Barcelona was the last stop on our amazing three-month tour of Europe. We had four days to reacquaint ourselves with this beautiful and vibrant city. Our hotel was aptly named the Hotel Gaudi and it was near the Ramblas but not too close so we got some sleep in a city that doesn’t seem to need much!

We signed up for a free “GuruWalk” which is a company that offers great guides in cities around the world and they choose different topics and just work for tips! Our guide, Like ca was from Italy but loved Barcelona and was very knowledgeable about the history and culture of this capital of Catalonia.

We learned about the complex and rich history of Barcelona from the Romans through medieval times. The horrible treatment of early Christian martyrs, (St. Aurelia” the patron Saint and the devastating treatment of the Jewish population in the 14th and 15th centuries.

La Sagrada Familia

The Sagrada Família is famous for being one of the most iconic examples of Antoni Gaudí’s unique style. It’s a strange building but definitely worth seeing! It combines elements of Art Nouveau, Catalan Modernism and Spanish Late Gothic design. It’s beloved by some and dismissed by others. They’ve been working on it for over 100 years.

Parc Güell – Gaudi’s playground

Park Güell was designed by Antoni Gaudí between 1900 – 1914 at the request of Eusebi Güell – a friend and patron. It was originally conceived as a housing development for the wealthy of Barcelona. That plan was abandoned and now it’s one of the city’s favorite parks.

Along with the beautiful mosaics there are countless representations of St. George killing the dragon – the symbolic “mascot” of Barcelona.

Last beach day and our 36th anniversary!

We wanted to have a “combo” day for our last experience in Europe so after the park, we stopped in a neighborhood café for the daily menu and then headed to a beach not of Barcelona. We had a great swim and then headed back to for a pizza in our hotel room and pack our bags for Portland!

We had an amazing trip over the past three months. Very grateful for the opportunity to travel again and have so many wonderful memories! Thanks for reading!!!

Promise – no more bullfights! Just beach shots. Well, and maybe a few beautiful buildings – we are in Spain! After Salamanca we headed for the coast to catch some waves and sun. Although rain had been predicted – we had lovely bright weather for the Costa Brava and got in a lot of swims!

One of the nice benefits

One of the joys of travel is meeting new people and we were especially lucky in our hosts in the small beach town of Pals Playa. They were gracious and helpful with local recommendations and then they surprised us by asking us to their annual dinner to celebrate the feast of San Juan – a night of fireworks and dancing and fun. We had a great time! Chris even played guitar!

The Pueblo of Pals

Our hosts told us to visit the actual village of Pals if we had time. It turned out to be one of the most picturesque towns on the Costa Brava, thanks to its Gothic period old quarter which has been carefully and completely restored to its former splendour. We wandered around marveling at the beautiful stonework and Chris bought a new hat!

Rosas and Cadequès

For our final stop before Barcelona we moved a bit north of Pals for a visit to the famous village of Cadequès. We couldn’t find a hotel room there so we stayed in less glamorous Rosas and took a great boat ride as day-trippers! Fun to be on the sea and a nice way to visit Cadequès without driving! Wonderful views as well!

We wandered around and visited the Dali museum and enjoyed a cold beer and anchovies. Then it was time to get ready for Barcelona!

We left Porto with the plan of driving straight to Salamanca – but Ellen had heard that a coastal seaport south of Porto was supposed to be beautiful – and one always needs lunch – right? Aveiro was a charming town with canals and a fisherman’s wharf. It was our last “bacalhau” or codfish!

Salamanca – a city of glowing stone

Without knowing anything about the city, Ellen chose Salamanca, in northwestern Spain as a stopping point for the long haul back to the East coast of Spain. What a delightful surprise the city (and our apartment) turned out to be! Our place was perfectly located and equipped for travel essentials: new phone card, haircut for Chris, a washing machine and great food. (Fabulous history and culture were a bonus!) Oh, and we found out there would be a bullfight!

Salamanca is part of the Castile and León region. With a history dating back to the Celtic era, it’s known for its ornate sandstone architecture and for the Universidad de Salamanca. We were in the university section of the city which was founded in the 1100s and is next to the immense cathedral.

Chris in front of the beautiful cathedral – a blend of Gothic and Romanesque

The Sun Also Rises (and sets) on Strempek’s bullfighting interest! 🐂🇪🇸

Last year in Spain Chris wanted to attend a bullfight but due to Covid and timing – that didn’t happen. This year, there are more bullfights scheduled and having already chosen Salamanca as a stop, we were surprised to see there was one at the century old arena. Or was there?

We were a tad late arriving in Salamanca so Chris drove us right to the arena – a beautiful 19th century circular structure. We were supposed to pick up our tickets – but the area was suspiciously quiet. Ellen checked the email again and this time in tiny print the word Ledesma was attached to the word Salamanca. Turns out the bullfight was out in the countryside in a small town about 40 minutes away! We checked into our apartment and headed out – tilting at windmills!

We headed out into the country, passing groves of olive trees and fields of cattle. We arrived in the small town of Ledesma and this time there was certainly activity to indicate a bullfight was about to start.

Streams of excited fans were streaming into the much more modest stadium, carrying coolers and food for a picnic dinner. We didn’t know exactly how to read the tickets but found out that we were seated right behind the picadors and matadors where all the action would take place. We tried to channel our inner Papa Hemingway – but we were both a bit anxious about what we would witness.

We were were sucked into the passion and pageantry of the ancient tradition of man vs bull – but the actuality of the sounds and smells and violence was shocking. We could only make it through one fight and then we pushed our way through the crowd to leave the bullring. We’d had enough.

