234. 37 and White Christmas

37 

Another two weeks of solid rain, Gosford park at the Odeon, end of term party at the library and some last minute Christma shopping (with hot chocolate at Rivoire in Piazza Signoria) and finally we have arrived at our Christmas holiday! Annette returns from a three-day trip to Blighty to see her parents, with bags of goodies and for my 37th birthday evening, my customary smoked salmon and philadelphia.

We have Little Britain season 2 and Ali G - the movie, to watch... 37 is not so bad after all!

White Christmas

After some very indulgent food, including a wicked apricot, 'artigianale' panettone from Cerbaia, cakes from Pasticceria Giorgio, three bottles of Brunell0 wine and champagne, we finally paint the walls of our 'mustard' flat... white of course!

And to top it off nicely it snows on Boxing Day for the first time in Florence for 23 years!

Auguri di Buon Natale

233. Red Night

It's been raining for three weeks solid now, but we have the perfect remedy to turn the heat up a notch - a 'red' hot night, courtesy of 'La Martinicca' restaurant and the 'Saigricola' wiine association. A follow up to our 'white night' earlier in February. It's a themed dinner of eight courses accompanied by five different wines...

A sensational evening ensues... We are tucked away in a cosy corner of a packed restaurant -the waiter remembers us from before and the Saigricola director and oenologist prove wothy hosts!

The risotto with champagne and truffles and pumpkin pie are outstanding and the Colpetrone Sagrantino from Montefalco and La Poderina Moscadello a perfect combination. We are a little bit rushed, but with this much wine to get through...

232. Pisa Wines

i Pisani piu schiettti, 

or the most outspoken Pisans 

is a new wine festival to me... A winter-warmer wine festival as I make my way through torrential flooding to Pisa and thhe stazione Leopolda.

The place is crammed with greedy Pisans! I somehow manage to gate crash a 'future wines' seminar and taste some nice reds and dessert wines. Not quite as illustrious as what I'm used to, but fun nonetheless... and yes, the Pisan people, like thier wines are very outspoken!

231. Incognito at the Flog

Jazz Funksters Incognito are coming to Florence! It's a freezing cold mid-November Wednesday... can they heat it up?

The last time we were here was to see Julian Marley, son of the legendary Bob and it was so loud I couldn't hear anything for a week after! Tonight the small venue is packed and frontman, Jean Paul 'Bluey' Maunick has brought his twelve-piece band with him, including the literally larger-than-life, Maysa Leake and guitarist, Tony Remy. He also has a male singer who is pretty cool too!

Bluey is in philosophical mood and a slamin' evening follows... as do the hits! Always there, Don't you worry, Still a friend, and the signature, Everyday.

My memories of them from their heyday early '90's come flooding back!

230. Ripe for the picking

Amazing... We've been living in Tuscany now for four years without sharing in the olive harvest and in the space of two weeks we are back in the fields. My new student, winemaker, Stefano Chioccioli has invited Annette and I to his rather beautiful, large house which has an olive grove with some 200 trees, bursting with fruit surrounding it.

In true English style we are the first to arrive at 10.30 am, but are soon joined by his family and some other friends. There are 15 of us, the early morning fog has lifted and the sun has appeared. Luckily seeing as it's mid-November, it turns out to be a warm, balmy day.

We stop for lunch at 2.30 for a huge picnic feast of bread, cheese, salami and ham has been layed out and of course as this is Stefano, we are treated to some very special wine. One of his juicy merlots from Cortona. After lunch we continue toi strip the trees and enjoy the company. His garden has gorgeous views toward Impruneta and a huge swimming pool. The sun finally gets the better of us and at 6 o'clock we're done.

229. In search of truffles and Maracana

Well everyone seems to be talking about San Miniato's famous and groovy truffle festival and after work this morning I see a report on the TV about it which looks very interesting.

So this afternoon we decide to go and see what the fuss is all about... After all two weeks ago we failed to even get a sniff of a truffle, on what turned out to be a wild 'truffle' chase in the tiny town of Balconivisti near San Miniato.

We arrive in under an hour and somehow manage to park close to the centre in San Miniato Alto. There are stalls everywhere, with free tasting and friendly sellers telling you all about their products. Everything from cakes, biscuits, liqueres, marmalades and jams to cheeses, cold meats, oil, wine and of course the truffles! Or to be more precise, white truffles. This year they are selling for 180 euro for 100 grams. The black variety are going at a mere snip at 40 euro per 100 grams. This area is well known for the white variety. We try butter with truffles, cream with truffles, salami with truffles and even mortadella with truffles!

