‘The hills are alive……..’ (Italy Pt II)

Lake Iseo - an overnight stop en-route to Castelrotto in the Alps

After a week or so in ‘Italy’, we found ourselves in Alto Adige (after an overnight stop at Lake Iseo in the lake region). Located in the North East of Italy on the border with Austria, it is a place which while being Italian (since it was ceded to Italy after World War I, formerly being part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire) feels distinctly Swiss/German/Austrian. The geography is dominated by the steep snow covered Italian Alps, complemented by rolling green hills in alpine valleys dotted with wooden huts/houses – the sort of scene that makes you want to belt out songs from ‘The Sound of Music’ – and at times, suffering from weather induced cabin (or car) fever, I am sad to admit that we may have done just that.

The hills are alive..... (the view from our hotel)

You come to Alto Adige for two reasons – in the winter to ski and in the summer to hike/climb. We were on the cusp of Winter/Summer and due to unseasonably cold weather, there was too much snow for the hard core walkers in the area. For less adventurous walkers such as us, conditions underfoot were fine, and we took advantage of a break in the wet weather to do a short walk from an alpine lake to a clearing and back. What we did not appreciate when we set out is how suited we would be to ‘walking’ in this part of the world. After a 40 minute (fairly steep) walk up we found ourselves nestled by the fire in a wooden alpine hut/bar – me rewarded in my efforts with a large German beer and bowl of the best soup I can recall ever having and Michelle tucking into a big bowl of apple strudel with ice cream. In the summer at times they have an Oompah band up on the roof and in 2007 it beat off 359 other contenders to win the award for ‘best alpine bar’. The fact that they celebrated with a staff trip to Oktoberfest in Munich gives some insight into how ‘un-Italian’ it feels here.

That man deserves a zuppa

The other highlight here was a trip into the picturesque town of Bolzano - a pretty place with nice cafes and food markets. It is home to Ortzi – a frozen early human from the copper age found by a couple hiking in the Alps in 1991 thawing out of ice where he had lain perfectly preserved for 1000s of years. Despite the fact that this man and his belongings were incredibly well preserved and offering much insight into life at the time, much remains unknown about him – including who shot the arrow that may ultimately have lead to his demise and why. An hour or two exploring the museum largely dedicated to him here was well worth it.

Church in the Alps

The area is well known for its wood carvers. We did think we might leave with a wooden toy for the little one, but as it turns out, the carving, while undeniably beautiful, tends to feature religious figures or scenes heavily and we decided a half metre figure of the Madonna and child was not really what our nursery needed….

The blend of cultures here was intriguing and we really enjoyed the novelty of it all (in addition to the breathtaking geography!). The blend was most evident when eating with the cuisine on offer a mix of typical Germanic foods (you could count on sausage with sauerkraut) and typical Italian (pizzas/pastas) - often with a bit of one culture influencing the other. Beer drinking was more commonplace, in contrast to the sight more often seen in Italy of a table of wine drinkers.

Hills on the drive from Lake Iseo to Alps - it was pretty chilly up there...

It is not just about beer and bratwursts here though. Sud Alto is a famous wine region (particularly for whites) and Tramin (the town after which Gewürztraminer is named) is located here. I have always found this strange – that such an un-Italian sounding wine can have its home here and it was a bottle of Italian Gewürztraminer purchased in London that first sparked our interest in visiting here. On our way south to Verona we stopped to do a couple of quick tasting – at the Co-op in one town small town we were joined by the local traffic officer – strange to see him tucking into a few wines with the locals in full uniform, car parked out the front at 10am on a Saturday morning!


Verona - the home of romance


After weaving up a very narrow and winding road to the top of the hills on the edge of Verona (which at this stage we had still not seen) and being greeted by a very hippy/alternative looking young Italian guy at our B’n’B we did wonder what we had got ourselves in for – but it all worked out fine…. in fact Christian’s breakfasts, especially the fresh juices which seemed to be a mix of whatever he had which was fresh (pineapple, apple, carrot) mixed with a healthy dose of fresh ginger root, will be a lasting memory of the trip!

