want to enter , we only wanted to view….and of course take photos. So after driving around a bit , and a short walk , we finally came across Greg’s favourite, Chateau Chenonceau , a privately owned chateau by the same family since 1913. It was a former Royal residence built in 1513. In WW1 the Gallery, across the river, was used as a hospital ward and in WW11 it was bombed by the Germans as it was an “escape route” from the Nazi occupied side on one side of the river , to the “free zone on the other side. It was restored in 1951 and bought back to it’s former glory…..thank goodness.

Next stop was Chateau d’Usse. It was the inspiration behind the story of Sleeping Beauty. It has been owned by the same family for 2 centuries.

Last stop was Chateau Azay-le-Rideau. We sneaked in the back door as we didn’t want to pay the 21 euros just to take a couple of photos! The Chateau was built between 1518 and 1527 and is set on an island.

Today has been a day of trying to fit everything into the suitcases…think it has been achieved , but only because we bought an extra bag!!!!

It has been wonderful to come back to Europe and escape the cold in Melbourne. Flights for next year are in process of being booked!!!!!

So for the last time in 2022 , it’s that time again, time for dinner , and not trying to think of the long flight home. We hope you have enjoyed our trip and we look forward to catching up with everyone when we return

Love Greg and Rhonda.

xxxxx

On our way to Clermont Ferrand we passed by a few villages we thought were worth a look. The first was Brioude to see the Basilica. It was built in the 11th and 12th Century and is a National Monument, however there was a funeral happening so only saw the outside. Second village was Issoire to see the Abby Church of Saint-Austremoine built in the 12th Century. We will let you work out which is which. Too many bloody churches to remember!

Clermont Ferrand is the Capital of the Auvergne region. It was originally two towns , Clermont and Montferrand. They were joined together by Louis XV111. It is one of the oldest cities in France and surrounded by dormant (thank God) volcanoes and many of the buildings are made from black lava stone.

Our apartment is on the 9th floor and we have views of the Puy de Dome and the Michelin Factory. Happy to say we do have a lift which makes things a bit easier!

On our first night we decided to eat out and we went to La Table de Thierry. The reason we chose this restaurant was because the reviews of the duck confit were good , and as it’s Rhonda’s favourite we decided to see if the reviews were correct. It was! The duck was delicious and the roasted fig and ice cream for dessert was really good too. It was only a small restaurant, only 6 tables , and Thierry , the chef , made himself known to all the diners. It was a bit of fun with Rhonda testing out her French language skills!

We have done a few self guided walks around the historic centre. One of the main squares , the Place de Victoire is dominated by The Cathedral Notre Dame -de-L’Assomption , a Gothic style Cathedral with magnificent stained windows. Work began in 1248 and took 7 centuries to complete. It is built of black lava volcanic stone.

On another walk we came across the Place de Juade and discovered the beautiful Opera Theatre House. To our luck it was open for an exhibition and we were able to go inside and see the actual theatre AND it was free! It dates back to the 19th Century but was inspired by the Opera Garnier in Paris , but on a much smaller scale. It was pretty stunning.

We had another dinner out and we discovered the local dish of Truffade. It’s basically a huge bowl of potato bake , drowned in cheese and bacon. It’s served with salad and jambon and saucisson. How could it not be good!!!! We shared a creme brulee and it got Greg’s tick of approval, it cracked!!!

We went back to the Place de Juade because Rhonda had seen a Galleries Lafayette Store there so she wanted to check it out! It was a huge square and apparently one of the biggest in France.

On our ramblings through the streets we came across one of the most beautiful churches we had seen, the large Gothic Cathedral , The Basilica Notre Dame du Pont. It is UNESCO listed and built in the 12th Century, but neglected after the French revolution and there was a plan to demolish the church and replace it with a market hall but the inhabitants of the town made a petition and it was restored , thankfully as it was beautiful.