There are also a dozen wine stalls to keep me happy and we stumble on an enoteca with a bargain bucket of wines for 5 euro. There are some old vintages with damaged labels... let's hope they still taste ok! We put our big noses to good use in sniffing out some small white truffles to take home and eventually buy a small jar for 10 euro.

In the evening we cook up a wicked taglierini pasta dish with our tiny nuggets and open a bottle of 1996 5 Stelle Sfursat from Nino Negri... their 2001 was the Gambero rosso Italian wine of the year last year) It is an awesome combination...

Maracana

A hot and steamy Sunday evening at Florence's only Brazilian dinner and live show, including dancers with huge feathers and capoera dancers with a samba disco afterwards! Sounds like the perfect remedy for the November cold...

228. Extra Virgin

One of my students, Andrea from G.K.M. has invited me to help with the olive harvest. His father has about 500 trees that will take about a week to pick. Of course I jump at the chance to get back to nature and so on Sunday morning, Annette and I are on our way to Cerbaia, on the slopes overlooking the Castle of Poppiano.

Andrea has also invited some of his friends from different parts of Italy and so it makes for a really fun day. The weather is unbelievable, blue skies and very warm.

After a hard morning stripping the tres with little han rakes we all stop for a huge picnic lunch with slabs of pecorino cheese, prosciutto ham and Tuscan bread. The red wine is flowing and someone has brought a wonderful Amarone di Valpolicella from the Veneto.

We continue picking after lunch and manage to haul in many crates of olives. In the evening we're invirìted for dinner. It's here we discover the most incredible panettone, Christmas cake that someone has brought from a local pasticceria in Cerbaia.It's 'artigianale' and has apricots inside. Apparently they serve in in the 'Tende Rossa' a two-Michelin star restaurant also in Cerbaia. After dineer we listen to Andrea playing drums with his rock band to finish off a fabulous day!

227. Chocoblocoflop!

I was reading a newspaper article reviewing several chocolate festivals - one of which was the Perugia 'Eurchocolate' festival from 15-23 October and remembered that we missed last year's event by one week!


So this year the pilgrimage had to be made... We had planned to go last Sunday, but due to illness couldn't and choose the last day of the festival. Will there be any chocolate left?

We leave at 10.00 am and are taking our good friends, Gemma and Tiziano. A brief brunch stop off at the pretty Lake Trasimeno and we enjoy some glorious sun and views across the lake.


We arrive outside Perugia at around 1.30pm and decide on the park and ride option of getting into the city. Our first journey from the car park is a bus ride to Ellera station, followed by a train ride to Perugia station and then another bus ride to the city centre!


It seems as if the world and his wife have come to Perugia today and we spend the next few hours walking around like sardines in a can! It is totally overwhelming. We split up from gemma and Tiziano and fight our way through the crowds. There aren't many 'freebies' and people are scrabbling for a few tiny handouts. We eventually manage to see a 'lindt' show and a 'choc and wine' seminar, where they give us the most measely bit of chocolate you've ever seen in your life!!! We can't get away quick enough...


Exceptr the return bus, train, bus, car journey home is a complete nightmare... Never again!

226. Vin Ar and La Guide de l'Espresso release at the Stazione Leopolda

Well, just when I thought I'd seen it all... I find myself at the 'Vin Ar' exhibition at the Stazione Leopolda. It'a a kind of five senses journey into the world of wine. A wine Auction and seminars on the Saturday and Sunday and of course tasting. However the serious action is on the Thursday, when one of the top Italian wine guides, L'Espresso, is being nationally released, with tastings afterwards of the top 127 wines chosen. It's by invite only, but a few phone calls to the Florentine newspaper and the organisers and I'm in!

The place is absolutely packed, I pick up my free guide and settle down for the release. There is an amazing free buffet lunch and afterwards I have about three hours to try some of the finest wines in Italy...




This is the crème della crème, wines that I could not possibly afford to buy! I get to try some very special wines, the memory of which linger well on after this day...

Some highlights include;




Ferrari's 110 euro Riserva della Fondatore Spumante, arguably the best sparkling wine made in Italy.