We spent our first evening in this area exploring some of the less touristy parts of Verona and it was a place that really captured both our hearts. Nice cobbled streets, lots of little cafes, bars and gelateria, colourful and romantic – and on a Saturday night – bustling with a mix of students and trendy young couples. We selected a place to eat, pretty much at random, and I quickly learned that this was a town in which they take their wines seriously. I asked for a glass of wine – only to have the waiter suggest that we order our food and he would then be better placed to suggest which wine I might enjoy! We ate antipasti here while people watching and I was treated to several very nice wines – with the size of the glass (but not the pour) increasing with each. Not only did they take their wines seriously – but without exception it was served in beautiful glasses.


In Verona we were also introduced for the first time to the Italian concept of the ‘aperitivo’. Between around 5:30-6 and 7-7:30 the locals seem to congregate in cafes and wine bars to enjoy a drink which comes with a small selection of nibbles – a bit like the ‘pinxtos’ concept in San Sebastian but without the scrum to reach the bar. We tried it on our second night at a place Christian had recommended – yum!

Spot the Fiat 500 in the top LH corner.....

We had one day to see as much of Verona as we could and with our Verona cards in hand (a €10 card that gets you into most of the main sights) we had a pretty intensive day of sightseeing – the Roman arena, made of pink marble and still in active use today, ‘Juliet’s house’, complete with the balcony which is said to have inspired Shakespere’s balcony scene, climbing the 350 odd steps to the top of Torre di Lamberti, which offered great views of the city and a piazza filled of classic cars below, and the Castelvecchio, the city’s main castle and the museum inside it. We also managed to see the Duomo there during service – so sat at the back as one of the many priests up on the alter delivered a very animated sermon (not a word of which we understood – despite attempts to pick up a bit of the language!).

Our short stay in Verona was great and although it was not one of the places on the itinerary which we were really excited about – it was a place that we really took to.


Experiencing rural Italy - Emilia-Romagna


A short drive south (by now having covered about 2000kms in our once brand new Peugeot 207) and we found ourselves sitting outside a house in the country with a dog the size of small bear glaring at us. After a quick call to Paola (the owner of the house we were to be staying in) we determined we were on the right driveway – but at the wrong house…. Further down the dirt drive we found another house – this time with a dog that looked more like a sheep (and which was much friendlier) to greet us.

A couple of friendly faces

And so it was we found ourselves on a farm/winery/orchard/hobby zoo which would provide our base from which to explore this region over the next week. We had hired a small house built in the top half of a converted barn situated just out of Monteveglio near Bologna. Out our back window we could monitor the activities of half a dozen pet rabbits, from our bedroom we can see small groups of school kids arriving most days to explore the farm or learn how to make bread in a wood fired oven, and from the kitchen come dining room (where I am sitting right now) we look out to trees, with vines beyond. Chickens roam free, we have two pigs (a big one and a little one) which benefit from our scraps and next to the vines live a pony, a mule and donkey (a miniature pony is expected any day now). As we drove up the drive last evening, Michelle spotted a wild young deer in the undergrowth and just further up the drive a long black snake (not poisonous we are assured) slithered across the drive in front of us. One does not get lonely here.

Slow food and fast cars


Emilia-Romanga is famous for food (it is home to Parma ham, Parmesan cheese and traditional balsamic vinegar the production of which all involve significant aging periods) and fast cars – the Ferrari factory is here as are factories making Maserati, Lamborghini cars and Ducati bikes (I am sure there are more, so apologies to any petrol heads if I have missed any).

You can't help but draw comparisons with the Yellow Datty can you?

Disappointingly we discovered that to visit the Ferrari factory one must be the owner of a Ferrari. While we will shortly be in the market for a new car, I was not sure that Ferraris would be compatible with an ‘Isofix’ baby car seat (of which we are the proud owners) and therefore we did not investigate the acquisition of one of these vehicles any further. Fortunately there is an alternative option for the 99% of the world’s population who like us do not have the pleasure of owning a Ferrari – and that is the Ferrari Gallery – located in Maranello (also the location of the factory) – administered by Ferrari and home to a mixture of historic (and recent) F1 cars as examples of the Grand Turismo roadsters. As you enter you are greeted by a shop featuring an extensive range of Ferrari merchandise (with prices pitched at the hard core of Ferrari fans), but this place proved interesting for both of us – even Michelle left with a soft spot in her heart for yellow Ferraris – perhaps there is hope for me yet that one day I will find a replacement for the Datsun and at same time qualify for entry to the factory here (which is said to be one of the best places in Europe to work).

