Uncategorized – Page 2 – Staying Salty On The Road

Whew, another busy day today starting with a cheese making tour, then on to Polignano a Mare for a cruise along the Adriatic Coast, then down to Monopoli for a lovely dinner in the Piazza.

The cheese making crew is decked out and ready to work!

Our own little mozzarella knots!

Our absolutely delicious lunch of all the products made at the Masseria. This was a quality tour of the Masseria Fragnite. We highly recommend it and be sure to arrive hungry!

We rode along the Adriatic coast exploring caves and the beautiful water of the sea.

No cruise is complete without prosecco.

Our handsome Captain!

Monopoli was stunning at the golden hour.

We ended the day with a nice lunch in the Piazza.

Matera

We spent the day touring the ancient city of Matera with our guide, Giorgio, arranged through Tours by Locals. Matera is the third longest occupied city in the world, housing civilization for 9000 years. All the dwellings are carved into the limestone ravine. Up until the mid 20th century there was no plumbing or electricity. Dorothy and I both agreed that we would not have done well living in such conditions.

Above the Sassi (cave dwelling community). All these structures are caves carved into the limestone with facades.

Matera has been designated a UNESCO site, not because of its age, but because of its incredible cistern system.

A small enclave which made up a community.

When I commented that this area reminded me of Bethlehem, Georgio informed us that this area was used as a setting for the movie “The Passion”.

Cow femurs holding up the drainage gutters.

Frescos inside one of the cave churches.

Dorothy drinking wine in front of the Church of Purgatory 😂

After climbing down into the sassi and back out again we earned an Aperitif!

Biking through the Trulli… Amazing

A favolosa day cycling through Valle d Istria.

Our first full day at our Masseria was exactly that, very full!

We started with an al fresco breakfast on our terrace.

Next up was an unexpected stop by the polizia to check our documents. Fortunately, Ed had his international driver’s license and our passports and Dorothy and Steve had photos of their passports! This is our 5th trip to Italy and our first encounter with a polizia stop. The moral of the story is, yes, carry your documents when touring!

Vito, the owner of Nature Bikes Cisternino, was so helpful and the bikes were in great condition. He escorted us on the first 5K to get us going in the right direction and make sure we knew how to operate the e-bikes. He also assigned me my Italian name, Robeeaan! I loved it😍

Next up was a favoloso day of riding through the Itria Valley. The first stop was a stunning view of the Adriatic Sea.

It has been unusually rainy here in Apulia but we had a picture perfect day and the wildflowers were an added bonus.

A deserted trullo that we could peek into. The trulli were originally constructed as field huts or homes for the laborers. They are iconic to the Istria region. Many have now been renovated into high end holiday homes and Inns.

The trulli were everywhere and the scenery was stunning. It was such a fun day. I love experiencing the countryside from the saddle of bicycle.

After a nice dinner at Cantinone Coppularossa we enjoyed a much appreciated Limoncello and biscotti. Now it’s time to go to bed. Buonasera.

On to the second leg of our European Triangle Tour… Apulia, Italy 🇮🇹 ❣️

The itinerary for this trip was influenced by the homes we were able to reserve through the home exchange program called Third Home. It is our first time trying the home exchange concept and it has taken us on quite an adventure. We arrived to the Bridinsi airport yesterday evening and our friends, Dorothy and Steve who had arrived earlier in the day, were there to pick us up. We then drove to the beautiful town of Lecce. It was an adventure finding the parking garage and then our accommodations for the night but what is the point of traveling if not for the adventure! We all loved Lecce. It has a beautiful baroque old city center. I know we are tourists, but it sure was nice to visit a city in Italy that was not overrun with throngs of tourists.

The Dimora San Giuseppe was a small boutique hotel located adjacent to a vibrant pedestrian street lined with restaurants and taverns. We grabbed a light bite to eat and celebrated being together again with spritz’s and wine. Then it was off to bed after a long day of travel.

The view from the rooftop terrace was stunning. Though we had a bluebird blue sky day, it was still a little nippy to dine alfresco.

Then it was off to celebrate Easter. Buona Pasqua!! We actually attended the Easter Mass at the Duomo and thought it was all in Italian and Latin, we could follow along because of the liturgy.

