A home to go ...

I just wanted to remind you about these two as I some hoe deleted the post.

The first the four bedroom cottage with excellent views over the welsh countryside. This is what I call my childhood home, where I sat at the window ledge of my shared bedroom with the window wide open looking out onto the hills and fields, occasionally seeing my friends coming up to meet me. This was before I grew to old toshare and got my own room all to myself with the privacy of the mountain behind me, where I tried to get my kitten to climb the plank from my room to the mountainside so I didn’t have to share her (it didn’t work).

In this house we learnt about frogs, newts, ducklings, adders every spring as they needed rescuing from our small sun trap of a backyard. We ate in the big kitchen with plenty of morning light, and cozied up by one of the two open fires (mum kept changing her mind and one fire was always blocked up only to be discovered the next winter while boarding up the other).


I then remember the other house where our parents now live, only a 100yds down the hill from are cottage, where we had to carry our belongings by wheelbarrow and hand from one to the other when we moved. Even the Piano. Here my sister and I took over the three attic rooms once the servants rooms with a landing big enough we used it as our living room (until the demon rabbit took over). Each room had a different use and we swapped them around until they suited our use, and if inside wasn’t enough, there’s the apple trees pear and plum and the biggest gooseberry bush I’ve ever seen, there’s rhubarb too.


So if you have forgotten or not seen them before here are the two I call home.

A Cottage and a Large house

One year on and another wedding

Eggy eggy

We seem to have a problem, we hope it might sort it's self out, it's soft shelled eggs.  It's a bit like some one was having a practiccal joke one morning leaving a water balloon type egg in the hen house, but no it's a real egg.  So far I've discvoered that it can be quite common for chickens to lay a soft egg every now and then, but if it continues it means there's a problem, either not enough calcium (which they should be having and most the other eggs are ok) or a poorly chicken.  What makes it harder is how to work out who's is who's egg. 

 

So while we woke up early to sit and watch the chickens to find out who laid when and what egg, drinking tea, I decided to leave Jo and make some scotch pancakes for breakfast.  Using my griddle pan which fits beautifully on the new oven and has two nice gas burners burning equally underneath.  The first time I've cooked on it with out burning the food at some point.  What a yummy breakfast and so far no signs of wobbly eggs.

Chick chick chicken

We have some new additions to our family... chickens. We rescued them with the help of these people from a battery farm who no longer needed them. Boy were they in a state, these photo's have been taken four weeks later as they explore there freedom in the garden, acess all areas including the carrots which may no longer be growing thanks to the fact that the feathery tops have been eaten by the chicks.

Let me introduce you to them Egwina (the boss), Chickpea (the noisey one and so named because her head was bold), Poulet, the rather sickly one but by no means at the bottom of the pecking order) and my favourite because she stayed near me to get away from the pecking Henreitta (the darkest and featherest of them all).

Thier fluffy white feathers haven't taken long to come back, in fact it was about a week that we noticed that they looked a little bit more plump, they still have bold patches. Poulets neck was the best seeing the feathers grow starting with the quills poking out of her neck almost prehistoric looking, and then waiting as the feathers poked out from within the quill getting longer and longer bit by bit.

RIP Tobias

Sadly our much loved family dog was put to sleep yesterday evening. Old man Toby was suffering from a cough for a few months and as the weeks went by he stopped eating and stopped jumping before it was decided that his heart wasn't strong enough to cope.

We'll never forget you jumping up at the kitchen window to see if we were still inside while you went out. Even how you reclaimed your youth when the youngster pups came to play at your feet and all you could do was jump up and down and bark. How you sat at the bottom of the stairs to make sure you weren't forgotten as we all talked and laughed upstairs. How your snoring became as loud as dad's. How you grew old gracefully with your silver beard.

RIP old man, Tobias, Toby, Thank you for all your laughs and love x

Day 7

An early start one that begins with the twitter of the chatting birds. To full from yesterdays meal we manage to eat our last egg from Casta Bellavista with some freshly home baked bread. Our suitcases packed and the bill paid (all I can say is Happy Honeymoon and it's breadsticks fort he rest of the week), we make our drive down the motorway to Florence.

This is the part were my mind will now be blanked, but before it is may i warn you DO NOT DRIVE INTO FLORENCE it's worse than London, well maybe not but lets say the stress levels were high. We managed to drive into Florence fairly straightforward only one wrong turn, but lots of Arrrrrggggghhhh's. With the car checked we decided to walk to the train station as it was just around the corner, we had an hours wait and on top of that the train was delayed.

The train from Florence to Rome was a eurostar non stop direct route, with booked seats, a very nice train journey that made the 1hour 15 mins go quickly.