One of the main tourist attractions is the “Chain de Puys”, a chain of more than 80 volcanoes running 45 kilometres along with the highest being Puy De Dome at 1465 metres which we visited and it is UNESCO listed! You can climb to the top or take a train, no guessing which option we took. It was a 15 minute trip to the top and it was better than walking up for 2 hours. It was a great view from the top.

We decided to drive around a bit to see what else we could find. We stumbled across the rather gorgeous little village of Orcival with its lovely church and stone houses.

We had a picnic lunch at Pointe de Vue Roches Tuiliere et Sanadoire, two volcanoes giving a lovely view of the Fontsalade Valley in between.

Then we decided to go chasing some Chateaux. Chateau Murol sits high on a rock and was built in the 13th Century and is classified as an Historic Monument in 1889.

Chateau Chanonat , a privately owned chateau , was closed so unfortunately we couldn’t go and have a close look but it was spectacular from afar.

Chateau Opme , a 12th Century Chateau , had beautiful gardens , however at 12 euros per person to enter, and 35 degrees, we decided not to go in , and go home for a well earned drink instead!

Another meal out was a highlight for both of us. Greg had been longing for a steak tartare , and Rhonda wanted more duck confit. So we found a small restaurant that had the tartare for Greg ,and of all things there was a duck confit burger for Rhonda! OMG! Both were delicious. Couldn’t fit in dessert but managed a bottle of red instead!

Monday was a public holiday here , and in France NOTHING is open so we went for a drive around the countryside. First stop was Thiers and it is known as the “French Cutlery Capital”. We wandered around the Old Town which had some gorgeous half timbered old houses.

Next stop was Ambert, again some lovely half timbered houses of rich merchants , some dating back to the 15th Century. It’s main attraction is it’s 15th Century Gothic styled Church of Saint Jean. There was a service on so we had to wait to go inside, and like a lot of French Churches, it was far more spectacular from the outside.

Last stop was Billom and we had left the best till last. It had a great Medieval Quarter with loads of gorgeous houses and cobbled streets and no people due to the Public Holiday!

The final area we hadn’t discovered was the Montferrand district. We did another walk through the historic centre, and saw more lovely buildings.

We have enjoyed our stay in Clermont Ferrand and now it’s time to move on, with only one week to go! Tomorrow it’s off to Perigueux to stay with our “French Family” for 3 nights.

So , It’s time to pack

A Bientot

Love Greg and Rhonda

We have spent the last 3 days in the lovely town of Le Puy-en-Velay, however to get here , it cost us 88.70 euros in tolls! To save time we decided to drive through the Frejus Tunnel. It is the 13th longest tunnel in the world at 13 kilometres long.

Le Puy-en-Velay is in the heart of the Massif Centrale , an historic town surrounded by hills and conical volcanoes. It is most famous for being the starting point of the main Pilgrimage Path in France which leads to Santiago de Compostela.

We checked into our apartment, about a 10 minute walk from the “main drag”. It was nice and quiet with a lock up garage for Pippo , BUT it was on the 4th floor with NO LIFT or air con!! However it gives us a great view of the town and beautiful sunsets!

We obtained a self guyided walking tour of the city , which was supposed to take 3 hours, for us , by the time we walked , stopped for photos and drinks , it was about 4 and a half, but we saw everything!

The Town Hall stands in the Place de Martouret. It is also known as the Square of the Martyrs because the site was reserved for public execuitions throghout the French revolution. The guillotione stood here permanently from March 30th 1793 to January 1795. 41 “head chops” took place during that time.

Another Square, the Place de Plot, here in 1548, the Council set up a pillory in this square for drunks so passersby could laugh at them! Thank God they aren’t there now as we may have been put in them!

Aiguilhe, The Rock and the Chapel of St Michael is one of the most spectacular attractions of the town. In 950 , a bishop of Puy led the first French Pilgrimage to Santiago Compostello and on his return a chapel dedicated to St Michael was built on the Rock (A volcano!) You can climb up the 268 steps carved into the rock to reach the chapel but we opted for a view down the bottom….for obvious reasons!

