Introduced in 2022, are not about popular tourist sites. They simply feature things that intrigued or inspired us during our travels. Short, with several photos. Our friends have found the format refreshing. And we have titled them by city to make it easy for you to go to those that interest you. The posts before 2022 feature some ideas for making decisions about how your career plays out.
Portofino is another of those stunning Italian coastal villages. This time we did more than stroll and shopping. A very interesting tour revealed some facts that we felt worth sharing.
Most of the buildings along the water date back to the 1200’s. Originally they were one very small room built out of stone. Then a second story was added, then a third, etc. Because the rooms were so small there was no place for stairs, so ladders were used to get up and down.
Somewhere along the way extra space was added to the back side, along with stairs. Today the cost of these places is 30,000 Euros per square meter — roughly 3.5 feet square. A single window facing the water adds 500,000 Euros to the price. At that price most people just own one level.
Another interesting fact is that Napoleon introduced quite a number of different practices. One involved burials. The very wealthy could buy a plot and build a mausoleum, or whatever they wanted on it. And since they owned it they could add on later. For the middle class he introduced the idea of “rental crypts”. A family could rent one for 10 years, and renew the lease twice. Then the remains had to be moved, at that point perhaps as ashes. The idea was to give dignity to the deceased, yet realize that after 30 years no one was likely still visiting. In a place like Portofino, where space is so precious, it makes a lot of sense. As you can see in this photo, there are several slots waiting for new arrivals.
The final fact involved the legendary Vespa motor scooter. An Italian industrialist had quite a success with his business. After the war he decided that he wanted to do something good for society. In the post-war time scooters had become popular, yet ladies had to ride side saddle for modesty. They wore skirts or dresses (long before skorts emerged). The two wings on the colorful Vespa were designed to let the ladies drive them in skirts or dresses, and created a lot of mobility freedom. Good for him!
Positano is one of those postcard Italian coastal villages. The bowl shape and colorful buildings are so picturesque.
We first visited Positano in 2009, staying then for ten days. 15 years later the only change is a lot more people.
After a history as a trade center dating back thousands of years Positano transformed itself into a tourist mecca in the 1950’s. Author John Steinbeck helped, famously describing it as a “dream place” in a published article. Other authors, then lots of famous people, followed.
Positano still has a huge number of steps, and no elevators. We rented a very Italian villa with a stunning location. It is the pink and white villa right in the middle of this photo to the right of the larger mustard colored one.
Our villa was 256 steps from the beach, and 92 steps up to the main road. A round trip to the shops and restaurants involved at least 400 steps plus a fair amount of sharply uphill walking. Easy going down, bit of a chug going up. The villa spanned three stories, with the living level on the bottom floor. Our other couple commented that they registered 16 flights without leaving the villa on the day we “stayed in” just to enjoy it.
The lesson for this postcard is travel while your hips, knees, back and feet are good. We had a blast, and really enjoyed it all. All of the steps helped counter the always amazing Italian food. We have just met too many people that waited too long to travel, and then could not tolerate or enjoy places like this.
I hope everyone survived the storm unscathed? We lost power for two days, and my brother-in-law cleaned out our freezers. Melted ice cream made a mess. Otherwise no issues.
During the past year we have visited Greece, known for ancient history and architecture. Then we went to Egypt, where artifacts dating back 4,500 years seemed far more ancient. Now we have been to Matera, Italy where caves were first occupied in the Paleolithic Age (beginning 3 million years ago and with human form dating back 28,000 years ago). The 1500 natural caves were gradually burrowed deeper and expanded into living spaces by peasants and artisans throughout the classical and medieval eras.
In the 1950’s the few remaining residents were required to relocate to a “housing project” developed by the government. Then beginning in the 1990’s the historic value of The Sassi (Italian for The Stones) became appreciated and citizens were offered caves as “land grants” if they would restore them. Such a project was of course the granddaddy of all renovation projects, and took years. During the process people frequently discovered an actual network of caves augmented by a vast array of cisterns built very long ago as the water supply. It was architecturally and physically challenging. Today a few people still live in their renovated caves. Most have become hotels, restaurants and tourist experiences.
