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Puglia, Amalfi & The MedPuglia, Amalfi & The Med
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Organised Tour with TripADeal: first time experiencing third party travel ๐Ÿงญ
Canโ€™t wait to explore another part of Italy ๐Ÿ‡ฎ๐Ÿ‡น along with a Mediterranean MSC Cruise ๐Ÿšข to Croatia ๐Ÿ‡ญ๐Ÿ‡ท Montenegro ๐Ÿ‡ฒ๐Ÿ‡ช & Greece ๐Ÿ‡ฌ๐Ÿ‡ท Read more
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  • TravelerPuglia, Amalfi & The Med

    Europe: A month until takeoff!

    August 8, 2023 in Australia โ‹… ๐ŸŒ™ 8 ยฐC

    At this moment, in one month, we will have just taken off from Tullamarine in the awakening of Spring ๐ŸŒผ in the Southern Hemisphere to the tail end of one of the most scorching ๐Ÿฅต European Summer โ˜€๏ธ seasons on record!

    For the first time ever, I will experience a holiday that has essentially been almost completely planned by someone else… It has been strange not having to research hotels ๐Ÿจ transportation and flights along with dates and coordinating numerous connections. This has all been done by TripADeal. I am hoping that I enjoy it as much…

    If the itinerary is anything to go by, it would seem unlikely not to be enjoyable and exciting! Arriving in Rome, followed by the Amalfi coast, then across to Puglia. Then joining a MSC Cruise ๐Ÿšข which travels around the Adriatic Sea to wondrous ports like Montenegro, Corfu, Dubrovnik & Zakynthos ๐Ÿ‡ฎ๐Ÿ‡น ๐Ÿ‡ฌ๐Ÿ‡ท ๐Ÿ‡ฒ๐Ÿ‡ช ๐Ÿ‡ญ๐Ÿ‡ท

    Bring it on..! โœˆ๏ธ๐Ÿšขโ˜€๏ธ๐Ÿ•บ๐Ÿผ๐Ÿงณ๐Ÿน๐ŸšŒ๐Ÿš†๐Ÿ—บ๏ธ    Read more

  • TravelerPuglia, Amalfi & The Med
    Day 1

    Up, Up & Away (With a 43kmh tailwind!)

    September 8, 2023 in Australia โ‹… ๐ŸŒฌ 8 ยฐC

    As the Melbourne wind ๐Ÿ’จ howls at
    43 kilometres an hour and the rain ๐ŸŒง๏ธ buckets down with a top of 12° (feels like 3° ) we are dreaming of a place where the sun โ˜€๏ธ is shining, it is 30+ degrees and a 5km wind gently caresses us… Italy ๐Ÿ‡ฎ๐Ÿ‡น here we come!

    Bags are packed, hair is cut (…too short: you get what you pay for!) and anticipation is excitably high ๐Ÿคฉ

    Airport security was the ‘shit-show’ it always tends to be: belts off, don’t stack trays, phones ๐Ÿ“ฑ out, back n forth, this n that, coats ๐Ÿงฅ off, water ๐Ÿ’ง emptied at the last minute… Even if you’re a seasoned traveler this can unnerve you… Two delectable wines ๐Ÿท later and this is all forgiven ๐Ÿ˜Š

    As a royalist, it would be remiss of me, not to mention the first Anniversary of the passing of our most devoted and beautiful monarch, Queen Elizabeth today. She reigned over us for 70 long years, and today, we remember her with a smile in our heartsโค๏ธโœŠ๐Ÿป๐Ÿ‘‘๐Ÿ‘œ

    Boarding now: 14.5 hours to Doha and then, like Gladiators of old, onwards to Rome โœˆ๏ธ    Read more

  • TravelerPuglia, Amalfi & The Med
    Day 2

    Itโ€™s getting ๐Ÿฅต in here!