The statue of Notre Dame de France , built in 1860 is 23 metres high and is built from 213 Russian cannons captured during the Crimean war and given to the town by Emperor Napoleon 111. We get a good view of her from our apartment window!

The Cathedral is a UNESCO World Heritage site. We climbed the 134 steps to the foot of the Cathedral and then another 60 steps to enter. We felt it was more stunning from the outside rather than the inside. One interesting part inside was the “Fever Stone” , a piece of flat volcanic stone that is said to have “miraculous healing powers” We were going to have a “little rest” on it but the queue was way to long!

We also the visited The Cloisters which was first built in the 12th Century and extended between 14th and 18th Century. It was reserved for the Cathedral Cannons.

We had to rest at some stage for lunch which we had in the Place de Plot, The Salad and omelette with the carafe of rose gave us some energy to continue our walking.

We continued to wander around the cobble stoned streets with all the glorious old buildings, all different colours.

We went home for a bit of rest before venturing back out for dinner and a spectacular Lumiere Show! Dinner was a Faux Fillet de bouef , Rhonda’s with a blue cheese sauce and Greg’s with a mushroom sauce, accompanied by some veges and house frites. We shared a creme brulee for dessert and it wasn’t too bad at all, although Greg’s critique was not enough vanilla bean!!!!

After dinner we proceeded to walk with the crowds to view the Light Show on the Cathedral, the Town Hall and The Rock. The laser lights were set to music and it was rather spectacular.

It was well past our bed time by the time we got home. We had walked 18,000 steps and 13 kilometres for the day, it’s no wonder Greg’s knees are sore! We have enjoyed our time in this town and tomorrow it is onwards to Clermont Ferrand.

So it’s that time again, time to pack and time for a drink.

A bientot

Greg and Rhonda.

xxx

We have sadly put Jude on the plane to return to Aus! We miss you Jude! And tomorrow we leave Italy for France, but we have lots to recap on our last week.

We had a very , hot , tiring but fun 2 days in Torino. Torino is a city of palaces , piazzas, and great food. We wandered through the city’s covered archways and huge piazzas, stopping frequently to refresh ourselves! With what you can probably guess!

The Duomo was built in 1491 to 1498, next to the Bell tower that was constructed in 1470. The Palatine Gate is considered to be one of the best preserved 1st century BC Roman Gateways in the world.

We found our “Brunettis” at Cafe Mulassano, a lovely old world, old style Italian cafe. Inside is a plaque that says “In 1926 a Ms Angela Nebiolo invented the sandwich” ! Believe it or not.

Around every corner of the city there is a different piazza or palazzo but sadly a lot of them were under scafolding. How typical for us! Palazzo Carignano, now a museum, was built in 1678and was the residence of the Princes of Carignano, not a bad olace to live! Piazza San Carlo, one of the main squares was completed in 1640. The portico surrounding the Piazza are full of cafes , bars and restaurants , which of course we frequented!

We had a recommendation from our host for dinner and she didn’t disappoint us. Our first night was at a “very local Trattoria called Piola da Cianci. We were unable to reserve a table , so we rolled up at 8pm and we were told…”stand over there and wait for 30 minutes , or come back at 10pm”. We waited for 20 minutes and then we taken to our table in the garden piazza. It was a very small menu and also very cheap but importantly very good. Our pasta dishes were excellent and we were too hungry to stop and take photos….sorry!

Rhonda dragged Greg and Jude to the Cafe Bicherin so she could have her traditional Torino drink. A combination of coffee and chocolate with cream on the top. Rather decadent but when in Torino….The first bicherin was made in the cafe and the place dates back to 1763.

On our last night we went to a restaurant called Porta di Savona in Piazza Vittorio Veneto, and had a great meal. The pork cutlet with tomatoes and rocket and the veal with mustard sauce were delicious, along with our sides of baked spuds and grilled veges and a bottle of our favourite white wine, Arneis.