To be honest, we were not aware of the long history when we opted for this experience. It just sounded like something cool and different to do. At first we booked a room in an authentic cave, then discovered that dampness and having to traverse the uneven floors to connected caves for the bathroom in the middle of the night would likely impact the experience. So we ended up at the Aquatico Hotel and Spa, where we slept in a very nice (and quite modern) cave, dined morning and evening in a cave, swam in their amazing cave pool and even had massages in a cave.
The village of Matera is peaceful and beautiful. It has been the setting for some famous movies, and is quite hilly with many steps. Staying in one of the Sassi’s cave hotels has apparently become one of Europe’s more different and new experiences. Where else can you stay in a room that was first occupied 9,000 years ago? We did it all, and loved it.
Thanks to Amazon Italy, friends who brought some last minute items over from Amazon US and limited but fun shopping everything Jim lost with the luggage has been replaced – in some form. Some of it will not return home with us, though. Emergency rations. It has actually been a fun adventure, resulting in some new looks. Take this one, for example. Comments range from “definite keeper”, “looks really Italian” to “classic look for a 50’s movie”.
About Puglia (pronounced locally with a silent g, so Pull’lia). We are sorry it took us so long to get here. Fascinating place for its topography, history and culture.
It gets a small fraction of the tourists other parts of Italy experience. One consequence is that only 10% speak English. That is the lowest % we have encountered anyplace in the world, and did make for some challenges.
Great place for getting in shape. Many many steps and lots of walking up and down hills.
Rich agricultural area, with lots of marl embedded in the soil for heat retention and natural drainage.
Delightful slow pace of life
Described by one person as “Italy with Greek parents”. The architecture ranges from baroque to very unique with white buildings.
Home of the oldest related human remains in the world. In Ostuni they discovered the remains of a 19 year old pregnant girl and her baby still in the womb at full term. Dates back to 24,000 B.C. She was from royalty, as evidenced by shell necklaces and other adornments.
The rich soil contributes to wonderful food. Wine, tomatoes, basil, mozzarella (which they do not call cheese) and many other things. Even an average meal here is superb. As one of our experiences we witnessed making mozzarella. It involves extensive working the material in 160 degree water with bare hands and arms. Not for the faint of heart, yet so good when made with their milk and truly fresh. We are spoiled now for sure.
Our next postcard will feature the caves of Matera, located between Puglia and Positano.
We are in Polignano a Mare, a beautiful coastal town in Puglia Italy (the heel of the boot if you look at a map). This postcard is a bit longer than our goal — because we hope to help you in case you end up with a lost luggage situation.
To get here we flew from Charlotte to Munich, then on a regional jet from Munich to Bari. As is common in European airports, we took a shuttle bus to far reaches of the airfield to board our regional jet. Our flight to Munich was an hour late, making our connection tight. Once aboard the plane, we wondered about our luggage also making it, so checked the location via the Apple AirTags. Betsy’s seemed to be moving towards the plane, while mine remained in the main terminal. An appeal to the guy waiting to clear the plane for departure resulted in “we are waiting for five bags. Maybe”. As we taxied out both suitcases appeared to still be on the ground.
When we landed the AirTags still showed both suitcases in Munich, so we went directly to file a claim to avoid a delay and being in a line. They did initiate the claim, yet said we had to wait and see if they actually arrived. Betsy’s made it, not mine. So with the claim filed, off we went for our one hour taxi ride to our rented apartment. That night AirTags showed the bag had arrived in Bari, and we received a confirming email asking if we wanted to pick it up or have it delivered. I chose deliver.
The next day I was told it had been given to a courier, and would be delivered by early afternoon. By then we had discovered that very few people in this area speak English, so I had the Lost and Found communicating with the manager of our apartment. Late afternoon arrived, and still no suitcase. AirTags showed it still in Bari, yet no longer at the airport. After giving them the location I was told they were asking the courier driver what happened?