It was a bit crazy to drive across Spain to visit Portugal ( as we’re flying home from Barcelona!) but we had a couple of extra weeks and Porto seemed like a good choice to settle for a week and just get to know it. Glad we did.

Who knew that locals are nicknamed “tripe eaters” based on an old legend from the 15th century which states that the people of Porto have all the good cuts of meat to the soldiers defending their city and they were left with tripe. Chris tried pigs’ ears but smartly skipped the tripe. (For the record – he’s not a fan of pigs’ ears either!) The fish here was great !!!!

Lonely Planet introduces Porto like this….,

“Porto’s charms are as subtle as the nuances of an aged tawny port, best savoured slowly on a romp through the hilly backstreets of Miragaia, Ribeira and Massarelos. It’s the quiet moments of reflection and the snapshots of daily life that you’ll remember most: the slosh of the Douro against the docks; the snap of laundry drying in river winds; the sound of port glasses clinking; the sight of young lovers discreetly tangled under a landmark bridge, on the rim of a park fountain, in the crumbling notch of a graffiti-blasted wall…”

….. couldn’t have said it better! 😉

We mostly strolled around – went to a couple of Fado shows and relaxed.

We bought a hop-on-hop off bus and river pass – so definitely played full-on tourists! It even came with a port cellar visit with tasting! (When in Rome….and yes, the Romans were here too!)

Fado – Portugal’s melancholic music

While the traditional fado music is usually associated with Lisbon, Porto had several bars and clubs where one can hear the bittersweet singing and guitar music of this very Portuguese genre. The origins are lost in time. Both evenings were enjoyable and even came with a glass of port!

Port is king in Porto

Most Americans take a dim view of Porto’s famous wine – but that’s usually because they haven’t tasted the good stuff! Port is one of Portugal’s most famous exports, but it’s actually made across the river in Gaia. The grapes are grown in the Douro Valley and due to the soil conditions and climate produce the best varieties for this fortified wine.

Our tour was in the Calem Caves and we had a lovely guide who like most Portuguese spoke excellent English. We learnt a lot.

Douro River Valley

Ellen took a solo drive up the valley as Chris got a well-deserved “day off” from sightseeing. The typical was to explore the Douro is by boat – but in the interest of time, the car got the job done in fewer hours. The “wine route” toward a little town of Pinhão was a visual feast – green terraced vineyards and

Beach Day! Vila do Conde

Chris loved our first stop in this small coastal town so much that he wanted a return to jump in the waves. The beach went from low tide to high over the course of a few hours and then the waves were too high, so we rented lounges, had a beer and relaxed!

Colors of Porto

The best part of our week’s stay in Porto was wandering around and discovering tiny cafes or a medieval street or the most beautiful book in world – Lello. (Of Harry Potter fame!)

The city was getting ready for the biggest party of the year – the feast of St John where thousands of people converge and celebrate all day and night with sardine feasts and leeks and fireworks. We were delighted to see a “practice” fireworks display one evening right outside our windows over the river!

Adeus Porto – Obrigado

Our plan after Spain was to head to Porto for a week of sightseeing and relaxation – but first- we needed to get there! We had a long drive from Biescas to the border – so, we decided to stop in Braga – a city in northern Portugal famous for its churches. It was hot and beautiful.

Braga – city of churches

We had to scramble for a hotel, which was a first- but found an ok one in Braga and ordered pizza in our room. Not our best night – but grateful for a clean bed after a long drive!

The next day was brighter and we headed out to explore the city – which proved to be a wonderful experience. Braga was having a military show in the main square and we sidestepped most of that and explored the cathedral and pedestrian walkways. Chris loved the organ in the cathedral.

The most visited tourist site in Braga is the cathedral of Bom do Jesus – built on a hilltop and reached either by a spectacular set of staircases or a funicular/tram run by gravity and water built in the 1890’s. We tried it out! Fun.

Viana do Castelo

Viana do Castelo is a lovely city in the north of Portugal. We used it as a stop before heading down the coast to Porto. Great “bacalhau” (codfish) lunch and a stroll along the river made for a nice visit. We also visited the impressive cathedral on the hillside for a great view of the coast.

Vila do Conde – beach town!

We asked around for a recommendation for a good beach town for a swim and lunch and this is the one we chose. Glad we did! A beautiful beach, excellent lunch and a bracing swim was the best way to settle into the Portuguese way of life! It was also the last sunny day for a while. Even Chris went in the bracing Atlantic!

For many Americans – fly fishing in the Pyrenees is linked to Ernest Hemingway’s writing about his wonderful experiences in Spain. We had hoped to fish here last summer but it was too difficult to figure out the permits- and too hot!

But even Papa H. would have been impressed with our three-day fishing adventure with the Pyrenees Fly Fishing outfitters – and our guide, Adrian.

https://www.pyreneesflyfishing.com/

Punctual, professional and personable – he brought us into the mountains where we fished in pristine streams for zebra and brown trout.

We started out fishing near a beautiful national park – Ordesa-Monte Perdido. Traveling through tiny mountain villages and herds of cattle, we arrived in a beautiful valley filled with wildflowers and snowcapped peaks.

https://www.spain.info/en/nature/ordesa-monte-perdido-national-park/

Of course, as beautiful as we found the surroundings- we were there to fish! With the company’s waders and boots – we headed to the water to find trout!

Of course – there’s always a time when one has to stop fishing and take a break. We’d been told that lunch was provided and we were expecting the usual sandwiches and chips and a bottle of water. We were wrong! Adrian sent us away to fish and said to come back in 10 minutes. We were happily surprised!

