Marche des Enfants Rouges: Area Le Marais(3e)
Filed Under Food, Paris 2009, Travel | Leave a Comment
They call it a hidden gem of Paris which means somehow not that touristy. It’s small enough to feel intimate but also big enough to browse around. You can go buy flowers, cheese and wines or sit down and have nice relaxed easy meals there with a glass of wine or two.
Our Moroccan Lunch. It was deeeelicious!!! There are also other small food vendors and actual restaurants serves French and other cousins. The vibe is perfect for a sleepy sunny weekend.
Pere Lachaise Cemetery, Paris
Filed Under Paris 2009, Travel | Leave a Comment
Yes we also paid a visit to Jim Morrison’s and Amadeo Modigliani’s.
Public Bikes: Strolling Paris
Filed Under Italy 2009, Travel | Leave a Comment
You will see many these machines standing through out Paris with bikes parked right next to them. This is ” Velib” public bike system. You will insert your credit card and fallow the instruction and there, you have your bike. You can have it for 1/2 hour or for 7 days or forever ( you can have a long term pass for it). The first hour’s cost is 1 eu and every certain hour, it gets added and the cost is very minimum. I always wanted to stroll beautiful Paris with bike and it’s my dream come true!
This is the best bike I ever had ride. They are solid, well balanced and has the best cushy seat. It comes with a basket on the front and for the best, it’s own lock ! I think the world should have this public bike system in every city. It consumes very little amount of energy to park the bike and it creates zero pollution. Such a great idea!
Hitting the city!
Surprise! It’s Paris!
Filed Under Paris 2009, Travel | Leave a Comment
Surprise from Emiliano. He’s taking us to Paris from Venice and yes we are in Paris! At Hotel AMOUR!!
Hotel AMOUR used to be a Love hotel for many years and it has been bought and converted completely to a fresh new faced boutique hotel in District 9 area. Casual, hip, comfy with friendly staffs. On the ground floor, Hotel houses a cute and delicious restaurant with a lovely garden on the back. Yes it’s a place to be!!
Ground floor restaurant.
Check in.
Savelletri, Puglia: Trapetto, the beach
Filed Under Italy 2009, Travel | Leave a Comment
The passage way to the beach.
The entrance.
The hat travels.
10:30!
Court yard restaurant.
Lamps made with shells.
Lunch. Linguini alle vongole. mmmm
Back to the beach.
Savelletri, Puglia: 300 years old olive trees and emerald green ocean
Filed Under Italy 2009, Travel | Leave a Comment
The more south it gets the more beautiful everything is. That’s what everyone in Puglia says. Puglia is quite big and we are already thinking to go back and explore more focusing on way further down the south. But for the time being in 4 day trips in Puglia, we had done quite well. Savelletri is about 1 hour car drive further down south of Bitonto, where huge ancient olive trees still growing with mark of turn of the centuries that trees have survived.
300 years old olive trees. They are grand in terms of size and also character compare to other young trees as 20 to 30 year old ones. They are beautiful as watching a wisely aging great men. They are enormous and they are fantastic.
Arriving to Savelletri, You will come across the many Masserie (traditional pugliese farm house). This is one of solid and rustic entrance to one of Masserie. Usually they are olive tree farms.
After passing through beautiful olive tree fields and Masserie, You will hit this another emerald colored beautiful ocean. Savelletri would have both sand and rocky beaches. It’s quite a contrast to see green emerald colored water from incredibly red land.
The town.
Ostuni, Puglia: The White city
Filed Under Food, Italy 2009, Travel | Leave a Comment
As it’s nick name White City already explains, Ostuni is painted in all white along it’s smooth hilly lines, and bright and vivid color of Oleanders and colorful doors of residents surroundings make the city even look whiter.
Bar “Ricardo”. You would never ever imagine there would be such a bar like this in this rustic town. Bright turq color bean bags sitting along the long and narrow stepped hill, cutting edge modern decor interiored bar spaces( there is 1 big main and are 3 smaller separated bar rooms along the both side of the stepped isle), and all our favorite old school songs like off the walls and more. The bar sean wraps around the entire isle. It’s quite amazing.
We ordered Beppe’s favorite aperitivo, Prosecco and usual stuzzichini, small bites like dips, cheese, olives and mini sandiwiches. The sun was going down and good friends around with a well chilled bottole of prosecco. The life is beautiful!!
Polignano, Puglia, Italy
Filed Under Italy 2009, Travel | 4 Comments
Polignano is absolutely amazing. It’s absolutely gorgeous. It’s about 50Km away from the Bitonto, our base during trip in Puglia. This is a view from the one of the terrace on the edge of the town which is built on the top of the cliff.
We were here for a good half day swimming, diving and sipping beers and chatting. It’s just amazing. I must say, I loved the people. The real people around us. The fat, chubby, skinny, tanned, still pale ( Tania), happy, tired, card playing, laughing and everything else. I loved the people and real houses that real people living inside looking down the most beautiful bay I ever seen. It’s rocky but they are warm, clean, white and round. They feel warm as just baked bread and they are welcoming. I’m in absolutely in love with every moment.
This is the exact spot where we all jumped into the water. What you see is a cave underneath where it connects to the water from the rock field. It’s a short cut to the spot from the field. Polignano holds yearly world wide diving competition. We saw some crazy kids diving in from the craziest height of the cliff.
Giovinazzo, Puglia: the wonderous night
Filed Under Italy 2009, Travel | Leave a Comment
Night walking with friends, on the stoop of wonderous Giovinazzo. Jaehee, Guilaume, Beppe and Tania.
So after the quick walking tour of Bitonto of Puglia and amazing lunch feast of mamma Lucia, We are in quick change for refreshing swim at Giovinazzo. 10 mt car ride away from Bitonto, Giovinazzo is a port city situated on the Adriatic coast in the region of Puglia, southern Italy. Giovinazzo lies 18 km WNW of the provincial capital of Bari, and is adjacent to the city of Molfetta.
Before the sun set view of historical town of Giovinazzo
After the dipping in the ocean, sipping Negroni and prosecco with Tania, Emi, Beppe and a brand new friend Guilaume from France. We chatted and cheered and chatted and cheered.
During the sunset.
After the sun set.