CrossCountry Bob

Yes, there is an east coast to Italy.  Not many tourists realize that, nor do many of the guide books.  That means, of course, it is an ideal place to venture for CrossCountry Bob and Paintin’ Peggie. You need a car, a good, little Italian car.  Like this…

This little beauty is easier driving on those narrow streets in the old part of town. With a standard transmission it was sometimes a bit of a workout for CrossCountry Bob’s worn out left knee!

CrossCountry Bob and Paintin’ Peggie took the high speed train from Rome to Barletta on the east coast and collected that reserved, black Fiat from Europcar (no fee paid by Europcar for this mention lol!).   First stop in the Fiat wasTrani.  Check it out.

The street vendors inTrani are selling lots of produce and the eating grapes are delizioso!

So, the first two weeks of Italy were filled with history and art and sculpture and churches and museums and Roman ruins and crusader castles and…..well, you catch the drift; the plan for the east coast of Italy is ocean, cliffs, beachside cafes, small towns and less tourists. Otherwise known as Paintin’ Peggie style (with the full concurrence of CrossCountry Bob).

With that travel style in mind, the first outing was a two hour drive along the coast to Vieste.  The best thing CrossCountry Bob can do here is let the pictures do the talking…

After Vieste, it was time for the opposite.  Inland to the ancient towns of Gravina and Matera.  The original inhabitants (Bronze Age or earlier) lived in caves burrowed into the limestone cliffs. This style of living definitely had its adherents through the ages -.natural insulation and some protection from the marauders that plagued the area right up and through the medieval days.

Gravina is the economy version of cave living, smaller and more compact and with traces of Roman occupation such as the preserved and rehabilitated bridge/aqueduct

Matera is the Cadillac of cave houses and Paintin’ Peggie was thrilled walking around there…

After those visits, it was a day hanging about in Trani (CrossCountry Bob believes in time off from time off), the next stop was the white, hilltop town of Ostuni.  On the way to Ostuni there was a mandatory detour to the Unesco certified (that should have been a clue) village of Alberobello which consists of round houses called trulli

Unfortunately, Alberobello had become the classic tourist specialty.  How to ruin something interesting in one easy step.  CrossCountry Bob has a phrase to apply to such places:  “We came, We saw, We went”.  Through the years CrossCountry Bob had learned that descriptive words and phrases such as “stunning”, “fantastic” and “cannot be missed” sometimes describe places that are not entirely stunning, not soooooo fantastic and can certainly be missed.

Ostuni is a white town on a hill with thick city walls (did CrossCountry Bob mention before that a LOT of Italy is filled with hilltop towns as such spots were easier to defend against invaders and Italy had plenty of those over the centuries after the Roman Empire fell into ruin).

In Ostuni, CrossCountry Bob picked a spot in the old town with a rooftop terrace looking toward the duomo on the hill

Our Ostuni place had a full kitchen (as did Trani).  CrossCountry Bob and Paintin’ Peggie knew the east coast of Italy would be a time for cooking our own food.  Two weeks of Italian restaurants was lovely eating but there are limits (and we reached them). Besides, shopping in Italian markets is a part of the local cultural experience that CrossCountry Bob and Paintin’ Peggie are partial to.  It was interesting to see how regular Italians go about daily living (we already know how they dry the laundry)..

As it turned out, much of the coast in the area of Ostuni is flat and featureless. The beaches are okay but the town itself is more interesting with its hilltop perch and some ancient olive groves on the slopes.

Seeking a more dramatic coastline, it was into the trusty black Fiat and a drive south to the tip of the heel – Santa Maria di Leuca.  A lovely spot and very few tourists (you remember that CrossCountry Bob and Paintin’ Peggie like to be the only tourists in sight)! On the way, a brief stop in Lecce with deep roots in the Middle Ages.