Avignonesi's 185 euro Vin Santo, very rich and concentrated.


Gaja's Barbaresco retailing for about 250 euro.


Giacomo Conterno's  250 euro Monfortino Barolo.


Tua Rita's 250 euro Redigaffi


Roberto Voerzio's Cerrequio Barolo


Ornellaia's 2002 Masetto




The list is endless... it is one of those unforgettable days!


(23/10/05)

225. San Miniato

After last week's fiasco I manage not to get lost and manage to find San Miniato. Unfortunately I'm a bit under the weather (bad back and sore throat) still, the weather is glorious, so we just have to get out.

It's Saturday afternoon and we go for a pleasant ramble to the top of San Miniato (was it really three years ago that we were here?)

Sunday afternoon and we take a drive out to the Chianti and stop for a read on someone's vineyard between Impruneta and Falciani, I hope they didn't mind!

224. Florence Biennial

Every two years they hold a very special antiques festival at the huge Palazzo Corsini on the Lungarno. The palazzo is opposite the Harold Acton Library, part of the British Institute, where I work. We were curious to have a peek inside and this seemed like the perfect opportunity...

The Palace dates from the 17th century and is in the Baroque style. It was built by the Grand Duke Ferdinando II de' Medici and sold to the Corsini family in 1649.

As well as some incredible pieces of furniture for sale there were also paintings actually for sale by famous artists such as Canaletto, Poussin, Van Dyck, Canova and Tintoretto.

The palazzo inside was incredible, with enormous ballrooms, monumental staircase and even a grotto in the basement! We also enjoy a stroll on the terrace, with some great views across the river. Unfortunately our budget doesn't quite stretch to afford a Titian painting!

223. Collodi

We had decided to visit San Miniato, but somehow I manage to take the wrong road and we decide to carry on to Collodi in Pescia. It's the unlikeliest of destinations and here we are in the hometown of Italy's greatest children's stories, Pinocchio. The guy that wrote the book was called Carlo Lorenzini, better known as Carlo Collodi, because he came from the town of Collodi, near Pescia.

There is a small theme park here and a famous villa and gardens called 'Garzoni'. The latter is what we've actually come to visit. The garden is built into the hillside and has some cool waterfalls, somewhat reminiscent of Tivoli gardens and some huge statues. The villa is closed, but we a stroll around the gardens. 

222. Certaldo and Montespertoli

Autumn has come early and this weekend the forecast is sun on Saturday and rain on Sunday, so we force ourselves out today and take a picnic and drive out to Montespertoli and stretch out on the rug in an olive grove on the ridge of a hill at Lucolena.






Afterwards we head on to Certaldo - birthplace of Giovanni Boccaccio. We last came here three years ago, but only rushed around. This time we take it a little more leisurely - A short funicular ride takes you up to Certaldo 'Alto' and the historic part of the town.






There is a wedding going on and we follow the bride and groom around the town, meeting up with them in the 'Governer's Palace - where there is an erotic art exhibition taking place. However the town is prettier than we remembered and we even stop to enjoy an aperitivo in an outside bar.




For a Saturday evening it's still quiet and we discover that all the locals are down in the new part of the town for their evening 'passeggiata'.

221. Cala Violina and Scarlino

Our last visit to the beach this year and we choose to go to Cala Violina in Grosetto.




We start out nice and early and by midday we're sunning ourselves on the powder white sand and dipping outr toes in the turquoise waters.




The beach is half empty as Tuscany is already in Autumn mode, with more people hunting for mushrooms than sunbathing!




I somehow manage to get myself sunburnt for the first time this summer, but we have an enjoyable time and even manage a '50' ralley with our bat and ball!




In the evening we pop into the hill-top town of Scarlino. There isn't much going on there, but the views are pretty awe-inspiring!




(Original journal entry 25/9/05)

220. Pratolino 'Broadway' and Tijuana

It's a beautiful Saturday afternoon. Far tto  nice to stay in, so after work in the morning, we pop to our favourite park at Pratolino for some relaxation and what do you know there's a free concert at 5 pm!


A selection of Gershwin and Bernstein classics in the red room of the Villa Demidoff.


In the evening we book a table at Tijuana, a Mexican restaurant we went to a few years ago. It's crowded and noisy, but the food is red hot!


