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Published: September 7th 2015
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After arriving in Bari we thought we would go to Positano or somewhere on the Amalfi Coast. But we had trouble finding a place that we liked, in a location that we liked and at a price that we liked. So instead we headed in the direction of Lecce in the stiletto heel of the Italian boot. We didn’t know it as we don't take much notice these days, but when we got there without a booking or any internet access, we discovered that we had arrived on a Sunday that happened to be a public holiday this is a double whammy in Italy and nothing much was open. So we started walking in the heat with heavy bags. Eventually we ended up at McDonalds, thinking they might have Wi-Fi. But no. After a fillet-o-fish we found a café with Wi-Fi that was open and Leanne got us in somewhere using AirBnB. It cost a lot more than we were used to paying, but we were desperate and had to take what we could get. It turned out to be a palace. I am not sure, but I think it was literally a palace from some centuries ago. We had one
quarter of the bottom story and it was a huge apartment with antique furniture and a swimming pool in the back garden. Very useful in the heat of late summer.
Lecce has a tranquil and timeless vibe. The slippery street stones from ages of wear are a platform from which baroque buildings mesh together forming a labyrinthine maze of narrow alleys and thoroughfares. The best time of day is early evening. As the day cools off, restaurants open on the sides of these lane ways and your meal is occasionally interrupted by the nudge of a slow passing vehicle’s rear view mirror. We had not really meant to come to Lecce, but we will fondly remember its character.
Our next targets were Sicily and the Aeolian Islands on the other side of the country, so this time we booked ahead and had 10 nights accommodation all secured. So after another long day of travel (this time bus and ferry) we got to Taormina. We ate an expensive dinner, but had water to drink as the wine was even dearer. Then we had a good night’s sleep.
The events detailed so far are not the reason for this
post’s title. The real reason is that I am writing it from Australia. At times our seven months traveling around Europe and South America have seemed as though they are destined to fail. Leanne’s father had been ill for weeks and we got a phone call from her mum to say that he was in hospital in a very serious condition. Four hours later we were on the first of three planes that took us home. Leanne saw her dad in hospital. He was unconscious and on life support. The next day he was taken off life support and passed away.
So that will be the last post for a while. We don’t know how long we will be home or where we will go next. At the moment Leanne and her Mum need to grieve and all other plans are on hold. Travel plans are not the priority now.
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