On the food front, balsamic vinegar seemed to be our focus (although more by accident than design). We visited a producer for short tour and tasting and also a small, but very good, museum in Spilamberto which is run by the association which controls and certifies production of the ‘traditional’ balsamic. Throughout these experiences you have it drilled into you that in a traditional balsamic there is nothing but grape must (no sugar or other additives are included) and that following the initial ‘cooking’ of the must it is simply left to time in small barrels (made of various types of wood – oak, cherry etc) to give the vinegar its distinctive flavour and consistency. The aged product is delicious and can be served on a grilled piece of meat, with fresh parmesan cheese, on ice cream and strawberries or even by itself as a digestive! At about €70 for 100mls of the 25 y/o variety it has to be special – and it was.

Don't you wish we all got better with age?

We saw less of the production of Parma ham and parmesan, but did ensure we partook in trying it whenever the opportunity presented itself! It is not hard to see why they call Bologna the capital of this region La Grassa ('the fat one').

For the first time we also had the opportunity to cook for ourselves. We enjoyed the chance to buy fresh veggies and goodies from the delis in the market before taking them home to whip something up. The highlight would have to be fried zucchini flowers – something we had tried and loved at La Famiglia in London, and which, as it turns out, aren’t too hard to recreate at home. We are having another batch for our final supper before heading on to Lucca from here tomorrow!

Flower arranging in the kitchen

While exploring the foods of the region, we also took in the sights of the main towns each of which we saw on separate day trips from our ‘base’ – Parma, Modena and Bologna. Of these, Bologna stood out as our favourite – a nice historic city centred around a grand piazza, great little food markets off the piazza and plenty of nice cafes, restaurants and gelateria. The gelatti we had from La Sorbetteria Castiglione here rates as Michelle’s best so far (mine was yet to come in Rimini….).

The coast and San Marino

From the farm we did a round trip out to the coast taking in San Marino, Rimini and Ravenna.

San Marino is Europe’s third smallest principality. Set on a hill overlooking the coast it has always remained separate from Italy (and was neutral during World War II). While it was interesting to visit here (and gave our child to be another flag in its passport) it was a bit of a non-event – tacky souvenir shops lining the streets. They seemed to have a strange fascination with weapons here – with numerous shops selling large (imitation?) automatic guns and knifes of all descriptions – perhaps to appeal to patrons of the museum of torture located here.

Mosaics of Ravenna

After San Marino, Rimini was a welcome return to Italian sophistication. We saw it during the afternoon siesta and out of peak season, so it was very peaceful – although in summer Italians flock here and its beaches are said to be packed with flesh by day, with the clubs being packed with flesh by night. Our flesh featured in neither of these places, which is probably for the best, but we did treat ourselves to a great gelatti (this time my favourite) – mine being a coffee flavoured one bearing the Slow Food seal of approval!


En-route home we visited Ravenna. This proved to be a slightly unanticipated highlight from a touristic perspective – with mosaics being the key draw card. We visited 4 separate sites all of which features mosaics featuring from early Christian times. The colours and detail in these huge mosaics are incredible – even today – many of them looking as if they had been made yesterday, rather than centuries ago. Although we were a bit rushed as we tried to get around the sites here, we were awestruck by the mosaics and if you are ever in this region and have the opportunity to spend a day/half day in Ravenna we would certainly recommend it.

Parmasean aging.....

La Dolce Vita (Italy Pt I)

When we started thinking about travel on our way home, a trip to Italy quickly reached the top of the list – for us it is a country that offers a huge amount of everything we look for in travel. Initially we had in mind basing ourselves in one place for a month or so – but our desire to see so much more of Italy than we had done already meant that this plan quickly morphed into a great big road trip – starting in Milan in the North and working our way down to the South (Sicily).

The trip didn’t have a huge amount of planning or precision behind it, but by the time we set out we had a 6 ½ week trip mapped out and accommodation along the way locked in.