The courier said he delivered all of the bags on his truck. They went to the location indicated by the AirTag and it was a vacant lot. So somehow my suitcase had “fallen off the cart” between being given to the courier and his truck, or he was lying and stole it. He was then asked to file a police report, which authorizes access to the airport camera to try to learn what actually happened.
Four more days have passed. The AirTag has moved many times. Video has not yet been seen. Yesterday they offered to pick me up to get closer and try to pinpoint where it was (after I had offered to do that the second day). When I asked what would happen if it is in a house they said they would knock on the door and speak with the owner. Since no one is trying to return it that seems fruitless and dangerous to me, so I declined.
At this point it seems very unlikely that the suitcase is intact with its contents. With the exception of a favorite rain jacket from the Masters everything can be easily replaced, although of course it is a huge hassle. We spent several hours in a Laundromat to “buy some time”, washing what we had – then did some shopping for replacements. Since we are here for six weeks a number of things are needed.
I have learned some things which seemed worth sharing:
Our credit card insurance is better than the airline reimbursement will be, although I have to seek compensation from the airline first. Airline is $1700, credit card is $3,000. Total – $4700.
Filing the claim will require a lot of detail, and be a hassle. We are keeping receipts.
Amazon is a replacement source. It is possible to buy and ship from the USA, although shipping charges and Import duties double the cost. It is also easy to use my account with Amazon Italy and get stuff in several days.
The selection is far more limited, and we have now learned that sizes are very different. A ‘M’ in the US can be XL in Italy. Some of the things I am buying will not have a future when we return home — so function over style.
We validated a practice we have used for years. In addition to our carry-ons we each put several days clothing in the other’s checked bag. Certainly helped this time.
Despite it all we are having a wonderful time. And of course others always have bigger problems. Our good friends coming to Italy to travel with us had their flight cancelled 45 min before their departure for the airport, and could only rebook two days later. As we walk around loving this place we found this saying on a planter, and really feel like it is and has always been us.
Most of us have been to Williamsburg or a museum that shows the lifestyle of our ancestors several hundred years ago. We have an image of how American Indians lived primitively from movies. I had just never really thought about lifestyle 4,000 years ago, and discovered that I could not possibly have been further off. On our last day we visited one of the oldest temples in Egypt created for a noble — not a king. The carvings on the walls depicted how they lived — a refreshing change from more Gods. The day before we visited the Egyptian Museum of Civilization, which is organized from the earliest period to current. All of these photos are from the B.C. era and demonstrate an advanced and elegant way of living — at least for the nobles. Here are a few snippets.
Scribe with pen over ear, as we still do today.
Cereal and Cosmetics? Back then?
Cosmetics seemed quite advanced
They were not living in lean-to’s. Their buildings were made of sandstone or mud bricks, and were very precisely constructed. Here are some of the tools they used.
Music and musical instruments
Intricate gold jewelry
mani pedi
Sandals. Look a lot like today’s to me.
Even art seems advanced. In those days the men wore skirts, and the ladies wore white linen dresses that were translucent. If you look at this carving near her ankles you will see that they even captured the translucent dresses.
King taking a selfie. This one is a joke. Just seemed too realistic to pass on.
All of these stories got covered up for thousands of years — until several hundred years ago. It seems that we had to re-invent a lot of stuff during that period. And the advanced art from carving and with colors still amazes me
Only one postcard to go. I will share our thoughts and tips for those thinking about a trip to Egypt.
The next idea when the Pyramids were too easy to spot and rob were tombs. They were built into the hills, with the idea of hiding them under sand and stone that looked like everywhere else to avoid having them robbed.
Tombs were only for the afterlife. Now Queens and Nobles could also have them – just with fewer rooms. So far they have found 80 tombs in the Valley of the Queens. Kings still had many rooms on various levels. When the royal died they would stock the tomb with favorite jewelry, oils, clothes, furniture for the afterlife, then place the mummy in the tomb and close it up. The mummification process took 40 – 70 days, to prepare the organs (each organ placed in alabaster in the tomb) and to wrap.
