Our balcony is on a 45 degree to the rest of the rooms so our sticks out, we have a great view.

Lunch by the Beach Greek Style

So a walk in the little township and a self guided trip to a small local Greek church. It's all in white with two brass bells supported under a white stone arch with a simple cross above and as always up some simple marble stairs. It's a cool place out of the hot morning sun and a great place to collect one thoughts in the simply pews with the most elaborate ceiling and alter in timbers.

After some time at the church we walk a few km's to the seaside and find a couple of sun lounges all lined up like solders under umbrella again all in military formation so let's start to soak up the morning sun on a beach of muddish brown firm sand.
Angel our waiter has been coming down from the cafe up above high tide has been bring us some Greek draft beer which is very welcome at 11am with the warm breeze coming over the water and the small waves 100 mm high crashing at our feet !!! It's no Aussie beach but we are in Greece so lapping up what they have to offer.

It's so relaxing away from the crowds as most of the cruise ships patrons have gone on tours into Olympia but today as we sit and enjoy some bread, tzatziki, little cheese pies ( fetta warped in filo pastry and baked ) and a Greek salad. What a great way to chill out Greek style in Katakolon.

The Greek Islands

It's 6am on a barmy morning with a coolish breeze coming off the water as we float towards our first port of Katakolon, Greece in the Greek Islands.
This is the gateway to Olympia, birthplace of the modern Olympic Games in 776 B.C.
Sitting here on my deck chair snuggled in a soft robe and a couple of beach towels enjoying the quiet early morning.

I can just make out the line of low mountains dotted with lights of the Greek islands still aways in the distance over the smooth waters below, they are in dark greys and soft navy blues with hint of mauve and pink as the night sky gives away it's hold to a pretty early morning sky.

We are not due to dock or another 2 hours but like a kid in a lolly shop I want to such in some atmosphere after being on board for 40 hours since we left Venice. But all good had a day to read up a bit of my Kylie book and do our first cooking class on board. The rest of the cruise will now be stopping everyday at different ports in and around the Greek Islands, while heading into Istanbul in Turkey then back through the Island  with our final port back in Venice for 5 nights prior to picking up a hire car and heading south for 40 days.

This ship Holland America is much smaller than the last only having 2000 passengers and sooooo much quieter, no screaming rich kids, it's more of a older sett of Americans, English with a few Aussie.

Waiting in Venice to board and a couple behind us say I know you !!! We stayed with you at The Retreat a few years ago ... oh and by the way I'm Jen, Ruth Burrs younger sister your dads cousin, opps I'd better behave then...

We are now pulling into berth to a familiar looking dock and surrounding as this was one of our stops last year so we will be exploring a different section today. From my vantage point I can see all the ground staff setting up the gangplank and rolling out  the red carpet ... all looks very posh below... Girls in Toga's all looking very Grecian  ready for the typical cruise photos all now in readiness for our departure so catch you later.

Cruising From Venice to Venice 12 days

Venice all aboard by 3pm
At Sea 2 nights 1 day
Katakolon, Greece
Piraeus, Greece
Istanbul, Turkey 2 days plus overnight
Mytilene, Nisos Lesbos
Kusadias, Turkey
Santorini, Greece
Argostoli Greece
At sea 2 nights 1 day
Back to Venice and our last night docked overlooking the city

2 Last Pictures Left & Right As I Run Out The Door

Goodby To Venice Till Next Week

We are heading on a 2nd cruise today Thursday 28th August, so am trying to post some of our Venice experiences pictures before our free Wifi runs out. Yep tight I know....
Yesterday we had a great day at a cooking class one of the one we did last year so will post the pictures and fill in the recipes later...  Oh and I need to fill you in on the accommodation our Grand Canal Palace ..... Amazing but can't describe it in the next 10 mins BUT will fill you in on that one when we get back from our cruise for the next 12 night through the Greek Islands and into Turkey. By for now XXOO

Sandy At Home In Her Grand Canal Kitchen

Planing the menu

Walking Venice

Tiss the city to walk and explore with its 1000's of Calla's (allies) , canals and bridges what a great way to dissipate lunch. As were are several vaporetta stops from San Marco so we are well away from the usual tourist spots that your 1 day visitors just doesn't get to see.

We pick up supplies at our local coop supermacetto for a light dinner so we can just sit back and suck in that atmosphere the sights and sound of a buzzy Grand Canal. So with mozzie coils and incense burning ( pampadoure or smart travellers hmmm leave that one up to you imagination! ) we crack open a plastic bottle of the chilled loose white wine.

So tonight its ham, cheese and tomato on toast.... Well with a bit of an Italian and Sandy twist.
We got a crusty bread cob sliced and toasted with a drizzle of olive oil which was infused with basil and chilly. Then softly cooked some eggplants and tomatoes in the same said infused olive oil stacked them with prosciutto crudo finally topped with buffalo mozzarella da dar Ham, tomato and cheese melts......

Lunch On The Grand Canal

On our way to the museum of Contemporary Art on a overcast day only to fined it is closed Tuesdays bugger but we had to go past this amazing looking restaurant with a table overlooking the Grand Canal so let's do lunch.

A young clean cut and slender Italian man takes us to the best table in the house .... and it was, we were in a private little alcove with the water just mm's away.
The sound of water and of Venice's highway just so close you can touch it, the place is beautiful but funky with a huge art installation of stainless letter and numbers forming 2m tall raindrops. There were 9 in total so that gives you a sense of just how big this courtyard was and the centre one had just touch the grown with letters and numbers artistically splattered on the stone floor in the central courtyard so it feels like we are in a Contemporary Art Museum anyway.

You just know it's going to be a bit X'y when the water menu come out with water from all over the world, but lets go with it and enjoy the whole Venetian feel.
Opera music wafting in and around the tall timber ceilings so romantic.

Our little water presents us with 2 little complementary starter while we digest the menu and says "this is our small welcome to you" in his best English soooo cute.

So we decide on starters of
Foie Gras with fig carpaccio, candied lemon and chocolate biscuit but is sooo worked and I do love Foie Gras
Aubergine Ravioli alla parmigiana with tomato coulis for Sandy and so arty on the plate.
For mains
Spiced lamb steak with mint aubergine and caramelised spring onions
Sliced Piedmont Fassona beef with pommes frites Annie Callan you would love these fries they were cut on a mandolin and deep fried so Yumo

Gusto in Abbazya is the name go the restaurant and a real Venetian food experience
But to our amazement when the bill came the wine which we had by the glass a
Sauvignon white and  Cab Sauv Merlo from Veronica area that went so well with lunch was only 4€ a glass so about $6 so great value and the food prices were not to bad either so what a great way to melt away a few hours in Venice.

Vaporetta Sluts

Love the vaporetta it's the best way to get around the watery city.
We just can't stop getting on and off from place to place and if you are lucky and get a seat right up the front the views are fantastic.

Room With A View and Some Wine To Enjoy

Got to love Venice and the whole loose wine thing, ducked around the corner to get some supplies ... you know milk and bread oh and some loose wine.
Great little shop about the size of a walk-in wardrobe did some wine tasting and for 2.20€ for a Lt. its great value and great quality.

Leaving Rome for Venice

Left Rome 9.30 am Monday 25th August and caught the fast train to Venice took 4 hours and at times hitting speeds of 300km an hour amazing and what a fantastic way to arrive into Venice.
You arrive into S. Lucia train station head down the stairs to vaporetta stop Ferrovia grab a 3 day pass for 40€ and 1 stop to our next adventure.

We booked a self contained apartment on the Grande Canal for the next 3 nights and we are meet at our vaporetta stop by a young Italian lady that walks us through several narrow calla and over a few cute bridges to a black doorway. Straight in to look at the view ... that what I want to see and we are not disappointed she does the paperwork and we gets some local info on what's what and we sit back and enjoy the view.

Our Beautiful Marina

One of God's beautiful little treasures and we are blessed to have had the good fortune to have meet you so Marina a great big thank-you for welcoming us into your home and life.

