04.21.25
Kat and I both agree that those three food items truly represent living in Italy! It took just one day to realize that Italy is all about carbs. No matter here you go, you can find all the above; the problem is finding healthy, protein, and low-carb food!! Kat has been watching her carb intake for about three weeks now and is finding it very challenging to find good food! It’s hard to find even a good salad! But I’m not complaining… We definitely have a challenge finding the right ingredients, but it’s worth it.To back up a week, I crossed over into Italy from Bulgaria 5 days ago, and it’s truly amazing how you can SEE the difference in the geography. Bulgaria was hilly, but not a lot of “mountains,” Meanwhile, within an hour of crossing the border (at a VERY high and cold elevation), I went through half a dozen tunnels. We met up in Thessaloniki, which is the Cultural Capital of Greece, and full of life! And pretty expensive too… Between the sticker shock from Asia and a weak US dollar which is about 12% lower than the euro, it’s been quite startling. 100 euros is worth just $88 and all that adds up, and is quite a bit different than Asia. We last left Italy on New Years Day as 2019 rolled into the notorious 2020, and quite a bit has changed.
What has not changed is our feeling of comfort and awe walking through the streets of Greece or Italy. You don’t have to go very far to see a statue or remnant of buildings and structures from thousands of years ago.
We spent two days in Thessaloniki then rode west until we reached the Ionian Sea, then took an overnight (left at 1:00 am) ferry to Brindisi, which is in the southern region of Puglia, ie, the “boot” of the country. A few weeks ago when we were in Cambodia I said to Kat, “I really look forward to walking through the cobblestone and historic streets of
Europe, and feeling that vibe.” And I do. Granted, it’s Easter week here so people are everywhere, enjoying their café time in the streets, munching on their pastries while they walk. This seems to be a very fashionable town, so it’s weird being around so many well-dressed people! Everyone looks like they stepped out of a catalogue, many pushing their high tech baby strollers, wearing their designer glasses.
We’ll be in Italy until June 5, when we take another ferry back to Albania and the Balkan region. So far the bike has been flawless and we jettisoned some items in Greece that we REALLY didn’t need, and everything fits beautifully without a lot of tying stuff on top