As by now there has been a considerable amount of driving by CrossCountry Bob, it is perhaps the ideal time to talk a bit about driving in Italy.  Some of you may recall that when CrossCountry Bob and Paintin’ Peggie drove across Canada in their RV, Winnie, CrossCountry Bob thought it was a perfect test of a relationship.  If you could survive a few months together in an RV there was hope!  Well, it turns out that the RV test was nothing more than a simple, qualifying test. The REAL exam was driving into Italian cities and towns, trying to find a hotel using Google Maps on the iPhone – CrossCountry Bob driving, Paintin’ Peggie holding the iPhone and muttering crazy words as the Google Maps did strange flip flops and, yes, made mistakes that made no sense (which CrossCountry Bob attributed to the Italian elevation of style above practicality.  All the meanwhile, dealing with the following:

1). Italian drivers love to use the horn;

2)  the use of turn signals is entirely optional;

3). A tailgating distance in Canada is to the Italian driver a broad expanse of space to be eliminated by coming as close to your bumper as possible – and then maybe even closer still;

4) the right of way belongs mostly to whoever gets there first;

5) small, narrow medieval streets don’t mean go slow;

6) crosswalks are maybe yes, maybe no.

7) if you wait your turn, you wait forever.

Well, CrossCountry Bob is happy to report that he and Paintin’ Peggie somehow passed the exam although there were moments when those Itilian drivers must have been secretly laughing at those two Canadians sinking in the noisy chaos.

Now, back to regularly scheduled programming…having survived driving on the east coast of Italy, how about going west to the notorious Amalfi coast.  No problem for CrossCountry Bob,he was keen to try that.  Home base was Vietri dal Mare, the first of the Amalfi coast villages…

Okay, here we go, driving along the Amalfi coast…

Late October is shoulder season, so the traffic was just bad,not impossible.  Our host said in the summer it would take two days to drive what we did in one day.  Paintin’ Peggie thought one day was enough.  But it was beautiful and a bucket list item. But by then it was donkey time.

Well, right about now, CrossCountry Bob and Paintin’ Peggie are feeling just about like those donkeys – made it all the way to the top, saw the sights but now just ready to get on home (those donkeys are used to carry supplies to cliffside houses that the roads can’t reach).

For the donkeys – back to the stable.  For CrossCountry Bob and Paintin’ Peggie – WestJet Rome to Calgary and then Calgary to Kelowna.  Just over a month away in total!

Ciao for now.

CrossCountry Bob

Looking back many years, CrossCountry Bob remembers a bit from history class in high school.  The medieval period for the peasant class was grinding poverty and work in the fields sprinkled with a constant dose of danger as the medieval lords vied for power and territory.  So, when the Renaissance dawned in Italy, it was a magnet for those seeking something more from life.  The wealth generated by dynasties such as the House of Medici allowed the arts and sciences to flourish and Florence was and is an expression of that flourishing.

CrossCountry Bob wandered about Florence, soaking in the ambience of the buildings and streets and imagining Leonardo da Vinci thriving there.

There were many talented sculptors in Florence and Michelangelo was one of the best. His “David” is housed in the Academia Gallery.

What resonates with CrossCountry Bob is the reflective repose in David’s face, as he sizes up the Philistine, Goliath, and is perhaps thinking… “One good shot…I can take this guy”.  The strong, powerful hands reflect the lethal force of the stone that his sling will launch.  Don’t focus on him being naked – that reflects his natural God given strength and beauty.

And so Florence helped raise man from the medieval wastelands and deserves its place as part of the heart of Italy. There are talented artists today in Florence, patiently making a living as Leonardo once did. Peggie spotted one and loved his art. Instant art buddies…

And don’t forget, touring Florence uses energy which must be replaced…

Beer and gelato…

Another part of the heart of Italy is, of course, Rome.  It is the one empire everyone has heard of.  Wandering its remains certainly made CrossCountry Bob reflect on both the power and majesty man can bring to his world as well as the fleeting nature of it all.  After all, there was always the slave to whisper in the consul’s ear that all glory is fleeting.

The modern side of Florence and Rome is the throngs of people everywhere, everywhere, everywhere.  But even with the crowds, a quieter side of Florence can be found and Paintin’ Peggie did a good job of that…

With Rome, there is no similar essence to capture for CrossCountry Bob.  Rome is a large, boisterous city filled with a mixture of ancient and modern and every type of Italian you have ever imagined!.

