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Published: August 17th 2011
Travel Blog Monday 13th June to Sunday 3rd July 2011.
We had some bad news over the weekend. My Dad is very sick and is in hospital.
He will not be able to take care of himself when he gets out of hospital - he would have to go into a nursing home. So we make the decision, to return home to live with and take care of him in his own home. So now the nightmare of organising our return home begins. For the next two weeks we are trying to find somewhere to store the camper for the next year, booking flights home and organize ourselves for our return trip.
Otranto, Puglia.
Monday 13th June 2011.
I’m off to school. Tom doubles me in on the scooter. He goes back and has a swim. I didn’t know that we were only having an assessment today to decide which class we go in, so no lessons today. Not impressed as that is a waste of a day, and means one less day of tuition especially when the cost of the course is not cheap. Other students were not impressed either.
Message Tom to come and get me.
Tom doesn’t get the message for a while, so when he comes in to collect me, I had already left as I thought he was out on a bike ride. I went into town to have a look around. Finally contact him and he picks me up. We get home, have lunch, and go back into school at 3pm to walk around with the other students with Barbara (the Director/teacher) telling us all about the buildings, the cathedral, the castle and the fortress. It was good except it is not in English and had to translate for Tom as we went around. What I didn’t know in Italian, Barbara helped me out. Had dinner in a pizza restaurant – huge pizzas and very good.
Tuesday 14th June 2011.
I’m at school, my teacher is Patrizia.
Tom swimming, on the trainer and getting the washing done.
Wednesday 15th June 2011.
At the start of school we went to the local markets to see what was there and do some tasting of the local products. Tom swimming and on the trainer.
Thursday 16th June 2011.
Off to school, and then at 4pm we go on a school excursion to
June 2011 - Italy/Puglia/Otranto
looking across courtyard to Aragonese castlethe old Greek part of Salento. We went to the church of San Caterina, the second biggest church in Italy with more frescoes after the Basilica of Assisi. Visited the remains of a Trulli house. Went to Corigliano and saw the Lucchetti Arch full of strange and old symbols of the 500’s. Visited an underground olive-oil mill of the 16th century.
We saw lots that you would not normally see as the teachers had previously arranged for some special buildings to be opened for us. Again it is told in Italian and Tom said he used his imagination lots, but there was a student French lady who translated for us. Then back to school and into town for dinner. Not too bad.
Friday 17th June 2011.
Tom dropped me off near school and headed out to collect the camper after its repairs from the dealer. It cost €3,200. New mattress, new front suspension, air bags for rear and 2 new hoods
Weather has been great, 30 degrees, and it is such a nice treat to get home from school, have some lunch and then relax with having a swim and a rest for the afternoon Back into town for
June 2011 - Italy/Puglia/Otranto
looking across piazza to enclosed castle dinner at a pizza restaurant to say farewell to quite a few students. Patrizia organized this restaurant as she knows the owner and it was a fun night with lots of students there.
Saturday 18th June 2011.
In the afternoon we headed into town for a medieval festival held in the castle grounds. There was a great exhibition of flag throwing.
Sunday 19th June 2011.
Rest day.
Monday 20th June and Tuesday 21st June 2011.
School for me. Tom on trainer and swimming.
Wednesday 22nd June2011
At the start of school, we went to the local markets just a walk away and bought some fresh food and looked at what was available. Tom came in on scooter and we bought 2 large suit cases and Tom took them home on scooter, didn’t look too safe.
After morning tea (pausa) , Barbara did a demonstration on pasta making, and different shapes of pasta to make. A few of us (me included) went up front and had a go of making the shapes – much fun.
Thursday 23rd June 2011.
Tom packed up the van during the day, in readiness to move into a campsite in
town where we were anticipating leaving the camper for storage for the following year.
After school there was another excursion. Wow, the scenery was fantastic. We went to a private Agriturismo, where there was a campsite and a farm of olive trees, and on the property we went to see The Hypogeum, an old and mysterious church under the ground of the 9th century. They used to cremate the bodies and put the ashes in the small niches, later it was used to house pigeons for the use of sending messages in the wars. After that, we went to a bauxite quarry with a lake. We travelled down the east coast to the National Park, and stood at the most easterly point of Italy, and looked across to Albania – only 60kms across the sea. Further along we stopped at a Spanish tower - Tower Minervino - 1000yrs old – a defense lookout, where the lookout person in the tower was fed and watered by the local people. They had to keep rebuilding the towers as they constructed them using salt water, and they kept falling down.
