C&G 8th wedding anniversary trip - Bari - Oslo - Roma
We started our journey on 13 Sept by flying business class to Rome, it was very nice to redeem all the mileage and top up few thousands for the buzz class enjoyment, the newly designed CX pier lounge at HK airport was also a very classy experience! Feel like we could spend a whole evening there!The greatest thing by flying business class in long haul is, I could get some good sleep and arriving next day morning fresh, we then transited to Bari by another one hour flight by Alitalian airline, at the transit, surely i need to look for a mobile carrier for a 4G SIM card - TIM.
And there was a piano right at our boarding gate and it was a total European experience to have casual adhoc live music by whoever can play a moment.
Arriving at Bari at 11am as we expected, get a car we hired on Eurocar, just quick and easy, then we got the Audi A3, setup my Google GPS and started our first taste of Italian driving experience on the southern Italy highway!
Wow wow I kept avg100kmh and people keep pressing or passing like fly! Those entrance and the exit of highway is quite short compare to Japan, and the road sights is not so visible clearly enough so the Google Map is the way to go!
After an hour driving we checked in our resort at noon and it was a cave house style which commonly found in Puglia region.
We settled down after 15hrs of travel and had a light mozzarella tomato salad for lunch. Then we drove to Monopoli which nearest downtown for some supermarket shopping, then looked for a restaurant for early dinner.
Driving back to the resort in the dark and lighting was not usual as in HK so need to make a good use of car lighting, reminding the moment at St Austell taxi in England, HK is just too bright everywhere in compare to that.
So, including the time differences, we had the total of 30hrs of 13 Sept for our wedding anniversary!
14 Sept Wednesday
We wake up around 8am and I didn't feel much of jet lagged like last month to Spain but G felt a bit of it, we went for a jog around the resort, it was a very nice country side run in Italy but G didn't feel too comfortable run in the unfamiliar wild nature, eventually we stopped by the dog barking next door and turned around....
Breakfast is a self serving simple cheese, breads, fruits, yogurts and they are all fresh from the own farm in the resorts!
After that we spent the rest of the morning at the pool, very nice, quiet and all ourselves....
We checkout Alberobello in the afternoon where 10km away with lot of little white trullo houses, we found a Michelle star restaurant for a lunch, after that we drove back to resort for a rest and look for a dinner.
We drove to Monopoli again and supposed to dinner at Ghiottone where we could see the amazing cliff view, but oh no, it was too famous and all fully booked for entire week. Ok we looked for somewhere else....
After dinner, we back to resort, and enjoy the full moon and the stars outside of our room, with mooncake, grapes and a bottle of wine, G felt super relaxing!
15 Sept Thursday
It was our last day at Puglia and it was our beach hopping day!
After breakfast, we drove to the Cala Incina, it was kind of beach I like, small, narrow, protected by riffs, I think most of young Italian like to hangout, we stayed there for a while, can't help getting into the water, it was a hot day, sun was shining! And enjoy some view of topless young Italian girls, until my feet got cut...
Then we drove to the next beach - Cala Monaci and Cala Susca, they are like a sister beach just few hundred meters between each other, very small, very calm and very clear water, and mostly uncle and aunties like to hangout, then we drove back to Monopoli for a pizza lunch and looked for something to clean my wound. Then G wanted to go back to Cala Susca for a dip, let's go! Then we back to resort for a nice sunset view.
We decided to dinner at the resort so we could pack up and ready for checkout next day at 5am.
16 Sept Friday
Wake up at 5am, an hour drive back to Bari to catch 8am flight back to Rome for a transit to Oslo. Car return is just too simple, fill up the fuel, parking at where we started and drop the key, even the office not started.
Landing at Rome was a bumpy experience coz we hit the storm around the airport, so the landing was late, and luckily most of the flight got delayed because of the same reason.
Flying with Norwegian airline is another experience, they have a great apps and seems to be the first airline provide feel wifi and in-apps entertainment during the flight, and the flight tracker got link with your confirmation email, smart move! Even though they charged for every single in-flight snacks except for salt sugar and pepper.
We arrived at Oslo and 3pm and misunderstood Fred message and got on the train all the way to Drammen! Oh no he just at Oslo national theater house which should be the 4th stations!!! Eventually we meet at 5pm!!
We felt very happy to meet again and I can't believe we could meet at Oslo and stayed in Fred house!! It was a fantastic weather, 15C-20C, sunny and fresh air! The taxi from train station to his home is just 2km and it costs hk$200!!!
We missed him so much and we can recall the smell from his home and decoration same as HK!! We checked in our room and he made us some light penne for refreshment! Then we walked to the quay area which the Oslo marathon start/finish to pick up our race kit, all the oversea race expo we had shared before suddenly re-surface!! And we walked along the Harbour and sat down for a nice Asian dinner!
17 Sept Sat
We sleep-in and had the classic wake up call by Fred, enjoy his home made breakfast and relaxing at home before heading to the Marathon, they 21k start at 1pm and my 10k started at 4pm. We see sporty Norgie everywhere and they took sports quite seriously!
They started the run and I headed for some food from the food truck, then I chilled on the glass, wait for their finish then I start shortly after. First taste of European marathon, lot of up and down cobble stone to run on!!!
After race, we back home for quick shower and Fred already booked an restaurant with two of his childhood friends Gilles and Snowi for a Norwegian style seafood dinner! Very nice cut of fish and very expensive bottle of wine, they charge a lot for wine, at least hk$600 for a bottle and BYOW is not common...
What next, we walked to the local club got a few drinks before we back home, where they have good DJ, and young people! But Foodbar should be a better upscale one!
My Garmin recorded, including my 10k run, I walked 24km for today already...
18 Sept Sunday
We started with a brunch at a garden alike coffee shop and meet another friend he just back back to Oslo from Asia.
Fred then brought us to the museum and checkout the newly developed architecture in Oslo, all by walking, even with a few coffee break....low battery......the best moment is, I know we back home by taxi and we would have home made dinner for evening!!! I would be a trainee with two master-chefs I wouldn't mind!
19 Sept Monday
Fred brought us for some shopping and of course, a few coffee break and all by walking!
We left his home at 4pm, he sent us to airport, a very rush checkin process, self checkin and self weight checked baggage is very strict, we had to rebalance some weight , a rush and sad goodbye then barely made to the boarding gate on time...thanks Fred for these few days and also the fruit platters!!
We back to Rome at 10pm for the next few days of sightseeing and shopping experience. We felt like a time machine transfer from Oslo modern architecture and techie lifestyle back to the historical town. In Oslo, cash is rarely used, electronic payment, or even pay by phone is the way to live, even just a cup of coffee.
20 Sept Tuesday
I actually feel quite tired from few days of walking in Oslo since I mostly sit in the office and driving around in HK. But in Rome, you can avoid more walking....luckily shops are all around where we stayed, and I had to give up my fashion and trade for a better comfort running shoes for walking. G already gathered her intelligence for shopping radar and we just walk to the Pontoon, and the Trevi Fountain, and taxi to Colosseum.
At 10pm, I collapsed....
21 Sept Wednesday
Vatican City and last shopping at Prada, after thinking twice and another twice.
22 Sept Thursday
We walked up at 7:30am, had a quick breakfast at DoBar then head to airport at 9am.
Rome airport is the last minutes shopping paradise, in conclusion, we found Italy is another country after Japan where you can do a lot of shopping for your wardrobe, for your desk for your toilet, your kitchen and even for difference ingredient for foods! We eventually have 3 checked baggage fully packed in 52kg and a few bags of hands carries....until next time Ciao!
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