I know how tide I must have made your brain with our endless chats in the back seat of the car whenever we went anywhere but now I can tell you why I never shut up!!!! I'm claustrophobics so was trying to take my mind off the being locked in behind a seat in a two door car with out windows that open, I bit my tongue as I din't want to appear ungrateful.

You also had the gift of the gab and the many stories that I may have looked at you with my head sideways, thank you for all the fun time singing and dancing you are such a happy person and make people around you happy.
Also thanks for the late night movie so now I know what all the fuss is for The Rocky Horror Picture Show as I had never seen it before. XXOO and many double cheek kisses. Till next time our oh soooo special one.

So with a step to the left and a jump to the right and my knees pulled in tight hmmmm not sure if I've got that right I will hand over the blog to Sandy as she would like to say something

NEVER UNDERESTIMATE GOOD OPTICS (from Sandy)

We did not mention Marina is a long time sufferer of major Epileptic seizures. Last year these we experienced many times in our 5 days with them, this year life is so different.  Last year we witnessed 2 full major seizures which was totally an eye opening experience. A fit so strong all norman function is lost and the victim collapses and becomes a quivering mess looking very much like an alcoholic with no way of communicating what is actually happening, it is very scary.
Someone you would step over in the railway station or street. For Marina it lasts for several hours...Marina told us this has happens at random from the age of 13 and when she is trying to live life it just strikes at home, shopping or in the train.... It certainly has changed the way we look at people in the streets now.

We spoke in length with our friends in the optical Industry Beth and David about Marina. After they heard our stories and looked at her pictures of her turned eyes they were also convinced that the glasses Marina had picked up from the markets were doing her no good.
Peter performed a basic eye tests on her with the glasses she had purchased at the markets and we were convinced the main reason she was covered in bruised and falling all the time was largely due to her glasses just not being correct for her needs. Her brain struggling to process her balance.

During the year she visited he very ill father in Australia and we have the opportunity to have her eyes tested and Beth and David supplied her with new glasses that have worked wonders. Marina has told us SO many times via email, phone and in person how happy she is and now she is not wobbling and falling down as much. Simple things we all take for granted.

We have just witnessed this ourselves and she is truly a new woman. She still wobbles like a drunk when she is getting tired and she pauses mid sentence when she is experiencing a little fit which is every few minuets until her brain kick starts sometimes remembering where she is in the conversation sometimes not and it is repeated but wow the difference is life changing. In the 5 days we spent together there was no fitting and in fact since returning 6 months ago from Australia with new glasses her medication has been halved and the fits have become much less sever and frequent.
We have been truly blessed to have been part of your world Marina and we hope in some small way we have been able to make a difference giving you some new glasses and independence. Love Sandy

Mr Who

To Danielle thanks for the past 5 nights that you have hosted us in your home and it is with BIG tears that we have to go. You have been so kind to us and share your time with us and teach us some great Roman and Italian food.
Thank you for giving up your bedroom for us Aussie freeloaders.
Your time to drive us around Rome and to all of the out of the way tourist parts of Roma and into the country to experience the lake.
To share many a laugh and many a beer on a hot summers night and of course the Grappa. Your many a sideways look trying to understand what I was saying and mostly your great sense of humour.

This sign in on the bottom floor door of the unit block that Danielle and Marina live in.
Danielle is into graph design and they needed a sign to tell the rest of the inhabitance to Shut The Door so to speak!!

Wish List For My Birthday

What a cool gadget looks like a musical instrument but cuts with that aid of a rolling pin and makes the 2mm or 4mm square pasta

Danielle's Vodka Penne

500 gm penne pasta
150 gms smoked pancetta chopped thinly
1 onion
500 gms passata
1 brick of cooking cream or 300 gms
2 glasses vodka
Extra virgin olive oil
salt QB 1-2 tea sugar if needed.

Sit back and enjoy the 1st glass of vodka and retain the other one for cooking
Cook onion and pancetta in oil till soft not brown
add in vodka to deglaze and evaporate mid heat then add passata and salted pasta water
Leave to reduce and turn off heat
If to acid add sugar. Toss through cooked penne.  Some finely chopped parsley to finish and small sprinkle of Parmesan ...not toooo much as this is not a cheesy penne

Danielle's Pasta Zucca e Sausage

100 gms pasta
170 gms pumpkin
2 sausages
1 slice of speck
QB fountina cheese like a Swiss cheese
Remember from last year QB means quantity of what you think or what you like or what is needed.
1/2 tab oil and pepper,
Cut the pumpkin and cook for 15 mins with oil and pepper no salt. Sit aside cook 2 peeled sausages and slice of speck cut in cubes. Boil pasta till quiet al dente then Put pumpkin in mixer with hot water so it's very liquid and continue cooking the pasta in the pumpkin add back the speck and sausage pieces and the chopped cheese. Cook until cheese has melted.

Danielle's Mint and Cheese Spaghetti

350 gms spaghetti
1 bunch fresh mint
100 gms butter
100 gms swish cheese grated
1 egg yolk, salt
Wash and dry mint chop roughly boil pasta in pasta pot add back butter.
On low flame unite cheese, yolk and mint.
Turn off flame wait 1 min stir well.
Toss and serve

Danielle's Polenta Formaggi Quotro

375 gms polenta
150 gms Brie cheese
120 gms gruyere cheese
100 gms Camembert
150 gms Rockford
butter, salt, garlic, porchinni and parsley for the middle layers.
Boil water and cook polenta once it's ready let it cool and put on an oven tray.
Layer polenta with different cheese till done. Cook at 200 deg for 20 mins.

So something for all my Aussie friends to enjoy in winter back home ... see I am thinking of you!!

Danielle's Spainish Sangria

Well it is summer and we are close to Spain so Danielle shows us his recipe for a cool afternoon drink.
Make it up the day before is best.

Red cooking wine 3 to 1 with sprite don't spend to much on the wine.
Cinnamon (stick)
Sugar to taste
1 orange
2 peach
1 Fiji apple
All pealed and chopped
Into the fridge 24 hours

Summer Capesse Salad

What a delight in a hot summer day

And I LOVE it.

Aqua-duct

Acquedotto in Italian ... got to love Roma technology from the beginning of civilisation.

Theses fresh water fountain spots are everywhere and great places to stop on a hot summers day. 

The water was so cold and fresh tasting but a hint from my Roman Danielle if the water in summer is warm don't drink it but if it is cold rejoice and thanks to the 2000 year old roman waterboard.

A Warning To Aussie Tourists!!!

Prosecco white Italian bubbles a summer delight.
Aperol hmmmm beware pretty pink red in colour and at first the hint of sweetness BUT then the taste of petrol or bad bitter cough syrup.

Was a bit desperate for a wifi spot in Naples the other day and at 10am that morning the only place we could get service was at a bar, some times an addicted blogger will do anything to get a service, it was a great vibe but one had to buy a drink. So thought that I know that Prosecco was sweetish and bubbly so got one plus thought let's try the other. Wrong move on my part, Sandy said it was all mine so like a true Alco or well a Aussie on a budget never was what you buy I soldiered on and it diddddd get a little bit better .... bbbbbut don't think I will order it again.

Danielle's Fish balls

Tined Mackerel 425 gms for 2 people drain and  pop in dish, break up with your fingers.
also we added Tuna 300 gms to make it for 4 people again drained.

Add to dish with 250gm tub of ricotta

Fish curry powder, salt and thyme 1/2 teaspoon each. You can also add pepper and garlic if you like. Mix well, with 2 eggs add in bread crumbs till you have a firm dough. Let it sit for 10 mins to absorb.
Pop extra virgin olive oil in pan and fry off in batches till golden. The oil and flour should become a thin sauce..

