We’ve arrived to the walled ancient city of Lecce on a sunny day via private driver, train, taxi and schlepping our bags some ourselves. At B&B Centro Storico, Mary had arranged an early check in (she actually accomplished this at every location so far!!!). First, animated Nora got us and our luggage up several floors using a “luggage lift” then to the roof top patio to await owner Filipino and his welcome and recommendations. We are very lucky to have their hospitality! It’s a 15th century building, well restored for guests.

In the last two days we’ve explored and strolled through the streets of this historic center with Fillipo’s encouragement to “get lost a little”. Not at all difficult to do! But somehow a wonderful way to wile away the days. We’ve found the Duomo, the Anditeatro Roman (for blood sports), the Teatro Greco Roman (tragedies and comedies for the rich), the Castello, Villa Communale (park), eight or more of the 29 chiesa’s (churches) inside the walls and Baldo’s! The latter required a return visit – if you guessed gelateria, you’d have nailed it!

We found an art installation in the convent cum Teatro Greco Roman complex. Eclectic.

The convent is now the Teatro Greco Roman. It leaves you feeling the dichotomies in human nature that create theater and gladiatorial “sports”. There was a lot of helpful regional history in this complex, but I liked the art the best.

We conquered Trentitalia and caught the train to nearby Locorotondo- one of the white cities. It is sited on a hill with surrounding vineyards and countryside, much of it agrarian.

The viewpoint city parco.

And of course a wonderful lunch – Mary found a delightful regionale white wine in the land of reds!

L’Aratro for dinner – quite the lovely presentation and service, topped only by the flamboyantly attired owner (tablecloth apron and hat)! We haven’t missed a chance to taste the local wines with dinner! It’ll be ‘arrivederci Alberobello’ tomorrow as we move on to Lecce. Puglia has been a good choice.

This was a charming two night stay in the land of the trulli! Originally rural, mostly agricultural landscapes had small dwellings made of stone and rock. They feel hobbitesque and were a delight!

Mary booked us in a multi room trulli (trullo singular) in the commune of Alberobello that was a warren of shops, restaurants and inns.

Late lunch with wonderful tagliere (cutting boards) and aperol spritz have allowed us to relax. We had a nice little patio to enjoy before venturing for our evening meal.

We love Alberobello!

A very long, full day but excellent tour with Francesco Luciano of the ancient, longest continuously lived in commune of Matera and nearby Altamura. To answer the question my title must prompt, these two cities have the distinction in recent years of closing two new McDonalds franchises in their communities!!! They are McDonald’s free! Both have reputations to protect regarding their long-standing traditions of bread making and one of the franchises actually opened next door to them. The citizens supported the local businesses and McD’s closed – love this storyline as much as I abhor the export of our fast food/chain restaurants!

Altamura, a walled city with a long history of different ruling class periods, was brought back to life by an Italian born, German emperor after going dormant (presumably because of a war – no real records exist). Frederick II created a new city that flourished.

On to Matera – which was fascinating. The caves of this city have been inhabited for 9,000 years and the setting (no longer residences) is a UNESCO site. Sited on a ravine, cave dwellings were built one upon another to house large families and their livestock. They farmed nearby. There are rock churches, remarkable water catchment systems that created small neighborhoods that were mutually supportive groups. In the mid-20th century conditions were impoverished and unhygienic enough to prompt the government to evacuate the inhabitants to nearby homes. If I remember right, child mortality was roughly 30%. UNESCO recognition was eventually gained. It was a fascinating lesson.

We returned to Bari with new appreciation for the city thanks to Francesco who is enthusiastic about his town.

It was a long but trouble-free travel day! No hitches on our three flight/airport journey to Bari – our entree to the Puglia region or the heel of the boot. Our luggage arrived with us (even Mary’s) without needing to employ our Air Tags! And we’ve found friendly, helpful Italians along the way.

Bari is a port city. Much less touristed than other spots in the country by report. We’re staying in the old, historical neighborhood which is quaint, comfortable and includes the marina, charming piazza’s and great examples of mixed use design that just happened through the years. Think laundry hanging above the cozy lanes from piazza to piazza co-existing with restaurants and al fresco dining. We had a blue sky greeting from Bari that turned into a short thunderstorm (precipitating a welcomed nap). We think tomorrow will be dry.

So far wine and great food has won out over gelato!!!!! Not sure what’s wrong with us! Mary, our tour guide for Puglia found La Cecchina with wonderful sea bream and starters. Ah, the tiramisu ending was heavenly!!