It was quite a strange feeling sitting in Terminal 5 (for the second time that week) about to set out on this trip which had been in our minds for so long. One thing was certain – for us it would be the La Dolce Vita tour – the sweet life.

First stop – Milano

We started with two nights in Milan – carless – a chance to find our feet (and explore this famous city) before we set off.

Slightly disappointingly, our lack of planning was shown up for the first time, when on the bus into Milan from the airport we read that tickets to see ‘The Last Supper’, displayed here, should be purchased months in advance. Whoops – as Paola at our accommodation told us – ‘don’t worry – it’s just a painting’.

We did however get straight into our work in Milan. Before we knew it we had explored Milan’s huge Duomo (3rd largest in Europe) – this included climbing the 165 steps to the roof top where you can walk around on the sloping tile roof which is lined with carved spires and figures. We saw many other churches while in Milan – although probably the most memorable was our visit to Basilica di Sant’Ambrogio – which we stumbled on by accident (a momentary lapse in otherwise flawless map-reading). The church itself was stunning, but we happened to arrive as guests for a wedding were also arriving – so we spent the next hour or so people watching – admiring the ‘beautiful people’ as they arrived – if ever there was a reminder that the Italians are a fashionable bunch – this was it. We also spent some time relaxing in the sun in Parco Sempione (Milan’s vast central park) where the Italians walk, play sport, eat gelatti and make-out.

It will come as no surprise to those of you who know us well, that being such cultured beings, we quickly arranged tickets to the opera at ‘La Scala’ – Milan’s famous home of opera. OK, so the tickets were dirt cheap and we were on the 6th tier with limited view of the goings on down on the stage below – but it was a great opportunity to see this incredibly lavish building with six tiers of ‘box like’ seating in a horseshoe shape facing the stage. The opera itself was Lulu – a seemingly scandalous affair in which Lulu (a scantily clad woman) manipulated husbands (who seemed to drop off at a great rate of knots). Mich loved it – only falling asleep twice (once during the first half and once during the second half).

We also instituted a regime of regular gelatti (to keep us sustained during our rigorous sightseeing schedule). The best here was from a Gelateria called ‘Chocolat’. Late on Saturday it had a queue down the street (even though it is a bit out of the way) – we gave it a try and were not disappointed – a must stop on any Milan itinerary.

Cunningly, there was little scope for anything other than window shopping – Saturday shops were closed for May Day celebrations and there is limited Sunday trading. It was very cool however to wander down the cobbled lanes of the Monte Napoleone area – lined with huge flagship stores (and head offices) of the big Italy fashion houses - Versace, D&G, Prada. To do so safe in the knowledge we had no chance of slipping into one made the experience so much more relaxing for one of us…. and perhaps frustrating for the other.

Stylish people in the the fashion district

Piedmont – The Stomach of Northern Italy

If Milan is the heart of Northern Italy, then Piedmont would have to be its stomach! The ‘Slow Food Movement’ started here – whose philosophy centres around fresh local and seasonal produce, prepared in traditional ways, with an emphasis on quality over convenience/speed. It also is home to the famous (and very pricey) white truffle and its poorer cousin, the black truffle. Never one to pass up a good meal, it seemed like a natural next stop.

As if the focus on food is not enough to entice one to this lesser travelled region – they make some of the Italy’s best red wines here – the rich and robust Baralo and Barbarescos both made from the Nebbiolo grape. As it happened our accommodation here was out in the countryside just out of the small village of Alba in the heart of the Barbaresco appellation on a winery (Ada Nada). Our room looked out onto vines and our host Anna Lisa greeted us with a glass of Barbaresco (for us) in hand. Perfect.

Our first eating experience here was fairly comical. We arrived in Alba around 3pm on Sunday afternoon – a bit late for lunch even by Italian standards. Not dissuaded by this we popped into a little place (Osteria dei Sognatri). The owner greeted us - while we could have a main, it was a bit late in the day for entree and primi. Upon learning we were Kiwis the rules all changed – antipasti were served, primis arrived and succulent mains followed (rabbit and pork – yum!). The novelty of having ‘Kiwis’ was a bit surprising, as we didn’t really feel like we were ‘off the beaten track’, but next thing I knew I was on the owner’s cellphone speaking to ‘Jeff’ (I assume the only other Kiwi he knew) and who, in a favourable coincidence, was a winemaker at one of the area’s best wineries – and so it was we found ourselves with a visit and tasting agreed for the following day.