 (Original journal entry 24/9/05)

223. Biennial at the Palazzo Corsini

Every two years they hold a very special antiques festival at the huge Palazzo Corsini on the Lungarno. The palazzo is opposite the Harold Acton Library, part of the British Institute, where I work. We were curious to have a peek inside and this seemed like the perfect opportunity...

The Palace dates from the 17th century and is in the Baroque style. It was built by the Grand Duke Ferdinando II de' Medici and sold to the Corsini family in 1649.

As well as some incredible pieces of furniture for sale there were also paintings actually for sale by famous artists such as Canaletto, Poussin, Van Dyck, Canova and Tintoretto.

The palazzo inside was incredible, with enormous ballrooms, monumental staircase and even a grotto in the basement! We also enjoy a stroll on the terrace, with some great views across the river. Unfortunately our budget doesn't quite stretch to afford a Titian painting!

219. Vino e Piacere - Impruneta

And so onto this year's Vino e Piacere wine festival. It's chucking it down with rain, but we don't let this dampen our spirits. This year their holding it in the cloisters of the church in Impruneta.

Saturday afternoon and we head straight down underground to the the red department, as this year they have two of Italy's most famous wines, Sassicaia and Ornellaia on the list! There are two spaces where the wines should be, but as we know most of the sommeliers we both get a taste of the 2002 Sassicaia... wow! at 105 euro a bottle, it's not every day you get to drink this beauty! The Ornellaia has finished for the day as have some of the other top wines, but that's ok as I return on Sunday a bit earlier to try them too!

Still we enjoy our Saturday afternoon, with Spumante and Champagnes to taste, as well as the white and dessert wines. There is also plenty of food to taste, including some interesting lentil and bean salads and those wicked soft chocolate cantucci biscuits.

So all-in-all a very successful weekend, oh and I still have that box of wine from Stefano Chioccioli to dip into...




(Original journal entry 18/9/05)

218. The Winemaker

This morning I am driving out to the tiny hamlet of Ugolino - famous for its stunning golf course and home to one of the most famous oenologists in the whole of Italy, Stefano Chioccioli. He has signed up for an English course with The British Institute of Florence and yours truly is the Teacher designate!




He turns out to be a really nice guy - he is actually a free lance consultant for about 45 wine estates in all but two or three provinces of Italy.

In 2001, 10 of his wines won the Gamberro Rosso '3 -red glass' award (top 250 wines in Italy) and this year he won 5.




After the lesson he presents me with a box of six of his most prestigious wines worth somewhere in the region of 200 euro!!!

What a guy!


(Original journal entry 17/9/05)

217. Vino al Vino- Panzano-in-Chianti

It's a beautiful sunny afternoon for my third wine festival in Panzano, the gorgeous hill-top town above Greve.




The drive out is as spectacular as always and all the usual wine estates are here showing off their wares. I get chatting to some very satisfied English and American holiday makers who have obviously just stumbled on this event and think they've won the lottery!




I move effortlessly from Castello dei Rampolla's 2003 Vigna d'Alceo to La Massa's 2001/2002 Giorgio Primo. Villa Caffaggio's 2001 Cortaccio is also here and the usual Anfiteatro, Tzingana, and Fontodi etc... making for a very happy afternoon!


(Original journal entry 16/9/05)

216. Mum 3 - Grandma 2

Only one week back from our Greek holiday and we're playing hosts to my mum, on her third visit and my grandma on her second visit.

Another late pick up from Pisa airport on the Thursday evening and very slow drive home in torrential rain.

Day 1 - Friday and the rain is still bucketing it down. We shelve the 'pool' plan and head to the centre of Florence to check out the Medici tombs in San Lorenzo. I don't know whether the 8 Michelangelo sculptures impressed, but, hey they didn't have to walk too far!

After popping back home it's on to Greve for a look at this year's wine festival and surprise surprise, they've postponed it until tomorrow due to the bad weather... the forecast doesn't look good! Oh dear...

Day 2 - Saturday and things are looking better... it has rained all night, but Mr sun has got his hat on today! Destination - Lucca

A 10 am start means we arrive before lunch time. My brainwave idea of a 4-man (well 1 man 3 women!) bike ride around the walls doesn't happen, as 4-wheel bikes have been banned by the local council! (spoil sports) Anyhow, a nice stroll around the streets is the order of the day. They enjoy the piazza del duomo and today there is a busker singing 'O sole mio' (which my grandma joins in!)