Tomorrow we take off for Puglia – the heel of the Italian boot. Mary, Beth and I are adventuring to parts of Italy hitherto not explored!! This will include Sicily, long on my list. We’ll be enjoying good wine, Mediterranean cuisine and dawdling in the small cities of Italy’s countryside – with a large dose of laughter and bonhomie. We leave at o’dark hundred to be early for our plane and meet Mary. So I’d better try to close my eyes. Buona notte!

Random observations and ponderings::)

Covid negative at trips end and

still at 14 days!! I masked in museums and public transportation and such and the weather allowed mostly outdoor dining (my preference anyway!)

Read JOAN by Katherine Chen – the newly published take on the Joan of Arc storyline. And For the Sake of the Game – stories inspired by the Sherlock Holmes canon.

I really had no interest in the Champs-Elysees – eschewed it entirely.

Mary noticed that the homeless we saw didn’t have shopping carts – a function of the smaller neighborhood markets and frequent shopping the French do. Sadly, everywhere we went there were many houseless individuals. It’s a worldwide problem that seems destined never to be “solved”. It does seem worse there, just like here. Another contribution Covid has made to the world.

Mary suffered through a cold during our post-Gene days. Guess the thing to focus on is it was only a cold.

My passport is good to 2026. I’ve got some traveling to do – the Covid travel drought needs to be over. Fingers crossed.

Need to get more serious again about traveling light. My lack of packing practice showed. Sadly there are additional things to bring along now – doubt I’ll ever travel without masks again. And then there’s the growing rx supply, toe supplies for walking and such.

Driving for the first time after a month away was a trip in itself! Not bad really, but I knew to pay special attention.

Coming home to my “birthday shrine” was fun. Taking it down I was reminded of the people in my life – I’m lucky.

And at the same time I noted that coming home felt a little lonely. Mom, Vicki, Gaia. The house is empty without even a kitty. I plan to make a winter adoption of a cat that needs a home.

When I say that it rhymes. Not so much when the French do!

Back to Paris for the final few days of Together In France, though Gene is enjoying the trip through Mary’s eyes now. We used Eurostar through the chunnel which turned out great, though there was no perceptible or lengthy period of under ocean travel. Really kinda mundane for such an engineering feat. Our experience was much enhanced by Mary’s approach to agent Stephane upon arrival to St Pancreas Station. We were early, quite early, to be cautious about possible National Rail strike influence and observe the recommended arrival time. When Mary showed Stephane our ticket he quickly took us to Priority Class, booked us on an earlier flight and moved us to that security line. We were golden!!

We seem to have a knack for arriving to destinations in rain. But it didn’t last long. Our trip in from the train station was delayed by a peaceful protest of Muslim nations in the center of Paris in support of Mahsa Amini, the 22-year-old Kurdish Iranian woman recently in the news, believed beaten she died while in police custody – arrested by the morality police for failure to wear her hijab. A sobering reminder of the freedoms I have (hope to keep) and threats to women everywhere.

Checked in and a bit disappointed in our Rick Steve’s $$$ hotel recommendation again (more in a post script later on this). But the Marias neighborhood has things to recommend it, Place Des Vosges for one. Had a outdoor cafe drink here and returned to Cafe Hugo for a nice dinner. We’re back in Paris!

Paris Sans Gene! 10/3-10/6

Really does feel and look like fall our first day here. Got ourselves to the Louvre and gave up, but persevered in our museum quest with the jewel that is L’Orangerie. We weren’t exactly early arrivals to the Tuileries or the Musee du Louvre grounds and palais, but there was still a fog that hid the Eiffel Tower from us until well after noon.

Having expended as much energy as we had, we walked back to the hotel and a nap overcame me!! Did wake in time to eat once again …… no surprise. Walked to Ile St Louis, one of two islands in the Seine near us.

We had a delightful time at dinner – lovely food and a most personable gay waiter who exclaimed “Let’s go” each time we made another decision about our meal! It was gourmet dining and beautiful food even in the “no reservation” section of the restaurant. 🍷🍷

We woke to the sun again!

Even the City of Lights looks better with sun and blue skies. Our day was steeped in beautiful art at Musee D’Orsay. As Mary appreciated the Impressionists, I went to the newly arrived Edvard Munch show since I’d already been on our arrival to France.

Our stroll involved a search for the ice cream famous on St. Louis – took us some time (and a 20+ min sit down waiting for ice cream at the wrong place that didn’t arrive – it was “too hard”????) but we did eventually find the most excellent Berthillon’s and thoroughly enjoyed our cones on the walk.

And then either a nap or some downtime depending on which one of us you are!