The Sound of Bells on a Sunday Morning in Roma

This morning I awake to the sounds of the bells chiming in the distance announcing it is Sunday in Rome.
We have been sleeping with our window open as the nights have been quite warm. The white sheer curtain swaying in the soft breeze before the sun makes an appearance in through our window at about 7.30am over the other 5 story unit blocks that surround the large leafy garden courtyard that I spoke of in one of my 2013 blog.

It is so peaceful sitting here in a comfortable powder blue bedroom chair feet on the bed and with the breeze on my back as I write some more of my blog.
Every morning I awake early and stand at the window and suck in the atmosphere and enjoy the early morning fresh garden smells before the heat starts all over again.

Today we are heading into the centre of Rome to go back to those great flee markets again the ones I spoke of in my 2013 blog where the new Pope was having his first garage sale!!!! Wonder what light weight bargains I may fine this year, lasts years 2 brass 1920's cherubs where a bit to heavy to lug around so I have leant my lesson on that one.

This morning we are having a combo Italian and Aussie breakfast on the balcony in the cool of the morning shade of coffee, Nutella Cornetto's ... Italians love their filled Cornetto's and our Aussie Vegemite.
Danielle has never tried Vegemite but I tell him it is like what he gave us the other night anchovies with non-salted butter on French baggets great alternative when we run out of Vegemite in Italy.

Saturday Night in Rome

Wow wow wow what a great night was had in the city it is a pretty city by night all lit up.
It was a hot afternoon and as we make our way into the city, a summer rain shower came over and cools off Rome, its a beautiful fresh smell as the dust settles. Mind you prior to the rain stoping we walked the cobble stones allies getting a bit wet in search of a restaurant even under our umbrellas. But who cares we are in Rome on a Saturday night and the atmosphere is so electric, so modern with a backdrop of such an ancient city there are people everywhere and all having fun.

Today and over our last several days it has been so quiet on the roads for a city of 6 million. It is their summer holidays and for the last 2 weeks of August is the major holiday time and they all go to the beach or to the mountains, it is so quite compared to when we were here in April, driving the roads where the traffic is flowing so easy unlike April when the roads were like one big car park. It is normally so hot like our February but this summer season has been their mildest summer for decades.

Still a bit on the wet side so we slip in to a little trattoria for some naughty but nice deep fried starters of Suppli a rice ball cooked in tomato broth then warped around mozzarella and crumbed, some olives stuffed with mince pork and also crumbed + some pumpkin flowers filled with mozzarella and coated in a light batter followed by pasta and pizza. It's a celebration night as it is our last with the guys in Roma so we order a bottle of Amarone a fantastic red from Northern Italy in the lakes district, fell in love with it up there then.

After dinner we head to the riverside for the open air markets, bars, music and more entertainment. It is several flights of very old and wet stairs from the Rome of today down to the river side, they must get some serious floods. Can't believe how far the markets stretch but being only 1 vender wide and a walkway it just seams to go for ever. The views over the river to St Peters is breathtaking and again there are people everywhere the night has bought them out for the last weeks of summer to enjoy each other company and some great music.

A Simple Lunch Roman Style

Amazingly simple lunch and we are experiencing it in summer Roman Style ...
As we are heading into Roma city tonight to go out on the town we are having a simple light Roman lunch and Danielle shows us how it is done.

1st Friggitelli (fridge a telly) which is a member of pepper family
Green peppers ones between 50 to 100 mm in length top peppers squeezes to remove the excess seeds cut larger ones lengths ways.
In a pan warm extra virgin olive oil.
Wash peppers, pot in warm pan and sweat down with lid on for 10 to 15 mins.
Stirring occasionally

Alternative option is to fill with tuna for a protein lunch, actually I recon you could fill them with loads of different filings.

2nd Sweet and Sour Onions
2 Red mid size onions cut into rings not to thin
Break apart to make rings and rip into pieces
In a slow pan camarlising lightly with 1 teaspoon sugar + salt to taste, cook with lid on 10 to 15 mins when cooked and soft not brown sprinkle with 1 desert spoon apple vinegar

Serve together on lightly toasted French baguette with a spot of salt, so yum, so sweet, so easy, and so light. Great lunch option as Italian eat so much so how do they maintain their figures.

Optional finish with some mountain grappa and then siesta for a couple of hours,
oh so Italian on a hot summer holiday.

Pope's Summer House

Today we are off for a drive to the southeast of Rome to see a large lake in the crater of an extinct volcano. It is also the summer house for the popes over the centuries but the current pope is the peoples pope and won't  use this palace as it is to showy and he wants to be more in contact with his people so only resides in Rome in a small 70 m/2 apartment at the Vatican.
From the lake you can see the grand palace sitting on the top ridge,  it has views to the lake and to Rome. The lake was also the setting for the 1960 Olympic Games and we found a old poster on the wall with dates of the 26th August 1960 so 54 years ago to that Olympic's and also the date that Marina was born so a big Happy Birthday Marina.
We walk around the small village with views over the black volcanic sandy beaches with many sun loving Italians enjoying the hot sunny day all in perfect rows of umbrellas.

Lunch we have on the other side of the lake under the shade of some very tall cool trees sitting on long tables. We are served a simple pasta with tomato and pancetta to start and now I know the words Mezza Porzione to ask for a 1/2 portion we are happy, this followed by Porketta a whole BBQ pork which they carve you off plates off to eat with bread and a green salad. The bread is like a lot the we have found in Italy unsalted and sort of sour with the most amazing crust yumo. Porketta is also a market food normally served on a bun and on the run.
Today it was nice to enjoy it on a plate with a glass of local loose white wine which I'm thinking is a semilon style of grape and in the cool of the trees.

I got a spot of tomato pasta sauce on my shirt, hello Pete ...white shirt ...what were you thinking... tomato pasta and white shirts don't mix so while I was trying to dab it with water a waiter comes over and hands me a spay can of something that will take away the stain ... OK then ... so I spray and it foams to a fine white spot and within 1/2 hour the stain is gone... But now I've got a whole the size of a 50 cent piece (just joking making sure your paying attention) the stain was real gone it's magic.

Fantastic where can I get some magic spray as this shirt has a lot of traveling to do and many a paste sauce to contend with.

Street Food

Today all 5 of us pile into the little 2 door car as we are heading into the city for some sightseeing and to find some Italian street food. I've decided that I will have to sit in the back as Sandy's silly knee is giving here a bit of grief, so with a puff or two of my special spray and some drops of smelling oils on my wrists I fold up into a ball and deposit myself still feeling ever so tall into one ever so low back corner of a very very small car !!! No opening windows either in the back seat so out comes my Japanese fan to help until the A/C starts to come into the back. Hurdle over so sit back and TRY to enjoy the view.....

We are in search of the fast food for the young and the workers in the city. 19 year old Gabrielle wants us to experience what real Italian fast food is and we were not disappointed.
As we head into the city with some glimpses of St Peters off to one side through my non-panoramic little slit of a window and many a roman building off the the other side as I view over the rest of the cars inhabitance. All the sites that one would expect to see if you were doing a doco on Roma from the back seat of a 2 door sports car with its many a majestic buildings and statues speeding by.

Finally through to an area of some very traditional Romain and non tourisito sites.
So it out of the constraints of my back seat cocoon and into the fresh air, oh so sweet the fresh air,. We start to walk the cobbled allies through one of the old food markets and we arrive to a buzzie little place called Roscioli il Forno dal 1824, so it's been around for a few years and they should have the flavours down pat .... and they sooooo do.

Simple food and the place is sort of like a bakery and as well as an array of baked goodies, one being Brutti ma Buoni translates to ugly but good through to what we are all here for ... square slabs of pizza sold by weight.
Several different styles so we settle on 3 flavours.
The first being Sands and my favourite a thicker 20mm breadish base topped with warm passata, soft cooked eggplant, mozzarella and basil. OMGosg scrum ... so fresh, so simple and oh so Italian. The other being ham and cheese + a mushroom one, more like traditional pizza topping.
We grab our timber board with our purchase and head to the ancient cobbled ally and place them on the wine barrels tables supplied, we stand and enjoy our fast food with so much Italian atmosphere. BLISSIMO

BBQ Italian style

Daniele comes home about 6pm and has organised time off work so he can spend sometime with us to cook and show us some more sites in and around Roma.
Tonight is BBQ and beer night Italian style ( insert 2 smiley faces  ) and on such a hot night that beer goes down real easy... too dam easy.