Throughout it all looms the Church.  It is everywhere in Italy.  CrossCountry Bob thinks Francis of Assisi might have had similar thoughts and his vows of poverty and desire for a simple life of help blossomed in an era when the Church was rich and powerful.  The Church could have vanquished Assisi easily but, ultimately, the Church absorbed Francis and his followers.  Francis became Saint Francis of Assisi and the grand Basilica of St. Francis arose. CrossCountry Bob won’t speculate on the real winners and losers in that bit of Church history but it is all certainly part of the heart of Italy.

CrossCountry bob and Paintin’ Peggie enjoyed wandering about the town of Assisi.  It reflects the Middle Ages in its stone buildings and narrow streets and Paintin’ Peggie captured that nicely with her fine eye…

And what happens when one is done with the Heart of Italy?

Well, for CrossCountry Bob and Paintin’ Peggie, it is a train ride to Puglia on the east coast of Italy, a less visited area where a rented car and stays in smaller villages is an exploration of a different sort. 

Stay tuned for that.

CrossCountry Bob

Venezia (Venice)

Milan to Venice by train is the plan. For CrossCountry Bob, trains in Europe are generally a pleasant experience.  Far better than airports! Sliding through pleasant countryside, comfortable seats, with the Alps off to the left in the distance.  Upon reaching Venice, the train traverses a causeway across the lagoon and stops on the edge of Venice.  Smooth transition off the train, and greeted by the curious citizen of Venice…

From there, a short walk to the Vaporetto Station, wait a bit and then onto the vaporetto.

People everywhere.  Not the crushes of summer, perhaps, but often a close likeness to the inside of a sardine can once on board the vaporetto.

This is not CrossCountry Bob’ s first visit to Venice but he is hopeful of a more rewarding visit that last time when some type of pneumonia hammered him.  He still has some lung scarring to prove it.

Well, don’t dwell on the past says CrossCountry Bob.  It ain’t coming back.  Welcome to Venice today.

Some years ago, the pigeons on the Square outnumbered the humans but now it is an easy win for the humans.  Progress.  But some things stay the same.  The beer that CrossCountry Bob consumed was first rate, as it was eight years ago.  After the beer, it was walkabout (oops, water closet visit first)…

Walking makes CrossCountry Bob hungry and eating in Venice is a problem of choice.  It’s shoulder season and the restaurants are busy but not usually full.  Dinner on night one was, yes, seafood. Very good. And night two was for CrossCountry Bob (sacrilege!) – rack of lamb – it was exquisite!

All famous places have a “must do” and in Venice that is to explore the Grand Canal on the slow boat, otherwise known as Vaporetto route 1.  CrossCountry Bob and Paintin’ Peggie sat outside at the back and enjoyed the passing daily life of Venice.  Travelling Dave declared it a highlight.

Now and then it was fun to exit the vaporetto and climb one of the scattered church bell towers to enjoy the views…

And that is a wrap for Venice.  Arrivederci!

Next up in norther Italy is Lake Como.  And guess what else came to visit Lake Como?  Yes, the rain.  It must have followed us from Zurich;  heavy rain.  But there were breaks in the weather to explore a bit and take a few photos. 

CrossCountry Bob will say that Lake Como is interesting but not special.  It has nothing on the various Okanagan vistas.  Needless to say, CrossCountry Bob is not impressed by the fact that George Clooney owns a huge villa on Lake Como (Pause here for CrossCountry Bob on his soapbox: “I am sure that the Clooney villa is so super energy efficient it would make your eyes water with joy; good, ol’ George (I hear) is very, very worried about climate change” – end of CrossCountry soapbox before all readers abandon ship).  Now back to regularly scheduled blogging…a Lake Como highlight…

Paintin’ Peggie spotted these –

The rain was heavy as CrossCountry Bob and Paintin’ Peggie departed Lake Como…

Next stop – Cinque Terre.  There are more ways people try to pronounce Cinque Terre than there are beautiful little villages comprising Cinque Terre.  Italian is an elegant, flowing language with wonderful cadences that Paintin’ Peggie and CrossCountry Bob loved to listen to, especially the young couples in love.  But even the angry arguments (and there were plenty of those) had a rhythm.