Ellen lands a small but feisty zebra trout!

After lunch on the last day of fishing, Adrian asked us if we’d like to try another kind of fish- a native carp like species called, Barbel. We said sure and headed to a different terrain in the open plains outside Biescas on the way to Pamplona. Fishing for Barbel is more like “trout hunting” and Chris was a great hunter. He caught two beautiful fish and Ellen hooked into a few but couldn’t land them. Adrian was all patience and we celebrated Chris’ beautiful catches! And then we headed back to Biescas – happy and tired!

Biescas – a village in the Spanish Pyrenees

Soon, our fly fishing adventure was over and turned our compass toward the western shore of the Iberian Peninsula – Porto Portugal! We had a great time in Biescas!

One of the main reasons for visiting Spain this time was to follow in the footsteps of Ernest Hemingway and try our hand fly fishing in the Pyrenees.

As it was a long drive from France we picked a town to stop in for a few days and brush up our Spanish and remember what tapas and sangria was! And happily for us – we chose Girona.

Girona is a city in Spain’s northeastern Catalonia region, beside the River Onyar. It’s known for its medieval architecture, walled Old Quarter and the Roman remains. And if you’re a fan, the filming locations for the hit series / Game of Thrones!

The city has a fascinating history and the architecture and museums reflect that – from the sad treatment of the Girona Jewish community to the Arab baths to the enormous cathedral and Romanesque museum- one could spend days wandering and exploring. We did our best.

Museum of Art in Girona

We were stunned by the incredibly rich collection of art from medieval times to the present. This museum did a wonderful job of bringing the carvings from the capitals and stained glass down to human eye level and explained the processes. The museums were housed in beautiful ancient buildings and were part of the whole experience.

We loved our visit in Girona. But we were anxious to make it to the Pyrenees and start fishing!!!

When planning our trip from France to Spain, Ellen fulfilled a dream from over 50 years ago to visit the little town of Collioure where Matisse and Derain, two of the Fauvist artists lived in 1905 to 1908 and painted the beautiful colors and light of the south of France.

We arrived in the seaside port and we’re delighted with our apartment which was just above the port with a view of the castle and the sea. What we didn’t know, was we had booked our three-night stand over the annual anchovy festival! Who knew?

Between watching Roland-Garros on tv, swimming in the slightly warmer water and eating seafood – the time flew by! Oh, and following the trail of the Fauvistes. The town has posted empty “frames” so one can see where their canvasses were created!

The food and wine!

We wandered around stopping for a beer or a huge plate of mussels. We thought about never coming back to the states! Life is pretty sweet on vacation! (Or in retirement!)

The bands showed up for the festivities and so did the fishing boats and tourists! (Mostly European!) The Yanks are still in small numbers!

The colors and light of Collioure!

The food and wine!!!!

Of course, the emphasis in Collioure for cuisine is seafood- and it’s delicious- but we hadn’t realized this region produces delicious wine with their own AOC – Roussillon-Collioure. We tried a few!

Avignon- city of medieval popes and schisms, bridges and palaces and a beautiful opera house. It was for the music that we headed south. It was hotter than Burgundy by 20 degrees – so out came the shorts and sundresses to explore the city.

We had a great apartment and used it as a base for playing tourist at the Palais-de-Papes, the Cathedral and the Grand Theatre. Along the way, we found some great restaurants! Quelle surprise! 😊

We decided to take a side trip to another “plus belles villages” and this one had the label of – Venice of Provence. It’s called – Isle- sur- Sorgues- and it was a great place to wander and have lunch and do some shopping.

The Vappereau family has been connected to the Frideger clan (and later the Strempeks since 1974 -that’s a lot of pain au chocolat under the bridge (or in the stomach!) Ellen was an au pair for the family when their second child, Hortense was born. She watched over two-year old Dorothée down in the Morvan area of Burgundy where we drove from Paris – 20 years since Chris’ last visit!

We always eat well chez Vapps and Cyrille started us off well with a BBQ of brochettes!

During the time we were visiting the Vapps, there was a “Gastronome Festival” in Saulieu. Great Way to taste the local specialities of the region. (Wine and snails at 10:00 am!) Saulieu boasts a 3 -star Michelin restaurant. (Ernest Hemingway and Danny Kaye stopped to eat in this small town!) Good cuisine!

Everyday we took a walk in the countryside to say hello to family members who also have farmhouses in the region or say hello to the lovely Charolais cows or hunt for mushrooms! We found a few of the latter near a local lake. Big excitement!

Soon it was time to go. We had the wonderful opportunity to visit Dijon where the Vapps live now. And then it was a bittersweet goodbye with a delight goodbye cake! We had a wonderful visit in Burgundy!

Au revoir Bois Gauchas! À la prochaine!

We arrived in Paris and settled into a cozy apartment in the Boulogne-Billancourt area (near the French Open!) We had a couple of days to wander around Paris and take in some culture!

There are so many great museums in Paris – but we only had time for two. The second one was the wonderful Gare D’Orsay – with a fantastic collection of Impressionist and post- Impressionists.

Enough culture – time for tennis!

In case you’re not an avid tennis fan – The French Open, also known as Roland-Garros, is a major tennis tournament held over two weeks at the Stade Roland Garros in Paris, France, beginning in late May each year.

The tournament and venue are named after the French aviator Roland Garros. Who knows why? We were so excited to finally be able to visit in person over two days.

It was a little stressful trying to figure out the check in a where to go, but we just followed other people and soon learnt the ropes. It was great fun. Especially the outer courts where even big names play in the early rounds.

The next day, Daniel and Dagmar joined us and we all spent a fun day together.

