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Taxi Trauma on the Bridge

May 24, 2019 by pbenjay

closeup photo of yellow taxi

Photo by Adrianna Calvo on Pexels.com

AND WHAT DO YOU MEAN THERE’S A PROBLEM?

We got in the cab and if my blood pressure wasn’t high enough to start another nose bleed then, I’m fit to climb Mt Everest!  I was fuming. I just couldn’t understand going over the damn Verrazano Bridge – the most expensive crossing in The City.  We were on the road 3 minutes and we were in traffic as far as the eye could see.  Here’s the visual:  Sunday night in August on the Garden State returning from the shore, the   Bourne Bridge on Friday night in July, the Long Island Expressway two hours before sunset on Passover, in other words a frigging nightmare!

The driver is in the right lane and backseat driver that I am, I’m watching which cars are passing us on the left. We are literally inching along and as we approach the Goethals Bridge, I swear two more lanes merge in.

We have already missed our flight and connecting flight to Rome so we won’t be there on time to pick up the car I ordered. The car that I called about 3 times demanding I must have either the Fiat 500L or VW Gulf. So now in the taxi at about 8pm I am calling Kemwell the middle man car rental company in Maine to ask them to change the time of pick up.  Of course they can’t reach Rome now because the time difference is 7 hours ahead and I won’t know if we are confirmed because just maybe I will be in the air!

The driver told us it would take an hour; I guess that would be at 2:00am because now we are approaching the hour mark and we see our first sign of approaching the bridge. Giving credit where due and also he knew he had a crazy woman sitting behind him, the cab driver really put the pedal to the metal whenever he could and began to weave around cars to gain ground.  I have been sending prayers of intercession to St Jude constantly during the trip- well in between cursing the trip.

As soon as we got close to airport he asked what terminal and that’s when I sprung the surprise stop on him. CITI-MED!! Supposedly located in Bldg 75 in JFK on North Hangar Rd. I tell him I have to pick up something.  He puts the address in WAZE and says it’s the exit BEYOND the airport. See it IS part of the airport but the part where there are buildings and cargo offices. Way off in the distance you can see the lights of the terminals.  Look at a map and JFK airport is probably larger than the village we are in! It’s left, right, right, left meantime we seem to be very far from real airport.  There is Building 75 ALL CLOSED up by appearances. We drive around one side and back, there is one light on for a shipping company (it is 9:30 on a Sunday). I jump out of the cab and rush in asking is there a CITI-MED here? Go to the next door upstairs.

I raced out, waved to Peter in cab and found elevator.  It opens and I am in a lunch room. I am so frantic, I am crazy.  I find their telephone number and call and say where are you? I am in Bldg 75 and need to find you. Why? do you need a doctor? Yes I had a nosebleed and need.. Oh you need to go to the emergency room. No it stopped I need a release to get on my flight. Oh OK where are you? I don’t know in a room with a soda machine.. OK turn left and left again room 204. With phone still in my ear I turn left then right and say where are you I can’t find your room!  Hold on I will come and find you. I quickly backtrack and see a woman at the end of the other hall. I rush to her talking a mile a minute telling her what happened and she was aghast that we took a cab from Newark Airport to JFK.  Don’t worry I’ll give you the release, you’ll make your flight, sign here. Bless you bless you thank you!  Look Peter I got it.

I am not in the taxi one minute and my other nostril starts to bleed. OMG OMG  please God not now we can’t miss 2 flights. I am pinching my nose so hard all the way to the terminal. I am not looking down or picking up any luggage -it stopped.

