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Day 4 Puglia Experience

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Friday, day 3 of the tour. This morning we headed to Trani, a small fishing port. As soon as we arrived it reminded us of a place we had visited in Greece called Chania. First selfie of the holiday, no selfie stick, with Trani harbour in the background. Locals swimming and sunbathing Trani style   Trani working port. We walked along the port’s foreshore and visited the Templar Knights’ church. This church is very different from many that you see throughout Europe as it is not adorned with gold leaf, paintings, statues,  elaborate carvings. It was thought to be built by the Knights Templar in the 12th century and was a place of blessing for those setting out on a crusade as it is built right on the port. No pictures etc just beautiful plain stone. I found this refreshingly beautiful.  Simply stated.  The exterior of this very impressive church. The original front door of the church now placed inside to protec...
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Day 3 - Puglia Experience

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Day starts at 9.30am. First stop was a visit to an olive oil mill. I was thinking ‘exciting!!!!’ But I was wrong as it was very informative and I am gob smacked to think the oil we are using is good olive oil but it isn’t.  Puglia has over 50 million olive trees and the average age of the trees are approx 600years old. The olive trees at this mill are young approx 200 years old. We were shown the process from start to finish of the oil making process. Angelo also gave us  helpful hints on what to look for when buying good olive oil. If the bottle has the word ‘frantoio’ this  means it comes directly from a mill and is good. The letters s v l on the bottle are not good meaning they are from a big company and often includes a blend of oils and the letters s n c = small company which is also good. I don’t think I will tell you what some big companies use when blending their so called olive oil as it might put you off your dinner if eating. Next stop was a ...
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Day 2 - Pulia Experience

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Today we started our 4 day guided tour with Angelo of the Puglia region. Meeting him in our Bed and Breakfast lobby along with the other 4 travellers that will be with us from America. Judy and Jimmy from Florida and Pat and Kevin from New York. First stop a walk around Gioia (Joyo) to see the castle, it’s museum and the historical quarter. The Norman-Swabian Castle located in the centre of the village. The original core of the building was built during the Byzantine era around the year 1000. A few decades later the Normans added to it and the Throne Hall in this lovely! pic above was built by the Swabians in 1230. Next stop was a lovely town called Altamura. This town is famous for its DOP(designation of origin) bread. This bread is made by local bakers, which hand down the original recipe through generations. The ingredients are sourced only from the local area and the wheat is a type that is only grown in this part of Italy thus the DOP classification. ...
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Day 1 - Long flight to Pulia

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Left home at approx 4.30 to embark on the long journey to the northern hemisphere. Very proud of a minimal pack this time as we usually take the kitchen sink with us but NO both bags well below the limit. Ventured to the business class lounge, yep we booked business class otherwise there would be a stop over somewhere as the thought of travelling for 36 hours, not being able to sleep, cramped in a small space was too daunting. First champers of the trip at our new home business( if only) Up up and away at approx 10pm a bit late. Settled into the new surroundings which was very tough to get used to!!!!!   Oh how good. First destination Doha 15 hrs later with approx 6 hrs sleep. Doha airport massive. Just one of the many unusual features of the airport. This giant bear made of bronze was purchased by the King’s daughter from America with a price tag of $6 million. Imagine the logistics of transporting...
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