London (Saturday + Sunday)
After landing in London, we boarded the “Heathrow Express” to the city center. Halfway through the journey, the train stopped and we encountered an engineering works delay. Quite an ironic start to the journey. Mike fell asleep during the delay, only to get terrified by a train passing in the other direction and then exposing me for sleeping. We stored our bags before stopping for a cheap English-style breakfast.
We then walked an absurd distance through Hyde Park to checkout Westminster Abbey, Big Ben and Buckingham Palace. Our jet lag malaise was made even cloudier by a London half marathon taking place in the middle of the historic area. We navigated through the chaos to Borough Market, which was packed. After stopping at a bar, and Mom overcoming her Apple pay tap to enter the underground troubles, we checked out tower bridge before making our way to the east end, Bethnal Green, to an old bakery, Rinkoff, for cronuts. We then checked into our room and later to Tesco to pickup an assorted snack dinner.
London To Bari (Monday)
I was awoken up at 2 AM from Nick trekking to the restroom on the creakiest wood floor I’ve ever heard. The night before we debated our route to Gatwick, and decided the best route that early in the morning was via Uber. The flight was ‘a carnival’ for the Hasidic Jewish kids on board according to Mom. Mike couldn’t sleep because he was constantly bumped by kids sprinting up and down the aisles as the flight attendant tried to keep ‘only 3 in a row’. The parents couldn’t have been bothered to monitor the kids, hold their infant or even sit in the same row as each other!
After walking to the rental car lot, a Škoda Octavia station wagon was laughingly presented to us by the young workers after they looked at the size of our baggage. The joke was on them, this hatchback trunk fit our luggage and we set out for the historic center of Bari. After parking just outside the old city walls, we tackled the parking meter, striking twice out until the friendly female attendant explained we only had to type the three numbers of our license plate before selecting how many minutes we needed on the meter.
Salumeria Proscutteria Matteo 1938 provided us with lunch sandwiches. Freshly baked rolls, cured meats, pickled vegetables and cheese for only $6?!?! I think we are going to enjoy Puglia. We then walked through the tiny, winding and narrow streets of the old town, on alert as cars or scooters sped through. We walked past old ladies rolling orecchiette outside their first floor apartments and toured San Nicola Basilica.
We then drove to Bari’s shopping district, and a message on the dashboard screen popped up asking if we wanted to automatically park. I clicked yes, assuming a perfect parallel entry, and next thing I know the Octavia is reversing at a fast speed while not cutting the wheel at all! We love tapped the car behind us, before I could fully press down the break. The old man sitting on the park bench next to our car’s day was completely made as he was chuckling and shaking his head.
Next, we drove 45 minutes to Matera to check into B&B La Casa di Ele. The host was energetic and excited to welcome us, sitting us down to run through a map of the city and explain the history of one of the oldest continually inhabited city on earth. It was nearly abandoned in the 1950’s, labeled the shame of Italy before the country rebuilt it. UNESCO later named it as the European Capital of Culture in 2019.
For dinner, we walked to Ristorante Da Nicola, for burnt wheat orecchiette with local greens and Aglianico, a local grape wine. I took pole position in the two-week race to 400 by ordering a Podolica (local cattle) steak for ‘2 or 3’ according to the waitress. The post-dinner walk back was cold and frigid.
A Walk Through Matera (Tuesday)
A complimentary hotel breakfast should not be this fresh, this diverse, or this luxurious. We walked into the dining room to a full spread starting with a lemon angel food cake made by the mother of our host, that was lighter than the clouds that surround the gates of heaven. Complimenting the cake was a decadent pastry filled with a surprisingly unsweet custard and black cherry jam. Next were the savory options: fresh mozzarella, ricotta, speck and prosciutto. For third dessert, a thin brownie like chocolate cake served as the finisher.
Walking through Matera sounds simple on paper. But the more modern buildings were built directly on top of the ancient ones, resulting in steep staircases, inclined streets, narrow alleys and a challenge to navigate. First, we wandered past an guy, and for 2 Euro he gave us a brief and unofficial tour of some old caves in Italian, which I poorly translated to the group.
We then walked up to the top corner of the city to the Duomo, our jaws dropping at the gold plated ceilings and frescos. Next was a visit to the Sassi, cave dwellings the impoverished citizens lived in for centuries next to their livestock, fires and toilets, all without windows or insulation.
Baccus was our host’s recommendation lunch. The mixed antipasto was the chef’s playground. The small plates were creatively presented; a pastry swirl filled with aged cheese, zucchini flan (amazing), a cup of fried sweet peppers, and the Burger Charlie, a burger with a cuttlefish ink died black bun with pickled onions and mustard. For pasta, I had cod ravioli, the pasta sheets were died pink with red wine, served in a lemon caper sauce.
Naturally, we got lost after lunch, navigating in this curvy, complex city seems impossible. We went into the catacombs of a church to a tiny, claustrophobic crypt where they gutted the dead. Ghave Coffee kept us warm and wondering how inflation hasn’t hit this city. Next came St. Francis Assisi Church and the Church of St. Mary of Idris. We listened in on a Spanish tour of the most important frescoes in Matera, through the centuries they were painted over each other leaving odd combinations like baby Jesus being held by St. Peter and not Mary.
We then shopped in the main modern street of Matera, to buy an orange chocolate Colomba (Easter Bread). Finally, it was gelato time. Vizi degli Angeli has attracted attention with unique flavor offerings. Thyme with marshmallow was extraordinarily herbaceous, leaving me wondering if an herb forward dessert can satisfy my cravings.
After flying the drone at a nearby Church parking lot and giving a SnapChat one bite Easter Bread review, we headed for a nondescript and light dinner after Birrificio wanted to remain local and refuse a party of five.
This is such a wonderful blog- I love the descriptions of the scenery, food, locals, driving…. Just all of it. Can’t wait for more!!