Minori, Amalfi Coast - Authentic village life

After spending four nights blissfully soaking in the treasures and wonders of Santorini, it was hard to imagine that any of our following locations could muster up the same kind of emotional and awe-filled response. Yet, we were still giving Italy a good go to try and come close to it. We jumped on a plane from Athens and very quickly arrived in Naples.

Leading up to our stay in Italy, I had been in correspondence with our hosts for our accommodation. After many translated messages, and some interpreting of mismatched words, I had a good idea of the warmth and friendliness of our first host in Minori. He had always been very joyful and enthusiastic in his communication, something I myself try to convey when conversing with strangers. However, no amount of words could have prepared me for the absolute bundle of joy this man was. When we finally arrived in Minori, after an hour of swerving and winding through the mountains, we arrived in our town and waited to meet our host. It was easy to spot him down the road, with his enormous smile blocking the street, along with his outstretched arms inviting us all in to not only his town but also a piece of his heart. When he finally finished the 20metre walk of outstretched arms, he enveloped me and planted two typical Italian kisses on my cheeks before holding them in his hands like he was welcoming in a close relative. He then proceeded to do this ceremony with the rest of us, breaking down any discomfort of not speaking each other’s language very well. We felt like we had arrived home.

Speaking of home, after dragging our bags up another steep 100-something stairs, he opened up the big, blue doors to his holiday house. The sight of it instantly evoked a sigh of awe and relief as we fell in love with the interior that so aptly suited this Italian, smiling, sunny man. The detailed tiles carried through into the large, open kitchen and then into the living room and bedroom. The doors that appeared to be cupboards opened up to a cosy bathroom, again decorated in stunning, detailed tiles. The big finale of his presentation of the house, the “ta-da” moment, was when the balcony doors were proudly pushed open to reveal a brilliant view; the town’s church steeple could be seen at eye level with a backdrop of the sea. Perfect!

After sharing a quick espresso on the beach with our friend, he left us to bathe in the serenity of Minori and have our first dip in our local beach. It really did have such an authentic, local feel. There were no tourists to be seen, and the beach was covered with passionate Italian-speaking families, couples, soccer-playing kids, tanning grandmas and bloated grandpas. The temperature was immaculate and the sunset wasn’t all too bad, either!

Our time spent in Minori was incredible. Each morning we would wake up to Dave’s breakfast spread; his morning walk usually involved him climbing the hills to find fresh figs (the best I have ever tasted!), juicy peaches and nectarines, and of course a pit stop at the local pastry shop for assorted goodies. Following breakfast, we would frequent the corner café to pick up our coffees, and then start the day.

We decided to visit the town Amalfi, which was accessed via ferry. We were able to get the coastline views from the boat and agreed that this heavenly place could not disappoint, despite the high standards that Santorini had previously set. Whilst Amalfi town was wonderful, it only confirmed to us that “our” town was the absolute best place to set up camp; Amalfi was brimming with tourists, souvenirs, trinkets and bustling streets. We ventured up to the looming Cathedral and we were absolutely stunned with the architecture, art and beauty of it all. So much fun was had roaming through the shops and checking out the local goods displayed in every window. However, I must admit, it was lovely returning to our colourful, tiled home. I can’t mention the return to home, without telling you about our beautiful neighbour, a miniature, but incredibly sturdy Italian woman whose smile revealed a lifetime of beautiful stories behind her eyes. Trying to keep a conversation with attempted translation took a lot of time, but she was incredibly persistent in keeping us company in the hallway for as long as she possibly could. I absolutely adore her.

Our next day was one of the most memorable days I have ever had. Dave, in his cleverness and practicality, organised us two motorbikes for the day to roam the hills of the infamous coastline. I’m sure it was a combination of many things, but this day was just entirely amazing. The sun danced with the fresh breeze all day, whilst our bikes smoothly curved along the winding roads. It was exhilarating as well as nerve-racking at times! Every ten minutes we passed the local buses, except that the buses were about the size of 10 gigantic elephants walking along a tightrope!!! It was so tight, but the drivers were so nonchalant about skimming around the cliff-faced curves, courteously tooting their horns every now and then.

We managed to pass through the towns on our bikes, eventually reaching sweet Sorrento. After enjoying lunch by the water, and stretching out the cramps in our bums and legs, we jumped back on the bikes to enjoy the thrill of doing it all over again, with the sunset competing with the first leg of our journey. It was so easy to take a million pictures, yet still, they couldn’t do the picturesque beauty any justice. A place I would easily go back to, people I would easily fall in love with, again and food I would so very easily consume, every day!

It tends to always come back to food, for us! But in finishing I must reminisce on perhaps one of the best meals I have ever had! One of the nights we spent in Minori, we meandered through the streets to come across a beautiful, little, hidden restaurant, only evident by the glow of tea-light candles upon the stone walls when walking past. When we enquired for a table for four, two small-framed ladies swiftly put together a small table for us to squeeze in. Their smiles instantly won us over, before even tasting the food. With the entire menu written in Italian, one of the ladies so graciously translated it all for us tourists, pointing out and strongly suggesting her own favourites. We asked a couple of questions which then elicited the response “don’t worry, I make you something special, off the menu”. With no idea what to expect but curious taste buds, we closed the menus and awaited our meals. To begin with, the wine was brought out in clay jugs, hand painted with olive greens and sea blues. The starter of bread and oil had Tim’s mouth watering, but it was the Zucchini soup that had Maree and I in hysterics over such a flavoursome, unique and warming entrée. I could have stopped there, in complete satisfaction. I’m so glad I didn’t! We were then treated to freshly made pasta lightly covered in incredible, bursting-with-flavour sauces and herbs. I can’t even try to describe this culinary journey to heaven. The gorgeous little waitress stood next to us, smiling with complete satisfaction knowing what magic she had just performed and walked away winking at us. To follow, we devoured a dessert of what I can only describe as a light, lemon cake covered in a layer of chocolate. A delicious, melting, sweet, scrumptious moment that I will never regret, despite the fullness of my stomach caused by overconsumption of real Italian food.