We get to to desk to check in. The counter staff sees that our luggage is all tagged from  Newark and says the manager will take care of us. We wait. He looks at our tickets and says he is aware of our situation. I hand him the medical release. He says there is a problem. Oh no don’t tell me there’s a problem now, what? He explains that although Newark called us in for this 11:30 departure, they did not book us into the connecting flight from Lisbon to Rome which is fully booked. Well what followed in an interchange between the manager who stayed calm and me who became increasingly agitated will be hard to report but here is some of what I said not in any order now;  I didn’t miss my flight, they made me miss my flight. If the TAP staff in Newark made a mistake, you must fix it. Do you think we would have paid $150. (Driver wanted more$$ for second stop) to get from Newark to here if we didn’t expect to be on a flight thru to Rome? I am not leaving this counter till we straighten this out. Do you have any idea of the domino effect of changing flights? I have paid for lodging, a rental car, etc. We are not going back to Manhattan.  THEN he says, hold on I may be able to work something out.  AND WE ARE BOOKED on a connecting flight that leaves within an hour after we land in Lisbon and we will be able to get to the car rental on time.

To e continued…

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TRIALS, TRIBULATIONS, TRAVELING!!!!!

May 23, 2019 by pbenjay

 

AND SO IT BEGINS…. when mechanical and electronics don’t work well I blame it on Mercury in retrograde, but what do you say when your travel plans unravel?

The foreshadowing came first with my neighbor calling  Friday morning in desperation looking for a place to stay while her apt was being ripped apart to replace risers. I semi-offered her our master bedroom with the caveat that I needed to check with the young man who was en route to NYC to apt and cat sit for us.

He told us he was  driving the10-11 hours from Indianapolis and would park his car in front of our cottage in NJ and then take the train to Manhattan. Crazy right? We thought so too!  Early evening arrived and I started receiving  texts about his arrival time. When I asked where he was and the answer was Troy as in NY, we were mystified  Another text informed of his arrival time ( millennials don’t call, they text).

That time came and went and I sent Peter to the lobby to wait for him.  About 10 minutes later I did receive a call on my cellphone from him asking me if we were home?  Of course we are home, we are waiting for you!  OK he is just 2 blocks away and will be right there. I call Peter and say 2 blocks? Do you think he took a cab from Penn Station? I told him to call me and I would tell him how to get here by subway or maybe he took the Q and is walking here. And the answer is he WALKED FROM PENN STATION TO OUR APT after a 27 hr train ride. Well he is a long distance runner and competitive biker.

Saturday morning I awake to a grateful text from my neighbor saying she has found a solution to her homelessness, whew!  BUT during breakfast my friend Jane called to ask if one of her former hotel employees could stay at my cottage during June-since I would be away and she would pay a little something. A key? How much do I want? And I have to call my cousin Janet and tell her the cottage will be occupied for half a month- this after I offered her free rein and use of our cottage and beach badges- just a little more drama to deal with before we leave.

Sunday, our day of departure, we finally leave Manhattan late, and hit a fair amount of traffic;  Can’t get to RiversideDrive to get to the West Side Hwy because Delta Airlines is marching south beyond the 79th St access so we have to try to cross at 72nd St.  Really? Delta Airlines! Really?  OK so we are through the tunnel and Jane will meet us at the cottage, grab a key, we’ll park our car there where it will be safe for a couple of weeks and  meet up with the driver who will take us back up the Garden State Pkwy and NJ  Tnpk to the Newark Airport ($100+tip).

We arrived in plenty of time and waited for boarding time AND THEN moments before we were to board I got a bloody nose! Not just a drip-drop-sniff-it-up bloody nose;  No this was pouring out of my nose. In a minute the handkerchief was soaked. I got to the ladies room where I proceeded to make a bloody mess. My hands and face were bloody, the sink was bloody, I couldn’t bend down to get toilet paper without dripping on the floor!  I am this graphic because during this time four women came and went and NO ONE offered to help me.  I asked one woman to please get me some paper and she just looked at me blankly so I practically shouted at her to please get me some toilet paper. In retrospect, it’s possible she didn’t understand  English.