Really our last day in Paris.

The weather gods took pity on us and the overcast sky turned to a gorgeous blue while we were in the Louvre. From dark to sunny we could see the Eiffel Tower today.

We visited our favorites, but I believe the crowds or our “end of trip weary bodies” meant this wasn’t the top experience of our travels in Europe this time round.

I left satisfied, but with the thought that cell phones haven’t been good for art experiences. We watched one man simply walk the length of a huge exhibit area with his iPhone taking video without ever pausing. Art monetized by tourism is discouraging. Perhaps just symptomatic of hoards of travelers unleashed by the subdued Covid pandemic.

We had a nice, rather refined white tablecloth lunch and drinks just next to the Louvre. We’re winding down.

We picked up the few things we’re willing to bring back in our luggage on the way to the hotel. For me that meant chocolates mostly.

Our last evening in Paris found us back at the convivial Place des Vosges for a simple outdoor meal near our hotel. We kept meaning to make it to a jazz supper club, but somehow never found the excitement or energy to make it happen. Tonight we didn’t manage to get a table where the trendy, younger Parisians were settled as we’d set out to do. I might’ve felt old there anyway! But we walked about the Marais Arrondissement (neighborhood), saw the Jewish District and found we would leave without seeing all the quaint, high end shops and streets. There is always something to make you think you can come back and find new adventures to engage or simply settle into being a make believe local.

Had creme brulee and glace desserts, were chatted up by some men at a nearby table, waited out the surprise rain and went back to the hotel to pack.

Our earlier airline changed itinerary causes us to leave at a god awful time in the morning. But we survive and live for another trip!!!!

PDX

After a long flight, Gene’s limosine service was a dream! Nice to see him, chat briefly, watch Mary check her fish and garden and I left with tomatoes and basil. The aroma filled their backyard sanctuary as she picked it!

Home to fall crocuses, sunny warm weather, wooly caterpillars on my walks and the furor of mid-term campaigns!

Together in France was a Covid delayed promise fulfilled. To live through the pandemic to begin to explore the joys of life again and travel while Covid tenaciously stays with us is a small wonder. Part science, part humanity. That Gene joined us was special – international travel isn’t really his thing. I hope he enjoys the memories he is part of. I’m fortunate to have friends who will travel with me. I think the “Lucy’s” will travel again:)

I’m ready to plan my next trip . . . . . destination unknown! 70’s not so bad.

Courtesy of what I assume was diminishing bandwidth as the week extended into more guests at our hotel, this will be a mash up of memories and adventures.

CULTURAL EXPERIENCES

I’ve already shown you some of the iconic highlights and architectural sights in Central London we quickly amassed upon arrival. Couldn’t see them all even in the six days we were in London, but enough to satisfy Mary and I. You just have to plan to come back if you miss something important to you. This is my fourth visit to London and there are still places and experiences I wish to have one day.

The best of our entertainment choices was the West End production of Hamilton at the Victoria Palace. The glamour of the old gilded theatres can’t be denied! Mary loved the play – inspirational dancing, educational and creative are ways she described it! A redux for me, I am struck again with the strength of the lyrics against the various musical genres, the beauty of some of the music (Unimaginable) and the energy of it as a whole.

To that we added a play we picked up at TKTS called Eureka Day at the Old Vic, a work that used a mumps outbreak in a private school as a proxy for the current Covid vaccine cultural wars. Helen Hunt was the lead. The production used display of texting conversations on the background set during a Zoom meeting to great effect ala Dear Evan Hansen style (hilarious, but conveyed opinions, misinformation and science bias very deftly). The Old Vic, a traditional cultural icon, is near The Vaults I’d visited with Brian and Scott last time around – an alternative artistic space (think Banksy style graffiti artists with social justice and charitable endeavor overtones, a creative space, bars etc under Waterloo Station). We had a nice small plates tapa and wine experience in the neighborhood at a spot called Unwind.

We appreciated the National Gallery – despite the fact that we initially chose it just to get out of the rain one day. And Westminster Abbey always fascinates me. It’s the biggest cathedral we’ll see this trip as Notre Dame is still deep into restoration because of the fire some years ago. This church mingles the spiritual heart of a faith with secular heroes and martyrs. And is full of history! I appreciate the Poets Corner greatly in that vein. Because the Abbey is the setting for Royal weddings, coronations and burials it felt particularly relevant since Queen Elizabeth’s death just weeks ago. Even so, the concept of monarchy is a bit difficult for me. We enjoyed the Queens Diamond Jubilee Gallery, especially the overhead view of the Nave, despite the circular stairway climb (we took the elevator back down – ha!). It was a worthwhile extra there.