We move all the contents off the 2 x 2.6m balcony into the lounge room, the balcony is facing the hot afternoon sun and by day is the drying area and storage for the recycle. I open the heavy canvas blinds at 8 pm now that the hot sun has set behind the other buildings and thankfully a coolish breeze start to infiltrate into the enclosed balcony. We set up a small plastic table and get the kitchen chairs, off to the side of the balcony and on top of the plastic outdoor storage cabinets Daniele sets up his electric grill style BBQ. It's not long before the smell of the Italian sausages and the marinated pork are making our mouths salivate, Daniele puts on some Italian lounge music to top off the atmosphere and we are transported into our own little Italian trattoria.

Earlier we marinated some pork loins in some dried herbs with wine and oil.
1 cup red wine
1/4 cup olive oil
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon thyme
1 teaspoon fennel
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
8 cloves
1/2 teaspoon grated nutmeg
Stir together pot in the meat seat aside covered for 2 hours.

After dinner we finish with some grappa ..... But this one I liked !! Gabrielle picked it up in the mountains far north east of Roma just under the Austrian boarded for his dad when he was there earlier this month trekking.
Well with grappa ... out comes the record collection and it's not long before we are entertained by 2 high on life Italians doing some funky disco moves and singing the song of "Roma The Great" Daniele football team, LOVES his footy even more than Dannie Craine loves Parramatta... Are you out there Dannie you know who you are!!!

Gabrielle's Pasta

Gabrielle the son is now 19 and waiting for a place in uni to study phycology and today wants to teach us the art of making one of his favourite simply young persons lunches, he tells us no fast food for him. Thankfully even the young are rejecting the push by Macas.
So with in minutes we are in the Italian kitchen cooking again.
In a pan fry add in olive oil and a handful of pancetta chopped into little pieces with an onion finely chopped and some chilli flakes. Cook till it is opaque take off heat, drain off the oil and cook the tomato ( passata ) with a good pinch of salt in the same pan taking advantage of the flavoured oil. In a pot boil the tonnareli which is fat spaghetti or bucatino pasta with a whole in the middle.  Once the past is cooked add the pancetta back into the tomato and toss through the pasta. Taste and top with pecorino.
We sit and Gabrielle is so pleases with himself and his cooking he sets the table and serves us on red rectangle plates. He's young and fit looking with hollow legs and when the pasta course is over he finished with a huge knob of mozzarella, oh to have a youth metabolism on your side!!!

Marina and Daniele

We arrive to our suburban address off the ring road and to the southeast of Roma. It is in a very non tourist area and our driver asks if we are sure this is where we really want to be dropped off most of the tourist he drops off are in the city proper.
Even once the suitcases are out of the people mover on the footpath and we are standing in front of the tall gated compound that will be home for the next 5 nights he checks again that it is OK for him to leave us here. We convince him that we have friends that live here and they will be looking after us but it's not until the gates are opened and we are safely in inside that he then waves and heads on his way.

We buzz up to the 3rd floor of the 5 floored block of units that are amongst the several blocks of beige concrete and pebble clad units all inside the gated area.
Open the metal swing door of the very small 1970's elevator and send our suitcases up as we climb the polished white stone stairs to be greeted by a very excited Italian Marina. It is just like being home back in our Italian bedroom where we started our last Italian trip some 16 months earlier. Marina has made the bed with red and navy blue sheet in honour of us the Aussie travellers.
Across the hall is our private bathroom with tat concertina shower which all off my 2013 reader will remember but with a new loo seat out with the Union Jack and in with a new American Route 66.

Heading back to Rome

We arrange with our driver that bought us from the airport to pick us up from the port to take us on the 1 hour drive south back to Roma.
It was a great feeling when we came off the ship and he was standing there as promised with our names on his little sign, we walked through the crowd of unorganised ship goers tussling for cabs and with in seconds we are away on our next adventure in our big black people mover with dark tinted windows.

Coming through customs well that was a real eye opener, the limits on booze into Italy from the ship is huge, normally on flights it is between 2 to 4 Litres and this depends on the country. Coming into Italy from the ship there are massive limits if you are an Italian residence and we could not believe our eyes so had to take a picture of the sign. They can bring in 10 litres sprits over 22% or 20 litres under 22% or 60 litres Spumante or 90 litres wine or 110 litres beer and they call us piss pots. Also 800 cigarets or 400 mini cigars or 200 cigars big cigars or 1kg tobacco, well that explains the smoky air!!!!

For non residence it only 1L or 2L or 4L or 6L or 16L respectively but as our suit cases are still on the heavy side until we offload some presents we won't stop for more duty free. Besides we still have enough in the down-low bar to make its way onto the next cruise in a couple of weeks.

Naples our last port

So we adjourn to our little watery balcony with a gin and tonic in hand watching over the ancient city of Naples with Mount Vesuvius off to our right. It's 7pm and the ship is preparing to set sail from our last port with the soft sounds of the engines starting up again. From our vantage point we can see the swirling waters as our huge floating hotel drift out away with ease from the dock. The sun is slowly setting to our left behind the city with it many domed top buildings and the skyline dotted with umbrella topped pine trees that you see so often in Italy. Another great day of sightseeing, adventures and memories are firmly under our belts.

You are probley saying these guys are alway on the balcony and on the booze... Well we are on holidays after-all ... So after this cruise we will give our livers a rest till our next cruise!!
Our little secret down-low bar we have nicely stock for this cruise from some duty free that we picked up in Dubai. So how did you manage to get it on board past security you may very well ask...Well when we arrived into Fontain del Pappa we had 2 empty 500ml water bottles that perfectly holds 1L of duty free Gin, looks like water to me! Also remember the 2 750ml metallic containers, well they hold the 1L Midori. As for the Kahlua it came in a square gift box and with the present paper that we bought with us we warped it up, put a bow on it and it made the journey undetected as a present onto the ship inside our suitcases. So with one bar well stocked and available on our little balcony ready for our afternoon drinkies....So Aussie in Italy....

On board they have complementary lime drinks that goes super well will with a nice splash of Midori. The other day I went up to the pool deck grabbed a couple of soft serve ice creams and that goes perfectly with some Kahlua so just like a adult Sunday. We got some tonic to go with the gin and as it was so hot reaching into the mid 30's today it was onto the balcony gin and tonic with some Sicilian olives that we picked up in Naples today a prefect match.
So it's back to the view that we have come so accustom to and that we just can't seam to take our eyes off. This it what we have done every afternoon as we sit back glass in hand and watch over another culture as the boat drifts off into the sunset.

Seaweed Mud

Hmmm well that was a different experience courtesy of my Sands. As today was a at sea day floating on the Mediterranean from west in Spain heading east for our last two days cruising to Naples then up the west coast of Italy to Civitavecchia our final port and 1 hour north of Rome.
So 10am it's up to deck 14 to the day spa, I do have massages back home but this one took the cake and also a fair chuck of the holiday budget, but relax and enjoy.

Samantha my South African beauty therapist took me into a large room with glass windows floor to ceiling overlooking the ocean ... nice... Told to strip and put on this pair of disposable undies hmmmm so it true one size doesn't fit all! With a towel for some modesty I'm told to lay face up on what was like a rubber and plastic covered bed/table. What has Sandy got me booked into, paint the walls black and I could be into sort of adult entertainment movie!!!!
Once on board the hard surface with a towel as a pillow and slightly pointing down hill with the blood running to my head and with most of my bits tucked into the disposable undies she then comes back into the room for a bit of a chat about what to expect.
She was such a bubbly young thing on speed or the like and asked if I was "EXCITED" ... this girl clearly loves her job a little bit too much. Then she asked about what ailments I had or was I wanting to loose weight.... Sweet pea you only have 2 hours but if I could loose 20kg that would be great.... but I'm sure even you can't do that for me in the allotted time, but thanks for asking!
So now I really feel good about myself here on this very hard bed. She than proceeded to draw pictures of what I think was my arm showing the location of my tendentious and the many scribbled drawing about how seaweed will help everything that is clearly wrong with me and that I was unaware of only moments before ... I'm sure that art school was not one of her mayors studies.

