In amongst all our to’ing and fro’ing to Tahiti, we found time to visit family and friends in Europe. Not at all a boat related trip, but part of our busy year which we thought we would include here.
This included:
- catching up with family in the UK – Berkshire, Richmond, Isle of Wight and Jersey,
- visiting our youngest, Wil in Amsterdam where he is in his second year of a Masters Degree in economics,
- touring a small part of Italy, staying with old friends in their magnificent retreat in the hills of Umbria then enjoying time in Puglia before
- returning to the UK, a brief trip to Cornwall and then home to Aus.
Sounds fairly hectic, and some of it undoubtedly was, but we also had a very chilled time in Italy. Puglia is beautiful and the countryside very different from further north. We did not want to visit the tourist crammed cities like Florence, Rome or Venice. Magnificent as they are, we have been there in the past and craved a much quieter time. The old towns in the area like Alberobello, Lacorotondo Lecce and Otranto were just as fascinating and much more relaxed. We also had 3 days in Matera which is a truly remarkable town.