At Rome we were greeted by our chauffeur who was waiting to take us to our hotel, through the hustle and bustle of the main roads to squeezing through the narrow cobbled ones.

Our hotel is off the main shopping street so we have easy access to a lot of areas, it's tucked away amongst lots of other buildings and is very basic but nice. We check in feeling exhausted and sit back and make our selves a brew (good old English for Jo and lemon and honey for me) before we brave the busy outside.

Fruity strawberry and peach – Day 6

We went for a drive to Pienze, Jo’s second favourite place. It’s not very built up, a little bigger than Cortona, but the little ‘old’ part is built up on the corner of a road, drive to fast and you might miss it.

Down pedestrian streets, passed little shops, lazily soaking up the sun gazing up at the variety of buildings, walking to the end to be hit by an open landscape of rolling hills, green fields the best we’ve seen and here we enjoy our Ice cream (more like sorbet for Jo (my) lemon and cherry flavour).

From here we move onto Montepulchino diverting via La foce to see if Jo can find her rows of tree’s she’s seen on many a postcard. We think we’ve found the spot miles down a dirt track road to an old castle no one loves and sitting in the shade of an Italian rooted tree we stop to look out on our view that includes a path of her cypress tree. It’s here that we sit to take our lunch, bit’s and pieces we gathered on our way. Half a cheese and tomatoes sandwich (so much better than home) with tomato and herb style pizza only the toppings in the middle, followed by a cake, more like a biscuit base with a thick layer of cherry jam and more biscuit on top sprinkled with almonds.

We continue on our drive but there is a change of plan now we are heading to Montepulciano. On the way Jo isn’t satisfied with her road of those tall tress to guide her way and as we drive discussing it’s authenticity we realise the twisting, sharp down hill bends, we’re meandering down are lined with those dark tall cypress tress, may be this is the one. Shortly after we find Monticchiello and park in it’s lonely car park, with the guide books advice of an hours tour we enter and leave in 10 (10mins) to venture of to our original plan of Montepulciano. There's something about this place I don't like. Maybe it's the tall towers leaving narrow corridors of cold and darkness it seems busy but with so many paths it soon becomes eerily quiet.

They charge you a fortune for a lemon soda and an cold espresso shaken over ice and served with a frothy head and a grunt from the waitress. So it's time to go home and on the way just by chance in one of the archways we find a little biscuit shop, we enter empty handed and leave with a mix of the most delightful yummy local biscuits.

Tonight Simonetta is cooking for us. We don't know what, or how much (food or money) just that it's at 8. We arrive downstairs and are seated at our private restaurant for 2. We start with a Rose wine at E25 but it's very nice. We're served with our 1st course, a local dish of fish, capers, potatoes, sun dried tomatoes and a lot of Tuscany with every mouthful. This is followed by Primipatti of Ragu, which we discover is made with pork, veal and liver and tastes full of deliciousness. Our Secondi patti is chicken stuffed with ricotta and spinach served alongside a type of runner bean that's tastes sweeter and chopped roast potatoes (but oh so much nicer). If that wasn't enough we have to finish a delicate dessert from the French border, a chocolate kind of egg custard with a biscuit cake type top, that just melts in the mouth. Almost gone in one. Before the night is over we invite Simonette to drink coffee with us and we chat over Italian coffee and a helping of Tuscan sweets, before taking our glutenous bellies to bed.

Creme (something with eggs) and pistachio - Day 5

A trip out to the Chianti region. We woken by the Americans getting ready to leave.

Finally got ready to have breakfast another delicious breakie with the change of cake to chocolate marble cake, before we set off on the hunt for petrol as the gauge reached empty. We find a garage, it's Sunday, it's closed ! Don't panic, we drive down the road, find another, it's also closed. We drive back towards the direction we're meant to be going in, phone Simonetta she reassures us that there's a petrol station (lots of them) along the autostrada. With the empty light on and 15mins drive we find one, and after some help of some Italians with little English (but more than our Italian) we work out that you pay the machine first then it fills it up automatically for you, and to Jo's surprise a little,goes along way here.

Off we drive to Chianti towards Sienna then off to Cat.. stop at Bostia look at the outside of a castle, drive off to ..... nothing to see but lots of beautiful views along the way...

so on to Vertine take some photo's...

try some wine (very nice wine), hope we don't have to pay E10's for it and order some brushetta, and a pastry pie (imagine a Gregg's pie for posh people) very nice, with freshly squeezed juice, followed by a fruit tart and an apricot type cake, in a peaceful setting with tweeting birds swooping by and the odd meow of a scruffy cat.