By now Peter is in the ladies room and telling me everyone is boarding and I look at him with blood smeared face and not so calmly say What do you want me to do? Then some TAP personnel come in and say they will call a medic, and won’t I please come out and sit down and tilt my head back? No I don’t want to because the blood is running down my throat and I already spit up a clot. I mean how gross is this whole thing ? Then one of them says we better call an ambulance! Oh no I am not going in an ambulance.  But yet it keeps bleeding and one-more-official-than-the-others says there is no way you can fly and to emphasize the point for her I proceed to spit up more blood. In the background I hear a voice say that’s why she didn’t want to put her head back!  A police woman has joined the group-  I wonder if I broke a law?  Finally it stopped!! BUT a) the doors had already closed, b)our luggage was being recalled, c) they would not let me on that plane.

We are terribly upset as they tell us: a) you missed the plane and there is not another tonight, b) tomorrow’s flight is fully booked, c) you can’t get booked on an Alliance flight because you didn’t have a refundable ticket, d) actually you’re not entitled to another flight BUT we’re trying to help you, e) there is a TAP flight leaving from JFK at 11:30, we can get you on, f) BUT you have to get a DR’s clearance to fly before you can get on that plane! At this point I tried to point out that it was Sunday, we were in airport, our car was at the shore…. g) suggest we take the Shuttle to JFK but must leave now to make flight -Great! h) we are too late for the last Shuttle, and i) you still have to get Dr release. j)we should take a taxi!!!! OMG, k) Peter find out what it costs and also there is a 24 hr Citi-Med in JFK airport, l) it cost $92.00 hurry put the bags in and driver turns to me and says plus $36 in tolls! What? The  Verrazano? Are you crazy we ‘re not going that way! m)  lady it’s that way or no  way

To be continued…

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ROMAN HOLIDAY

July 26, 2018 by pbenjay

A lot of planning went into this trip/adventure/experience in Italy in order to make it  happen at a reasonable price and to accomodate two people traveling together but returning separately.

For one thing, we flew in and out of Rome which is not convenient to Guardia Sanframondi.  That neccessitatated each of us spending the night in Rome before we left for the USA for morning flights.  Also since Joel would be arriving in Rome at night, he would have to stay a night before taking a train in the morning to Campania to join me.

Peter left Guardia early on a Monday morning for Rome. He wanted to be able to spend the day there and meet up with Christina, our friend we met last year who manages a  B&B there.  Pasquale, who can arrange almost anything, got Peter a driver to take him to Rome right to the hotel, which I had booked right near the train station.  After he checked into the hotel I think he did have a few minutes of anxiety; it’s hard to be in a place where you don’t speak the language although in Rome that’s not such an issue BUT Peter didn’t also have a telephone there. Somehow he talked a bartender in the cccccc hotel into allowing him to make a phone call to me.  Without a smart phone or iPad he couldn’t check himself in early and didn’t remember his flight time or number.  I calmed him down and assured him I would get all this information to Christina through WhatsApp and she would relate it to him.  Really technology overseas can be your savior! samsung-galaxy-s6.

He spent the day roaming around Rome; the 9AD7035D-DE1F-46EC-BB2F-AF608C30D08F

And he found his way to the Luxe-Adventure-Traveler-Rome-Italy-Trevi-Fountain-1

He even discovered Rome’s own underground metro system which I might add he was a little disappointed in because they only have 3 lines AND the cars and stations are not very clean or pretty – Graffiti everywhere!!! IMG_5146

Later on he met up with Christina and they had tea and dinner while they waited for Joel to arrive.  Joel was due to land around 8:30pm and expected to join Peter around 9:30.  And when he did he was starving!  OK so they’ll all eat another dinner!  Look at cute these two guys are in Roma….  IMG-20180514-WA0003-2.jpg

I had them booked at the Hotel Marsala, Peter said his room was fine, Joel said his room smelled like dirty socks.  The next morning Peter took off to the airport and Joel headed to the Termini to find the train that would take him to Telese where he would be picked up and brought to Guardia.

ARRIVEDERCI ROMA

FAST FORWARD: All good things come to end eventually and the time had come for Joel and I to take our leave of Guardia Sanframondi.  It was sad, there were tears, we gave away any remaining food and we headed north to Rome, where we would spend the night and leave for the airport the next morning. 