The comical nature of our visit to Alba did not stop there. Our visit happened to coincide with a flag throwing festival. It seems the Italians in this part of the world love an excuse to dress-up (people after my own heart) and this day they decided to dress-up in medieval kit (colourful stockings for the men). In teams, presumably linked to historic families/territories and which consisted of a marching band (lots of drums/trumpets) and flag throwers, they performed in the town square before a mock king and queen (who had also taken the opportunity to dress up). We later learned that in Alba they dress-up whenever they get the chance. My favourite being an annual donkey race (which they hold as a tongue in check response to the neighbouring and rival town’s (Asti) annual horse race which celebrates a historic victory over Alba in one of many previous times of war between the two. Alba itself was a pretty town –and our pick of the various places we visited in this area.

As agreed with our ‘friend’ Jeff, we found ourselves the next day at ‘Marchesi di Gresy’ for a tour and tasting. We never did meet Jeff (he was out working on the vines ahead of some bad weather), but Marina took us through the winery (including a huge underground cellar, which was carved under the hill where the grapes are grown) and through the wines. By far the best and most comprehensive of a number of tastings ‘we’ did in the area – and nice that the Kiwi connection had opened this door for us.

The track from our place to Treiso

Another happy coincidence was a restaurant we discovered up the road from us. From our accommodation there was a dirt track that led to a tiny little hill top village – Treiso. We visited it one day and noticed that for a small place, it had a very flash looking restaurant. We dug out an article in which top London based Italian chef’s talk about their favourite Italian restaurants (the vast majority of which happened to be in Piedmont) and noticed that the place in Treiso was a pick of Giorgio Locatelli (whose cookbook we love).

With it being just around the corner from us – we couldn’t pass up a meal at this place ‘La Ciau Del Tornavento’. I did a 7 course wine matched degustation here – due to the dietary constraints that come with pregnancy Michelle had to reluctantly settle for a la carte. Neither of us was disappointed. We were also treated to a tour of the immense underground wine cellar here – the second room of which is sealed with a foot thick ‘bank vault’ like metal door. With 50,000 wines from 1,200 producers in this collection, I guess the concern for security/care of the wines is understandable. (Left - in the cellar - something to aim for!)

Continuing the theme of slightly strange eating experiences, the restaurant was busy on a Monday night, partly due to the group of 50 or so PwC partners – senior partners from around the world on various automotive clients who had been bussed here (for about an hour) from Turin – the home of Fiat for a meal – testament to the reputation of this place (which on a clear day, we are told, has views to rival its food!). Slightly surreal to be so far from and yet so close to PwC. Despite the sophistication of the restaurant, we were also reminded of the fact that we were in the ‘countryside’ here, by the wild deer we encountered on the road leading up to the restaurant – if only I could have got a picture of the deer looking back at us through the vines…..

Next stop - Castelrotto in the Italian Alps.....

Turkey - Gobble Gobble Gobble

We shut the door on our London flat for the last time, grabbed a quick pub lunch with Grover (who happened to be in the neighbourhood having arrived in the UK that morning) and before we had a chance to give it too much further thought, we were winging our way with Shane and Dena for two weeks in Turkey.

Itinerary


For those of you who just want an overview, the following is a summary of our 2 week itinerary (which excludes a few days which were largely spent driving):

• 3 days exploring and experiencing Istanbul’s sights and markets
• 1 day exploring Gallipoli Peninsula – a beautiful but sad place
• 1 day in Kusadasi a coastal base from which to explore the incredible Ephesis Roman ruins
• 1 day in Pamukkale – a spa town with ‘medicinal pools’ said to cure almost everything under the sun
• 3 days in Kalkan – once coastal fishing village, turned Turkish holiday destination – sun, diving/kayaking – you get the picture right?
• 1 day in Antalya – large coastal city and departure point for flight to Cappadocia
• 2 days in Cappadocia – phallic rocks, hot air balloons and hidden cities.