I love my wife x (Thanks Jo nicely added touch)

Then off to the next village while listening to Elbow, the seldom seen kid, singing along loudly to the Fix. Actually no we decided to drive to Arezzo, strange place, we drove into the new centre seemed a bit like a foreign Stevenage no roundabouts just lots of traffic lights. Most of Arezzo was destroyed during WW2 and we seemed to feel it’s sadness as if it had been forgotten as we walked through the quiet streets of the old town centre.

By avoiding the crowds we found a scary but beautiful deli where we brought cheese, salami, ham, bread and pizzas sticks, along with a newsagents where we got some drinks and walked up to a park to eat dinner, relax...

and again watch the sun set and the people play before walking through the main street to find a very busy Ice cream shop, so we couldn't’t resist.

We make our way back to the B&B for a quick read on the balcony then finally an early night, where Jo (for a change falls fast asleep first).

Snickers crunch with mint - Day 4

I won't repeat what I wrote down for the beginning of this day, but I have edited a gentler version so you can understand what happened.

7.15 breakfast today so up at 6.15 only 6 hours sleep, more beautiful views and more yummy breakfast.

We rushed off to the train station, confusion over the ticket machine, got help from a nice Italian, but he left, then machine wouldn't except our money, so had to try the whole process again on a different machine, no change given you get given a receipt instead that you can cash in at a maned booth only there isn't any at this station, only to miss our train JUST. So we sat and waited an hour for the next. We sat next to a lovely American woman (I thought it was funny that she kept laughing at some of the things we said) who sold everything and started a new in Italy, but due to a lovely grand daughter was now in the process off going back home.

We arrived safely at Florence station, it's quite big but very organised. In brief we did a walking tour, no museums, or galleries or shops (well some). From the station we started our journey towards San Lorenzo church along the streets with the biggest markets selling cheap leather goods, towards the Duomo square where we saw the Duomo and the golden doors of paradise. And grapped some fancy Icecream.

A short walk and we stopped at Piazza Della Repubblica (we think) to eat our cafe style pizza aubergine (and mushroom for Jo), before we continued on to find the Town Halls medieval building in Palazzo Vecchio.

Here we saw a replica of David and many beautiful statues like this one -

Although we were next to the Uffizi we didn't get to get close as we took a diversion towards the WC and from there we rested again at Piazza di Santa Croce outside of the church listening to a man cheerily paying some drumming type string instrument, while writing more postcards, and watching an empty square quickly fill up with groups of tourists following umbrella's and sticks of all shapes and sizes.

We then ventured off to find the Piazzale Michelanglo across the river Arno, and climbed streets and steps to reach the top and boy was it worth it. The views were amazing over seeing Florence with no sky scrapers you could clearly see the old buildings like the Duomo below.

With views like this we sat at an over priced cafe and drank cold coffee topped with Ice cream, before we leisurely walked to Giardino di Baboli through to Piazzo dei Pitti, but with another climb up behind us we found the gardens closed or maybe we reached the forte di Belvedre by mistake which was closed so we couldn't get access to the gardens. So we went to admire the Ponte Veccio loaded with it's many (now ) jewelry shops (they were butcher shops but some mayor or something said they were to smelly) as the sun began to set.


Of course we saw a lot lot more along the way, too much to remember.

A quick light dinner before returning home looking into a nice square by the station cafe style for risotto pomedorro and Gnochi pesto, both just what we needed. We knew the train was on platform 12 and it was (not like Britain) so it didn't need us to ask at least two people. A safe journey easy get off the train and into the car and easily home for an early night of 11.00.

Pistachio and Creme deCatalan - Day 3

After breakfast we drove off on the scenic route to Sienna, through Sangulga in and out and in and out again then.... Sienna was hard to get into, getting there was no problem but trying to find away to find a way to a car park was difficult and then when you did you realised it was very expensive then you reach the inside walls and there's nothing really there.

The cathedral has amazing features, a zebra like interior, with lots of marbled flooring of religious scenes. There’s a library with a beautifully painted frieze and large books incased in glass with beautiful artwork.

Sienna also has an interesting centre or piazzo, I’m sure this where they filmed part of Quantum of Solace, here we had to sit on the floor and ate Calzone (although Jo didn’t realise it was stuffed with loads of mushrooms) and later our daily Icecream (there were so many gelato here).

On leaving Sienna we decided to visit a small walled village called Monteriggoni neatly sitting on top of one of the hills. Not a lot to look at, apart from more beautiful scenery, but many tourists drive this way by the bus load. We parked in an almost empty car park and climbed a few lavender aisled steps to get to the entrance. Nothing else to do but eat, so after looking at a light menu we decided to eat in one restaurant but were faced with a menu that was three times the price and decided to leave just as they were about to present us with a flute of sparkling wine. After relaxing from a slight panic attack and hunger we decided to sit at a more relaxed dinning area. The staff were really friendly (not like the snooty waiter in the one we had just left) and they fed us lasagne and Sausage and Beans, were not talking tinned beans these were beautiful cooked fresh mmmmm. Followed by the best Panna Cotta I’ve ever had.