The two days sped by! We were super lucky in the weather as rain had been forecasted – but Chris’ luck held out. And we enjoyed some overpriced beer and an RG “spritz” to celebrate. The plan was to leave the next day and spend a long weekend in Burgundy at the Vapp’s place – BOIS GAUCHAS.

Who doesn’t love a good fairytale setting? With good wine? Beautiful gardens? The Loire Valley has it all. The area is called the “Garden of France” and we decided to take a few days to relax before taking on Paris!

The Loire Valley has always had its admirers because of its beauty, as well as good hunting and was frequently visited by the French aristocrats (and their mistresses!)

During the 15th and 16th centuries, French kings built extravagant country retreats amid the Loire’s woodlands and rivers. We weren’t there for the castles but we did spend a lovely day at the château where Da Vinci spent his final days.

For our hotel in Amboise, we chose a small chalet out in the countryside. It was small and charming and actually had a swimming pool. A good place to relax and store energy before going on to Paris for the French Open!

Our last stop was in another lovely château town – Blois. Chris was delighted to get a haircut and Ellen wandered through the Saturday market and we explored the church and château and then we headed to Paris!

Being so close to Bordeaux and the winegrowing region, it seemed a shame to not visit and spend a little time in St Emilion – a small but important town in the history of great wines.

Saint-Émilion’s history goes back at least 35,000 years ago, to the Upper Paleolithic. The Romans planted vineyards in what was to become Saint-Émilion as early as the 2nd century.

Legend has it that the town bears the name of a Breton monk that performed miracles while living an exemplary life. In order to retire from social life, he settled in a natural grotto in 750, which can still be visited nowadays in the heart of the town.

It was also a renowned pilgrimage site, and boasts the relics of the local patron saint; the town was quite prosperous in the Middle Ages. Saint- Emilion also houses Europe’s largest underground stone carved into the limestone rock. We were happy to be underground as the southwest of France was having a heat wave! Wine didn’t sound good until the sun had set!

Among the architectural highlights of St. Émilion is this one-of-a-kind church, which was carved out of limestone rock in the 12th century.

Cognac – “a nectar from the gods” – anon

We needed a gas and lunch break as we headed north so when we saw the name, Cognac on the map, we said, why not? Turned out to be an interesting town focused on its main export – excellent cognac!

Being France, there’s a lot of history. In 1651, during the uprising of the Fronde, Cognac had to hold out against a siege which has become famous in French history. Louis XIV thanked the town for its support by granting several privileges. They prospered and in the 18 ^th century, Cognac saw the development of its new trade and the arrival of British and Irish families. Who knew they liked to drink?

According to the story, Napoleon brought with him cognac crates from Courvoisier when he ran away from France on his way to Saint Helene island. Napoleon’s crew decided to rename the cognac “Napoleon.”

Lunch over, we headed north to spend a couple of days in “châteaux county!”

It has become one of our running jokes on this trip that so many villages in France called themselves, “la plus belle villages de France” – which translates as you might expect as – “one of the most beautiful villages in France.” Usually, it is not false advertising – and this time, they are exactly right because Rocamadour seemingly growing out the rock cliff is something truly amazing and beautiful!

Rocamadour is above all a high place of pilgrimage. From the 12th century, it attracted sovereigns and saints from all over Europe.

In the 15th century, with pilgrimages going out of fashion, Rocamadour gently dozed off. It was later “rediscovered” and is now a popular site. Again, we were lucky to see it before the tourists arrived! We had a lovely apartment and hostess in the sleepy part of town near the holy sanctuary and the famous black Madonna.

It was time to start our journey north to Paris. But first we had a little bypass in St. Emilion to visit the famous winegrowing region of St Emilion. So much France to see and only so much time!

Lascaux Cave

We had always been interested in visiting this part of France and since Jean-Luc’s family is near the Dordogne, we took the opportunity to visit this region.

Of all the prehistoric caves in France, Lascaux is the most famous. Discovered on 8th September 1940 by 18-year-old as he was out walking his dog, the “Sistine Chapel” of prehistory – the Lascaux cave contains detailed cave art depictions of galloping horses, incensed bulls, and deer.

Unfortunately, the cave had to be closed to the public in 1963 due to damage being caused to the paintings by the moisture and carbon dioxide in the breath of more than daily 1,200 visitors. We still found Lascaux II fascinating and also Lascaux IV a beautiful reproduction of the original cave.

Our guides were very informative. They really don’t know much about who these artists were or for what the caves were used. The history is wrapped in the history of time.

Sarlat-La Canéda and the Font de Gaume

Sarlat-la-Canéda is a medieval town in the southwest in the Dordogne department. We wandered through its lovely streets and picked up a sandwich waiting for our time slot to visit the much more coveted Grotte de Font de Gaume – an original cave that only lets in 75 people a day. We were not disappointed in either! What am amazing part of France!

Grotte de Font de Gaume

We arrived early at Font-de-Gaume having failed to navigate the on-line purchase of tickets. Happily we were told we could return at 1:40 for a guided tour.

This cave near is Les Eyzies-de-Tayac-Sireuil in Dordogne as well The cave contains prehistoric polychrome cave paintings and engravings dating to the Magdalenian period – or 20,000 years ago! Discovered in 1901, the cave was les “showy” than Lascaux but more impressive for being real.

We left after our explorations and headed for the next village – Rocamadour!

It had been over a decade since Ellen had last seen Jean-Luc and his wife, Cèline at their wedding, so after Arles, we headed to Toulouse en route to a little town in the Gers region called Auch. It was a wonderful reunion and we spent a very happy weekend catching up on our lives and remembering how much energy young children have!