With the pedal to the metal we made as good time as we could because we had to get the car returned by 1pm.  At least I didn’t have to encounter Andreas, the ass who was at the counter when I rented the car a month earlier.  Finally after more hairpin turns in the parking garage, we reached the 5th floor where two guys began poring over the car – finally I said, “It’s perfetto”! And we were off to the Hotel Marsala which was within walking distance but not by car which is exactly what can happen in Rome or Florence.  You can see your destination however to get there by taxi 🚕 (you remember the multiple suitcases), well we went this way, that way, and around and finally we arrived.  I was so hot and tired, I couldn’t imagine taking a room such as I imposed on Joel and Peter (single bed, shared bathroom in the hall)! So I upgraded us to a private bath and WiFi.  My room was glorious.  

I just wanted to rest because we had an evening planned for us by Jessica, one of my daughter, Chiara’s college dorm mates! Jessica moved to Italy shortly after college graduation to work in the travel industry. She married an Italian and they live in a very toney neighborhood in Rome with their adorable little girl, Beatrice.

Well Jessica outdid herself and arranged for a fabulous 2 hour golf cart tour of Rome for Joel and I.  She knew I would have  a really difficult time hobbling around with my boot and cane.  It was so much fun and our driver/private tour guide was exactly what you would expect – very good looking, tall, lean and very Italian! 

We zipped around central Rome, stopped at Church, Joel wanted to see, saw the Colliseum and learned that originally it had been totally covered in marble ( I’m not surprised after having seen marble in every house and store and bar in Guardia). The marble was stripped off to build the Basilica and the Papal Palace.  Of course we went to Trevi Fountain where Joel tossed the obligatory 3 coins in the fountain. He had received explicit instructions from our new Guardia friend, Michael on how to throw coins the night before.  I’m pretty sure he got the correct arm over the appropriate shoulder considering both he and Mike discussed this over many glasses of Luigi’s excellent wine and topped off with Limoncello.

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“Take it from me Joel, it works”.

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Mom to Joel: “Hey that’s a lot of Limoncello you’re chugging there”

 

 

Now if they work he will fall in love, get married and return to Rome….MMmmmm

To be continued…

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MORE People Places & Things Italia

June 30, 2018 by pbenjay

Everybody knows that Robert De Niro is a great Oscar-winning actor and he doesn’t like DT, BUT did you know that his great-grandparents emigrated to the United States from the town of Ferrazzano in the region of Molise?  Yes, Molise, same region that my grandfather was from, and where I visited twice this past May.

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As you approach Mirrabello in Molise, you can’t help but notice an imposing village in the distance high up on a mountain.  That would be Ferrazzano.

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So when Joel and I went to Molise, we also went to see this pretty town.  We didn’t realize it would be so windy up there, boy did it howl! Tina Di Giglio, a friend we made in Molise last year, led us up there.  We were to follow her, lol, who knew it was going to be a motocross race!  Tina, like every other Italian driver races to wherever they are going at breakneck speed.  We stopped in some parking area with a great view, but not before she led us through a street (I use that term loosely because it was an alley), so narrow,I pulled the side mirror in!

The almost 360 degree panorama was breathtaking. My photos don’t do justice. Joel walked down to another level, but the cobble stones and the stairs were too much for me and my boot.

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From our perch, we could look out and see Campobasso which I believe is like the county seat of that province of Molise.

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i saw this gate and doorway, thought it was interesting, so…

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If you ever thought recycling in the United States was a pain, you just haven’t experienced Guardia Sanframondi’s system.  It is so complex and confusing that every month you can pick up a calendar at the Municipal and every night you take the garbage out and hang it on a hook that is attached somewhere on your building or a wall in your driveway.  IMG-20180503-WA0000.jpg

And the garbage bags have faces 🤓😳🤢!!

Jumping back to Florence for a moment, while on the hunt for the perfect birthday gift for myself on the Ponte Vecchio (naturally), we came across a very Italian street entertainment;  A Punch and Judy puppet show!