We stop for a cool lunch in the even cooler Piazza San Martino (after an aborted  start in a bar, where the owner actually attacked my mum!) Dining  al-fresco in September.

In the afternoon. We check out the 'Torre Guinigi',  the tower with the trees growing... I go up with Annette and mum, while grandma waits at the bottom. There are some great views from the top.

Then it's on to Piazza Anfiteatro for an ice-cream and we finish on the walls overlooking the very beautiful Palazzo Pfanner Contrini (where they filmed some scenes from the film 'Portrait of a Lady') We decide to stay in lovely Lucca for dinner and by chance find a superb Osteria, called 'Baralla'. We snag the last outside table and bring a great day to a happy conclusion.






Day 3 - Sunday and again the weather is glorious. After a late start we head down the A-1 motorway towards Montepulciano. We stop off for a picnic lunch in an olive grove, with a spectacular view. I manage to drop grandma, mum and Annette off close to the main square and we meet in a bar. All the scaffolding has gone from the square and so we enjoy it in all its glory. We check out a couple of wine cellars and even get to taste several wines - including the best wines of Montepulciano, a 2001 'Asinone' - in the Poliziano enoteca. After a brief downpour we head out of the city by way of the church of San Biaggio - still as impressive as ever! We also pick up some 'vino sfuso' from the cantina cooperative.


Day 4 - Monday and a lesson cancellation means I'm free to accompany the ladies into Florence. My grandma seems to have forgotten most of what she saw two years ago... age! After lunch we take the bus to Piazza Duomo - today the centre is packed (two years ago when she came it was Ferragosto and Florence was like a ghost town) We walk down via Calzaiuolo to Piazza Signoria, which is now scaffold free and past the Ufffizi to the Arno to see the Ponte Vecchio - maximum sights wiyth as little walking as possible! We take the small electric bus to Santa Croce - unfortunately we have just missed last entrance, but we settle for an aperitivo in a café.

Day 5 and the temperature is back up to 30°C and so we head out to the big park at Pratolino - which is closed... D'oh! It's only open from Thursday to Sunday! So we head up Monte Morello for our picnic and lazy afternoon relaxing on the rug. Annette and I are both working this evening, so we book a table at Vico del Carmine for a pizza.

Day 6 - and its their last full day... and the beach is the request. So its's an early start for the two-hour drive and by midday we hit sand! San Vincenzo is my choice. It's a bit breezy and for a Wednesday in September the beach is almost completely empty! We enjoy our picnic lunch and then mum and grandma launch themselves into the sea... Afterwards we pop into town for a stroll and then head back to Florence for the turn-around shower and change and head out for our last meal at Inalbi in Impruneta. There are no discounts this time, but the price is reasonable and the food very nice.

Day 7 and a morning excursion for the ladies to the supermarket for some goodies and presents to take home. I drive them back to Pisa airport after lunch and we bid them our sad farewells... We drive back home and collapse in a heap -but we have bacon, biscuits and chocolate to keep us happy!!!

(Original journal entry 15/9/05)

215. Giostra del Saracino - Arezzo

Another Tuscan festival to experience, this time we're in Arezzo for some serious jousting. It's a bit of a cloudy day, but that hasn't dampened the locals spirits and the Piazza Grande is absolutely packed. Apparently like the Palio in Siena, they take the competition rather seriously...

It's quite exciting as different neighbourhoods are represented by a horseman kitted out in full medieval costume, armed with an enormous lance hurtle towards a huge metal dummy and have to hit a target.

 Everyone goes crazy as the 'Porto Santo Spirito' district win and fortunately nobody is injured. It is quite an occasion and unique experience for us.

214. Riva degli Etruschi and San Vincenzo

And so August gives way to September and for us here in Tuscany the hot weather doesn't let up. After cleaning and shopping and a couple of visits to the outdoor pool in Greve-in-Chianti our first week back at work is over and it's the weekend.


We head out to the Tyrannean to one of our favourite spots, the Riva degli Etruschi, just outside of San Vincenzo and settle on the white, powdery sand for an afternoon of relaxation.

