The end of our road trip, Bologna: the red, fat and learned city and the stomach of Italy. Finding Fabbri Amarena cherries. The journey home through Diano Marina on the Italian Riviera, Nîmes – the French Rome - and back to Spain. Home again, reunion with Pippa and our grandchildren.

Home again, Madrid, Sunday, 30th June, 2024

Finding Fabbri's Amarena black cherries in Bologna

Good morning everyone.

It’s hard to believe I’m writing this week’s blog post from home and not from some wonderful or not so wonderful, town, village or city in Southern Europe or Asia Minor where we have spent the last two months or so.

It’s hard to believe our road trip is over. Did we really drive over 10.500 kilometres and visit France, Italy, Albania, Kosovo, North Macedonia, Greece and Turkey without forgetting little San Marino in 55 days?  When we set off on 4^th May the route we would take wasn’t completely worked out. We did things slowly and went where our whim took us or nearly always. The only thing we had clear was that we wanted to see the ancient cities of Troy, Ephesus, Miletus, Priene  as well as the Travertines of Pamukakale and two other ancient cities, Hierapolis and Laodicea near Pamukkale.  It was also clear we were not going to venture further and that we would spend much more time in Italy.   Out of the 55 days, 28 were spent in Italy which we absolutely adored. Maybe we were there too long but it didn’t feel like that to me. We got to know it quite well and saw a lot of the country. Of course, there is still lots to see so I’m sure we will be back. Sicily and the Lakes, for example, await us.

Last Sunday found us still in Italy. Our last stop before beginning the journey home   was  in Bologna, in Italy of course. We chose to stay there because it was on route  from the Rimini area when I looked it up on Google Maps. In the end it was a good choice.

Bologna is home to Europe’s oldest University founded in 1088 and the second oldest in the world after the University of Al Quaraouiyine in Fez which was founded in 859. That got me interested to see which are the others in the list of the 15^th oldest in the world and they are, in this order: Oxford,  Salamanca (Spain), Paris, Cambridge, Al-Azhar (Cairo), Padua, Montpellier, Naples Federico II, Siena, Coimbra (Portugal), Naples L’Orientale, Macereta and Valladolid (Spain). Bit of interesting trivia for you. I love trivia don’t you? Eladio told me Copernincus was one of the most famous alumni from Bologna University. He would know wouldn't he?

We left our lovely Airbnb apartment, later than usual and believe it or not it was raining and the temperature had plummeted to around 20ºc which felt very refreshing. But the rain did not spoil our day as it only rained on and off. 

We headed for the main square, the Piazza Maggiore and oh my goodness there was more to see in that square alone than in the rest of the city or so it looked, that is if you count the square next to it, Piazza Nettuno,  which is really just a continuation of the main square. I had told Eladio I was on tourist guide strike, that I didn’t want to see another duomo or palazzo and that I didn’t want to walk around with my phone in my hand and Google Maps on. But I quit the strike as soon as I entered these two very impressive squares. Bologna is called the red city because of its red rooftops. For you to get an idea, here are a few shots of just some of the major buildings in these two squares. Once again, we were impressed. Italy is amazing.

The amazing palaces in the Piazza Maggiore and Piazza Neptuno in Bologna

We only went into the Cathedral, made of brick which is apparently unfinished and one of the largest in the world. Mass was going on with very few worshippers I should add.

The Cathedral of Bologna in the Piazza Maggiore

Bologna is also the food capital of Italy, often referred to as La Pancia (the stomach) or "la grassa" (the fat one).  It’s also called “la dotta” (the learned one) because of its university. .Being very interested in my stomach, I was keen  to find the main food street called Via degli Orefici  which is part of a food area referred to as the Quadrilatero. This is where I came across a shop called Fabbri selling the famous Amarena cherries in syrup. I had last tasted them when in Turin in the summer after Sixth Form. All the gelati I had in Italy were Amarena flavoured and I had looked for these delicious cherries  all over Italy and it was in a shop called Fabbri in the food quarter of Bologna where I found them. There I was told they are from  Bologna. I was so happy to find them.

