After a few relaxing days in Lecce, my favourite person and I decided on a day at the beachside town of Otranto, about 45kms from Lecce.
The bus stop for the summer bus service was just around the corner from where we were staying. Armed with our bus timetable that our truly amazing beyond Airbnb super host had given us, we arrived at the bus stop about 15 minutes early. Continue reading
After a hectic week of travel in Israel, amazing as it was, it was definitely time to get back on the Slow Travel bus (or train as that was our mode of travel to Assisi from Rome).
We decided to take an Airbnb to have a bit more space, as well as being able to do our washing and relax. Our apartment was just outside of the Porta Nouva. While it was at the bottom of the hill an escalator awaited for the trip up the hill – how civilised.
The very first thing that captured our attention were the views from the town.
Assisi is about the Saints, and coming straight from Israel it had even greater resonance even for a non-Cathlic. like myself.
There were nuns and monks everywehere.
I was struck by how so many people gaze in awe at the religious sites. Continue reading
Umbria is often referred to as the green heart of Italy.
The view across the Umbrian valley from Assisi with its patchwork of fields confirmed this. Umbria has a reputation for its food, wine and olive oil; all of which we can confirm from our stay in Assisi.
Our days in Assisi, a medieval town that looks across the valley, had enabled us to sample the wines. Montefalco Sagrantino and Montefalco Rosso were becoming favourites.
We visited a local wine bar, Bibenda, that had a reputation not just for the wines but also for its sommelier owner who has a truly extensive knowledge about the region.
We’d seen in a “things to do” post from Airbnb about a “new experience”, being a wine tour of a Montefalco winery and decided to see if we could make it work without a car.
Who wants to drive if you are doing some wine tasting? Continue reading
We’d be warned. Visiting the old city can be overwhelming. It can be an emotional experience. Don’t be surprised if you are moved to tears we’d read.
So we set foot inside the old city with a degree of apprehension. How would we feel? For me, it wasn’t until I was sitting having a drink with my favourite person after our day in the old city that it hit me. I’d been in a very special place.
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A place I had to visit while in Jerusalem was Yad Vashem, Israel’s Holocaust Memorial.
We were fortunate that we were able to schedule our visit for a Friday as this is the day when there is an English Tour Guide.
Nothing I can write describes what this memorial commemorates.
I have set out below five moments where I was almost moved to tears on our visit:
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