Then it was out through the city gates to have a wonderful Easter lunch along the wall of the historic city center. We dined at Oysteria 203 and it was both delicious and fun as the wait staff was so engaging.

Swordfish accompanied with smoked stracciatella and tomato relish.

Pineapple Ravioli. We thought it would be pasta with a pineapple filling but the paper thin sliced pineapple was the shell filled with Chantilly Cream.

The amphitheater, still being excavated.

We arrived at the Masseria and it is amazing! We had too much fun enjoying a beautiful Easter afternoon to take a lot of pictures, but our home for the week, located between Carovigno and Ostuni, is just perfect.

Baba’De

For most of this week we have eaten lunch out at local pubs and just grazed here at the Boathouse for our evening meal. The food has been varied and yummy. There is no need to think your only choice is fish and chips. Last night we treated ourselves to a Michelin recommended restaurant right here in the village of Baltimore. It is the more casual little sister restaurant of DeDe at the Custom House, a two starred Michelin restaurant. Our meal did not disappoint and certainly proved that dining out in Ireland is not boring😋. Scroll on if you don’t enjoy foodie pictures!

It was an array of small plates we enjoyed together.

Sláinte to a fabulous meal an enduring dear friendship.

Sheep’s Head and The Wild Atlantic Way

It was a misty, blustery morning but Ed and I decided to head out to do the hike to the Sheep’s Head lighthouse anyway; because if not now, when, right?

The scenery along the drive to the trailhead was stunning.

The hike lived up to the billing of “The Wild Atlantic Way”

We made it to the lighthouse! It was worth the trek into a light rain and winds that whistled through the pass.

The adventure was made complete by sheep leading the way home!

Jamison’s, Kinsale, and the Drombeg Stone Circle

We had another busy day starting with a visit to the Jamison Distillery in Midleton. It reminded us of Buffalo Trace with its historic building and thoughtful presentation.

Apparently Ed was auditioning for a host position

As we left the town of Midleton we stopped by the Kindred Spirit Monument dedicated to the Choctaw Tribe for their kindness towards the people of Midleton during the Potato Famine. Take a minute to read the words on the placard. They moved my soul.

Next we visited the seaside village of Kinsale.

On our way back to Baltimore we stopped to visit The Drombeg Stone Circle. It was an incredible site positioned on a knoll above the sea and adjacent to the ruins of a Bronze Age community.

As we headed back to The Boathouse, our home for the week, we drove through the little town square of Baltimore. It was alive with locals enjoying a drink on the delightfully sunny afternoon.

I talked Ed into walking down to the square to take in the beauty and the energy of this quaint village. Sláinte!

The Ring of Berea… Spectacular

Yesterday we drove clockwise around the Ring of Berea. There were stunning vistas of the sea around every bend and the sheep were everywhere.

After a little searching we found a stone circle. These were erected in the Bronze Age and thought to have mystical properties.

We stopped at MacCarthy’s for a pint and quickly realized we should eat lunch there as soon as possible many of the pubs have been closed this early in the season. It was delightful and delicious!

We took the Healy Pass to cross back north over the peninsula. The scenery was incredible.

After a long day of touring in the car, Ed and I decided to hike to the Beacon. The Beacon is a lighthouse of modern design at the head of Baltimore. It was a bit of a hike ending with a rock scramble, but the views from atop were worth the effort.

Baltimore, Ireland, a full first day!

We arrived at our little cottage by the sea. “The Boathouse “ is our first home reserved through the home exchange program known as “Third Home”. It is a sweet little cottage with a view of the sea.

Best of all was our reunion with the Shriver’s. dear friends of over 40 years.

We had a very full first day. First we explored Sherkin Island, a short ferry ride from the Baltimore harbor. We intended to rent bikes and ride the rural roads but there was not a bike rental to be found. Instead did a three mile hike along one of the designated routes. It felt like we had the island to ourselves.

We decided to take advantage of the beautiful day and head to Mizen Head with David and Carole. It is the most southwesterly point of Ireland. It was fantastic.

On to Baltimore in a proper Irish gale!

We left the lovely Sheedys B&B in Doolin after an amazing breakfast to drive to our home for a week in Baltimore. It was a blustery day with driving rain. Google Maps decided to play tricks on us and added an hour to our drive. There is something to be said for an old fashioned paper map!