Then our 40minute straightforward drive back turned into a we don’t remember where we are staying, so going from village to village in the dark, having lots of shouting, crying, adding Google maps to the phone, we arrived safely back 2 and half hours later. Another early night gone.

Nutella Day - Day 2

Followed by Peach and Mistakenly coconut

We woke to get ready for our first breakfast abroad at 8.45am in the darkened room, lost in the huge bed. On opening the shutters we realised what a beautiful it was going to be. It didn't take long for us to get ready (I think Jo was spurred on by how hungry she was).

Downstairs for breakfast we were seated at a large table with cereals, cold meats, bread, toast, jams, cake and croissants. That wasn't all Simonette brought in juice, coffee (very nice) and soft boiled egg. We discussed where to go and Simonette helped us out with a map of Cortona. So off we drove on what seemed like a fairly casual drive. We found a free parking space it was not quite where S recommended due to the sharp bend Jo decided to take on two wheels with both of us shouting woooaaaahhhh. It was a lovely town not much to see there or do, wonderful buildings, apartments and street to look at. Of course there was the Ice cream shop (nutella to start) we found a public WC, and the car park we were meant to be heading to. At this point I decided to walk through Cortona to get to the Fort rather than take the car through the narrowest streets. A wise decision I feel, altohugh it didn't feel like it when we were walking, no climbing up through the winding streets, and up through cobbled steps, and up past the church. But the views were amazing and very quiet (obviously no one wanted to walk as high as us).

We went a different route which took us a quarter of the time on a more direct route and found ourselves back at the square were we first started and celebrated with another Ice cream Peach and mistakenly (a good mistake) coconut.

Back in the car for a trip to Lake Trassimo, which you can see in the distance in the photo above, with a few journey round and around the roundabout one dead end one nearly up a no entry we made our way to the lake fairly easily. Drinking freshly squeezed Orange juice watching the sun go down over the waters edge and looking back at where we had earlier climbed.

We drove back to Cortona for dinner and with briefly watching the swallows/swifts swoop around us for a little while the sun set, we quickly arrived at a recommended restaurant. Not sure what we ate but we decided that four course was too much and settled for a pasta dish each, ricotta and spinach with a plate of green veg (more spinach) and I had a sausage tortellini with a side of tomatoes. It was meant to be a quick meal so we could head back to the B&B for our champers, only we got chatting to a lovely mother and daughter form Canada. On returning we we found our free bottle of chilled Spamanti naturally we opened it and forced ourselves to stay awake long enough to enjoy the sweet bubbles of the sparkling wine, before drifting off for another sleep in our over sized bed.

No flavour continued... by Jo

My uncle came to collect us at 8am and off we went to Stanstead airport. All went according to the itinerary... which Nayera kept in her phone for peace of mind. We arrived into Pisa and collected our hire car, a new fiat punto which was very nice.

The drive to Casa Bellavista was about two and half hours and fairly straightforward, a taster of some beautiful countryside. If you want to have a look at their website you can find it here

We get our amazing tuscan guest house at 5.30ish and stare out at the wonderful views from our room. We are very lucky that we are the only guests as May is the the start of the season.

Simonetta our host welcomes us and recommends a local restaurant. It was very expensive and we ate 3 courses (no room for dessert) not realising we could just have pasta, although I think in a posh restaurant this is frowned upon. We had Brushetta, nutty tagliatelle, chickpea soup, lemon chicken, pork chop. Later we drive back to our lovely big bed.

No Icecream today but so many flavours to come....

OUR HONEYMOON IN ITALY, No Flavour

Seemed a long day - Nayera

This page seemed very empty for the first page of our honeymoon adventures so I'm going to introduce my wife's anecdotes of Italy - Tuscanny, Rome and Sorrento. These are the tales of Eeyore, my Eeyore, who wasn't 100% happy about leaving our new home and our beloved Alfie and Smudge but she trusted me and my crazy ideas and came on adventures with me. I hope from reading these tales that you'll agree we had a wonderful time together, we laughed, we argghhheedd, we cried... I did it Dad... but it has been so rewarding and we are so very glad we went and so very glad we got married 9 months ago. - Jo

Here Here - Nayera

I hope you enjoy reading about our travels as much as we enjoyed going on them. If our next adventures will be closer to home, I think I'm ready. Thank you Nayera I love you x