Fabbri Amarena cherries in syrup. They are divine.

Funnily enough, I had found them on Amazon.es a while back and they cost the same, around 12 euros per jar. But it was far more fun to buy them from the original shop.  I got two, one for us and one for Olivia and family. This week's feature photo is of me coming out with my treasured produce.

Eladio wasn’t too interested in the cherries that I had always remembered from my trip to Turin all those years ago.  He was  keener to see two famous towers – one of them slightly leaning, a bit like the ones we had seen in San Gimignano. We were in luck as they were right next to the Fabbri shop. These are them.

Leaning towers in Bologna too

He was also very  keen on seeing the famous “portici” (porticoes)of Bologna – he had done some homework that day.  So with Google Maps in the palm of his hand (again), we walked to them. They are a Unesco World Heritage Site and we saw plenty of them that day. They were built in the Middle Ages as a projection of private houses to increase living space. There are 40km of them in the city alone and some of them  are very beautiful. They are also an excellent way to walk without getting wet in the rain.

Posing under one of the beautiful porticoes in Bologna last Sunday

Just as we got to the main ones – the ones with frescoes, it began to rain. Also, it was coffee time so we stopped at  Caffè Zanarini under one of the porticoes in the Piazza Galvani. That’s where we had  one of our last cappuccinos and latte macchiatos in Italy which were of the highest standing. Here I am enjoying my cappuccino with extra froth from Eladio’s latte as he doesn’t like froth in his coffee, hahaha.

One of my last cappuccinos was in Bologna last Sunday

We sat and enjoyed our coffees and whiled the time away until the rain ceased. We both agreed that Bologna had surprised us with what it has to offer. We still had the canals to see but decided against them as they were far away and our stomachs were already rumbling in anticipation of lunch.

Lunch was at home – lamb chops from that marvellous supermarket Essalunga – the best in Italy. We then spent a quiet and lazy afternoon; our last on this slow paced road trip.

Monday came and we started our journey home. We headed for the Italian Riviera past Genova where I had booked a room at Sasso Hotel in a small beach town called Diano Marina. We had stopped there on our way home last year and found it charming. The drive across Italy was about 400km.

We had an uneventful journey with Eladio at the wheel the whole way. It also rained the whole way and was a pity to arrive on the beautiful Italian Riviera in such weather. Diano Marina is near San Remo and Imperia on the part of the Riviera referred to as the Riviera dei fiori (Riviera of flowers). 

It took us a while to find our new home for one night, an apartment at the Sasso Hotel in the centre, near the main streets and beach. 

I had work to do when I arrived; deal with my HP PC not connecting to Internet. HP were hopeless. The whole process was Kafkian. Thankfully, I solved it myself in the end. It was the Express VPN app that was blocking internet. Easy if you know, not easy if you don't. Finally I was back in the connected world and didn't have to rely on Eladio's PC to write my blog and do other things.

Later the sun came out and we went out to explore the town. We were right next to the main street which is parallel to the seaside. We remembered it well from last year and enjoyed a walk on the promenade. Once again I found it funny just how built up the beach is with huts and sun beds. There was hardly a free spot to put a towel on.

The beach in Diano Marina is full of private beaches

I still find that funny. We had walked past a bar on the beachfront with people drinking Aperol Spritz, that very Italian cocktail which is so popular in the UK and I wanted one. I wanted one on our last night in Italy. And I got one which I nursed for at least an hour while enjoying the company of my husband and our surroundings. It felt like we were still on holiday and we were, albeit, at the very end of it.

Enjoying an Apero Spritz on our last night in Italy

I had been very good in Italy and had only had one twice; once in Cinque Terre and then on my last night. While drinking it, I toasted my friend Geraldine who introduced me to this drink. She was having one at the same time in Spain while enjoying the bonfires on the beach as it was the night of St. John there.

We then walked back and  on the way bought some expensive but exquisite fruit, including some delicious and fat medjool dates from Israel sold to us by a Moroccan. Our final stop was a not-too-bad supermarket called Pam where I got lots of ready to make risotto packets to take home, as well as something for dinner. However, after the cocktail which I had with crisps and peanuts, I was not hungry. But I still had something on our very pleasant terrace.