Driving

Our main mode of transport in Turkey was driving. This was far less traumatic than it could have been, but all the same, this was a road trip so figure it's worth recording a few thoughts for posterity:

• Turkey has lanes, speed limits and traffic lights - none of which seem to trouble the Turkish drivers too much. Liberal use of the wrong side of the road is commonplace, passing on blind corners a local past time, speed limits are seemingly unenforced (which has its benefits) and red lights are purely optional - with running them being both tolerated and encouraged by those behind you with 'toots' to let you know they think it is safe for you to run the light now.
• Be wary of the 'TomTom’ shortcut - although we would have struggled without it, TomTom did take us down one or two 'shortcuts' where she decided she'd had enough of main routes and that a dirt track would liven the drive up a bit.
• Turkish drivers do not always look in their rear vision mirror when reversing - ask our buckled number plate if you need confirmation of this fact.
• Beware of the black cloud - you don't really want to find yourself being battered by hail the size of large ice cubes which turned once dry roads into a slush/ice river in minutes.
• Rule of thumb for Turkish driving - if in doubt: toot.

Piles of hail on the road

Istanbul - Markets and mosques

• Hotel Romance - hearts for as far as the eye can see.

• Blue Mosque, Ana Sofia and the Basilica Cistern - 3 amazing sights all within a stone's throw of each other. The mosaics at Ana Sofia and the cistern (an ancient underground watery oasis) were particularly impressive.
• Grand Bazaar - a labyrinth of shops but less chaotic and shop keepers far less pushy than anticipated.
• Spice markets - chaos and shoulder to shoulder with people - but an amazing mix of the sweet smell of Turkish delight and spices.

• Ferry up the Bosphorus to the Black Sea - a relaxed adventure up this incredibly busy water link with Russia (despite the “yoghurt, yoghurt, yoghurt” salesmen on the boat). Stunning seafood lunch sitting out in the sun with the water lapping beside us in picturesque Anadolu Kavagi at the top of Bosphorus.

• Raki and Beer combos. Beware.

'Sightseeing' at the Topkapi Palace - exhausting stuff (although refer Raki and Beer combo' point above).

• Great food - my pick was at 360^ - a top floor restaurant with great modern food with a Turkish twist and panoramic views.

Gallipoli - Lest we forget

• A beautiful and idyllic peninsula dotted with memorials, cemeteries and walkways.
• Visiting Chunuk Bair (where the Turkish took a strategic hold which ultimately won them the campaign, but a site where NZ troops fought and died bravely), Lone Pine (the main Australian memorial), The ANZAC memorial (sitting on the water's edge just around the corner for ANZAC cove where the forces ANZAC forces landed and the sight of the dawn service) and many other Turkish and allied memorials. The most peaceful and private site was the 4th Battalion Parade Ground Cemetery - located on the track from ANZAC cove up to the front line near Lone Pine - stunning setting nestled in bush and overlooking Shrapnel Valley and the coast.

• Learning about the sacrifice and waste on both sides at Gallipoli.

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  Gallipoli Houses - a perfect base, with Eric the perfect host. http://www.gallipoli.com.tr/

Enjoying a cold Efes in the late afternoon sun while taking in the view across to the peninsula.

Kusadasi and Ephesus

• En-route to Kusadasi from Gallipoli we stopped to take in Troy (yawn, or is that too harsh?) and Bergama, which was an unexpected highlight. Bergama is a small inland town which is home to an Acropolis perch precariously on a steep mountain - complete with a 10,000 seat theatre which is built on the side of the mountain (did anyone say vertigo?) and the Asclepion - an ancient medical centre dating back to 130 AD.

You can see the theatre to the RHS of the second of the two pics above

• Exploring Ephesus - the best preserved classic Roman city in the eastern Mediterranean. A booming harbour town until it went into decline as the harbour started to silt up. A real highlight was exploring the Yamac Evleri (Terraced Houses) which gave an insight in the luxury in which the ruling class lived and in which many stunning mosaics can be seen. The Great Theatre and the Library of Celus were also spectacular - the former inspiring all sorts of tourists to break into song or dance - I was even tempted to give 'Kia Whakatane Ahau' a go, but thought better of it.