    September 9, 2023 in Qatar โ‹… ๐ŸŒ™ 32 ยฐC

    Whoa! 14 1/2 hour flight in the new slimline travel capsule โœˆ๏ธ
    Three extra seats in every row ๐Ÿ˜ณ
    Oh! To be able to upgrade to premium or business, would be absolute bliss! I will keep entering lotto and hope for the best ๐Ÿ™๐Ÿค‘

    Arrival at 5 am in Doha and the 33° heat hits like a tonne of bricks ๐Ÿงฑ as the aeroplane door opens. They are heading for a top of 46° here today…

    We both craved a coffee โ˜•๏ธ and regardless of the $10 pricetag, we enjoyed every sip ๐Ÿ˜‹

    Suffering from the obligatory
    ‘plane-belly’: feeling like a balloon ๐ŸŽˆ about to pop ๐Ÿ’ฅ

    Four hour layover until the six hour flight to Rome; like the DeLorean, we travel ๐Ÿงญ back to the future ๐Ÿ˜ต‍๐Ÿ’ซ๐Ÿซจarriving at 2pm ๐Ÿ•‘ Saturday; 28 hours since arriving at Tullamarine ๐Ÿฅฑ    Read more

  • TravelerPuglia, Amalfi & The Med
    137
    Day 2

    Rome if you want toโ€ฆ

    September 9, 2023 in Italy โ‹… ๐ŸŒ™ 26 ยฐC

    Our eyes were almost hanging out of our head, but we were not going to waste a minute. The TripADeal hotel is out in the middle of nowhere, but because we are using Airalo, we were easily able to find the bus and train route into Central Rome.

    It was well worth the effort because we found the most wonderful, delicious and authentic trattoria in a backstreet close to the Trevi fountain. There were no pretty pictures on the menu, just authentic and real Italian waiters serving the most delectable foods imaginable. You will see the margarita pizza ๐Ÿ• in the photos but the creamy Carbonara didn’t last long enough to get a photo. Along with bread ๐Ÿฅ– and zingy olive oil, all washed down with lemoncello spritz ๐Ÿ‹

    We saw the magnificent Trevi Fountain โ›ฒ๏ธ by moonlight as well as the Spanish Steps and various other landmarks that reminded us that we were in the middle of an ancient civilisation bustling with excitement & pinch yourself-moments in amazingly warm European heat ๐Ÿฅต

    Roman Fun facts ๐Ÿ‘‰

    Rome is 2,500 years older than the Republic of Italy.

    Rome has more fountains โ›ฒ๏ธ than any other city on the planet.

    The origin of the city's name is thought to be that of the reputed founder and first ruler, the legendary Romulus. It is said that Romulus and his twin brother Remus, apparent sons of the god Mars and descendants of the Trojan hero Aeneas, were suckled by a she-wolf ๐Ÿบ after being abandoned, then decided to build a city ๐ŸŒ†    Read more

  • TravelerPuglia, Amalfi & The Med
    211
    Day 3

    Colossal Colosseum

    September 10, 2023 in Italy โ‹… โ˜€๏ธ 29 ยฐC

    Feeding time at the zoo! ๐Ÿ˜ณ๐Ÿ˜ฑ
    Our breakfast sitting was at 7:45 am… My anticipation was for the typical Italian breakfast table ladened with delicious fresh produce, but, nothing could be further from the truth! There were two tables hastily arranged with what seemed like stale pastries, basic generic cereals and bread ๐Ÿž you would probably hesitate feeding to a duck ๐Ÿฆ† Oh! And Jugs of coffee and cordial. Very underwhelming! We certainly hoped this was not a sign of things to come!

    Mauritzio ushered us onto the “Blue Bus” ๐ŸšŽ and we headed into the centre of Rome and did a walking tour around the Roman forum and Julius Caesar’s’ forum. It was a 33° day, and all of these historical markers were directly exposed to the heat of the midday sun โ˜€๏ธ so excuse my ruby red cheeks ๐Ÿฅต

    We found another fantastic little place for lunch and enjoyed fresh, tomato ๐Ÿ… bruschetta, grilled vegetables ๐Ÿฅ— and another pizza ๐Ÿ• All washed down with Aperol Spritz & a litre of wine ๐Ÿท It didn’t take long for the wine to wear off as we continued our journey using the Metro to get to Saint Peters basilica in Vatican City. Unfortunately we were unable to go inside the Museum because it is a Sunday. It was impressive to wander around the forecourt.