This idea did not work much better. With one exception all of the tombs were still raided during the B.C. era. Why, we wonder? Our guide’s theory is that it was an inside job. Those building or moving things to the tombs tipped off the robbers.
The best-preserved tomb is Seti I. It is one of the longest tombs at 450 feet, and also one of the deepest at 200 feet. Comprised of 11 chambers, and built between 1290 and 1279 BCE. These tombs have been “dusted off”, yet no other restoration. This one is truly amazing for its colors. All of the tombs are filled with carvings like this. It is hard to imagine this kind of preservation after 2600 years, with no a/c or other protections. Today the ticket to view it is very expensive — their way to limit the crowds in the interest of preservation.
The most famous tomb is of course King Tut. It is the one exception to being robbed. He was not a particularly famous or strong king, and died unexpectedly at age 19. As a result, they did not have time to finish his tomb and it was only one room. Perhaps because it was so small another tomb was later built right over it. When they robbed the one above no one thought there might be another one right below until Howard Carter launched and funded an expedition to locate it. It was actually discovered by accident, when a donkey was bringing water for the archeologists. The donkey’s leg sunk into a hole, and that is how they found it in 1922.
On the other hand Ramses II, one of the most powerful kings who reigned for more than 60 years, made a strategic mistake. His tomb was too close to the valley floor and was badly damaged by moisture, probably from flooding from the Nile river.
This is our first postcard from Egypt. Hope you enjoy what intrigues or inspires us.
Ancient Egypt is defined as the period from 3100 B.C. when Egypt was unified to 331 B.C., when it was conquered by Alexander the Great from Macedonia. All of the Pyramids were built during this period, from 2650 B.C. to 1525 B.C. Egyptians believe that afterlife is very robust and enjoyable, so the Pyramids had a dual purpose. They were a statement to the power of the Pharaohs while alive, and then a place to put many things to enjoy during their afterlife. The reason they stopped building them in 1525 B.C. is that they discovered even then that “grave robbers” were a big problem, and pyramids let the bad guys know where to find things worth robbing. After 1525 B.C. they began building tombs instead, which theoretically were harder to locate by design.
We had a chance to enter the inner chamber of the Great Pyramid of Giza, the largest pyramid in Egypt. The immense scale of these structures is hard to fathom. This one has 3.4 million large stones, each weighing hundreds of pounds and soars to 450 feet high. It took 100,000 people (1/10 of the population) 20 years to build. Contrary to some beliefs, pyramids were not built by slaves. It was an honor to build one for a king.
This other photo illustrates the scale of the Great Sphinx, another symbol of Egyptian history. The body was carved from a single block of stone. We are standing between the paws.
With the help of our bespoke tour organizer Exclusive France Tours we planned an over the top once in a lifetime experience in France, and we happily paid for an over the top experience. Even so we could not have imagined the variety and depth of experiences we are having, all of which are expanding our quest for food and wine appreciation.
Here are the highlights of just three days in Burgundy.
Monday morning found us first at the famous Hospices de Beaune with our private guide. It is normally filled with people, yet there were only three other people, and we spent 1 1/2 hours learning all about its history. Then we went to a baker, who took us into his shop to actually make croissants and baguettes the french way. Hands on.
After lunch we met privately with Jean-Pierre Renard, who travels the world as an expert on Burgundy wines and terroir. An introduction to the wines of Burgundy. At 4:30 pm Philippe Marques came to our apartment to begin a three-night series about wine and food pairing. Philippe is former sommelier at a Michelin three-star restaurant, so first we went to five different wine stores to source the wines for our three evenings – an experience in itself. Then we retuned to our apartment where a private chef was preparing the meal for our first evening. That evening we focused on the role of pepper in influencing the ideal food and wine pairing. Philippe had a collection of forty peppers, and we actually went through an exercise to determine which peppers had the most harmony with the wines we had selected for the evening. Then of course we added the peppers we chose to the food, and appreciated the with and without.
