europe 2018

This summer Gary and I visited Europe again. We spent time in three countries. We started off in London just for a couple days. Then we went to Italy and stayed in Peschici, drove through a national forest up a mountain to Monte Sant' Angelo, and ended our time staying in a medieval manor estate/hotel in Fasano. Then we flew to Paris and stayed there a few days before returning to Toronto.

Highlights of our trip included the easy trip from the Scranton airport with absolutely no one in the security line, laughing and driving through the night to catch our flight to London from Boston, meals at the Landmark in London, hearing the ocean at night at Hotel Marcavallo, the quirky front desk guy who kept saying "cool-a," being served a lovely pasta meal by a mother-daughter team at a tiny restaurant a walk from our hotel, driving through the incredible forest, people thinking we were French, finding homemade breadsticks in a tiny Italian town, the amazing hotel in Fasano - Masserina Salamina, meals at this hotel and picnics on the deck, meeting all sorts of nice people including a family from the US, falafels at Le Marias in Paris, seeing the Eiffel Tower, finding one of our favorite restaurants in Paris, Rue Cler dinners, meeting our "adopted" son in the airport - we helped him fly to Toronto from Paris. And of course, gelato.

ravello

Our hotel in Ravello was so beautiful there was really no need to leave the grounds. We decided to have a low key day there. We ate a nice breakfast (complete with fruits, pastries, fresh squeezed apple ginger juice and the most delicious herbal tea from vervain leaves). Then we got some work done in the room, explored the gardens, and worked out in the exercise room. I took lots of photos. 

Eventually in the late afternoon we left the hotel and walked around Ravello. We decided to return to the same restaurant for dinner. The elderly woman owner was there again. We found out her name -- Netta. When she saw we were repeat guests she warmed up to us and we even got a smile out of her.  Later she insisted we have the lemon cake for desert on the house. I left after giving her a personal thank you for her hospitality and she gave me a kiss goodbye. Ah Italy! 

to ravello

We bid Positano and our favorite waiter goodbye and got ready for our next stop. Travel days were really fun because we had guides to help us. This day our guide was a sweet young woman named Ornella. She helped us to the ferry and purchased tickets for us while we got a cold drink. On the way to Ravello she showed us a beautiful church with many steps. She walked us up the back way to the front door of the church and on the door was the image of Saint Francis. Ornella explained that the locals always touch his face before they enter the church, rand after so many years the patina surface has been rubbed off to show the gold underneath.

We arrived by ferry and then were driven up a mountain on windy roads until we reached our hotel. We were so high up that the weather was cooler, the air quieter. 

That night we had dinner in the small town of Ravello. We went to a little restaurant owned by an old woman named Netta who was dressed in an apron, dress and a big fake red flower in her hair. She had run the restaurant since she was young. Newspaper articles on the wall showed a younger version of this sparky Italian woman. She waited on us herself...and was all business with us, but the food was incredible. We had bean soup, pasta with red sauce, and penne with fish and potatoes. It tasted like something your grandmother would make for you.