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  Lunch and fruit wine in Sirince - a hilltop town surrounded by paddocks of fruit of all descriptions. The local dish here of fried diced beef served with garlic yoghurt and tiny fried potato sticks was a group favourite.
• Stunning homemade 'local' cuisine - Turkish sausage in a tomato sauce served with authentic Turkish made spaghetti on the night of our arrival. It's all we could rustle up from the local corner store. It was however topped by delicious seafood in a local restaurant on night 2.

Turkish coffee

 Pamukkale - The Ancient pool

• Famous for its white terraces, caused by the calcium rich water which cascades down the terraces and pools of the ridge overlooking the town. A place of pilgrimage for Russians who come to benefit from the supposed medicinal properties of the waters. Long before us, the Roman's built a spa town here (190 BC) and the remains of this can still be visited. Shoes are not permitted on the white terraces - so one's feet are silky smooth after a long walk up and down the coarse calcium deposits.

• 
  
  Swimming in the Ancient Pool which sits at the top of the white terraces was a real highlight - the warm waters are crystal clear in a stoney natural pool, the bottom of which is littered with marble and stone columns etc from bygone eras.

• Pretty determined touts here - with one taking a 'roadblock' type approach stopping traffic on the way into town and another taking to his scooter to pursue tourists like us as we drove into town.

Kalkan - Where did all the tourists go?

• By now European airspace was closed by the eruption in Iceland - as so it came as a 'nice surprise' to the staff at our hotel in Kalkan when we arrived looking for our room - it seemed they had either a) lost our booking or b) assumed that like their other guests, we would be unable to make it. So there we were - upgraded and the only 4 guests in the hotel for the duration of our stay - perfect fodder for the new staff to practice on at the (delayed) start of the tourist season.

• Kalkan was a fantastic little seaside town - although in the peak of summer its population grows to 150k, which could be a bit cramped! Thanks to ash and it being the start of the season - we saw it at its sleepy best! The coast here is stunning – crystal clear waters, dotted with Turkish (and Greek!) islands.
• Shane and his ladies going on a kayaking tour - taking in the beautiful Mediterranean coast and even passing over a sunken city. Upon learning Michelle was pregnant the guide treated her like a princess - she of course lapped this up.
• Meanwhile, I was the sole diver on a dive trip for 2 dives - the highlight of which was diving on a sunken C-47 Dakota plane. This WWII aircraft was formerly an allied plane, but passed into the hands of the Turkish air force before being retired to watery grave for the enjoyment of me and others!

Antalya - a quick stopover

• We took the coastal highway from Kalkan to Antayla, an overnight base before our flight to Cappadocia. Not much to say really – except that the drive along the coast was pretty cool – and the hailstorm (mentioned above) was spectacular!

Cappadocia

• Final stop – and perhaps a case of saving the best for last. Cappadocia, right in the middle of this surprising large country, with a mix of lush fields and vineyards with dry dessert like conditions. The geography and history here is what brings tourists flocking, but for us, the fantastic accommodation and the chance to relax and enjoy somewhere quite different to anywhere else we had been was the icing on the cake.
• Cave dwellers: Cappadocia is a warren of caves and underground cities. What better way to experience this first hand than to sleep in one right? Our room was a luxurious cave, complete with en-suite, seating area and an open fireplace. While this was no doubt more comfortable than the caves of yesteryear, it was nevertheless a real cave carved into a hillside. It was amazing – especially with the fire blazing.

• Phallic rocks: Cappadocia is littered with clusters of phallic looking rock formations – and in fact many of these have cave and even churches carved into them. Like many others we took the opportunity to see this incredible landscape from the air, so at some ungodly hour we found ourselves preparing for a balloon ride. We were very very lucky – conditions were prefect and we were treated to an hour or so that was without question one of the highlights of our trip. For the record – the phallic rocks are known locally as ‘fairy chimneys’, but that name never really stuck for us.