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It was such a treat to see the little kids sitting down and watching in awe as the hustle and bustle of the Ponte Vecchio area surrounded them.

As much as I loved being in Guardia and Italy in general, there were two disturbing national and cultural issues;  Way too many people in Italy smoke! Really, I was shocked by the prevalence of smokers everywhere.

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AND the diesel automobiles 🚗  🚙 hold your nose! Sometimes in traffic we would be caught in the midst of a bunch of diesel powered vehicles.

,VINO and OIL, well that’s what the sign said… I’ve already told you about this place The Forresta Cooperative where both the olive oil and the wine are local  and in great supply!  Remember I said the wine was in huge silver tanks, there for your own pumping so to speak.  Seeing is believing…

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And the olive oils

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😋

Ciao for now!

To be continued…

 

 

 

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PEOPLE, PLACES, & THINGS!

June 23, 2018 by pbenjay

I didn’t take enough photos when I was there, I didn’t take enough notes thinking  I would remember a lot more! But not everything becomes a story and not everything was of enough interest to translate into a blog post.

BUT, there are snippets here and there that deserve a mention or at least a look see;

Something that you see all over Italy are beautiful fountains, not all of them like the magnificent Trevi Fountain.  I saw a woman washing her hands in fountain such as the one below in Florence one evening.  This lovely antiquity is on the main road in Guardia Sanframondi, set just off the sidewalk and available for all, so egalitarian!  A cool sip of water on a hot summer day, a splash of water on warm face, a quick wash y of your hands, sticky from dripping gelato!

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You’ve heard me speak of the new old town built around the medieval town.  Here’s a glimpse of Peter leaning up against the stairwell to the apartment that we stayed in last year and this year.  He loves the location, so central to everything – well that and it had two wide screen TVs!

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So sweet, so luscious, delicious and bountiful!  Spring in Guardia means being surrounded by beautiful fruits and vegetables growing and are there for the picking!

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”Mom, how come none of these places serve like a breakfast sandwich”?  It does seem like there are two universal Italian breakfasts;  many years ago when I was in Italy but much farther north, ( Tuscany, Emilio Romagna, Lombardy, Veneto), I had a delicious breakfast every day of frutta, formaggio, Parma, pane, sort of a deconstructed breakfast sandwich.  However here in Guardia, a cream or chocolate brioche and coffee was the daily offering.  Mom to the rescue ( I need my driver to be happy).

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We never did find out what it was with Amalfi and lemons!  They were  everywhere so we stopped on the side of the road ad bought two. Unfortunately we never got to taste them before it was time to head back to the U.S.A. I hope Cindy and Steve enjoyed them.

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Then there was the day, I asked Raffaele to take me to the town of San Lorenzillo where there is a master ceramist, he introduced me to last year. Most people think of Cerreto Sannita as the ceramic city, and in fact it’s town center is home to many shops featuring elaborately ornate and intricately detailed ceramics.

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Not So Ornate – However Almost Every Piece Is In This Palette

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I Wish I Had Taken The Time To Focus And Enlarge This Picture Because These Statues Are Exquisite

I found another postcard from Guardia…..

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Name That Saint!

 

Raffaele arranged for a couple of us to go to the top of the castle, I think I wrote about that little adventure earlier, ( https://pbenjay.wordpress.com/2018/06/07/the-sights-and-sounds-of-guardia). When we were walking around the roof top  and looking over the parapet, I spied this.   Do you think a bird or the wind carried the seed to the top of this wall where it took root and blossomed?

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Rising From A Rock

To be continued…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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CAREENING DOWN THE COAST

June 13, 2018 by pbenjay

OH MY GOD SLOW DOWN!!!

Will we ever get to the town of Amalfi? We’ve been up the road and round and round ….