Soon it was time for the Spain Albania knockout match which Eladio watched on my PC that was working by then. I was glad that my adopted country won 1-0 but surely they should have scored more goals? Eladio said Spain didn't play that well. However, in the standings of the knockout phase it is the country with most points (9), so far. Let's see how they progress. They play Georgia tonight who stunned Portugal beating Ronaldo's team 2-0. Amazing. So it won't be a walk in the park. The Georgians will be very hungry to win. 

On Tuesday morning I was up at 6 am. That day we had breakfast at the hotel as it was included in the price - something quite unusual these days, and it was excellent.  We were continuing our journey home and would sleep in Nîmes that night; another long drive.  We were leaving Italy and that morning crossed the border into France, except that these days, in the EU, there are no borders; just sign posts. Even so, I had to have a photo of us entering France on the Côte d'Azur.

Entering France from Italy on Tuesday morning

It was ciao Italia and bonjour la France. It was motorways all the way to Nîmes, a medium sized town with a lot of Roman heritage, I had heard. We had booked an Airbnb very near the centre historique, just a stone's throw from the famous Arene (Amphitheatre). I liked it  - no grout, modern, sleek and lovely decor. I mean the apartment haha. Eladio never worries about the grout or decor so didn't get why I liked it, hahahha. Check in time was not until 3 pm but Thierry and Pascal let us check in early which was much appreciated. The Mini was happy to be in a private garage too.

Olivia, my daughter who once did a travel programme there, told me it was in Nîmes that denim cloth was invented - "de Nîmes". I told her it was famous for its Roman Empire heritage which she knew of course. Apparently, its nickname; the French Rome, comes from the many Roman remains we would see later in the day. The good thing this time is that we weren't going to see ruins but buildings that have remained almost intact.

First we tended to our stomachs and made lunch with what we had and ate it on the huge terrace which was nearly as big as the apartment. Later in the evening, we wandered out to see the main sights which are the amazing Arene or Amphitheatre, practically intact since 100AD, the Maison Carre; a Roman Temple also built in 100AD as well as the Jardins de La Fontaine. I'm sure there was more to see but it was enough for us.

We were very impressed with the Amphitheatre which is now used for bull fighting and music events. I suppose bull fighting is not that far away from gladiator fighting - honestly! Here is a partial view.

The Arene or Colesseum in Nimes built shortly after the one in Rome in 100AD

It was built around 100 AD shortly after the Colosseum of Rome. We went inside and were equally impressed at the enormity of it. If I shut my eyes I could imagine the scene of Roman subjects watching gladiators or animals fighting and the lives they lived thousands of years ago. 

Inside the enormous Amphitheatre in Nîmes

I wonder if those who built it ever thought that in the year 2000 it would still be standing and tourists would visit it, like us on Tuesday. 

From there we walked to the next most important Roman building, the Maison Carrée (Square house in French).  On our way we passed numerous cafes with lots of people watching the France Poland match in the street. Eladio was most interested in the football; I was most interested in the spectacle before my eyes. 

Everybody was watching the France Poland match in the street on giant screens in Nîmes on Tuesday. 

I took a video as the moment was quite special. 

Football in the street in Nîmes

The match must have been boring as it ended in a 1-1 draw. We continued our sightseeing and walked towards the Roman Temple. That was impressive, I must say.

The Maison Carrée in Nîmes an ancient Roman Temple

It is apparently one of the best preserved Roman temples of the Roman Empire. It was dedicated to Galus and Lucius Caeser, grandsons and adopted heirs of Augustus who both died young. 

From there we walked alongside the canal on a pretty tree lined boulevard which led to the famous gardens. I read later that they are considered to be among the first public gardens in Europe. We didn't spend long there, but enough to appreciate their beauty and significance.

Les Jardins de La Fontaine in Nîmes

We then walked slowly back to our apartment stopping at a Carrefour Express to get something for dinner. I had hoped to find a Monoprix but it was not to be.