After a shower and change of clothes, take a stroll in the buzzy town of San Vincenzo, which makes us feel like we're still on holiday and go for a seafood pizza in 'The number one Pizzeria'.


The summer sales are still on and as the shops are open here from 10pm to midnight, we bafg some clothing bargains. Hurrah! We're back in Italy!

213. Kefalonia

Finally! Five years after the film, Captain Corelli's Mandolin and a year after failing to book, Annette picks up our tickets and we are on a direct flight from Gatwick to Kefalonia airport.


Arrival


After a two and a half hour transfer we arrive at our lovely apartment - the Eliza, just outside the pretty town of Skala. It's situated up a hill, amongst olive trees, bougainvilllea, peppers and hibiscus ovewrlooking the sea - perfect! We rush down to the nearest Taverna and at 11.30pm have no trouble ordering dinner. Kefalonia mear pie with lamb and rice for me and rabbit stifado for Annette. the house wine is cheerful... holiday mode begins...


Day 1 - Welcome to Kefalonia


I take a wander into to town and check out some car hire prices and pick up some breakfast. After a lazy coffee and croissant breakfast we go to our 'Olympic' holiday welcome meeting and book a car for six days and three excursions, one of which is duly cancelled two hours later. Today and tomorrow is the patron saint of the island's day St. Gerasimos, but unfortunately we won't be going. Still we relax by the pool after lunch. In the evening we catch an open-air flick the bizarre, 'XXX State of the nation.


Day 2  - Skala and St. Gerasimos


We spend a lazy morning sitting outside the apartment, followed by a nice salady lunch. We finally venture out to our local beach at Skala, which is fine. It's sandy with some shingle and the sea is quite clear. In the evening there is a band playing in the main square and the locals are out eating souvlakia kebabs and doing some traditional Greek dancing (not the Zorba!) We have dinner in a restaurant just off the main square, red snapper, which is a tad over-cooked and soak in the atmosphere.


Day 3 - Kaminia and Katelios


We manage to get up and out for the morning, although Skala beach is a bit windy. So after our salady lunch with our usual cucumbers and green peppers and enormous tomatoes from Lukia's garden, together with Tatziki, Taramasalata, salami and olives, washed down with a crisp 'Menousis' Robola white wine.


We pick up our hire car at five o'clock and head straight out of Skala to the nearby beach of Kaminia, which is actually only a five-minute-drive down the road. It's a beautiful secluded bay and clearer sea than Skala. At 7.30 we're back home for a shower and in the evening make the short ten- minute drive to Katelios, a small, pretty bay with three or four Tavernas - we pick one with fresh fish and have a very tasty meal and relaxing evening.


Day 4 - How much can you do in one day?

Today with our hire car we go a bit crazy! It's a ten o'clock start and our first stop is the wonderful Trapezaki beach, one of the few sandy beaches on the island, with this incredible turquoise sea. We spend a couple of hours here, before the mid-day sun catches up with us. We drive up into the mountains  and have lunch outside the 'Robola' wine co-operative, before going in and checking it out. This is mainly a bottling plant and enoteca, most of the wine is white and suitable for drinking young, so there are no barrels hanging about. We listen to a guide, who just happens to be an English guy called Bill (from Yorkshire) and he tells us that their top wine is infact the 83rd best wine in the worl! Quite a claim. On further inspection we discover that it scored 83/100 in a magazine wine tasting. Still that's not bad!

We move on to St Gerasimos's monastery, the one we couldn't get to a few days ago. Like many buildings in Kefalonia, it's new as the old one was destroyed by the 1953 earthquake that devastated the island. The 'restored' old monastery nearby has the relics of the saint in a big silver casket which all the locals are kissing. It's a kind of shrine to the island. Having made good use of the middle of the day, we but some sweet, cakey things and drive on to Sami.

Sami is a buzzy harbour town, where the ferry from Italy docks, so there are many Italians staying here, with their cars. We drive through onto Antisamos, the beach where they filmed some scenes from 'Captain Corelli'. It looks stunning from the hillside and when we make our way down the hair pin curves, it doesn't disappoint. Tiny white pebbles and the purest azure blue sea. We spend a lovely afternoon here soaking up the sun and swimming in the delicious sea.