Though the walk from St Paul’s to the Tate Modern over the Millennial Bridge is great with views to Tower Bridge and into the Southwark area, the Tate I’ve been so enamored of escaped us this trip. With rain, renovations that currently close the 10th floor cafe view and one thwarted attempt to gain an evening entry – it was discouraging. And when finally there, the current exhibitions were dark and very challenging in tone. The artist exhibitions were deep into social justice commentary. Cezanne opened after our departure.

We tried to see the Tate one evening (guide books and at least one web site said we could) and ended up in a rainy walking tour of the area before we gave up. It was rainy enough it broke Mary’s 6 pound (as in currently) umbrella. What we’d hoped to see included a Cartier designed choral stage for community choirs (below). We’ve no idea if they performed or not!

NEIGHBORHOODS AND MARKETS

Our first exploration was to the West End beginning with Covent Garden. But we got off the Tube to quite a bit of rain! Had to wait it out with lunch, which wasn’t too bad.

Buskers like those above actually audition for their license to perform in London – even for the Tube. Additionally, I noted they accept contactless credit card tips for their performance.

Mary got us to the the Docklands and Greenwich Market – both so different from where we were staying. And you can see that though we expected an entirely rainy week we got lots of sunny, dry days!! High end modern apartments, financial district and a lovely little park all settled on the recovered docks from the old harbor and warehouse district. We even figured out the DLR (Docklands Light Railway) to get there!!

Barbican – An area I’m not sure I’d even heard of before! And it held some mysteries we didn’t explore, but we were invited there to have lunch with my friend Kaly Soto. Briefly saw her third floor flat and had lunch nearby before that rain that caught us on the way to the Tate set in. She has a lovely little Italian place in her immediate neighborhood (Vecchio Parioli) that provided a chance to chat and catch up with her (she now edits the NYT foreign desk since her arrival from NY just before the world hit Covid shutdown and with prescient aplomb suggested the new PM/Liz Truss would be “run out of town on a rail”). She seems every bit herself still. I enjoyed seeing her. Kaly has always been generous to me since I met her through Vicki.

Kaly encouraged us to walk into the Barbican and we briefly took a peek until the weather was asserting itself. We’d never have guessed there was luxury apartments, shops and galleries inside a nondescript concrete exterior. There was also the Museum of London there, all built on the site of Londonium (also known as Roman London it was the capital of Roman Britain during most of the period of Roman rule AD 47–50). Another spot to think about for future. But the best part of this day was the warm hug from Kaly!!

Portobello Market – The venerable, sprawling street market within a mile of our hotel was a fun way to spend a Saturday morning. It’s a wildly varying bunch of stalls and shops that provide everything from veg stand to chip cart, antique (?) silver to vintage posters to simple souvenirs. A little wild, but a nice walk after a lovely local breakfast!! Again we walked away without a purchase – guess the “experiences over things” preference is real.

I spent most afternoons walking one way or another and often in our nearby parks – Kensington and Hyde. Here are photos over days – I loved this part of my stay in London!!!!

Turn Left– My first neighborhood walk deeper into our Bayswater surrounds left me feeling the neighborhood had somehow changed since my last visit. It felt familiar, but different – not very welcoming. Some construction and a little less comfortable in spots. Maybe just struggling like all cities in the “since Covid” times. But one evening we “turned left” and found the wonderful part of Bayswater that turns eventually into Notting Hill. One of our best meals at Grainger and Company seated next to a fun couple! There were lovely shops and restaurants within blocks of our place!!! Since then we find turning left pays off.

A travel day for us all, but not to the same destinations.

Gene is heading to Paris for the night before flying home. I hope he enjoyed the travels in France as much as I enjoyed having him as a travel partner (not only for his wine selections!!).

We shared a lot of gorgeous views, walks, gourmand food and special time together. We are even able to say we bicycled two portions of the Tour De France near St Emilion!

Au revoir and bon voyage, Gene!

Mary and I continue on to London. She’s never been and I’m happy to return. Travel goes easily and we left our hotel quickly to get near the iconic sights and begin to explore a little. It’s overcast on and off, we emerged from the tube to rain as we located our hotel. We’re expecting rain over several of our UK days.

Successfully maneuvered through the trains and underground today, we’re proud Oyster Card holders (I even had mine from my last visit and topped it off!). We’re well located in London, but not enjoying the luxury of our previous accommodations in France. It’s Rick Steves funky and still spendy here in London!