Dinner was on the terrace and then it was blog writing time, photo sharing time and leisure time. My leisure time on this road trip has been watching Our Girl on the BBC iPlayer or reading a novel by Freida McFadden who is very entertaining. 

Wednesday dawned, the day we were returning to Spain. It was the last but one morning when we had to pack to leave for another location. We know the routine but it was so funny to see Eladio trying to close our large and broken suitcase by applying the pressure of his whole body on it. I had to have a photo of this behind the scene's moment which I'm sure will make you laugh.

Leaving Nîmes on Wednesday morning - a behind the scenes moment of our road trip.

We only had to drive 298km which took us about 3.5h. It was funny to see signs to Barcelona on the A9 and to think that we were near home. I was driving as we passed the sign post border so there is no picture to record the moment. We soon arrived at our hotel, Hotel Sausa, where we had stayed last year. It's a bit of a Spanish Fawlty Towers place but is conveniently located next to the A2 motorway to Madrid. Last year we got a dreadful room but this year the room was super; much larger, refurbished and with a view to the pool. 

It's Fawlty Towers in a Catalan way. The hotel is in Gerona, the most pro Catalan province. The lady who runs it is slow, unsmiling,  unwelcoming and is reluctant to speak Spanish. All the signs around the hotel are first in Catalan, then in English or French and then in German - not one word in Spanish. That doesn't make you feel welcome. However, and unlike the British comedy series, the food is good and we remembered that. As soon as we had checked into our new room, we went down for lunch. I had to google translate the photo of the menu in Catalan. Some of it was untranslatable but we got the gist. Eladio had soup and some sort of beef ragout. I had gazpacho (finally) and a local sausage called butifarra. It was  a simple menu of the day for 15 euros but my husband declared it the best meal of the trip. Again he said there is no food like in Spain. He has a point. It was all delicious and not at all expensive. 

One of the main pulls for visiting Spain, in my opinion, is the food, not just the beaches - the best in Europe (I can assure you). This week I read an article from Conde Nast Traveller which predicts that Spain, the second most visited country in the world  will overtake the top spot from France, with an expected 110 million visitors per year by 2040. Having visited many of the most popular countries in the world, I can see that happening. It was great to be back in my adopted country, even if we were in Catalonia at a quirky hotel. 

We were not the only people going home that day. Julian Assange, of Wikileaks fame, was on his way to Australia after a deal was struck with the US. Of the 18 charges which would have given him a life sentence, they dropped all but 1 and his 5 or so years at Belmarsh in the UK, served to release him. I think it was about time. I am all for freedom of expression and although he broke some laws it was a good thing. What wasn't good was that he was subjected to solitary confinement 24h a day in one of the harshest prisons in the UK. Now he can finally enjoy freedom in his home country and get on with life. That was good news. 

During our road trip we did not watch the news as such, although, of course, we followed the main events in the world. That afternoon we chilled out, sleeping a short siesta and then going down to the excellent swimming pool that belongs to the hotel and which we had to ourselves. 

The pool at Hotel Sausa in Gerona where we spent most of the afternoon on Wednesday

It made me think of the wonderful pools at Blue Bay and Villa Coppitella in Greece and Italy and  their incredible infinity pools. But we still enjoyed the hotel pool and stayed  until it was nearly time for dinner. 

Then it was pistachio and wine time and downstairs again for a funny dinner. I say funny because all the guests made their way to the beautiful terrace dining room only to be told by the short tempered owner that we should go to another dining room; a small and dingy one. Then there was only one menu for everyone and in Catalán again. Each table had a different nationality and I had to help out a family of Norwegians who took a photo of my Spanish menu to translate. The dinner menu was the same as the lunch menu but we were not complaining. It was a funny end to our road trip but part of the adventure.