Now with the art lesson is over we can get down and dirty, but first she brushes me with a firm brush to get my blood to come to the surface.... Hmmmm thanks for that... She told me that she had a dog back home! Perhaps she is miss it.
Then she applies this seaweed mud all over my front side and asks me to sit up so she can apply it to my back, all the time commenting on how lovely it is to work on a real man!!!! Being so tall and hairy, again thanks ... but not sure if that was all totally a complement, maybe she learnt from beauty therapy school that she must try to complement the customer, so perhaps Samantha a bit more work on that one....

As I look around the room wondering are we being filmed and am I going to be on some sort of European freak porno! Relax ... go with it ... Sandy has given this girl permission to have her freaky way with me so ... it has to get better.
Now I'm basted like a hunk of meat her next complement is that I look like the incredible hulk... Thanks! I think....at least it wasn't Shrek.

I'm wrapped in the thin plastic drop sheet that I'm laying on and then enveloped in the very heavy rubber one that is hanging down beside the bed. Than with a smile she tell me that she has kept the best bit till last, oh goodie! Then to my delight the table turns into a water bed and I start to float in this hot cocoon for the next 20min or until I start to sweat. I asked her to scratch my forehead and as she does she comments on how dry my skin is, here was I thinking how lovely it was in this Mediterranean climate but no what a naughty boy was I so she then proceeded to rub moisturiser all over my head and face.
So not sweeting enough and my girl said until I sweat more we can't go to the next step as I DO need to release all that bad stuff that I'm internally holding onto, so up goes the heat. Finally with sweat now running off my face I'm then released from my rubbery constraints, the water is drained away and it's back to the hard surface once more. She helps me stand then unwraps me from my sticky plastic sheeting and the cool air of the room is a pleasant delight.
So off you go then, have a shower than I will do a all over body massage, fantastic as thats was what I thought I was getting in the first place.

On to the massage table for a hour and half of real bliss Samantha knows how to give a deep massage and it so good. So once all is over she comes back into the room and the hard sell starts to rid me of all my toxins but I am fond of my toxic side and declined the drugs.

Be grateful I don't have an image to upload!

Barcelona pronounced bath a lona sound like they all have a lisp.

From the balcony we can see the port coming up and we are due down in the lobbie at 7.30am for a tour of the town centre. Sandy has arranged a tour of the Goudy architecture and wow what an eye opener that has been. Need too get a book on Goudy so I can read up more about his life and his buildings.

We went past several for his building in the town centre and they are all so colourful and fluid, his outlook was that there is not straight lines in nature so why have them in architecture. They were all so whimsical one with balcony that looked like masks from at a ball in Venice. Very wacky and I loved it.
He was born in 1852 and died in 1926 so never really saw his church more than just a shell.
His life's long work was the church that was only made into a Basicilla in 2010 by the pope. Today it is still under construction and is hoped to be finished by 2026 a century after his death. Words just can't describe it, it's huge with several turrets some still under construction with the base being gothic, with carved stone walls of biblical scenes and sitting on top colourful mosaic of bunches of fruit.
Inside is vast with modern looking colourful stained glass windows but all designed by Goudy himself, a big must see.

22 degrees

Can't believe the weather we have been having since we arrived on the cruise, great for us as we are enjoying our on board ship time in the comfort of our private deck overlooking the ocean, after all we are dry land country kids and when we are away we won't to see water. Every morning we wake to a water view and every afternoon with a drink in hand as we slip of into some ones sunset.
The crowds upstairs are amazing and as it is the summer school holidays the kids are everywhere and loud real loud, You all know how we love children " Baked or Fried" so best we keep away till later in the evening when the rich little darlings have been tucked up in bed by their nannies, note to-self one should always travel with a nanny!!!!!
So what does one do when stuck on a deck for several hours, well firstly sucking up the atmosphere drink in hand, relaxing, not thinking about work, studying up on some Italian words and reading a book or two. My confessions book is now done but seriously don't go out and get it as it was a bit, how can I put it... OK let's say it was the one sided opinion of a disgruntled queen Qantas employee that has had life to good flying all around the world in 1st and business class with a chip on his shoulder. Perhaps one day when he start to work for himself and have staff he my be grateful for the opportunities that he had at the expense of his employer. Woops theirs my one sided opinion.... but granted I have been in both camps.
So off your soap box Pete and now let's grab a glass and read up on Kylie.

Spain

We will be enjoying two ports is Spain and today is Parma on the Spanish Island or Mallorca wow what a beautiful port to arrive into. We arrived at noon and on a slightly overcast day, a problem for some sun lovers but a real bonus for us as we are doing a tour to a Spanish historical farm house and garden dating back to the 12th century. So a cooler 22deg day will be better than the 38deg for the last few, the locals are excited about the late summer rain which is so out of season. Average rain fall on the island is 460mm so dry.

Waiting for our bus we have the best view of the island and the distant very tall peaky mountains all with a blue grey haze, they look so pretty from our ships balcony on the 12th floor. Also looking over the playground of the super rich and the 100,s of super boats.
Our bus picks us up at 1pm and takes us up the mountain heading for the gardens, it was the uncool shore excursion so there were only 10 on the bus so great for us and no waiting, some time it pays to be a gardening nerd!

The gardens are amazing and with the mist they photograph well, many waterfalls cascading down the hillside through Spanish tiled terraces very beautiful and colourful. The house was a large villa stretched over about 1000m/2, 12th century corridors, priest holes and white washed tunnels dugout into the hillside with a more modern 17th century main areas built over and around so a real great look into the past. The house was handed over to the state in 1968 and it is truly so well looked after. So much stuff they have on display wished we could have stayed longer. It was also not under lock and key and you could just explore, not sure if a lot of people make the journey up the hill but I'm pleased we did.

Cannes in France

This morning a bit more restored with a good nights sleep we awake to be in France how simple was that we sleeps and they transported us to of next adventure.
What a beautiful port with many a cruise ship and private sail boats lining the docks.
A quick simple breakfast on board as we don't want to spoil out appetites for a French lunch. As the port is not setup for such a big cruise ship we will be taken a shore by the tender boats.
Walking the esplanade for a couple of km overlooking it's several little crowded beaches first of all for some good old fashion PERVING....
Sun and sun drenched French beautiful people everywhere, lots of one piece swimwear, well just the little bottom bits and I mean little bottom
bits everywhere, there was lot of good eye candy for Sands to enjoy also.
So we head into the town centre to give our eyes a rest from the sun!!! It's a pretty city with old and modern building and many hints that it is also a film festival town.

Back to the main beachy area for a bit of lunch while overlooking the ocean. Got to have a French inspired lunch and we find a great little spot in the shade still with a great view of the playgrounds of the French Riviera. So some French champaign to quench the thirst after the walk and a La Fregate salad to share as a starter. A salad of some shaved smoked duck breast, French beans and green leaves, tiny tomatoes, foie gras and walnuts yumo and oh so French.
Following Sandy had the moistest salmon with a lemon sauce, for me the mussels.
Mussels are a French traditional dish so I just had to have them and where better in beside the sea. The bowl was full of about 200 little mussels about the size of your thumb nail so into it I go. They had been steamed off in white wine and sweated diced onion bliss bliss bliss, oh and that view

Cruising North

So our first night we head north to the port of Livorno which is still in Italy. It's a working port and not so pretty and most people head for a day trip to Pisa or Florence.
For Sandy and I as we will be coming back in a car through Pisa later on in our trip we decided to have the day in the port town and did some walking and exploring. Both still a bit jet lagged and a bit tired after the cooking classes back to back with a big month prior to leaving Aus. We decide to head back to the mother ship and sit on the deck and enjoy a cocktail or two and the view.