On the way to Auch, (this being France where one can hardly drive 100 km without finding another beautiful village or city to visit) we stopped in Carcassonne. The last time was our honeymoon and once again, it did not disappoint!

That evening we had chosen to break our journey to Auch in the vibrant city of Toulouse. What we hadn’t factored in was the location of our hotel, a lovely old-school establishment right in the center of the busiest central square and finding parking was an adventure! We did get settled and had a simple meal and the next day explored the beautiful old cathedral.

Toulouse, like so many cities in this part of France is on the pilgrimage route to Santiago de Compostella so there was a lot of iconography and statuary of pilgrims and saints. The cathedral was amazing.

We weren’t meeting Jean-Luc until dinner time, so we just drove through the lovely countryside (of the four musketeers and the home of Armagnac) and found the stunning castle and village of Lavardens.

The castle was remarkable but this being France, there was also a beautiful exhibit of French artists who work in glass. We also discovered in the “bookstore” the local delicacies of four grad and Floc – a mix of wine and Armagnac. (We tried the red and white!)

When we arrived at Jean-Luc’s, his two boys – Lucas and Jules rushed out to say hi and give us hugs. Close behind was my godson. We both were a bit teary. It was wonderful to see him again!

We spent the morning exploring Auch with Jean-Luc and Jules as our guides. We explored the beautiful cathedral which again was on the pilgrimage route and then went to the Saturday market which was filled with delicious cheese and bread and all good things French! After a sit down lunch (many courses) Chris and I took off to visit a local Abbey with yet another art installation.

The Cistercian Abby of Flaran

Flaran Abbey was founded in 1151 at the confluence of the Auloue and Baïse rivers, between the towns of Condom (yes, called that!) and Auch. It was a beautiful set of buildings and once again – there was a fantastic art exhibit in several of the rooms.

Family life chez Vappereau

We left the Cinque Terre and crossed the border into France and suddenly, the signs, cars and terrain looked different. (Also our phones stopped working!) Our first stop was a small town above Nice called, Colle de Loup. It’s very near the lovely town of St. Paul de Vence – home to many artists and writers throughout the years – and incredibly beautiful.

Our hotel turned out to be in an ancient abbey transformed into a hotel and was run by a charming young couple. They still were working on the grounds, but it was beautiful.

St. Paul de Vence

On our first night in France, we ventured up to a famous village of St. Paul de Vence, knowing that it might be impossible to park as it’s a must see for tourists. Being ahead of the season, we got lucky!

Built on its rocky outcrop and surrounded by its ramparts looking out to the sea and mountains, St Paul is certainly one of the most beautiful villages in Provence.

The city of Arles – Roman legacy, Van Gogh memories and music!

“When the Good Lord begins to doubt the world, he remembers that he created Provence.” – Frèderic Mistral

Lonely Planet says, “Roman treasures, shady squares and plenty of Camarguais culture make Arles a seductive stepping stone into the Camargue. And if its colourful sun-baked houses evoke a sense of déjà vu, it’s because you’ve seen them already on a Van Gogh canvas – the artist painted 200-odd works around town, though sadly his famous little ‘yellow house’ at 2 place Lamartine, which he painted in 1888, was destroyed during WWII.”

Our good friend, Bettina has lived in Arles for many years and happily was in town during our visit. In fact, she invited us to a delicious dinner at her country home she’s currently renting. On a beautiful spring evening we sipped the local “gris” rosé and caught up on our lives.

Over the next few days we covered a lot of the Arlesian tourist spots and ambled around the back streets finding charming little cafés to sip some wine and take a break!

On our first day, right down the street in the main square, they were having a celebration to mark the end of WWII. There literally was dancing in the streets!

The beauty of Van Gogh

The Romans knew a good thing in Arles!

From circuses for chariot racing to the theaters for drama, the arenas for the gladiators and then a nice hot bath – the Romans had a good life going in Arles. Their cultural mark is everywhere. It’s fascinating to explore the city and imagine a Roman way of life. And the current citizens enjoy a modern cultural life embedded in the beauty of history!

La Camargue

The Camargue is famous for its white horses, black bulls and pink flamingos – an amazing natural area on France’s Mediterranean coast. Chris and I decided to take a horseback ride on the morning we left Arles. It was fun and we even trotted and galloped!

The Camargue horse is an ancient breed of horse indigenous to the Camargue area in southern France. Its origins remain relatively unknown, although it is generally considered one of the oldest breeds of horses in the world.

We stopped for lunch in a beautiful medieval city called Aigues Morte (the still waters) and set our compass for Toulouse and the southwest of France! 🇫🇷

We left Napoli and headed up north for a long travel day in the car. For a break we noticed the town of Lucca on the map. A quick Google search showed it had a famous church and tower and a favorite son, Giacomo Puccini. It was a beautiful walled city. A quick espresso and walk around town and we were ready for four days on the famous coastline.

We had always wanted to visit Cinque Terre – a string of centuries-old seaside villages on the rugged Italian Riviera coastline. We chose Corniglia as our home base for hiking ( and trains!) We’re glad we did. It was a charming town and our apartment had a great terrace with a view of the sea.

In each of the 5 towns, you find the famous pastel-colored houses and on the cliffs, vineyards that cling to steep terraces and produce a flinty, delicious white wine. The harbors are filled with fishing boats and in the villages, trattorias turn out seafood specialties along with the Liguria region’s famous sauce, pesto.