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The Never-Ending Road

The road in and out of Amalfi is just one one roller coaster thrill ride and so is this blog post because my photos  and anecdotes are from both the trip up the mountain to go down the mountain to the town and shore and then back up the mountain to go down the mountain to get back on the autostrada to get home.  Now wasn’t that clear?  So here we are going up or maybe down, either way we are going way too fast for me but not for my son, (leave the driving to me), Joel.  You see those arrows along side the road ?

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Pointing The Way To Certain Disaster

I thought a normal person would have taken those as a warning sign! Wouldn’t you? You have no idea;  It was Saturday afternoon and every daredevil, high level testosterone, macho man on a motorcycle was out on his loud screeching bike or very Italian Vespa with requisite chick on the back and they were passing cars on the left and the right and on a curve. Holy cow !  Even my seasoned California canyon Uber driver was in awe! These people are crazy!

OK well Joel has a motorcycle himself, so he knew the bike riders were a nutty bunch but he had never seen a car pass another car in bumper to bumper traffic on a curve!!  How did the driver know someone would let him?  And he didn’t anticipate the three motorcycles coming around the same curve in the opposite lane!  My God this is so nerve-wracking.

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Plenty Of Room To Pass

Believe it or not we actually made it into town, had a lovely dinner overlooking the shore.  Funny thing, there was no sand, nada, niente , none!

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Black Stone Beach

And from way down there, this is what it looked like way up there,

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Just Try To Check In There

We we’re losing light quickly and were a looonnnggg way from home.  I dreaded the trip back up the mountain and down and with good reason.  Joel was always saying, “Mom take a picture of that down there”.  Oh sure, I was holding onto the arm rest for dear life and working the brake on the passenger side, you know the one  that isn’t there!

BUT I did decide to take some video as we were making our way off the mountain….       BUCKLE UP YOUR SEAT BELTS PLEASE!!

 

 

AND that was just the beginning….my foot was already aching.  How long was it going to take to get the hell off this road?

Seeing is believing…. This last video shows just how crazy Italian drivers are!  My sage advice: “ Do not let your daughter date an Italian with a motorcycle”

We lived to tell the story another day but it took us hours to get home.  It seems Abigail had a penchant for Avellino- East Avellino, West Avellino.  Then somehow, someway we found ourselves in a town that was celebrating (oh yeah it was Saturday night), and on a one way street heading down, down, down. It was narrow and it looked like we might be near water.  It was dark and I felt like we were driving down into some riverfront late at night – not a good feeling.  Finally at the bottom, it looked like if you kept going and bore left, we might just get out of there – so we did. Turns out we had detoured ourselves into Salerno?! I’m sure Abigail,was behind this mistake.

IT WAS A BEAUTIFUL DAY!

To be continued…

 

 

 

 

 

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Cruising Down The Coast

June 9, 2018 by pbenjay

20180519_182915.jpgA QUICK TRIP TO THE AMALFI COAST

 

It was one of those bright,sunny Southern Italian days and it was already noon.  Joel was a bit restless, it was one of those days he was itching to go somewhere.  So I said, “Let’s go to the Amalfi Coast”.  And we were off.

On a suggestion from Raffaele, I proposed we drive to Sorrento via the autostrada and drive north up the coast.  Well it sounded like a good idea.  Tuning our trusty GPS ( I mean unworthy, who we named Abigail because she is a British bitch who sends us into olive orchards, vineyards and even in circles), for Sorrento and we hit the road heading south.

Everything seemed to be going along ok until we got on the autostrada.  Something happens to men driving on that road; Their heartbeat picks up, the adrenaline kicks in and their testerone skyrockets!  Normally placid easy-going men turn into crazy wannabe race car drivers,

The autostrada holds special appeal to American male drivers, who once freed from the confines of the USA 65 mph speed limit, they just let it rip.  I tried not to look at the speedometer.  A few days earlier we had had the kilometer versus miles per hour conversation and even though I knew 100 kpm equaled about 62 mph, Joel was pushing that needle up over 100 into the teens, then the 120’s.  So it was about this time that I tried to assert some matriarchal control.  At 135 kph, I was yelling!