    Fortunately, we pre-booked a Twilight tour of the Colosseum, thus saving us being part of a line that snaked around the outside and luckily we were part of the final day entry into this magnificent Stadium, which, incidentally, was built in only 11 years! By the end of this expedition, I was plum tuckered out, so decided to sit and people watch along the road built by Mussolini while German continued to walk around and work off the carbs ๐Ÿ˜

    We had a couple of quiet drinks in the gay street right next to the Colosseum and thought we had it all worked out until we got to the Metro station and replacement buses were in full force… Now, if you thought catching a replacement bus is hard in Melbourne, you ain’t seen nothing like trying to find one that takes you to the middle of nowhere in Rome! I won’t go into detail except to say that it was an experience like no other! The bus ride could only be compared to a white knuckle ride at any amusement park! ๐Ÿ˜ณ๐Ÿ˜ฑ๐Ÿคฏ๐Ÿซฃ๐Ÿซจ    Read more

  • TravelerPuglia, Amalfi & The Med
    Day 4

    Pit Stop: Pompeii ๐ŸŒ‹

    September 11, 2023 in Italy โ‹… โ˜€๏ธ 29 ยฐC

    Thankfully, this morning, we found a half decent coffee shop with fresh pastries ๐Ÿฅ available at typical European prices… Two coffees, and two fresh croissants for under five euro ๐Ÿ’ถ Not many things in life are certain, but, one thing I know for sure, ‘Faulty Towers’ in “… the Dandenong of Rome…” (…as a fellow traveler ๐Ÿงณ dubbed it: apologies to any friends In Dandenong) will never ๐Ÿ‘Ž๐Ÿป have the pleasure of my company again ๐Ÿ˜๐Ÿ˜‰

    Over the next week we are visiting 4 different regions in the south of Italy ๐Ÿ‡ฎ๐Ÿ‡น - different languages, cultures and food. Italy is a united country but diverse and divided due to people coming from so many different countries by boat ๐Ÿšค in historical barbarian arrivals (Albania, Greece, Yugoslavia…) This is why the architecture is so different & unique.

    First stop: the ancient city of Pompeii where 1000’s of people were frozen in time in when Mt Vesuvius spewed volcanic gas & ash and buried an entire civilisation. It has been held that the lives of ancient Pompeiians were tragically cut short on Aug. 24, A.D. 79, when Mount Vesuvius unleashed its fury, smothering Pompeii and other cities along its perimeter with volcanic debris.

    My choice of footwear, being sandals was not the best idea on the metres and metres of cobblestone alleyways that used to be the roads in Pompeii. There are many images of bricks ๐Ÿงฑ mortar, stones and frescoes that may be slightly monotonous to anyone who hasn’t experienced the lost city but hopefully ๐Ÿคž some may be of interest.

    Another extremely hot ๐Ÿฅต day and lots of walking in the hottest part of the day… it felt like we were walking on hot ๐Ÿ”ฅ lava!

    It was interesting to hear that the people of Pompeii were very fluid with their sexuality & sexual activity… Anything goes/went! ๐Ÿ˜ฑ๐Ÿ˜๐Ÿ˜ณ

    Fun/sad fact: When Vesuvius erupted it shot ash and gases 30km into the shy for 12 hours! Gas instantly killed anyone who wasn’t already covered with ash and debris. Terrifying ๐ŸŒ‹    Read more

  • TravelerPuglia, Amalfi & The Med
    1112
    Day 4

    Spectacular Seiano ๐ŸŒ…

    September 11, 2023 in Italy โ‹… ๐ŸŒ™ 25 ยฐC

    After the absolute dive we stayed in during our TripADeal Rome stay (…yes! Neil…letting it go!). It seemed necessary to create a simple post for tonight’s TripADeal accommodation! All praise the Moon Valley Hotel ๐Ÿจ๐Ÿ™

    There could be no better textbook,๐Ÿ‘ƒexample of ‘chalk and cheese’ as this, and the last place!