The region is also famous for the Sentiero Azzurro – the Blue Trail – a cliffside hiking trail links the villages and offers sweeping sea vistas. We did two legs – one in sun and one in wind and rain! Both beautiful!

Our terrace in Corniglia was a great place for eating basil-limone gelato or watching sunsets!

The colors of Cinque Terre

Everywhere in Cinque Terre you see hikers with packs and poles climbing and climbing up the steep stone stairs and cliffs. We did two hikes – which were great and then used our CT passes for the train or bus!

Since the start of the trip, we keep testing the waters of the Mediterranean Sea to see if a refreshing swim might be doable. Ellen took a couple of short dips – but mostly enjoyed the water from the shore!

After a month in Italy 🇮🇹 we sadly said goodbye to that wonderful country and drove along the coast to enter France.

Ciao Italia 🇮🇹 – Bonjour France! 🇫🇷

We drove the short distance from Pompeii to Napoli as many people said that it was important to visit the archeological museum (and eat real pizza!) Our apartment was in a great part of the city near Piazza Bellini and the Duomo, Sansevero and lots of cafés and bars. Lively doesn’t do justice to Napoli’s street life!

When we weren’t ambling one streets or eating pizza or gelato – we managed to visit quite a few churches and monuments. Sadly, no opera was performing currently, but we did hear arias wafting from buildings and the Neapolitanis burst into song (or football chants) with great gusto on the streets (or in the museums!)

Museum visits

We had been told to visit a small church-museum called the Capella do Sansevero famous for its marble statuary and Baroque splendor. We hadn’t reserved tickets so we headed out early and waited in line. (Of course there was a café with great cappuccino right there!) No photos were allowed so I’m posting a few from their website. Then, we took a deep breath and headed for the Archeological Museum!

Italian treasures

Animali!The Romans loved depicting flora and fauna!

Pizza is king in Naples – but one can get ones fill – so we tried some of the local treats in the trattoria. We had a bruschetta and dessert that belonged in a museum! 😀

We ended our Neapolitan experience with a visit to a lovely old convent ands final Negroni and Campari spritz! We were sorry to say arrivederci to Napoli!

For our first visit to Pompeii, we had heard that wandering around on one’s own can be overwhelming so we had organized a tour guide. That was good advice. What we hadn’t realized was, that back in January while planning our trip in the RV in Troutdale – Ellen had inadvertently booked TWO different tours – on the same day!

Luckily, that turned out well. Our two guides took us to different parts of that huge complex and shared different information. We arrived at 9:00 am and staggered out around 4:00 – exhausted and blown away by the experience. Pompeii, like Herculaneum dies not underwhelm!

It is a city forever frozen in time and is a sad paradox – the very event that gruesomely took Pompeii — Mt. Vesuvius’ eruption in 79 AD — preserved the daily events and life in that ancient city. Excavations through history have given us touching images of an unavoidable tragedy, and reactions of the Roman people right up to their last moments; lovers in an embrace, hurried escapes, bread still in the oven. It is tragic and fascinating.

Our guides brought the city to life and it was so sad to see the terror of those final hours The people of Pompeii didn’t know that the mountain was a volcano – even though there had been an awful earthquake about 15 years earlier.

While most of the frescoes and mosaics and statuary have been moved to the archeological museum in Naples, you can still see the stepping stones used by Pompeians to avoid dirty debris and rain on the streets and marks made by the wheels of chariots, owned by a wealthy resident. Walking through Pompeii, you see the traces a city that didn’t know the end was coming— bakeries, markets, courtyards, graffiti, and murals that all portray a city caught tragically unaware of what was coming.

We enjoyed the “modern” city of Pompeii as well. Our hotel was right near the ruins and a great cafe and over the ‘Mericano Bar and Pub. We went back to our roots and ate burgers and ribs. And the town dog that seemed to appear whenever Chris walked around Pompeii showed up as well!

Lots of stairs! All worth it!

“Lonely Planet” guidebook says, “Deemed an outstanding example of a Mediterranean landscape by Unesco, the Amalfi Coast is one of Italy’s most memorable destinations. Here, mountains plunge into the sea in a nail-biting vertical scene of precipitous crags, cliff-clinging abodes and verdant woodland.

Its string of fabled towns read like a Hollywood cast list. There’s jet-set favourite Positano, a pastel-coloured cascade of chic boutiques, spritz-sipping pin-ups and sun-kissed sunbathers. Further east, ancient Amalfi lures with its Arabic-Norman cathedral, while mountaintop Ravello stirs hearts with its cultured villas and Wagnerian connection. To the west lies Amalfi Coast gateway Sorrento, a handsome clifftop resort that has miraculously survived the onslaught of package tourism.

Turquoise seas and cinematic piazzas aside, the region is home to some of Italy’s finest hotels and restaurants. It’s also one of the country’s top spots for hiking, with well-marked trails providing the chance to escape the star-struck coastal crowds.” (We’ll talk about hiking later!😳🤣)

We began our exploration of the Amalfi coast in a small town called, Vietri sul Mare. It was just a one night stay over but we managed to get hopelessly lost anyway given that it was a national holiday and everyone was in the piazza!

On to Ravello!

Ravello is nicknamed, “the City of Music” and is home to the famous summer Ravello Festival. It’s also a great place to hang out and people watch while sipping an Aperol spritz!

At the Villa Rufolo we wandered in the beautiful gardens. Here Wagner got his inspiration for Parsifal and later explored the Duomo and then had a beer in the piazza where Gore Vidal among others liked to pass the time.