The love boat part 2

So now it's back to our reality and I must say it's not to shabby one either so on to our ship that will be our home for the next 7 nights on Norwegian Epic. This ship is twice as big as the Norwegian Jade that we traveled on last year with some 5,000 passengers and 2,000 crew. Up to our room and onto the deck to find out that it is not the viewable glass deck that we saw on the internet, so a trip down stairs and several hours later after dinner we are reunited with a room with a view so champaign open and let's get this party started.

Seeing how the other half live!!!

So after a great lunch and many a laugh over several glasses of vino bianca and some home made lemonchello and sitting back under the vine cover deck looking through the Italian villas arches rustically made of local rock over the valley below .... bliss.... We are then ready for some one else to drive us down the mountain to the port below.

Penny has invited us to (her place of work) the sailing boat....... As we don't set sail ourselves till 7pm tonight but will need to be boarded by 5pm why not have a look into another world, and what a world it is.

We arrive to the private dock and as we take our shoes off preparing to step aboard. Penny makes her way around the tops deck to the back of the boat to come in through and open up the front guests automatic opening doors ... impressive. It is a huge sailing boat 49m long with pristine decks hence no land shoes. So to give scale our gallery at The Retreat is 11m long x 8m wide so this is 1m wider and 4 and 1/2 time the galleries length and over 2 levels so about 600m/2 in all it's huge... The masks stretch high into the sky it would a be magnificent sight with all the sails up.

We step up onto a narrow stainless steel gangplank to the open front deck of soft timber with the black rubber lines all so beautifully nordicial ?????? looking into the undercover entertaining area with outdoor seating and more beautiful timber tables. The maintenance is incredible thanks to one of the guys that we meet at lunch. Thought into the bridge all again in the most amazingly maintained timber cabinetry and where the captain sits with it's huge steering wheel and computer screens galore, it looks like a space ship.

Heading down to the lounge and dining areas via carpeted stairs with clear plastic covering all the carpets, even the plastic is made to clip on to all the floor areas and around the fitted furniture, as the boat is unattended by the family at the moment all is covered to keep it pristine for the arrival of owners and real guests and not just us freeloader with eyes open into this opulent world. Here the timber cabinetry steps up several levels in style to the extent that the walls are now also clad in the most exquisite timbers and detailed panelling, mouldings and trims. The timber dining table has seating for nine, 5 in Louis 15th style chairs and the rest a wall mounted padded bench seating. To the other side is a lounge area and a glass topped trophies coffee table with a collection of carved ivory. Off to the corner a marjon playing board and beautiful art works lining the walls.

The boat is on split levels and down a few more steps into the private sleeping cabins for the family and guests, it's like walking into a mini 5 star hotel with all 5 rooms having ensuites and sleeping a total nine boat guest. The master suite with the main bed sitting up on a central platform and a lounge area,  them main suite has it's own his and hers ensuites one on each side of the bed.

Crossing over to the staff section there is again all private cabins with ensuites for all the 7 full time staff who live on the boat 24-7 to maintain it and sail it from port to port picking up family and lucky guest all over the world. The boats engine room down on the basement level and down narrow steep steps was also a sight to see with its own desalination and black waste water plants so high tech. The boat only sails in summer waters so Penny and the rest of the staff only see a winter if they go home.
What a life for the staff but you would have to be a certain sort of person that could handle the closeness and the solitude on board. Penny tells me she only has 50 days a year off and is well paid but you have to love the life style to be a staff member. The boat sees at lot of action with many a family member holidaying as the owners are now in there 80's have children in the 50's and now a new generation of grandkids in there 20's so it's a very busy place to work.

But I have a big question of Penny because you all know me ... what's does this all cost.
Well just to be docked at this wolf is $1,200.00 a night and we are here for 4 days, then we set sail for France and won't be picking up the next Family and guest till the end of the month so we need to float around and dock at different ports till then. The boat is worth about 20mil and about 2mil a year to keep it on the water, it's just another world... Don't ya think!!!!

How the other half live

One of the other guest Penny at the cooking class is a cook from a private sailing boat. She is 59 and has spent the the last 30 years as a cook on private boats floating all over the world, for the last 20 year has worked for the same family. Penny has a few days off and has come away while the boat is docked in the same port of Chivatevica where we will set sail from later today for our 7 nights cruise into France and Spain.
She invites 2 of the other staff to join us for lunch that we have just created, both the boys in their mid 20's and are from South Africa. The engineer a English/South African the other a deck hand a White Africana and well they have both change our view on what we know of some of Australia's South Africans. The ongoing social issues and the safety of the travellers was explained in depth and well maybe we may very well find ourselves traveling there later this year!!!

So lunch we start with a simple olive oil sauce and a flat egg Pasta, which after a refresher course yesterday we have now got that down pat, then followed by Chicken Cacciatore ... oh so Italian.
This is how we were shown how to make Chicken Cacciatore.
Italian spoken version .... You getta the chicken on the bonea, cutta upa ina pieces and youa placea ina the pana ce ce
Oloura which means OK so now back to English...
In a fry pan sprinkle the chicken peices with a little salt, glug in some olive oil, basically fry off till brown on all sides, add 1 cup white wine 1/2 cup of white wine vinegar, chillies flakes to taste and marjoram, pot on the lid and simmer till almost cooked through 15ish minuets, pop in 10 whole cherry tomato till they soften and that's basically it, so serve with crusty Italian bread and a fresh leave salad from Luka's garden.

A Zucchini Side Dish

These zucchini are of a soft green colour with dark stripes not sure if we can get these back home not seen them in Tamworth but proberly can get them in the Asian markets in Sydney. They are a different taste seam to have more flavour or that jest the fact that we are in Italy.
Real simple as is most fresh food is prepared in Italy
Pan, oil, 2 cloves, cut up chunky style 6 zucchini heat till soft with the lid on

Tuna and caper sauce in the making

Day Two Cooking At Fontain del Papa

First from the fridge get a carafe of fredo "cold" local white wine grab a glass or two and let the class begin, it's good to be back.

So today we learn how to make water pasta, this time a different form of pasta as there is no egg.

Make a flat mound like a volcanic crater on a large timber chopping board of semolina flour. Forming a well in the centre add water, pinch salt and with a fork drag away from the wall of the volcano squashing the water and flour so as to not have lumps, work all the water into the flour than kneed together adding more flour to for a dry firm dough. Roll into a roundish ball and cut into 15mm slices with loads more flour roll out to about 2mm thick, then place this section of rolled dough on top of your newly purchased wire cutter which looks a bit like a long rectangular harp with wires separated at 2mm increment roll with the rolling pin and out through the bottoms comes your 2mm square x what ever the length pasta strips.

Tuna & Caper Sauce served 6
In a large fry pan good quantity of olive oil, 2 large cloves garlic sliced, 3 tablespoons salted capers well washed, 185 grams tuna in brine drained and flaked, 2 cups cherry tomatoes cut in 1/2, 1 cup black pitted olives, 1 teaspoon chillies flakes or to taste, cook slowly together till tomato melt to form a sauce.

Opulent Truffle Spaghetti served 10

For dinner tonight it is a very special treat and my favourite, Truffle. Sometime's it's hard to get all the facts no mater how hard you try. But I was under the impression that truffles were hugely expensive but out of the freezer came a commercial catering package in a clear plastic bag, so no hints there either on origin or cost, I'm salivating at the smell and wondering just how much you pay for such a heist of this food for the gods. There must be a cheeper option here to what we hear of back home as Emma tells me this bag is about €150 for this one kg so about $210 a kg. OK that's not cheep but it's not as expensive as back home by a long shot, so bring it on ... feed me .... And feed me truffles.