    Everyone bonded around the pool, and we even found some fun fellow travellers from the TripADeal textbook of life, and went out for dinner with them! This makes it all worthwhile…fingers crossed ๐Ÿคž it continues…

    Finally, we know we are on the Amalfi coast! ๐Ÿ‡ฎ๐Ÿ‡นโ˜€๏ธ๐Ÿน๐Ÿ’š๐Ÿคโค๏ธ๐Ÿ‹๐Ÿ‹๐Ÿ‹๐Ÿ‹๐Ÿ‡ฎ๐Ÿ‡น    Read more

  • TravelerPuglia, Amalfi & The Med
    211
    Day 5

    Practically Perfect Positano ๐Ÿ‹

    September 12, 2023 in Italy โ‹… โ˜€๏ธ 27 ยฐC

    Early rise this morning at 6 am, followed by ‘feeding time at the zoo’… But, a little (tiny) better of a food selection than yesterday… Exploration of the beautiful Amalfi coast today… First stop was Sorrento where German and I enjoyed a relaxing coffee at one of the side walk cafes… After ditching the commentated tour leader with her incessant babbling… There is only so much of the historical aspects we need to hear about. It’s go, go, go…. Sometimes you just want to relax! So we took a moment to be in the moment ๐Ÿง˜๐Ÿป‍โ™‚๏ธ

    This trend continued throughout the day, allowing us to more comfortably, relax and enjoy the 30° weather, and the picture postcard scenes all along the Amalfi coast.

    Second destination was Positano, and it honestly takes your breath away as you will see in the pictures. Instagram models around every corner, snapping themselves in various ‘wanky’ poses! ๐Ÿ˜ณ๐Ÿ™„๐Ÿ’ƒ๐Ÿผ

    Tale from Positano ๐Ÿ‘‰

    In ancient times, a Turkish boat became beached just off the shores of what has since come to be known as Positano. Aboard the ship was a painting of the Virgin Mary. Legend has it that the captain heard the painting whisper "posa, posa" ('set me down, set me down') and he obediently threw the image into the sea ๐ŸŒŠ

    We had simple lunch of panini with ham & cheese ๐Ÿง€ and absolutely delectable pastry ๐Ÿฅ full of lemon ๐Ÿ‹ cream: famous in area! We enjoyed sitting in front of the amazingly beautiful cathedral down by the Bay. We then boarded a boat (shit show #1) that took us along the rest of the coast passing by Praiano and stopping at Amalfi, which I think is my favourite town of the day!
    Lemons everywhere! ๐Ÿ‹๐Ÿ‹๐Ÿ‹๐Ÿ‹๐Ÿ‹๐Ÿ‹๐Ÿ‹๐Ÿ‹๐Ÿ‹

    We made sure that we had the obligatory lemon ๐Ÿ‹ sorbet inside the lemon with a leaf ๐Ÿƒ sticking out the top and bees swarming around it! At €10 it is pretty expensive, but you just have to go with the flow! ๐Ÿ˜œ

    I won’t go into the absolute shit show of boarding and un-boarding on the boats that ferry along the coast to the towns along the Amalfi coast! It is a simply breathtaking area but due to the difficulties in navigating and access & the geographical restrictions to these towns (…along with the exorbitant tourist trap ๐Ÿชค prices I don’t think I will re-visit, so I am making the most of this once-in-a-lifetime experience! ๐ŸšŒ๐Ÿ‡ฎ๐Ÿ‡น๐Ÿ‹๐Ÿ’ƒ๐ŸผโœŠ๐Ÿปโ˜€๏ธ๐Ÿฅต๐Ÿ‘…๐Ÿ•บ๐Ÿผ    Read more