Positano

Positano is charming, full of tourists and limoncello and stairs! To get to our apartment, we had to descend (and ascend!) 166 stairs! Our legs are getting stronger! We had a beautiful apartment looking out over the bay from WAY up in the hills in a little town called Montepertuso. From there we took the bus to town or to hike. Mostly we enjoyed sitting on the balcony sipping the local wine (or eating Chris’ pasta!)

Scenes from our “Casa Incanto” apartment

We took a hair raising bus ride to town and had a pizza, a swim, (well, Ellen did!) and a delicious lemon gelato! ( Well, Ellen did!) And then Chris bought prawns and we returned to the apartment and cooked and relaxed!) Chris has discovered bucatini (and loves it AL DENTE!) We didn’t make it to Capri. Even in “low season” the day trippers were in abundance and we’ll return when we can swim in the famous water and not wait for hours for the Blue Grotto!

The Path of the gods! An exercise in poor map skills! But a happy ending!

They marked the path with red paint (thankfully) or we might still be wandering in the hills with the goats and donkeys!

Our last port on the Amalfi – Sorento

We didn’t have an overnight planned for Sorento, but we had heard it was a nice town – once a featured stop on “The Grand Tour” and if it was good enough for Byron…..and besides, Chris wanted seafood and a haircut!

We got off the ferry (after a rocky interchange with the ticket office!) and we started out up the coast of Calabria. Our plan was to drive up along the Amalfi coast, stopping at Positsno, Pompeii and Napoli! We had some wonderful experiences.

Tropea – a lovely gem on the Tyrrhenian Sea

Back when we were planning the trip in our RV in Troutdale, I read about Tropea and it sounded like a good stopping point on our way north. It was! Wish we’d booked more than one night. That being said, we managed to find a lovely beach, drink a Campari spritz and Chris ate a great aged steak! In the morning, the beach was empty and beautiful and the water chilly!

Besides lovely beaches and great Campari spritzes – they are famous for their red onions – Cipolle do Tropea!

Our last stops in Sicily – Noto and Syracuse

We left Agrigento heading to Syracuse but had heard that Noto was a Baroque jewel on the south-east coast of Sicily. (And it looked like a good lunch spot!

It was a beautiful town with a pedestrian street through the main historic district. We wandered around after a lovely meal.

Syracuse!

If you are planning a trip on the east coast of Sicily, this beautiful coastal city is well worth visiting! Known for its remarkable historical heritage and its charming old town: Ortigia Island, we were lucky in our hotel and found it the perfect place to spend our last few days in Sicily!

The city has wonderful markets and restaurants and fountains. We found a fun place near the waterfront and had a fantastic lunch. Our Italian is improving for food and beverage choices!

The Greeks and Romans were here too!

Museo Bellomo – treasures of Syracuse

We say goodbye to Sicily and head back to the mainland!

We left Palermo with the intention of driving to Agrigento – a city on the southern coast famous for its Greek and Roman archeological sites – but first – Chris wanted to find the perfect canolli – or just one – canolli! Turns out, the pastry experts say you need to climb the medieval hills of Erice to find it!

This cafe-pasticceria is run by Maria Grammatico, Sicily’s most famous pastry chef. The story goes that her family was very poor and she was sent to live in a convent. Here, she learnt her considerable baking skills from the nuns of Erice. Her cannoli, dolcetti al liquore(almond liqueur-filled chocolates) bring people from all over the world to her tiny shop. Chris was happy!

On the road – unexpected treasures!

The Greeks set up colonies and then full settlements going back to 300 BC. Many of the cities were destroyed by the Carthaginians. Later Rome fought the Punic wars here. Later the Arabs arrived. Sicily has a rich and complicated history.

Selinunte -a city forgotten by time

Agrigento – The Valley of Temples

Agrigento is a hilltop city on Sicily’s southwest shore. It’s known for the ruins of the ancient city of Akragas in the Valley of the Temples, a vast archaeological site with well-preserved Greek temples.

It’s also the place where we continually got lost in the myriad of tiny medieval streets. We got so twisted around on our first night, that we almost couldn’t find our car to retrieve our luggage the first night. Google maps doesn’t always “speak” good Italian!

Our Airbnb was in a central part of the historic district and we enjoyed shopping in the local markets and Chris even cooked! We ate the freshest artichokes ever!

The day after Easter is also a holiday for the Sicilians, but we were lucky that many of the museums and churches were still open for visiting.

One of the highlights of Palermo is the The Palatine Chapel – in Italian, Cappella Palatina – the royal chapel of Palermo that is a mixture of Byzantine, Norman and Fatimad architectural styles, after Roger I conquered the island.

It was one of the most beautiful churches that we’ve ever been in. The mosaics were stunning and looked as if they’d just been created inside the gem of the chapel. We were overwhelmed with the beauty of the palace.

We continued our exploration of the Palace. The ruler, Roger II, a Norman was noted for his ability to blend the many artistic and architectural styles of different cultures.

There was also a wonderful contemporary photography display about women in Afghanistan.

We enjoyed our stay in Palermo, but were excited to continue our tour of Sicily!

We did a little “research” (Googling 🤣) to find a special place for Easter in Sicily and what came up was both surprising and wonderful.

Piana degli Albanesi was founded in the late 15th century by a large group of Albanian refugees coming from the Balkans during the conquest of the latter by the Ottomans.

We headed off into the hills behind Palermo to find the village – even though it meant giving up our coveted parking spot in Palermo!

The village is known at Easter for their Byzantine mass and processions in traditional costumes and red-dyed eggs the children distribute.

The mass was beautiful and very moving – sung in Albanian and Italian. After the ceremony we wandered in the main piazza enjoying the children’s costumes and decorations.