Thursday came, the day we were going home after nearly 2 months away. We would have the longest drive, over 700km but we gave it our all to get home in one day and one piece. It was the last time we had to load the car and the last day of our wonderful road trip. It seemed to take forever until we were in front of the gates of our enormous house. All I wanted to do was rush out of the car and run to Pippa, our miniature chocolate dachshsund who I had missed so much. Soon she was in my arms and she went from mine to Eladio's and back. I could tell she had been well looked after by Tana. However, for the first week of our absence, she went on hunger strike and spent most of the day sitting at the top of the drive waiting for us. After that, she got used to her new reality and befriended many of the guests, especially Leticia.  I asked Tana to take a photo of Pippa and me to remember the moment which was so, so special. I couldn't stop hugging, holding, stroking and kissing my dear, sweet and very loyal dog.

 

Shortly after I was reunited with Pippa

I came home to find my ballot papers for voting by post in the UK elections but it's too late to send my vote.  It would never get there in time. In any case, the choice I had was not very inspiring. Just look at it.

An uninspiring list of candidates for Bradford West

There was so much to unpack that  it took me until dinner time. Dinner was alfresco on the patio outside the kitchen, everyone's favourite place in the summer. I had made a huge online order from Carrefour so we had the luxury of  enjoying gazpacho for dinner which we had with a Spanish tortilla made by Tana, followed by thick black cherries and melon - the latter bought in Italy. 

It was good to see Mohammad and Sarang who will be leaving next week for Alicante where they will be doing an internship at the David Ferrer tennis academy. I will really miss Mohammad. I met two other guests, Jess and Paco - nice people and 4 more came the next day. It was full house this weekend.

It was also good to sleep in our own bed and have the luxury of space in our quarters with no problem of sockets and plugs like in Italy. We were soon watching the news, a first since we left on 4th May but there was nothing really interesting. It's the same old woes. So I turned to Our Girl on the BBC iPlayer. It was warm in our room and we needed the air con. Only then could I sleep. And I slept relatively well until 6.30 on Friday morning.

We had so much to do that day; lot of errands that included coffee at Alverán. I had missed that part of our routine. I had to have a photo to remember the moment. As I wrote on social media; "you know life is back to normal when you have a coffee at Alverán". 

Life was back to normal on Friday - coffee at Alverán

A big task we had that morning was to buy a new fridge. Our huge General Electric double door fridge we had brought from our other house and which is at least 22 years old is on its last legs. We found a very modern Samsung branded fridge which looked great. I just hope it will also last another 22 years. They are coming to install it on Wednesday so let's see. I am looking forward to the techie part, if all the Samsung blurb about their intelligent fridges is real. We'll see.

Our afternoon was quiet although the house was full of guests - 9 in all. The evening was not quiet but was a delight. Oli and family came for dinner which was  wonderful as we hadn't seen them since we left. It was especially sweet to be reunited with Elliot and Juliet who have grown so much in our absence. I made a an Italian dinner for all including some Prosecco but forget to get out the Limoncello liqueur. The kids were happy they were having pizza. You can't go wrong when you serve children pizza or spaghetti bolognese can you? Here is a photo I took during dinner.

Reunion family dinner on Friday night

They came bearing an orchid plant in full bloom which Elliot handed to me. Thank you sweetie. I love it. We had so much to tell each other and not enough time but no doubt over the coming weeks we can catch up properly. I want to hear more about Oli's experience in "Vegas" and in Bordeaux and we have lots to tell them about our road trip.

The memories of our road trip are still fresh but will fade over time. But no worries, it's all here in my blog and in a file I created. The overall memories are good; what an amazing time we had. But it's also good to be back home. There is no place like home is there?

Saturday was quiet and we spent it practically alone. Once again we went out on errands and had coffee at Alverán. Tana had the weekend off so I did the cooking and Eladio did the washing up, just as we did on the road trip. I still feel as if we had just landed as it's taking a while acclimatising to normal life but oh what an adventure we have had; one we shall never forget.

Today is Sunday and will be quiet too with not much to tell. Well there is the football, of course which will entertain my husband but not me so much. I must stop now and get on with the day. Thank you all for following our travels and for all your comments and likes. They mean a lot as otherwise who I am writing for?

Cheers then till next Sunday.

Masha