In a fry pan with a good amount of olive oil, fry 2 cloves of garlic and add I small
jar of anchovies cook till they melt, the smell is amazing.
Turn off the heat and add the grated truffle about 3/4 cup. ( comparing to a jar a fifth of this quantity that we payed $44 in Melbourne several weeks ago this makes this a very expensive dish to achieve in good old Aussie Land )
Cook some dried spaghetti and add back into the pan with the oil, anchovies mix, toss and serve with 1/4 cup extra truffle on top just because you can with some shaved Pecorino ( sheep's cheese ).
OMG it was just truly Opulent and such a special treat.

Heading To Our First Cooking Classes.

After the tense wait for the suit cases we make our way through customs without a hitch, then out to a very old, smoky, hot and un-air-conditioned arrivals hall. Everyone standing in front of the arrival hall is smoking so the fumes are coming back in big time, welcome to Roma ..... it's a bit different to Dubai that's for sure.
The cooking school has left a message on our phone saying that our driver won't be here to pick us up for another hour so it's a hot wait as far away for the smoke as we can get. Memories are coming back from last year as we wait close to where Marina picked us up from.

So finally we are in the air conditioned comforts with our driver heading north for the 1 hour drive to Fontain Del Papa. This time I'm paying that little bit more attention in readiness to when I get back behind the left hand drivers seat. But first I want to get off my tight flying stocking which is some feat when you are traveling at 145 km an hour !!! The fields that we pass are the same ones as last year but this time parched by the summer heat.

We arrive to warm greeting from our host Asusintina  who with her daughter Emma will be doing the cooking classes. It was a bit of a double take on Anna's behalf once see puts a face to our emails, when we left last year life at Fontain del Papa was in turmoil with her and her son Luka for those who read my last blog on the hardships of a family run business at Fontain.

So up to our room in the 600 year old villa, it was nice to be back in the same space but in a very different season as it is very hot, humid and dry. Mind you I can still smell the smoke wafting up from the kitchen below but as it is summer it's not the fires that the smoke is coming from it is from the Italians smoking in the kitchen, o well it is Italy after all !!!!
This time being the last month of summer so it is as hot as it is in February back home, the very Italian and very hand made pool is open, it sits high on the hill over looking the 600 year old villa and the distant valleys so it not long before we are up having a cool off prior to our first class.

Touch Down In Roma

No luggage!! Not even one of our two well organised, several times reconsidered and repacked 23kg bags. They did started out as 2 x 28kg bags when we finally got to pack Saturday night, but she who has to be obeyed recommended that let's take some of the tinned food contents in our hand luggage, well we all know how that turned out!!!  Good in theory having more lighter bags than 2 very big heavy ones, my Sands was just looking after my dickie tennis elbow that turned up 2 weeks prior to departure. Where did that come from, I don't even play tennis!

Why so much luggage at the start of our trip you may very well ask, this question we both did ask of each other. Well as we are being hosted in a few locations and revisiting people that made our last trip such a great cooking experience we didn't want to come away without gifts from our Aussie homeland. So with some packaged and correctly labeled food stuffs that managed to go undetected in the safely of the main bags, some of Sandy's culinary tools of trade, picnic set and umbrella for romantic roadside lunches under the Tuscan sun, several bags of north QLD Macadamia Nuts, jars of Vegemite so about 15kg. Some Aussie trinkets, key rings, fridge magnets, also beaded Indigenes bracelets and small paintings from a tribe in The  Northern Territory plus enough furry Aussie animals to make a village of Italians kids happy for a year or two, so there's another 10 kg. As well we have our two pillows complete with their own hygienically sealed bags and enough toiletries to get us through the whole trip ... yes I know they have pillows and that one can buy toothpaste in Italy but ... I like mine from home!! Pampadour / backpacker travellers that us!! Perhaps a bit more on the pampadour side....

Also when we travel we won't take anything that we don't want to not come home with, we put some spare cloths in our carry on baggage, wear no jewels or flash cloths to attract the attention of the gypsy people that want your stuff more than you, so odd, comfortable and old cloths plus one good outfit. All of which we divide 1/2 into each other's case so that if one case gets lost in transit we have the other to get us through until it is found.

So by the end of the trip with all toiletries gone the worn out cloths and shoes replaced with some new bits for an Italian wardrobe when we get back and that leaves loads of space to bring some exotic goodies home.

OK this was the theory but at this point standing quietly side by side and occasionally looking at each other then back at the empty baggage carousel tensely watching and waiting as it goes around for yet another empty lap, you then know it's not good as the carousel comes to a stops.........than from a distance a Emirates baggage person come from the far carousel apologising that our bags had been temporally placed on the wrong carousel, so all was good again and we have been reunited with both of our cases.

A38O emirate style

Oh la la

Ooolala

With 20 different nationality hosting us on board the emirates flight leaving at 9am from Dubai Monday for our 6 hour flight to Rome arriving 1pm local time WOW WOW WOW what Service .... what Style ... and what an eclectic mix of cultures.

The A380 Emirates is soooooo far better fitted out than the Qantas A380 sorry Aus but Emirates has the game sown up and sown up tight real tight. The internal of our section is fitted out with cream 2pac painted panels inlayed with Birds Eye Birch timber trims, even the toilet seat is in the birch with French perfumes and accessories these guys now how to look after their customers. My wide screen TV is about 600 mm x 4000 mm and we have our own I Pad to use, very high tech. Off to my left is my own private little mini bar, just ring when you want ice it's all just so stunning and all the hostess say this plane is the gem of the Emirates fleet. How lucky are we to have this great experience I keep pinching myself. Our 2 seat are in the middle and on the top deck and only have 1 seat either side that has the window so loads of space with a seat that lays down to a flat bed.
So far I have meet several of the hosting staff the first being "my" French hostess Florence ... Ooolala .... as we are in the centre of the plane this time Sandy has her own hostess on her side, one would never pass things over the other that would be so uncouth.
My French lady offered me wine to go with my lunch a drop from South Africa or a Chateauneuf-de-Pape from Rhone and every time she comes back with that little French accent.. and her little red hat and white scarf beautifully draped down her left shoulder offering a top up what can I do but smile and say merci beaucoup.
Going to have to stop saying yes to the French lady or I won't get off the plane!!!!

This trip I'm going to be more out there and going out of my way to socialise and meet the as many people as possible, yes I know that is hard to believe... me socialising!! A great place to get that started will be at the bar lounge on the A380 YES at a bar In The Sky... Sooooo cool. It is located just behind our section, I'm sure the 1st class have one also but as I can't get in there this one will do and do just fine, beautiful flower on the wall, canopies on the bar that go just perfect with a drink or two. So I have to start the flight with a quick trip to the little boys room and one has to go through the lounge bar, so on the way back it would be just be plain rude not to stop and have a drop of French champagne and start to work the room.
Ricardo from Brazil was serving and picked up on my Aus ascent and he just wanted to talk about Australia, then later needing to revisit the little boys room again I had to stop at the bar for a pre lunch Mojito and got to talking to Lombock from Lebanon a 31 year old who was to keen to talk about his homeland and the pending war. We talked about how the young have had enough and are trying to protests for peace, he has lived through 6 conflicts in his short life and it is just a matter of course but a sad one that is politically driven. Meet a older italian couple from Melbourne and they have given us tips on some places to visit in southerners Italy she has describe one place that we must see in Milazzo called capo di Milazzo it's easy to fine it's a restaurant that has great traditional atmosphere and dancing you can't miss, it it under a big olive tree !!!!!! OK we will look out for it...