• Carpets: No trip to Turkey would be complete without carpet shopping. We joined Dena and Shane for a little ‘window browsing’ at one place here, and before long we were all eagerly admiring carpets from various angles while enjoying a beer (we were only supposed to have the beers once we had chosen our carpet – but the owner decided we should have one early in anticipation of decisions he felt sure were close to being made….). ‘Shena’ (the Dean/Shane conglomerate) acquired a beautiful carpet, but Mich and I walked out empty handed (although, to be fair, I would describe this as ‘a near miss’).
• We did heaps of other great things here – a walk through a valley, explored an area set up as a monastery with dozens of cave rooms and churches (including some with beautiful painted ceilings and walls) and exploring an underground city (9 levels deep – of which we visited the first 4!).

Turkey was a fantastic start to our long trip home. It was great travelling with Shane and Dena and Turkey was a country which we went to with high expectations (based on what we had heard from others) and we were not disappointed. The people were so friendly and it is a place with so much to offer. Perhaps next time we will get to explore it by boat………..

Easter in San Sebastian

Hi all

31 March marked the end of our UK working lives and Easter provided the opportunity for us to slip in a quick trip to the north of Spain before we had to face the packing and cleaning associated with leaving our UK flat.

San Sebastian is a beautiful old town which sits in a bay by the ocean. It has a huge sandy beach, although while we were there it wasn't yet quite warm enough for swimming. We did however enjoy a walk around the coast and watching unsuspecting tourists get sprayed by the occassional huge swell hitting the rocks on the headland.

Swells drenching tourists

As you may expect, Easter is a pretty big deal in Spain, however while it was busy, we didn't see too much in the way of special ceremonies or celebrations of the religious festival which was a bit of a shame. So what did we get up to? Pretty much eating and exploring the wine country villages, San Sebastian and the Guggenheim in Bilbao.

Eating

San Sebastian/Bilbao and the surrounding regions are well known foodie hotspots. In fact, there are more Michelin starred eateries in this region than in any other in Europe (and therefore presumably the world!).

The streets of San Sebastian are lined with Pintxos bars. Pintxos are essentially tapas, however typically they are laid out along the bar and as you have a drink you can help yourself to any which interest you. They can be pretty elaborate and this form of cuisine has become a real art from locally. If you want to know a bit more about Pintxos, have a look at this website (http://www.todopintxos.com/home/home.php?lang=en).

We also enjoyed a fantastic meal at this restaurant: http://www.bodegonalejandro.com/. The menu was packed with seafood options and everything we ate was incredible. This place was not Michelin starred itself, but is the family restaurant of a local culinary celebrity! Great value too!

Wine country scene

They are also pretty good at coffee and while here I circumed to their smooth, milky espresso shots - 'cortardo' - which was bit like a macchiato.

Wine country

La Rioja

The Rioja wine region is about an hour and half drive from San Sebastian. We had a great day driving round and exploring the region

Highlights here included the drive in, through tunnels and mountains until we reached the immense plateau which forms the Rioja region and exploring Laguardia (a beautiful hilltop fortified village).

In terms of wine, we didn't go overboard, but did enjoy a stop at Dinastia Vivanco (close to another hilltop village, Briones). Here they have what is reputedly the best wine museum in the world. It is impressive indeed - who would have thought you could dedicate 5 floors to wine - but they have all the bases covered and even boast a mighty corkscrew collection!

The winery also offers a wine tour which seemed to be very informative. I say 'seemed to be' as unfortunately the tour was only offered in Spanish the day we visited so we didn't really understand a word! It was however a very impressive winery and our dedication in following along was rewarded with a great tasting in the cellar at the end!

Cos I earned it

If you are ever planning a trip to Rioja (or San Sebastian/Bilbao for that matter) I would recommend the following site - it is free and has loads of detail on places to stay, eat, visit etc. http://www.maribelsguides.com/

Storm clouds in Rioja

The Guggenheim

Bibao is home to one of the Guggenheim modern art museums and en-route to the airport for our flight back we stopped in for a quick visit. The building itself is a work of art and collection inside is fantastic (although not all to our liking!).  They were showing an exhibition by Anish Kapoor, who works with paint and sculpts. His works were incredible and were a real highlight for us. 

(Left: Dog made out of live flowers!)