  • TravelerPuglia, Amalfi & The Med
    2
    2
    Day 5

    Fruits de Mere @ Bay of Napoli

    September 12, 2023 in Italy โ‹… โ˜€๏ธ 28 ยฐC

    …the end of a very busy, comprehensive and complex tour of the Amalfi coast…
    This region, including Positano, Sorrento, and Praiano are generally on the top of most peoples’ must-see travel list… Yes, and they are magnificent, beautiful, breathtaking, unique, picture-perfect and
    insta-worthy but, they are also very tight and cramped due to their geographical positions in Italy; making them complex to get into. They are extremely expensive and the true definition of what we would classify a ‘tourist trap’.
    Having said that, I’m definitely satisfied that I am ticking it off my to-do list โœ…

    A very full on day was completed by visiting a local recommendation overlooking the bay of Napoli… A fresh and tasty catch of the day, perfectly coordinated with al dente, spaghetti and crusty bread ๐Ÿฅ– Add a crisp Chardonnay from the Umbria region and Bob’s your
    Australian-Italian Uncle ๐Ÿคช ๐Ÿฅ‚

    Let’s imagine that our Skipper from today’s activities was the very man who went out into the ocean to collect our Bounty for tonight’s feast…
    ๐Ÿงœ๐Ÿป๐Ÿฆ๐Ÿ โ˜€๏ธ๐ŸŽฃโš“๏ธ๐Ÿšค

    Yes, there are only two photos but that is sometimes all that is necessary to convey true satisfaction ๐Ÿ˜โœŠ๐Ÿปโ˜€๏ธ๐Ÿ‹๐Ÿฆ๐Ÿฅ–๐Ÿ•บ๐Ÿผ๐Ÿ‡ฎ๐Ÿ‡น    Read more

  • TravelerPuglia, Amalfi & The Med
    1
    12222
    Day 6

    Magical Matera โ˜€๏ธ๐Ÿ—ป

    September 13, 2023 in Italy โ‹… โ˜๏ธ 30 ยฐC

    A 350 km 4 hour ๐Ÿ˜) bus ๐ŸšŒ journey across Italy’s ๐Ÿ‡ฎ๐Ÿ‡น Amalfi to Puglia region. An interesting fact about current expense in Italy… Petrol costs twice as much as it does in Australia! We have 4 women on our bus ๐ŸšŒ that babble incessantly about the most boring things, cackling like chickens ๐Ÿ“ on and on and on! Just shut the farm for 10 minutes ladies! ๐Ÿ˜ค๐Ÿคฏ๐Ÿ˜ก There is one in particular that I often fantasise recreating that epic scene in Serial Mom, where the woman sits in her armchair, singing along with Annie and Beverly comes up behind her… whinge for the day over…Sorry, not sorry. ๐Ÿ™„๐Ÿ™„๐Ÿ™„๐Ÿค๐Ÿค

    Anyway… back to being PC ๐Ÿคซ๐Ÿ˜Matera is an amazing UNESCO World Heritage Site: the city of stones and rock churches. Matera is one of the oldest, still inhabited cities in the world: a magical place that preserves evidence of human settlements since the Palaeolithic period in its natural caves carved into the rock. In true TripADeal style, we wasted an hour and a half in the modern part of the town and thankfully, then, discovered the magical part as shown in these photos. Another downfall of TripADeal is that you miss out on the night life, and being part of the light shows that these towns become at night.

    Puglia region is where focaccia originated so, of course, that had to be lunch choice! Freshly baked in the morning, along with freshly created mozzarella ๐Ÿ˜‹

    I absolutely loved this beautiful town… and can imagine how wonderful it would be and simply magical at night with all the lights illuminating up these beautiful white buildings… There are cafes and restaurants and beautiful little alleyways to wander and meander around in… German and I did the obligatory half an hour with the guide & then we went off and explored on our own: finishing our own special tour with Limoncello and April spritzes! ๐Ÿน

    Back on the bus ๐ŸšŒ and a Peroni to allow mind to block out those pesky ladies! ๐Ÿ˜‡๐Ÿ˜๐Ÿ˜ต‍๐Ÿ’ซ๐Ÿค

    Next stop: the unique brilliance of the Tulli ๐Ÿ›–town of Alberobello…    Read more

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