Life at Casa Giulia has been delightfully — if not a little weirdly quiet these days. A few guests have come and gone, but with Giulia and her family back in Lecce, Laura and I are left to our own devices. Don’t get me wrong, I’m still having a great time, but sometimes it’s hard to stay motivated to weed olive trees or pick up trash around the farm when it seems like nobody else gives a shit.
Fortunately, Giulia’s mom, Teresa, lent us her Volkswagen convertible Beetle, so Laura and I have made it a point to get out every day to go for a swim, hike, or see a new place. It is really special to have so much time here, because there are so many nooks and crannies and bad freaking ass caves to explore, we’ve not been at a loss for things to do.
For example, the other day we took Willow (the dog) to Porto Selvaggio. He doesn’t get out much, and was terrified when we shoved him into the back of the car (who knows where he went the last time he was in a car), but was ecstatic when he realized he was going to the beach. We took him on a good scramble up to the torre, to the point where I had to lift him up rocks, but he did great. While we were there, I wanted to get some pics of my favorite cave, in an attempt to show you a sliver of the epic beauty of the place. Laura trusted me enough to swim in the cave with her phone, and so voila — jump off this rock and swim under it into this magical place.
The other day Laura and I headed south of Gallipoli to check out a stretch of coastline, and took a nice long walk on the rocky beach. We found a cool pirate looking bar and restaurant but it had closed for the season. Things are getting more and more quiet around here.
Yesterday, Laura and I talked Teresa into joining us on a trip to the Adriatic coast. Neither of us had been to the east coast of the heel of the boot, and we wanted to check it out, although we were convinced that the Ionian side is better, because what can beat it? But after driving along the stunning coastline with dramatic cliffs and beach towns that reminded me of the Amalfi coast, we both reconsidered our loyalty to the Ionian.
We saw the Grotta della Poesia and had a nice lunch in Otranto, but my favorite place was Castro. There was a cute little “marina” and seaside bars, with a historic center and a Byzantine church up on the cliffs. Apparently Hannibal came through and destroyed the town in 2 A.D. or whatever and the thought of even trying to comprehend the deep and complex history of the place is over my head. It is a rich place in history, resources, and nature.
There are also tons of caves on the Adriatic side. I’ve become very fond of caves, if you couldn’t tell. Unfortunately we ran out of time and couldn’t explore the caves on our little day trip, but if I have enough time in the next three days (hah) I would love to go back. On the horizon I could see the mountains of Albania, which was comforting because I realized how close my next stop it.
Yes, I’m going to Albania. It is a quick 8 hour ferry ride across the Adriatic Sea, and it made sense as my next logical stop. But didn’t want to wander around Albania alone, so I contacted another Workaway host and they asked me to come help on their farm, help them host a yoga retreat, and then at the end of my trip, stay for a writers retreat. How synchronistic, eh? Maybe writing all these blog posts will have a purpose after all.
I mean, we will see how it goes. I don’t really know what I’m getting myself into, but such is traveling. I have been feeling a bit itchy to get some surfing in, but all in all I have been pleasantly surprised with how well I’ve handled not surfing in forever. I’ve also been spending a lot of time in spectacular water, which helps. And, I can surf at home. For now I’m trying to push myself in new directions (literally, east, ha ha).
Still coveting thy neighbor’s grapes
As for now, I’m enjoying my last few days at Casa Giulia. The evenings are quiet. Laura and I play music, make dinner, drink Giulia’s nice wine, and have pulled out a 1,000 piece puzzle that will be a race to finish before I leave. I have three rows of olive trees left to finish, which I am determined to do, if only for my own satisfaction. I’m also hoping to finish Anna Karenina before I leave so I can have a fresh start and be rid of the mess of a love story that is that saga. Lofty goals.
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