Apparently its Monday. I just realized I have lost track of time and date quite efficiently due to complete immersion of my holiday head into the impressionable Italian summer. In the nearly two weeks I have already been here family has surrounded me. It has been a treat we all had been anticipating for months earlier, and to have it in action proved very special. Spending long hours in the sweltering heat playing with 18 month-old Charlie was a definite highlight. Cutest little man in the world. Also seeing Marilu’s family and getting to know her sisters was fun, especially at the third hens party at a Lido, super packed with chairs and umbrellas housing far too many bodies. Three mojitos later and we are swimming, literally and figuratively.
Frequenting beaches and towns in the region of Brindisi during that week before and after the wedding itself, we all got a glimpse of the culture and laid back life of these passionate Italians. We ate communally and separately, one exquisite evening spent at Polignano e Mare at a fancy seafood restaurant, blown away by the octopus entre and raw sea bas deliciousness. My black wormy pasta filled with clams and cuttlefish, and the local red wine, ahh bliss!
Jays wedding was lovely, everyone came away more than satisfied, and a little more than hung over in some cases. So it’s my fault if I force feed tequila to you when you are obviously asking for it still being up at 3.30am? Well I had to get rid of the stuff, otherwise I would’ve had to drink it myself and no one wants to see that, trust me!
The van carrying mum, Barbie, Charlie and dad, Larry driving, detached from the surreal holiday in the beautiful Trulli of the region, headed toward the city of Pompeii. We arrived exhausted, but determined to utilize time and walk through the ruins. The still active volcano Mt Vesuvius covered the Roman city in 79AD, so insanely preserved is this huge area of ruins that it is very cool, but drippy and sticky in reality, when walking through the vastness of the place is surprising and it is too crazy to imagine the world that lived here once upon a long time ago.
The van drove off after a morning snaking along the windy road of the Amalfi coastline: no parks and too many bodies, through Pompeii and heading North, I jump out and get left behind to explore more over the next month. The hostel manager tried to get me drunk last night, many laughs and so much welcome, I find myself, as always, content to float along whatever path my feet lead me on in this adventure we call travel.