On Tuesday Philippe joined us for a journey through the vineyards to two wineries. Wines from Romaine Conti are the most expensive in the world. Each bottle made from this vineyard sells for $9,000 – $20,000. We have to say that in general we have been very pleased with the cost of wine in France. It is well below Napa Cabs.
Most wineries in Burgundy have no wine to sell. It is all sold through export and local wine shops. Many have no tasting rooms either. They are just production facilities with centuries old wine cellars, and family run businesses producing Premier and Grand Cru wines. Getting into them is a special treat. Philippe could go at any time because of his sommelier status. Bringing two guests was a very special favor granted to him.
The first one was Hubert Lignier, who produces Premier and Grand Cru rouges and blancs. We spent an hour in his cellar barrel tasting six different 2020 and 2021 wines. In this cellar we began to fully appreciate the French approach of a larger taste and chewing the wine to fully appreciate it, then spitting it out. It took us a while, but we finally realized that we could only enjoy it if we followed that approach. The custom here is to pour any wine left in your glass back into the barrel. There is plenty of alcohol to sanitize anything one might “deposit”. At the end he opened a small unlabeled bottle of 2016 to taste to appreciate what four years adds, which is an even more rare treat.
After lunch and more discussion with Philippe we went to see one of the vineyards in Aloxe Corton, and spent an hour with his son in their cellar. They had just bottled their 2020 (no labels yet). Nothing is labeled until shipment because the natural dampness of the cellars ruins the labels. He amazed us by opening six bottles for various tastings. As we concluded he said “I cannot drink all of these bottles we opened tonight. Please choose on to take home as my gift. We chose a Grand Cru blanc.
Most of these vineyards are multi-generation family affairs. They are now facing dual challenges. The first is that the inheritance tax in France is 35%. When the parent dies the inheriting son or daughter must pay the tax on the current value of the land. With the incredible prices that can be millions of dollars, which they cannot afford to take on even as a loan. And the second is that taking over the family business is a lifetime commitment. Aloxe Corton had wisely encouraged their son to try his wings, then decide. He studied Japanese in college, and spent time as an interpreter to Japanese visiting French wineries. Then one day he decided that he wanted to “come home” and join the family business. His parents were relatively young, which made it easier. The baker we spent time with on Monday was fifth generation, and his children were not interested. That is a really hard business, of course, and one has to absolutely love it. So he will have figure out what to do with the business when it becomes too tough for him.
Tuesday ended back at our apartment, where Philippe and our private chef had designed two meals with sea bass. The first featured sea bass carpaccio, designed to pair with white wine. The second featured a thicker sea bass filet with a veal stock sauce, designed to pair with red wine.
Wednesday featured a classic Burgundy experience, driving a Citroen 2CV through the vineyards — with Jean-Pierre as our personal guide. We stopped many times to look at differences in the terroir. Burgundy soil is full of rocks and marle, which date back hundreds of millions of years. They provide warmth to the vines — sometimes too much. We saw the differences in the terroir in which $9,000 bottles are grown and less expensive bottles — and it is subtle. Here is one example of a piece of marne which shows it age from when the sea covered Burgundy.
Here our wine tasting was in the middle of the vineyards of the Montrachet and Batard Montrachet plots, followed by a picnic al fresco. And I was driving the 2CV all day except for departing and entering Beaune and chance for Betsy as well.
The afternoon concluded at a cooperage. Parts of the barrel making process have been forced to become automated, which makes seeing the process impossible for safety reasons. Yet we were really curious to see how they are made. One family run cooperage decided to create a demonstration center, and we not only got to see how they are made but make one ourselves.
We have another four days in Burgundy, with yesterday a planned “vacation from vacation”. Then we head to Dijon and then the Champagne area. These three days have been absolutely amazing. We have learned so much. Anything Grand Cru will command high prices, yet there are many plots nearby that are 97% as good at 1/3 the price. We are grateful to our two experts for sharing their secrets, and actively learning the distribution system. If you buy wine here for shipment they deduct the VAT, which is 20%. Shipping cost for several cases is about $12/bottle. So a $60 bottle basically ships free. Before we come home we will have ordered several cases for direct delivery.