I was told to relax and look at the scenery, oh sure, and leave the driving to him. It was probably already about 2:00pm and I said “This is not fun, there’s nothing enjoyable about driving at breakneck speed for hours”,  We need a new plan, “Let’s go to the town of Amalfi, it’s nearby and it’s on the coast and it’s getting late”.

We followed the signs and Abigail’s suggestions and soon we were off the speedway and making our way towards Amalfi. The inherent beauty of Italy is that it is different in every region.  No longer in the mountains of Campania, we were now traveling through what clearly looked like the fabled monied coast.

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We’re Not In Kansas Anymore

It was hard to tell where we actually were but every now and then I would ask Joel to slow down so I could quickly snap a photo of a passing town or scape.  I noticed the spire of the church to have that same Middle Eastern influence in the tile pattern.

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Somewhere in Southern Italy

We were traveling through a postcard; Yes the Amalfi Coast looks exactly like all the photos, movies, postcards you’ve seen.  All throughout Italy,  I’ve been entranced by the sight of a village nestled into the side of a mountain or tucked into a valley

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There Is Something Peaceful About These Villages

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Mediteranean Blue Sky

When we came upon this sight, I thought we might actually have arrived.  Oh but I was wrong!!

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We were being routed through yet another gorgeous (are we in Paradise?) town whose name I can’t remember.20180519_164211.jpg

If it weren’t for the signs I would certainly think old Abigail had sent us inland to parts unknown, but we drove on…. And then realized in the near distance there lie the jewel of the Amalfi Coast.

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The Jewel

And we were high above it, the only way is down!

To be continued…

 

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The Sights And Sounds Of Guardia

June 7, 2018 by pbenjay

IN AND AROUND  GUARDIA SANFRAMONDI 

I’ve spent a lot of time  kvelling, (Yiddish for being delighted, gushing over) the never ending panoramic views from the mountainous town of Guardia Sanframondi.  But what about the town itself?  Well now that I’ve written that, inferring I will be posting lots of information and photos.  I want to…just not sure I have enough to do it justice.  I’ll try to fill in with some little snippets and whatever else comes to mind.

Marble is everywhere here as I imagine in most of Italy and I’m not talking about statues!  So many of the houses that I saw had marble floors, marble counters, and MARBLE STAIRS!  Do you have any idea how slippery and cold marble stairs are in a house? I really liked one of the houses that was for sale but not only were the stairs marble and the house had 3 floors, the stairs curved!  I could only imagine myself rushing down the stairs in the middle of the night to get to the bathroom which was naturally on the first floor.  One misstep and I would be sliding or rather bumping down right into the bathroom.  Somehow that whole marble story got to be a long lead in for a photo I took one day as we passed by this house.

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I was told the owner of this house was a stone mason, possibly a marble cutter.

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This lot was across the street from his house

There are 5 churches in Guardia, however, Mass is only celebrated in one of them.  There is a severe lack of priests and nuns in Italy or at least in the countryside and in   the town there is only one priest!  We went on a mini tour of the medieval village one afternoon with our friend, Raffaele, a professor who taught English, and a very knowledgeable historian of the area and Italy in general.  In fact, he grew up in the walled city, and as we walked along he pointed out places where the donkeys were housed, where there was a common fountain because the houses did not have running water.  Ah I digress a bit, Raffaele took us into the Basilica of  Our Lady of the Assumption.

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The church is undergoing some renovations and repairs.

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I never found out how the priest got up into that pulpit,

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There is this huge clock which is being restored, it’s ancient but I forgot  how old  Raffaele said it was; It will be put into the spot you see in the next photo which has a temporary clock there now.

From the church, we went up to the top of the castle.  Needless to say the views are fantastic from there.

 

At the top of the castle there is a large room with tables and chairs which opens to the open roof top terrace;  events are held there, the space can be rented for a wedding. The Roof Top

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A Rare Abandoned Property Fallen Into Disrepair

All through the medieval village homes are being renovated, rebuilt, repainted by American and Canadian owners.  The interest in renewing life within the walled city with the influx of about 100 residents has garnered the town a large grant from the state to repair the streets and lights.