Then off to Port Badisco. There is the Grotto dei Cervi –
where there are Neolithic paintings (3,000 – 4,000 yrs old).This is the prettiest harbor/ swimming area we have ever seen and will be going back.
Then on to the village of Castro. There we went into the Romanelli cave – where there are Palaeolithic age paintings (12,000 -13,000 yrs old).
Drove through the village of Santa Cesarea, The Sticci Villa – build by a very rich family in the 1930's.
We headed back towards Otranto. We called in to look at a fortified farm house – they were made fortified to defend against Turkish invasion in 1480. There they were doing some filming for the Venezia Film Festival. For the film, they were pretending that the farm house was in Sicily. On the site was also an old Military church – roof shaped like a star.
We then went to the remains of the monastery of San Nicola di Casole: the 2nd biggest library of the XI century in the Mediterranean area, the first students’ house in Europe, a very important centre for the Greek and Byzantine cultures. The monks translated many books as the monastery was the main route between Rome and the Orient. Umberto Eco took the idea
for his book ‘the Name of the Rose’ from this monastery.
Friday 24th June 2011.
Drove the camper to the new campsite. Had an idea of the cost of storage and would have to do, as we had not found anything else nearby.
Last day of school for me. I had made some wonderful acquaintances and hopefully able to keep in touch with them in the future.
Went back to town to meet Jackie (student from New Zealand) for dinner as it was her last day as well.
Saturday 25th June 2011.
We saw the owner of the caravan park and he gave us the final costs for storage €850. We decided to go to the Agriturismo, that we had been to on Thursday for our school excursion, to see what there costs would be. They said they could store the camper at a much lower cost, and they are there all year round, so security was better for us – and only €300.
So back to the camper at the other campsite, pack it up and drive to Agriturismo camp site. Then we sorted out everything, packed our bags and stayed in one of their
apartments for the night. They had a very large pool at the complex, and it was great to have a few swims during the day, as it was approx 35 degrees.
Dinner in the restaurant there – it was a pre-set meal but oh so much food in small portions of various dishes – totally stuffed.
Sunday 26th June 2011.
Up and have breakfast and get the taxi to the bus stop. Bus leaves at 9.30am to go to Rome. Decided to go by bus rather than train, as we wouldn’t have to haul the luggage around on train stations. It was a double decker bus, and we went up the front to have a look at the scenery along the way. Most of the trip was north along the coast and then across country to Rome.
We arrive in Rome bus and train depot at 5.30pm.
Then into a taxi for a trip to the airport.
We hang around the airport for the next 24 hours. If we caught the bus tomorrow, we would have missed the plane.
Pommy bath in the basins in the handicapped toilets.
Monday 27th June 2011.
I realised that it is 11
months today that we flew out of Sydney. Time flies.
We board the plane for a 7.30pm flight out.
Nope, not going anywhere – passenger has not boarded, so we have to wait another hour while they find the luggage and take it off the plane.
Being summer and with daylight savings, the flight from Rome to Frankfurt was fantastic. I was seated next to the window, and could pick out Venice as we flew over it. The view of the Alps was absolutely incredible.
Land in Frankfurt 1 hour late – so no time for a shower in the Qantas lounge.
Guess what, electrical problems with the plane, so we wait for 4 more hours on the tarmac until we take off. Not allowed to get off plane due to security regulations. But, after such a long time, some passengers at the back of the plane were getting overheated and sick, and they ended getting off after a secured room was found for us to wait in if we wanted.
Getting very smelly under the armpits.
We ended up leaving Frankfurt at 4.30am Tuesday morning. Aarghhh.
Tuesday 28th June 2011.
Land in Singapore. Quick turnaround there – but
again another person does not board, so we wait another hour while they search for the luggage and take it off the plane.
I am getting to watch lots of movies with all this waiting. !!!!!!!
Wednesday 29th June 2011.
Yippie. We land in Sydney airport at 10.30am – only 5 hours later than expected. We had booked a limo to collect us – no way were we going to try and fluff around with public transport after such a long flight home – totally exhausted.
Finally arrive at our wonderful friends, Annie and George’s place to stay for a few days.
We stay until Sunday 3rd July. Pack up our gear and head up to Port Macquarie to commence a different type of journey with Dad.
Before we left for our adventure, we said that our travel blog, was in place of individual email updates, as it would be too much to email everyone personally. We would like to thank everyone who emailed us and kept us up to date with news and happenings of their families back at home. Very much appreciated.
Travel Blog to be continued sometime in the future.
Until
then, arrivederci. xx
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