At this point we should probably have had dinner in Sami and gone home... Instead we take the one-hour drive to Argostoli, the capital, go for a very tired walk through the very disappointing Livostratho shopping precinct, lined with tacky souvenirs and end up at the 'Mythos' restaurant, recommended to us by a guy we met on the plane... the food turns out to be very good, although they try to charge us 5 euro for a bottle of San Pellegrino water. Scandalous!!!


Day 5 -  Trapezaki and Poros


A very late start after yesterday's shenanigans and a return trip to the wonderful beach at Trapezaki for the afternoon and we check out the very quaint harbour at Poros. We enjoy a very tasty fish dinner and there is also a full moon and starry sky to give some atmosphere to the evening.



Day 6 - Assos and Myrtos


We're up nice and early band back on the road at 10.30 with our hire car for the two-hour drive up to the picturesque town of Assos. It's nestled on a promontory with a Venetian fortress built on the top. We stop for our packed lunch under some olive trees with a spectacular view over the harbour.

Afterwards we go for a wander and enjoy an iced coffee on the front. We then drive on to the most spectacular beach on the island, Myrtos. The views down from the cliffs are breathtaking and the drive down, hair raising! Like Antisamos the beach is made up of tiny white pebbles and some sand. The sea is this great cornflower blue colour, but not quite as clear as Antisamos. After a very hot afternoon we drive through some of the pretty northern villages that weren't so badly damaged by the earthquake and end up back in Antisamos and settle down in a very buzzy restaurant where there are some musicians playing traditional Greek songs. They are sitting at a fully-laden table and are joined during the evening by locals on various instruments who join in with them. The food is super too, making for a very special evening.


Day 7 - Avithos and Poros


After our mammoth day we take it easy, especially as it's Sunday. After lunch we find the little town where Byron stayed and found inspiration from. We also find a tiny beach at Avithos and I have a chat with a restaurant owner

212. UK Summer

Friday

Our good friend Alberto is looking after our plants and car for six weeks as we're off to England and beyond... He drops us off at the station after my final lesson and we're off. A last granita and the train whisks us off to Pisa airport for our 10.30pm flight to Stansted. A wide awake Rory meets us and makes the three-hour drive down to Worthing - thank heaven for nephews!


Saturday

Our first port of call is to Worthing's travel agent's to book a holiday - which this year we successfully manage! Two weeks in Kefalonia! Yippee! Five years after Captain Corelli's Mandolin was filmed on this beautiful island, we are finally going to paradise!

For the first couple of nights of our trip we are staying at Annette's sister Ruh's house, in her new loft extension. In the evening Annette's mum and dad, Chas and Mavis together with Felicity and Stanley make it a grand Woodland family reunion.

Sunday

And the good sunny weather  continues... as I enjoy my bacon and eggs and the Sunday Times in the garden. We have a lunch date at my mum's and she cooks up her legendary lasagne and I get to hear all the year's problems! We take a drive out to Highdown gardens and then pop to Fiorella's house for a drink and I give grandma her fresh borlotti beans from the Motherland!

Week 1

We're working at Swanderan school of English  during the day, on the Monday evening we move to Chas and Mavis' house and on the Tuesday evening I meet up with my dad for a drink in Tarring village - I also bump into Julie Atherton, who I haven't seen for a few years.

On the Wednesday it's our regular appointment with the Bard at Highdown gardens - this year we are treated to 'As You Like It' and it doesn't rain!

On Thursday morning we're busy working at school, when there are four more bomb attacks in London again! Everybody goes into shock and we cancel our weekend plans to visit Annette's brother in Cambridge as many London underground stations are closed and the weather has turned nasty.

On the Saturday we relax at home and on Sunday it's our 6th Wedding Anniversary. I cycle (in the rain!) to Sainsbury's, to buy Annette her traditional, flowers, chocolates and Champagne, which we enjoy later...

Sunday evening we.ve been invited to my Auntie Lisa's for dinner. her two daughters, my cousins, Joanna and Jaimee and families are there and my niece, Holly puts in a surprise appearance.

Week 2

And the weather continues its dark and dreary course... Wednesday evening we're at my grandma's for dinner - a Chinese take away and very nice '98 bottle of Australian Wolf Blass wine.


Friday evening and my sister Rita is cooking an Indian curry and we get to meet her new 'bloke' 23-year-old, Mat. It's a very enjoyable evening and I even manage not to get drunk! mat seems really nice, Holly is not as crazy as last year and is Natalie going to be the superstar 'future' actress?