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There’s So Much Beauty and Character in This View

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Can You Imagine Living Here? Maybe a Couple Of Month’s A Year?

There’s much more to explore, more to see, more to taste, so come back.

To be continued…

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Celebrate in Cusano Mutri

June 2, 2018 by pbenjay

Last year on my birthday, Peter and I took a ride down the mountain and up another.  It was suggested that we take a ride to Cusano Mutri, so we did, and there we came upon a little restaurant, a cafe really.  The trip was filled with one postcard after another.

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Oh Look A Mucca!

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The town itself is lovely and also medieval.  I haven’t gone up the road to their castle but from a distance it seems much more intact.  I was told it was not as old as the fortress in Guardia.  img_0186

 

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La Piccola Perla Del Maltese is right out of Central Casting as is the owner Franco and his wife.img_0188

And the food!  I ordered an appetizer for Peter and I when we were there and didn’t tell him what it was because if I did he probably wouldn’t eat it.  The restaurant is known for its pork dishes.

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Porchetta, mozzarella and porcini mushrooms – delicious (but a little too much fat for me)

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“OMG These Tomatoes Are From Heaven”

Clearly Joel had a lot to say about the unbleivably out of this world bruschetta!  20180521_124436

The really funny part of the day was the demeanor of the owner.  I don’t think I’m going to be able to express how bizarre this was; It’s noon, we arrive.  The restaurant door, albeit hanging beads is open so I walk in.  Its dark and no one is in the cafe.  I walk up to the bar and yell out “HELLOOOO”. Out he comes from the back room, no greeting smile on his face.  I smile and say ciao and say “Mangia pranzo? ” Incredulous, he looks at me.  You would think I just asked him to cater a party of 25 within the hour.  I smile again and  point to Joel and say, “Mio figlio” to which he nods and extends his hand.  Perhaps he has now recognized me as the nut job who showed up a week ago in the mid afternoon AND AGAIN no one was in the restaurant but Peter and I.  He must wonder how do I manage to arrive at the most inconvenient times?  Well what is the convenient time?  Anyway, to further put him out, Joel wanted to eat outside, so we sat at a picnic table and Franco  put a tablecloth on it, put out the outside napkins not the cloth ones.   A few moments later he returned wearing a white apron and inquired in Italian of course if we wanted a drink. Then he sat down (yes he sat down) and wanted to know what we wanted.  Long story short, we ordered two beers, two pastas, two salads, a bruschetta and some water and it came to 20 Euros.  Joel loved it all, and is sure this is the way to live.

So for the second year in a row I’ve been blessed to celebrate my birthday in Italy in this quaint little restaurant which serves the best pasta I’ve ever tasted!

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A Postcard From Guardia

May 29, 2018 by pbenjay

GUARDIA SANFRAMONDI

The official name is Guardia Sanframondi, in the Province of Benevento in the region known as Campania.  Probably Campania is best known for the city of Naples and the glorious Amalfie Coast.  However Campania is a large region spanning from the western coast of Italy up into the mountains in its northeast corner.  And it is up into the mountains where the medieval town of Guardia Sanframondi is located.

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View of the original medieval village as you approach the town.

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A Slightly Different View

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One Of Many Beautiful Passageways In The Medieval Village

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Close Up of the Castle

AND THE VIEW…..

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Feast Your Eyes

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See The “New Old” Town Built Around The Walls Of The Medieval Village -see left of photo

I am basically featuring the medieval village because this is where many Americans and Canadians have bought and are buying up these stone houses within the walls of the village. They have renovated, restored, repainted and refreshed many, many properties.  I believe there are about 100 “foreigners” owning property in Guardia at this time.  Life is beautiful here.  Most purchasers do not relocate permanently, they come 2-3 times a year and spend several weeks or a couple of months.  I also met several expats who are now full time residents. Interesting!!?? Stay tuned.

Ciao for now!

To be continued…

 

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