micetrail

Well I have to say, Portugal is as inviting as I remember. I’m finding it a very easy place to be and haven’t had to listen to the daily harangue of “who shall not be named” in the press. I came here to see if this is a place to survive for the next four years and yes, I believe it is. I’ll be heading out tomorrow with Nuno, my real estate agent, to check out some places. We (Jano and I) have been to the south and stayed in Tavira which we liked as a town. However the region of the Algarve where many of the expats have homes, was a little too Miami Beach for my liking. Expats are mainly English and German. If you want to live on the beach and bake this would be an ideal place. 

The next stop was Porto, north of Lisbon and a little too long of a drive from Tavira. Of course we took national roads instead of the auto-estrada and several side trips where we got lost and went around in circles a couple of times.  The national roads are much more pleasant and you can get a good feel for the countryside but you do have to allow for the time.  

Next stop was Lisbon and from my “very long ago” memories, it doesn’t disappoint.  We’ve still got a couple more weeks here but already I feel at home.  Everyone is  generous and relaxed. Tomorrow is my first house-hunting day. Wish me luck. 

Discover hideaways in the Presidio. This one on the Ecology trail. 

A fantastic production of Troilus and Cressida in Central Park. Battles, special effects, wonderful interpretation and excellent acting by all. 

Then if you’re up for it, head down to Delancy Street for dinner at Charrua, a Uruguayan Bistro. Just don’t go when it’s hot as the AC is minimal. 

Just off of Delancy is Shakespeare in the Parking Lot. A comedic Merchant of Venice is happening there Thurs- Sat. 

I loooove New York. 

Lots of goodies to see and activities to participate in at the Marina.

Hanging around Taormina and enjoying the sites, sounds, sun and serenity.  We had a bit of an excursion getting here via Messina. Thinking we could take a short cut off the autostrada it became apparent that a 2 hour trip would take 16 hours (according to google maps). Decided it was better to get back on the autostrada and not try to drive over Mt Etna.  We have a lovely view of the Sea in our little Airbnb. The waves are soothing and I just had a delicious meal of crostini with anchovies and cheese and seafood ravioli. Some folks living on Malta and sitting next to me said it’s the best meal they’ve had since Capri!  La de da. 

As a point of advice in visiting the town of Taormina from the shoreline is to take the cable car and to NOT 🚦drive if you can help it. The streets are narrow and they have these humongous buses traveling up and down the winding roads up the hill. The Greek Theatre is definitely something to see and the town of Taormina is lovely. 

Further up is Castlemore with its Norman ruin. Not much to see except the town and the views of Etna. Definitely DO NOT drive up here if possible. Crazy.  I didn’t want to wait for the city bus going up so paid a taxi 15 euros to head on up. Managed to take a city bus down for 1.90 euros…the way to go if you have the time. 

Heading out for some cannoli and coffee with sis now. 

It’s amazing what one can organize in a couple of days. My travel partner had to bow out 4 days before we were to head for Italy. Although traveling solo is totally fine, it’s better if planned that way. I scrambled to see which of my buds might be able to turnaround on such short notice and to my utter amazement roped in my sis who was just returning from Costa Rica. If there’s a will there’s a way.

We flew into Rome, took the train into the Central Station (definitely the way to go). If you’re not sure of your schedule, just buy them there. Follow the yellow train signs for about a 5-10 minute walk in the terminal to the station.  No need to punch your ticket anymore at any kiosk. 

From the Central Station, which is a bit of a madhouse, it’s easy to purchase tickets to Naples where we were headed. Seems a train every 20 minutes. In Naples we headed to an Airbnb and made our first mistake by taking the metro. It’s as if your heading for the bowels of the earth as you escalate down about 4 levels. It seemed even deeper than Moscow’s metro. It’s quite cheap however….1 euro. You can skip the tourist ticket office if you have a couple of euros and an idea where you are going.  There are machines at the entrance to the particular lines. Our mistake was is we headed the wrong direction when we exited the metro causing us quite a walk with bags etc.  And we were not completely aware of the six flights of stairs at our destination.  

Definitely don’t miss the Napoli Archaeology Museum. We enjoyed it more thoroughly after our visit to Ercolana and Pompeii. 

The next day we headed to Herculaneum and Pompei. We did the touring in that order and we’re definitely happy with that decision. “Herky” was quiet, smaller and much more intimate. Also fewer tourists. Pompei had a lot of areas closed due to a major renovation they are doing. It looks to never be completed. 

Now in Palermo heading out for a food tour.