Istanbul, Turkey - A Turkish delight!

For the avid travellers and full-time explorers, the next big trip or the upcoming voyage is always something that occupies the mind and determines how any spare moment is spent – planning and organising! For us, it often revolves around school holidays; however, for one of our trips we planned it entirely around the expedition to Turkey for Anzac Day, the 25^thApril. One of our previous blogs attempted to paint the picture of our Gallipoli experience, an experience that has changed our perspective on Anzac Day and will be remembered for the rest of our lives. However, our trip to Turkey also involved a scene change in the bustling, colourful, diverse city of Istanbul.

 

With our trusty partners in crime, Mark and Tez, we set out to explore Istanbul and all it had to offer. Our first impressions were an accurate account of what Istanbul is all about. We arrived at the airport and took a shuttle bus to the main strip of the north continent of Istanbul. A little fun fact for you all… Istanbul is a city that is situated on two different continents, Asia and Europe,with a big bridge joining the city! Arriving in the centre of the town, at around 11pm, we were amazed at the richly livened streets. There were tourists and locals mingled into a pack of swarming explorers, roving the restaurants, bars and cafes, as well as the trinket stores and clothes shops, all still in full operation at this time of night. Music was blaring, lights were blurring and people were smiling – a warm welcome to Turkey!

 

We eventually discovered our hostel, after walking the entire length of the main strip. It was small, but was homely and cosy for the four of us to get a good night sleep, until… in the darkness of the deep hours of the night, with no signal of dawn approaching, I was awakened to a blasting, unfamiliar sound. In a vague state of coming out of unconsciousness, I tried to figure out the situation, unsure whether I was actually hearing something or creating this noise in my head. Mark brought clarity to the situation and confirmed the sounds I was hearing as I hear “what the heck is that!?” (the polite version). A deep man’s voice was being blared from speakers and a monotone, drawn out prayer song violently shook us out of our dreams. As per usual, Tim slept through it all. After it was finished, we managed to go back to sleep, only to hear it again a few hours later. We felt very unholy with our grumpiness of being interrupted by this melody. Going through this ungentle experience, the determination and dedication of the people were quickly evident!

 

Roaming the streets the next morning enhanced the previous night’s experience. The streets were lined with busy shops displaying souvenirs and colourful textiles delightfully decorating the town. We ventured into the southern end of the city, to be welcomed by markets of spices, jewellery and of course, Turkish Delight! Mark and I took our time selecting out delicious flavours, and then took no time to devour it all.

 

Once in the main part of the city, the Blue Mosque and Hagia Sophia

 are clearly visible and quite majestic. As we were part of a tour with the Gallipoli crew, we decided to wait to explore these with the group the next day. When we did so, the size and structure of the mosques were overwhelming and stunningly eye-catching, as were Tez and I in our scarves!!

 

Continuing our tourist check list, we dared to approach the Grand Bazar, an excessively enormous market absolutely full of shops selling leather, gold, bags, spices, nuts, sweets, jewellery, textiles, lanterns, clothes, hats, shoes… It was on the roof of these markets that the scene of Bond driving on a bike was filmed, and the Turkish people were quick to tell us about this, their claim to fame, and rightfully so!

 

Another main attraction in Istanbul is their famous underground passageways that used to be used for the Basilica Cistern.  The structure was quite impressive and the eeriness of the place added to the effect. We did a circuit in the depths of this underground system, with waterways surrounding the pavements and orange lights showing the way.

Walking through the city, we spotted locals accumulating around the mosques, washing their hands and feet before stepping in for their time of prayer. We asked our knowledgeable tour guide, Alex, about the prominence of religion in this city and surprisingly he said that whilst it is a Muslim country, it is mostly secular.

 

As well as getting a feel for the culture and religion of Istanbul, our tour divulged so much about Turkish history and the Ottoman army – what amazing information and a realisation of how huge Turkey was in playing a role in historical events!! It gave me a desire to go and learn more about it all, as I've never really known about Turkish history, as ashamed as I am to admit this.

A stunning trip through the palace garden gave Tez a little taste of heaven as we walked through unending beds of tulips, her favourite flower. Once we reached the palace, and got inside, the flowers continued in a colourful display underneath the dome-shaped structures. The stunning shades of blue tiles that decorated the interiors of the buildings left quite an impression on me, as I had a sudden urge to decorate everything in these beautiful tiles. I was standing, in wonder, in a small room that was covered every inch in these beautiful tiles until Tim declares loudly that I was in the “circumcision room,” along with a hesitation to enter the building too far.

On our last day in Turkey, after the Gallipoli tour, the four of us explored the city one last time, trying more Turkish delight (for good measure), as well as the famous fish sandwiches under the Istanbul Bridge. However, it was a small, humble and unplanned moment that was one of the highlights of our trip. Walking down a more off-the-road track, Mark and Tim were distracted by the familiar and serenating sounds of a soccer ball and the laughter of young boys playing. Tez and I turned around to find them fully immersed into a game of soccer with the local boys, neither understanding what each other were saying but understanding the love of the game. They made good friends that day.

As usual, we laughed so hard with Mark and Tez. Our friendship was proven to be one of adventure, fun and a mutual love for the world around us. We are so thankful to have created life long memories with these two, and a platform to continue making special moments.