Brighton Rocks

After two weeks in Worthing we just have to escape! London is still out of the question with all the bomb scares and so Brighton it is... by day it's a funky, hippy, ethnic, student city. From the station there are some very cool shops and Mediterranean style pedestrian roads and outdoor cafes. It's everything that Worthing's not! The people are better dressed, thinner and more stylish. We buy a cool ceramic bowl. I find some swanky linen trousers in the Lanes and we stop for lunch at a great Thai restaurant near Regent's parade. We check out some more shops and even catch a 'flick' at the Odeon cinema - the riotous 'Wedding Crashers'. During the day we enjoy some rare sunshine and dodge a few showers, unfortunately we end the day soaking wet, eating some horrible, soggy fish and chips, as Brighton gets ready for a regular Saturday evening of drunken Stags and Hens staggering around the city, shouting and puking their way through the rain soaked evening... and we remember why we left England for Italy! Sunday we spend relaxing.

Week 3

Monday evening we're at Annette's sister Ruth's for dinner and we check out Rory's new laptop computer. Wednesday and the sun appears long enough for us to enjoy a stir-fry at Felicity's and I get to spend some time with Stanley.

Thursday and it's the staff party and we catch up with two ex social leaders, Tom and Mike.

Friday and I've hired a car for the weekend with my dad, to take Carl back to Devon. in the evening Annette and I go with Carl and dad to the Black Rabbit in Arundel for a meal and a stroll round this pretty little town.

Saturday

My auntie Fiorella has organized a big barbecue at her house and most of my family turn up (including party pooper, mum's ex, Joe Mullen) My cousin, Craig is a bit depressed having just split with his girlfriend and Fiorella gives Annette and me a bottle of Moet and Chandon champagne as a late Wedding Anniversary present.

We leave at around 4 o'clock for the s 1/2 hour drive to take Carl back to Devon, with a brief stop off to see Stonehenge.

Sunday

Annette and I have the car for the day, so again we get to escape Worthing for the day. Destination - Bodiam Castle in East Sussex. It's a very beautiful drive and luckily we have a gorgeous, sunny day. We stop for a very nice pub lunch and spend a very relaxing afternoon wandering around this stunning moated castle, climbimng the towers and sprawling on the lawn. We even get a free guided tour.

Week 4

And so all good things must come to an end (he says ironically) as it's our last week in England.

Monday evening I go for a drink with my brother Alan to try to get to the bottom of why his wife refuses to let their three girls see any of his family, but I come away none the wiser. Tuesday, my great auntiue Tina has invited Annette and me up to her house in Halewick lane for dinner, along with her two sons, Frank and David and their respective wives, Chris and Linda. We spend an enjoyable evening together. Thursday evening and we treat Annette's mum and dad, Chas and Mavis t a take away Indian curry, but unfortunately Chas is not up for a game of bridge. Friday and it's our last day of work at Swandea and afterwards I get a 'ripping' back wax, ready for our impending holiday... I say goodbye to my dad (and he promises to finally come and visit us in Tuscany next spring) I'm round my sister Rita's for a final farewell, mum stays for a bit and then we get the playstation out for some serious 'sing star' challenges.

Saturday is 'Brothers day'.

After our not making it up to Cambridge this time, Annette's brother has forgiven us and driven down to Worthing to see us here. I pop to my brother, Alan's in the morning to see his girls. Olivia is now at school, Emilia 2 1/2 and Scarlett 6 months, so Alan has his hands full!

I beat Phil back to Mavis's as he's a bit late arriving and we all eventually enjoy a salady lunch. Our look at Worthing beach is postponed however, due to what else... rain! So we enjoy a bit of cricket on tv, as England are playing the Aussies and are 1-1 in the ashes series. For the evening we're booked in to 'La Padella', one of the top restaurants in the area, in Findon. The meal is okish, although very expensive. I get to choose the wine and they have a Super Tuscan on the list, one of my favourites, Baron Ricasoli's Casalferro. After a pleasant evening we bid Phil and Leonie are fond farewells and they drive off into the sunset in Phil's open top Mercedes.! Well to the Chatsworth hotel, where they are staying for the night!

The next day we fly off into the sunset , to our summer holiday destination, the beautiful Greek island of Kefalonia...




(Original Journal entry 15/8/05)