There was only one pannacotta shared by 3 , it was delicious and yes Gregory did share…..well sort of!

We wandered home the long way to take some photos of the floodlit buildings at night.

For 2 days we walked our legs off, nearly 15 kilometres each day in the heat 35 degrees plus, but a good time was had by all. It was great for us to show Jude around Torino….sorry about the shoes Jude!!!!!

We then arrived at our favourite little village of Monforte d”Alba in Piedmonte, where we have stayed twice before. We were very excited to show Jude the village. We were warmly welcomed by Elena. We knew Covid had hit the village hard and Elena had told us that a few places had closed but we were pleasantly surprised to see that there were some new restaurants, some older buildings renovated and the vibe was still there.

We took a stroll around the village so Jude could check it out. She was fine until we started to go up and up and up to the top of the village. yep, it’s a hike!

We drove Jude around all the small villages that we liked so she could see the extent of the vineyards in the area. It is a stunning sight to see hills and hills of vineyards stretching for miles and miles!

We had a great dinner at Osteria dei Catari in the village. The raviolini del plin with butter and sage sauce was delicious and Greg’s rather strange “Roasted beetroot tartare with peas and fake egg yolk” was, according to Greg wonderful!

Jude insisted that she wanted a walk/stroll/hike through the vineyards so we walked her to the village of Barolo. We were going to walk and have lunch but we decided it would not be nice to sit in a restaurant, hot and smelly after walking in 35 degree heat, so we walked first thing in the morning.

The vista was stunning, hills and hills full of perfectly trimmed vines. It was bloody hot but well worth it.

The Castello at Barolo is now the wine Museum and there is also a Corkswcrew Museuym which we found rather amusing!

We took Jude for an aperitif to the top of the village to Le Case della Saracca, which we had frequently visited on our last 2 visits. It is our favourite watering hole of the village. I think Jude thought the walk up was ok once we got there.

On Jude’s last night we went for pizza in the village and took a few night snaps before going home to bed as we needed to get Jude to the airport on time the following morning!

We sadly took Jude to the airport. We think we have worn you out Jude, with all the touring, visiting, viewing, dinners, a few drinks (ha hah ha) but more so the heat! We loved showing you everything!

Having said that, we thought we needed to carry on, so went out for another dinner at La Poste for another round of agnolotti del plin. Entrees were veal tartare and baked onion with sausage and goats cheese! Lyndsay…..the pannacotta still not up to Andres standard!

Our last drinks were held back up the top and the owner recognised Greg from 6 years ago! Once seen never forgotten! He gave us a tour of his cellar , including secret passageways, which he said was his escape route when his wife and grandchildren arrived! We purchased some wine to take to our French family!

So it’s now time to move onto France for our final weeks. We have had a great time in Italy, as usual.

It’s that time again, time to pack!

Ciao ciao

Love Greg and Rhonda

We have just spent a great 5 days in Aosta.

We stopped off on the way at a cute little town called Ivrea and had a very short wander through the streets as it was still bloody hot.

We did see the Ivrea Cathedral built between the 13th and 15th Century and also had a peep at the Ivrea Castello which was built in 1358 to 1395, and was transformed to a prison in the 18th Century and was still used a as prison until 1970.

We then arrived in Aosta , an old Roman town surrounded by mountains located in the Aosta Valley.It is situated in the Italian Alps where the roads to Switzerland and France converge. As soon as we arrived we all said “wow this is really nice”. There are loads of restaurants shops and Roman ruins.

We checked into our apartment, quite old worldy , and right in the centre of all the action. The first night we had a fantastic meal at La Grenette , and had some typical Aostan food. The Cotoletta alla Valdostanna, or pork chop in breadcrumbs with proscuitto and fontina cheese and baked potatoes was delicious and the Cervo , venison fillet with raspberry sauce , potato cream and mushrooms was delicious too. We washed it down with a bottle of Arneis , a dry white local Italian wine.