The best way around the Cinque Terre is by train.

The Cinque Terre weather gradually became cooperative and the ocean settled, gently lapping the Monterosso beach and the adjacent steep rocky cliffs.  Paintin’ Peggie breathed deeply of that ocean air and soaked in the beauty of the place…

One of the features of Cinque Terre is the walking/hiking paths between the villages.  CrossCountry Bob eyed those paths with regret.  Not so long ago, those paths would be an interesting stroll but the knees now have a veto (knee replacement is high on the priority list).  But the Cinque Terre villages themselves were very pleasant to wander about…

And, of course, not hiking the paths does not mean not eating.  Night one was a seafood extravagance…

Night two for CrossCountry Bob was homemade pasta with fresh anchovies, garlic and olives (do not confuse wonderful fresh anchovies with those heavily salted things at home that masquerade as anchovies)

Paintin’ Peggie chose the homemade pasta with a seafood bisque coating and CrossCountry Bob forgot to take a picture! But buonisimo (as in superb); and so Cinque Terre goes into the CrossCountry Bob travel catalogue as plunging, steep landscapes, multicoloured buildings and food fit for real Italians – and therefore more than fit for amateur eater CrossCountry Bob.

And with that – Ciao! – time for CrossCountry Bob and Paintin’ Peggie to hit the road.  See you in Florence.

Arriving in Milan by train, CrossCountry Bob finds himself in a train station built by Mussolini in 1931 to showcase the power of his Italian fascist state.  Makes one pause when about to utter: “those were the days”.

CrossCountry Bob chose a hotel a five minute walk from the Mussolini masterpiece so that he could look at it five times a day (kidding, but hey, look at Italy today, maybe not the best, maybe not the brightest but right up there when it comes to expressing that life is for living – just drink their coffee and eat their pasta if you have any doubt about that says CrossCountry Bob).  One small problem for CrossCountry Bob with all that living – you all know it as the expanding waistline 🙁

Milan is a big, active modern city.  The kind of place CrossCountry Bob loves to visit but wouldn’t want to live in.  But the old area of the city is relatively compact and showcased by the Duomo (means cathedral in Italian). For reference, the Duomo was not built by Mussolini according to a reliable source that CrossCountry Bob experienced when young – you may have heard of that “reliable” source – the Roman Catholic Church.

A much more appropriate version…

People flock to the area around the duomo and it is alive!  Paintin’ Peggie has the eye for these places as her photos here illustrate:

And high end shopping.  This is the first time CrossCountry Bob has seen people lining up to enter a Prada.  If you look close you can see the Prada wallet/purse checker moving down the line and ensuring customers’ wallets/purses are fat with cash and credit cards.

Well, ok, maybe no wallet/purse checker but there were purses for sale for 1,500 euros and nice coats for 1,800 euros.  CrossCountry Bob has trouble conceptualizan paying that kind of money for clothes!! But he is searching for a pair of stylish Italian sandals for a more reasonable price (maybe 125 euros perhaps 🙂 ).

Time for a mid-moring breakfast on the go in Milan?  Not a problem, many choices. Paintin’ Peggie spotted this and it was a winner.

Delizioso!

For moving about in Milan, the Metro is clean and efficient; CrossCountry Bob’s preferred way around Milan was an all day pass for 7 euros!  And if you ever need help up the stairs there is always a Paintin’ Peggie ready to help with the stroller…

Ten minutes on the Metro from the hotel to the Duomo and then another ten or fifteen minutes to the canal district.  The canals are popular with both tourists and locals.

By now, as evening approached and CrossCountry Bob had clocked over 10 km on what was left of his knees, it was time to sit, have some wine and dinner and people watch.  A pleasant way to slide into sunset.  The knees appreciated it!