So back to my seat and let's have some lunch.
Flying out of Dubai the food today for lunch is a mix of modern or some Lebanese/Middle Eastern so it a mezze plate to start with the most amazing bubba goodish, so smokie absolutely scrumo. Followed with a Lamb Biryani amazing eating local food in a local area it is so true to the traditional with great flavours and techniques so the Biryani is just a perfect mix of a saucy cooked rice with cardamon flavoured sauce and the stewed lamb with the loose grain saffron rice served with a 2007 Grange Neuve de Figeac yep you guessed it more French wine thanks Florence and this time a great big red.
Desert of Date Bread and Raspberry pudding yum yum with a 2000 Quinta do Portal Colheita Port from where else but Spain can it get any better !!!
Well we are nearing the end of the flight and the announcement that it a beautiful 31 deg in Rome and we will be touching down in Roma any minute. We have a car picking us up from the airport and taking us north about 1 hour to start our first cooking lesson this afternoon so I will touch base and tell you what have planed to do over the coming months. Cia for now

14 hrs Sydney to Dubai and our 9 hr stop over

This time we are traveling with several books to read and drop, last time 3 months without some sort of English to read and no TV even I the one that never reads was looking to read. So I have books on Kylie, Michael Jackson, couple of others that will be great mindless trash to amuse my little mind on the cruise with several glasses on our private deck while floating on the Med leaving Rome west of Italy around for 7 days to Pisa across into France, Spain. Then in a couple of weeks leaving from Venice for 12 days down the east coast in the Adriatic Sea through the Greek isles and around into Turkey. My first book is call Confessions Of a Qantas Flight Attendant.....and already that is creating flutter amongst the flight crew so many dropping by for a bit of a chat, needless to say not getting much reading but lots of socialising. Sandy has bought Tony Windsor and other more intelligent books hmmmmm that sounds like fun Sands!!!

Arrived into Dubai at 1am local time Monday morning or 7am Monday morning Aus time after a great flight but being totally brain dead from the last month so was keen to sleep and sleep and more sleep and the flat bed seat certainly help with that... So no real info on food or any anything really but I'm sure that I will find my blog mojo before the week is out.

Had a great long early morning walk in the Dubai airport and still 38 deg so with my Japanese fan in hand to keep as both cool and being sent for desk to desk to find our driver that was booked to take us to of hotel for the night to get to sleep in a real bed. There was a bit of confusion as we looked like Aussie backpackers and didn't look like the Dubai business class travellers all in their designer outfits and jewels. Once they realised there mistakes life seamed to change some what and we were whisked away in a private car with an upgrade as an apology ... Albeit still to the wrong motel but what ever at 2am all we both wanted is a BED and don't care what it looks like, but it was fantastic shame we were only sleeping there.

The bed was soft and within seconds we are both chucking ZZZZ's until an 6am early morning wake up call as we had to be back at the airport 2 hours prior to takeoff ... oh and a chance to get some duty free. I was already up and had already starting on my blog.
Fantastic shower and down to breakfast as the hotel breakfast was part of the stopover and included in our ticket and what a traditional breakfast it was. Why have cornies when you can sample some Middle Eastern/indian and Lebanese food. Shame we didn't have more time to soak up the atmosphere.

Started with the best birchler muesli, I have never had it quite like this it was a litter sweet, beautifully cold which was great as it was already high 30 degs outside and was served with dried fruits and nuts, stewed grapes and dates but with a hint of nuttiness from the rice so it was sort of like a rice desert / birchler muesli. Then it was to the India section for some soft white rice cakes about the size of a patty cake with darl and a potato curry hot and spicey. Lastly Hammom a style of smoke white fish, hommus, labnar firm yoghurt balls rolled in parsley. I just had to have a little bit of everything can't miss out on a cultural food experience. Meet a waitress name Pearl and got to talking about our food adventure and she is looking into some local cooking classes for us to do when we return.

As we were waiting for our driver in the lobby I was admiring the ornate silver coffee pot sitting proudly on a central table, Isaac appeared from thin air dressed in his traditional outfit and offered us a little cup of traditional coffee which was very mild with a hint of cardamon, and saffron a lovely way to finish our breakfast served with a date as the sweetness.
7 am our driver came to take us back to the airport in readiness for our flight from Dubai to Rome. The airport is just massive so modern in glass, chrome and so tall it was like a town in a bubbled dome with palm trees and huge walls stretching up several stories of modern waterfalls.

Sandy The Terrorist

Coming through security this time we have the whole 100ml thingy down pat with all in little clear bottles in their own little clear plastic bags yes we were so proud of our packing and feeling like true seasoned travellers.
So I'm through and I look back Sandy the terrorist is trying to smuggle on board the caned contents for a Thai curry! What do you mean I can't take these on board.... I walk over and was quickly escorted away ... this was Sandy's bag and Please Sir Step Away From The Lady!! Great I'm heading away for 3 months and Sands will be in maximin security some where in the airport system.
So after some consultation Sandy is set free and also set free from those nasty cans of red curry paste, cocoanut milk, water chestnuts and bamboo shoots. Apparently this is still classified as liquid and pasts and unidentifiable because even though they were in cans with labels they can not be sure this is what was in them. Mind you without a can opener which you can't take on a plane how could one even open the to use the contents on the plane! So no red curry dinners for some of the Italian that Sandy was hoping to cook for but at lease we are both on the plane...

Cooking Gap Year In Italy Part 2
Can we believe it we are off again ... NO WAY... So part 2 of our "Cooking Gap Year" has just started and as we had such a great time in Italy for our 1st 1/4 where better to kick of our next 1/4.

Last year we did Northern Italy and the Lakes District in their spring into summer this year we are doing Southern Italy for the end of their summer into autumn. Two very different seasons and two very different food regions to explore. It will be the end of season so tomato and basil should make into some great pasta dishes and we will learn how to preserve the seasons great produce ready for the long snowy winters and of course the autumn fruit and figs yum I can't wait to eat.

But what week getting all the last minute bits done prior to leaving for Froog and what a month as we trained a new locum Felicity so The Retreat is in good hands. Along with Julie, Kath and Ren helping to make the perfect efficient house team.
Friday night went to bed at 11pm and with sooooo much on my mind I was up at 1.30am and back to the office to finalise 2 shop fit prior to flying out. So after a mammoth 18 hours day both were signed... Delegation is all I can say!! so thanks to the boys in the factory and our wonderful Leanne on the desk for both Froog and The Retreat so we know it will be prefect.
Mind you I would have been happy with just the 1st fit out that basically finished Saturday morning with just a few loose ends BUT no let's throw in a 2nd one to keep us all on our toes. This was a past client that needs his shop opened while I'm away so had to pull some big days and long nights to get all to the approval point before I left, and hooray ... all is now signed sealed and delivered as they say, well it still needs to be made then delivered and the contractors have their instructions so late Saturday afternoon with a last minute briefing with head contractor Jason I could finally relax ...  ohh and then pack!

Arrived at Tamworth airport at 8am as instructed 2 hours before an international flight for our 10am flight to Sydney on Sunday and we had to wait in the cold -1 deg with only our summer travel cloths for the staff at Tamworth airport to open up at 8.30!! Thats when you know we are still in a country town but anyway we were 1st in the que when the door opened. Sharon and 7 year old Thomas came to farewell us so sweet and Thomas bought us some green lollie frogs to help us on our travels. Were meet in Sydney by Joe and Robbie (sister to Marina in Rome) and were whisk away for a quick Greek lunch of slow cooked lamb shoulder Yumoo.
Back to the airport by 2pm for a shower, change of clothes and of course a few bubbles to get us into the mood for a 14 hour flight at 4pm to Dubai.

I had some much fun writing down all my thoughts and recipe last trip so I'm going  do it all again.
As I have had a bit of stick from some of my reader saying keep it simple and to the point, which I will have difficulty doing, that's what the off button is for ... So if I start to dribble too much and you can't handle the bad spelling and shocking pronunciation just turn me off, it simple. I'm sure you won't because you may miss out of some true facts and great cooking tips and of course some of my little embellished stories.
So sit back and I hope you enjoy the next 88 days, my waffle and our adventures. As I said last year read it and imaging I am telling you the stories, loud, happy and never never stoping to take a breath and with both hands waving........ Love to you all Pete & Sands xxoo