When the town was ready for the procession, the band started and everyone lined up and just when they were about to parade through town – the heavens opened and the rain splashed down and everyone scattered to run inside cafés or the church to wait out the weather. We decided to err for safe driving and return to Palermo before the predicted storm. It was a wonderful Easter morning!

Easter lunch at Locale

We luckily found parking again by our apartment and headed out for a meal. We have been eating incredible food in Sicily and lunch of seafood risotto for Ellen and lamb for Chris, didn’t disappoint! To top it off, our waiter suggested a typical Sicilian dessert for Easter of cassata – a cream and sponge cake with candied fruit. Delicious!!

Later that evening, after the rain, we took a walk through the rain-washed, mostly deserted streets of Palermo. It had been a good Easter.

Chris and I wanted to get a taste of how the Sicilians celebrate Easter and to do that we headed to a hilltop town in the center of Sicily with roots going back to the Phoenicians and Greeks, Romans and Normans. It’s the town of Enna – known as the umbilicus of Sicily. It’s famous for the pageantry and cultural traditions of its Good Friday events when thousands of confraternities dating back to medieval times, don hooded cloaks in different colors and form processions honoring Mary and Jesus. It’s overwhelming in its beauty.

The hooded figures certainly bring up bad connotations for anyone familiar with the American South….but the history of the hoods dates back to townspeople wanting to maintain their anonymity – for charitable acts or to atone for their sins.

The week began with Palm Sunday and each day there were masses or rituals. On Friday, the local band begins the March from the Cathedral and hundreds follow.

Chris and I followed the crowds up to the Duomo

Later that evening – holding torches, more participants joined the procession. The ceremony lasted into the night.

But as usual, we found time to explore the other interesting aspects of Enna – including the great food!

Scenes from Enna

At the top of the hill is an ancient castle from the Norman times as well as the path leading to the lake where Demeter/Ceres went looking for Persephone. Lots of history in Sicily!!!

We head to Palermo!

“To have seen Italy without having seen Sicily is not to have seen Italy at all, for Sicily is the clue to everything.”
– Goethe

Palermo!!!!

We arrived on the Saturday before Easter and checked into a great apartment centrally located in the old historic part of Palermo. We had read they were going to do a few special operatic concerts at Teatro Massimo and we were able to get a few tickets to view the theater and listen to some arias. It was delightful!

ROMA!!!! After a long voyage, we made it to Rome on April 5th. We arrived by taxi to the Travestere neighborhood of Rome and settled into a charming AirBnb. And then, we walked outside and stopped at the first little cafe and ordered pasta and wine! Slept like logs and the next day, (at Chris’ suggestion!) we dealt with jet lag by getting “skip the line” tickets to the Sistine Chapel. Had a wonderful visit amongst the treasures of the Vatican.

Our first day in Rome. Here we are in front of St Peter’s Basilica.

We loved returning to the Vatican Museum and the Sistine Chapel after a 20 year absence! So much beauty.

Rome was getting ready for Easter! The windows were full of chocolate, wine and beautiful leather purses!

We left the Travestere and picked up our Renault roadster. Drives great. BIG by Italian standards where the roads are usually of medieval width! Thank goodness that Chris is a GOOD driver! 😀

(Post #1a) Herculaneum

Herculaneum – not as famous as Pompeii – but incredible remains from the eruption of Vesuvius in 79 BC. We’ll visit Pompeii on the way back up the coast.

(Post # 1b) Crossing to Messina – Sicily

Savoca (among other things – the city of The Godfather film!) Also one of the most beautiful medieval villages in Italy!

Savoca was a delightful surprise. We did not know that it was famous or infamous for having been the location for most of the Sicilian shots from Francis Ford Coppola’s original “Godfather” movie. Hard to believe that was 50 years ago! There are still a few vestiges from that summer, but more importantly were the beautiful homes and streets and churches of this ancient hilltop village. We awoke to the sounds of birds and bells. A great way to begin our trip to Sicily!

(Post 1c) Taormina

We left Savoca and headed down the coast to our next Airbnb in another hilltop town called Taormina. Like so many places on Sicily, it had a long a complicated history of invasions from the Moors and Greeks and Romans. The result – a fascinating morning mixture of architectural styles and artistic influence. And like so many towns, they built Taormina high above the sea to protect themselves from pirates and other places invaders!

One of the most famous sites is the Ancient Greek/Roman amphitheater originally used as a theater and later the site of gladiator fights. It’s one of the best preserved in the world. In this part of Sicily you can almost always see Mt Etna and since it’s still an active volcano, it’s often spewing smoke and ash!

Taormina is an old town with narrow streets and happily many are just for pedestrians. We loved just walking around and enjoying the local color!

Chris heard someone hitting tennis balls and found a lovely set of clay courts and he asked the pro for a lesson! When in Taormina…..

The Sicilian coastline

We knew that Sicily was an island, but we hadn’t imagined the coastline to be so beautiful. We have been stopping along the way for seafood lunches or beer, but sadly, the water is still too cold for a swim!

Most of our Airbnbs or hotels have been fine, but this one was special – a million dollar view out over the sea. Of course, the price to pay was a VERY steep walk with hundreds of steps! Worth it!

(Post 1d) Heading west for Santa Semana – Easter week

We left Taormina reluctantly but knew we had more sights to explore! Our reservation was for an inland town called Enna, but first, we had heard there were great seafood restaurants in City called Catania on the coast. It turned out to be a big industrial city, quite affected baby WWII but still harboring a charming historic area with a daily fish and produce market. And you know the Strempek’s! We always know where to find good food!

From here – the next post chronologically is Enna!