And then back to Hotel Garda via the Metro.  An easy stroll from the Metro station to the hotel along safe streets.  The Italians have done Milan just right. It’s a wrap for CrossCountry Bob and Paintin’ Peggie. A restful sleep and then a civilized start the next morning, a 9:15 a.m. train departure from Mussolini’s monument.

Next stop, Venice.

CrossCountry Bob signing off for the night.

Travel breaks the routines of life, stimulates the senses and gives the brain a workout (a necessity for CrossCountry Bob as he is well over the senior threshold).  The route to Italy for CrossCountry Bob and Paintin’ Peggie is through Switzerland, a place CrossCountry Bob has always wanted to visit.

A smooth direct flight from Vancouver, landing in Zurich at 11 a.m. local time. Off to a good start, what could go wrong?

Well, Switzerland is expensive and a taxi from the airport works out to approximately $100 Canadian, so take the express train for 7 franc ($15) instead. Brilliant plan. Tickets purchased from ticket machine, down the escalator to the trains. Hmm…looks like the wrong track. Up and over and down…ahh…looks good. Board the train. First stop in ten minutes. Sign says “Interlaken” and so we stay on the train. And on the train goes, and on some more. No stop. Finally, CrossCountry Bo asked a young lady that seemed to know where she was.  “Oh”, she says. “This train is nonstop to Bern.  Be there in an hour.” Noticing the look on the jet lagged face of CrossCountry Bob,  this helpful young lady pulled out her phone and brought up the Swiss train app and showed CrossCountry Bob how to return from Bern. 

OK. Off at the Bern station, up and over from platform 6 to platform 2 (maybe 2 minutes until departure, move it!)…down the stairs to the train, race (limp in the case of CrossCountry Bob with the bad knees waiting for knee replacements), to the last door open with the conductor standing by…and…we were on… an hour return journey, feeling happy about that.

Bern seemed like a pleasant small city (as determined only by looking out a train window), so it was perhaps not fair for CrossCountry Bob to decide that from now on the “Bern Way” as used by CrossCountry Bob will mean the dumb way, the slow way, the check Google maps before way. Follow along with CrossCountry Bob as he traverses Italy and see if the “Bern Way” crops up again. Place no bets, please. The odds are lopsided 🙂

Zurich: sedate and civilized.  A good example of how public transport can work – efficient, clean and frequent.  In fact, it was so efficient that although it poured all day in Zurich, CrossCountry Bob and Paintin’ Peggie still enjoyed seeing the city.  None of the traffic chaos of Paris or Rome.  Our travel companion, David, even thought he could live there comfortably and that is saying something for a lifelong Kelowna resident.

After Zurich, it was over the Alps by train – the Bernina Express.  CrossCountry Bob was hoping for a spectacular train ride and the Bernina Express delivered. CrossCountry Bob will let the pictures do the talking after noting that the trains in Switzerland arrive on time, leave on time and are pleasant to ride. Zurich to Chur, leave 7:07 (yup), arrive Chur 8:22 (yup).

Cross the platform to the waiting Bernina Express, scheduled for departure at 8:28.

Now, settle into a nice window seat and wait. 8:28, the Bernina Express starts to move. CrossCountry Bob is impressed.

The Bernina Express line terminates in Tirano, Italy. Will the smooth journey continue or will the Italian reputation for a little less organization assert itself. “Se dipende, as the Italians say.

It seems part of the rail line to Milan (our final destination for the day) is out. Landslide, accident, construction?? Se dipende.

In any event, a bus must be taken to the other side of the track outage where the train awaits (we hope). One bus and enough passengers for two. Another bus coming says the conductor but few listen and push onto the bus. We squeeze on. An hour on the bus and we arrive at a train station. No one says go here, there or anywhere, so CrossCountry Bob follows a couple speaking Italian. Sure enough, they lead the way to the right train platform and after the other passengers gradually board (“si, si, Milano”, says a train employee at last, encouraging everyone aboard). All set, the train departs for Milan.

Stay tuned for Milan. Big, vibrant and full of Italians!