Now it’s photo overload! the following day we went up the Monte Bianco Skyway, ( Mont Blanc).

The Cable car links the town of Courmayeur with Pointe Helbronner on the southern side of Mont Blanc at an altitude of 3466 meters. The skyway took 3 years to construct and opened in 2015 at a cost of 110 million euros, the most expensive Gondola in Europe.

We travelled to the first station of “ThePavilion” at 2173 meters. As you ascend, the Gondola rotates so everyone has a 360 degree view. Pretty clever! Then we arrived at the top, to mist , clouds and a temperature of 2.8 degrees! Greg was shattered as he desperately wanted to see Mont Blanc. However we stayed up there for 1 1/2 hours with the everchanging clouds giving us some great views , just not Mont Blanc!

We descended back down to the The Pavilion and low and behold , in front of our eyes Mont Blanc came into view and it was spectacular. Greg was a happy man!

We sat for a good hour having a celebratory drink in the sun and admiring the view!

By the way , Mont Blanc is the snow capped mountain in the background! It was a great day!

We have had time to wander round the town and check out the Roman ruins. The Cathedral Santa Maria was built in the 13th Century and the Portico was decorated with beautiful statues and frescoes. The Arch of Augustus was erected at the time of the foundation of the town in 25BC. The Hotel de Ville / Town Hall is relatively new , built in 1839.

The Criptoportico was part of the Roman Forum, classed as a monumental structure from Roman times, it was possibly built for religious reasons, but no one is quite sure. It was quite spectacular to see with the long row of archways. The Roman Theatre has only one wall standing today and it cost 10 euros to go to see it! We decided to sneak a photo of it through a small hole in the wall! It is said that it could hold 3000 to 4000 spectators.

The Pretoria Gate was the main access to the city of Augusta Pretoria. The ruins of the Roman walls date back to 25BC , so pretty bloody old! The Roman Bridge has been perfectly preserved and built at the end of the 1st Century BC .

The Aosta Valley is known as “the Valley of one Thousand Castles”, many of which are built on rocky outcrops. They were used as lookouts and signalling system that stretched several hundred miles . Messages were transmitted with flags during the day and fire by night. Some such as the 2 we visited were built to show the power and wealth of the owner.

We took a guided tour of the Castello d’Issogne. The frescoes were magnificent and depicted scenes of ordinary life in the middle ages. It was bad enough that the tour was in Italian , but we had a woman who obviously thought she was on a private tour and didn’t stop asking questions, so the 30 minute tour lasted 50 minutes. Greg was getting a little bored , so he wandered off , and got growled at by the tour guide! All in all , not a pleasant time, but the Castello was lovely!

We drove by Verres Castello which was restored in the 14th Century and was Military Manor . it was perched right on the top of a rocky outcrop. Our next stop was Fennis Castello built in the 14th Century as a hunting residence. We were going to take a guided tour of that one too, but after the previous experience we decided it was better to return home and have a few drinks. However it was a ratrher spectacular looking castle.

Now that Greg hasd seen Mont Blanc , his next mission was to see the Matterhorn! We drove about an hour to Breuil-Cervinia to “do lunch”. We had read that there is a lake, Lago Blu just before the town , where if you are lucky you get a reflection of the Matterhorn in the Lake. When we first stopped , the cloud cover was quite bad, but luckily as we stood and watched suddenly The Matterhorn came into view! How lucky!

We proceeded on into the town catching glimpses of the mountain between cloud cover. Again Greg was a happy man, two out of two! We found a spot for lunch with a view of the mountain, and it was fabulous home made tagliatelle with vegetables and a glass of wine. Fabulous day all round!

So our time in Aosta has come to an end and tomorrow we head to Torino for Jude and Rhonda to shop , shop, shop! It’s been a great stay , still rather hot , although today it has cooled down a little.

So it’s that time again, time to pack the car and then have a farewell drink!

Ciao ciao from Aosta

Greg , Rhonda and Jude.