Throughout our journey we have been appreciating the difference between French and American cooking. When we get home we are throwing all of our bottled salad dressings out. A freshly made blend of olive oil, vinegar, honey, dijon mustard and salt will become our standard. We will spend the extra time to go to our Farmers Market for produce, and only buy vegetables in season. We will strive to augment any item on the plate with multiple flavors and texture. Our pepper selection will expand, and be used a lot more.
And our approach to wine and food pairing will change. Now we will open the bottle we choose first, and sense the wine. Then we plan to alter how we cook and season the food to optimally pair with the wine. All of this will take more time of course. Luckily we have that luxury, and really look forward to that activity together.
Two final photos. We love strolling through these villages, and had 15 minute walk to the restaurants. On our way home last night the sunset over the ramparts and canals was stunning. And while out visiting more wineries today we picked up a fresh summer truffle. So we will have truffle butter beginning tonight.
Thank you for reading all of this. It is a message only for special friends and family who will really appreciate it.
We finally made it to France — after deferring the trip in 2020 and 2021. We knew the COVID surge was well past its peak in France, while just ramping up again in the USA, and wondered what we would find. We were delighted when our airline, Lufthansa, still required masks. France is 90% vaccinated, and new cases are very low. So masks are let’s say “very infrequent”, even indoors. We are wearing ours in crowds because we want to stay healthy, and do think our timing is lucky to be here right now because their surge is clearly behind them.
After checking into our hotel we were driven to Cap d’Antibes, which is a wonderful viewpoint of much of the Cote d’Azur coastline.
And, of course, a glass of Rose.
We have now been in Provence for a week, and enjoyed quite an array of experiences.
The Cannes Film Festival had just begun, and we spent the afternoon in a 40’ chartered boat going from Antibes to Cannes and sailing through the harbor and all the super yachts and party tents, finishing with a swim in the Med.
The European car Rally Championships were the weekend we stayed in Antibes, and our panoramic balcony looked out over the starting line. Lots of fun to be in the midst of all of that.
Met the most creative and highest quality gelato master I have ever encountered, then thanks to a friendship with our trip organizer were invited into his “workshop” to make a batch. Ever had saffron gelato?
An authentic absinthe tasting experience
Enjoyed a day in the hill towns of Saint Paul de Vence, Vence and Tourette sur Loup
Walked a number of ramparts and learned about the histories
Spent an hour in Paul Cezanne’s studio, learning about his life and the inspirations for his work
Visited the hospital where Van Gogh recovered after he cut off his ear, then the place where he painted one of the Starry Nights collection over the river
Learned about his techniques and the use of many colors during a private three hour painting workshop
Spent a day in the Camargue, the agricultural area of Provence. Such diversity, from salt mining to growing rice to raising bulls that are used in a game where very athletic young meet to try to get ribbons off their horns and forehead. The bulls do not get hurt and are superstars. The human competitors often have to leap over the barrier to avoid getting hurt.
Dined at a couple of Michelin starred restaurants
Today is one of our planned and coveted “vacation from vacation” days, so we have time to catch up.
One take-away. French food is amazing, in both taste and texture. Every dish seems to have many subtle ingredients, from nuts or beans to flowers and herbs to amazing sauces. We find a connection between the food and painting. In the painting workshop we learned to never use the colors out of the tube as is, and to never just use three or four colors. The vibrancy comes from mixing a number of variations of the same color, and blending them in. The French also only use seasonal ingredients. No hothouse tomatoes over here, because they are never as good as the ones in season. So just use other ingredients.
The other take-away is that one spends a lot of time eating here. Breakfast always has many choices, lunches take 1 1/2 hours and dinners 2 – 3 hours. How have we also seen so much?
Finally closing with our favorite artistic picture. It is so representative of Provence.
