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Ostuni

September 15, 2024 by Fran 4 Comments

Moving on from Monopoli

Our first taste of Puglia had been magnificent Monopoli. And leaving was hard. Part of my travel strategy has always been to leave a place before you really want to. Before you get complacent and feel like you are ready to leave. It was also some of the best career advice I received, many many years ago. “Leave a party whilst you are enjoying it the most”. This way, you will always hold on to those magical moments, and perhaps long for a return.

OK, maybe not to an old job, but definitely to places you visit. We had spent two days in Monopoli, wandering the old historic centre, soaking up the slow life of Southern Italy. Even at a distance of several weeks, we certainly want to return.

Driving in Puglia comes at a cost

But life moves on, and so do we. After a visit to Alberobello, we made our way to Ostuni. Victoria in the driving seat, me navigating, we were soon parked up in a large dusty car park on the edge of the city. Having a car to explore Puglia is essential. And it comes with a price. Quite literally. Two nights parked in this dusty field, with no security cost us 30 euros. Crikey, almost $60 to park in a field.

Mumbling about the cost, and dragging our cases over very uneven streets and cobbled pavements, my mood didn’t improve when I saw the steep hills we had to climb to our accommodation. Following the video we had been sent by the bed and breakfast host (which seems to be a thing in Italy), I was soon sweating in the mid-day Italian heat, desperate for an Aperol Spritz.

Checking into our accommodation my mood immediately picked up. Our bed and breakfast was cut into the rock face, meaning that the exposed brick walls perfectly insulated us from the oppresive heat. With a large, very comfortable double bed, modern shower, a fridge, and a kettle for me to brew my morning coffee, all was good in the world.

La Citta Bianca

Ostuni is known as the “la citta bianca”, the white city. And it is easy to see why. Perched high on a hill, fortified walls keeping the city safe from the regular invaders, everything is an almost perfect white. Very reminiscent of Mykonos in Greece, with narrow cobbled streets, and white paint everywhere you look. Sunglasses in Ostuni are more than just a fashion accessory.

I have previously mentioned how we find many of the places we want to visit through videos and pictures we see shared on Instagram. Ostuni was no different and Victoria had one “must do”. A bar that has the perfect location, perfect cocktails, and perfect view of the sea. OK, the sea was quite a distance away, but you get the picture. And would you know, as we left our accommodation, strolled along the narrow street, and turned a corner, voila! The very same bar was mere steps from where we were staying.

Calling back later in the evening, it was already starting to get busy. Walking up the steps of the bar, which was located across three levels of outdoor stairs, we spied one free table and immediately pounced. It was only a little later, sipping our Aperol Spritz and nibbling the cheese from our aperitivo, more on that in a moment, that we noticed the bar has a queuing system. With many people waiting patiently at the top of the stairs, scanning for a free table. Whoops.

Aperitivo time

Just a quick word on “aperitivo”. The word, loosely translated, means “to open up the appetite”. And, traditionally is quite small. Similar to the pinxtos you get in San Sebastian, or the tapas throughout Spain. With this in mind we ordered an aperitivo with our drinks at Borgo Antico. What arrived was a full meal. So much so it ended up being our dinner.

Exploring Puglia with our stomachs

Exploring Ostuni, or pretty much anywhere we visit, inevitably involved food. A great passion whilst travelling is trying as many of the local foods as possible. One such food was “pucce”. A Pugliese style sandwich. A panino of sorts, but slightly more expensive and a lot more tasty. I will just put it out there but THE best pucce in Puglia can be found at Crumb35. We also got to try more variations of the local pasta speciality, orrichiette. These little ears of pasta can be found on every menu across Puglia. And alongside the orrichiette, on those menus, who can go past burrata and local meats?

Something else we discovered in Ostuni was what we came to strart calling “little coffins”. Strolling past a pastry shop we were lured in and ended up buying our first ever Pasticciotti. They weren’t to be our last. Remember when we were in Porto and became obsessed with pastel de natas? Well,, this was a similar situation. For 2 euros each we had a coffin of deliciousness filled with creme.

Hotter than hell

I would love to say that we walked off the calories, and we tried. We really did. The key was trying to escape the intense heat of the day. Morning walks and then an evening passeggiata, hunting down a cold Menabrea beer. Each day so far we had temperatures that were up in the high 30s. With little air conditioning in places it was hard to stay cool. There is only so much gelato that you can eat. Maybe coming to Southern Italy in August was not the wisest decision.

We had a wonderful couple of days exploring La Citta Bianca, meandering and getting lost in a maze of cobbled streets. Finding the kind of book stores that I could spend hours exploring. Why is it I always come home from holiday with more books than I went with? I also added to my collection of classic Fiat 500 photos. A tradition we started some years ago. Trying to find one in every Italian town we visit.

When not looking for old cars, we were looking for old buildings. At times it was fascinating to stumble across a piece of history, such as the old church we saw, the remains of which have been built around as the city has grown. Down many laneways we saw grand archways framing outsize doors, adorned with dates going back as early as the 1400s.

The Florence of the South

Such a short visit, and we packed up knowing that this wouldn’t be the last time we see Ostuni. But the road called. It was time to trundle back to the world’s most expensive car park and collect our Fiat 500. We were heading further south, to the Florence of the south. Our next Aperol Spritz would be in the city of Lecce.

Ciao.

So, onto Sicily

December 20, 2024 by Fran 1 Comment

Moving on from Matera

As hard as it was to leave Matera, we had places to be. We would be staying in Italy for a while yet, and it would entail catching a plane across the water. The last week or so has seen us exploring Puglia and, with Matera, scratching the surface in Basilicata. Both these regions have exceeded expectations. And we hope to revisit both, at some time in the future.

If you are thinking of exploring Southern Italy, I would suggest you move it up the travel backlog. Right now, Puglia remains free of the hordes of tourists you see in other places around the world. It won’t stay that way for long. The place is too beautiful, and the food too good.

Arriving in Sicily

Knowing how much we enjoy the food of Italy, it is great to know that for the second leg of this trip we will be exploring Sicily, a short flight from Bari airport on the mainland. If thinking of Sicily has you immediately thinking of The Godfather movies, I am here to tell you that it offers so much more.

Sicily has a very storied history, and this explains why it can often feel very un-Italian. It was merged with the Kingdom of Italy as recently as 1861, and whilst it is the largest region within Italy, you can taste, smell, and feel the very distinctive culture of this Mediterranean island. The largest in fact.

La Cosa Nostra

Many peoples have passed through Sicily over the years, making various claims. In the 8th century BC it was colonised by the Greeks. And at various times the Romans, the Muslims, the Vikings, the Normans, the Spanish and the British have populated the island of Sicily. Reunification with the Italian mainland brought its own problems, with the Sicilian locals protesting against the attempts of the “North” to industrialise the island.

It is partly as a result of this unrest that gave the world the Mafia. Local networks, going by the name Cosa Nostra, became a part of the Sicilian social structure. Using violence to impose their “law”, the mafia had created a foothold that would last up to the present day. Emigration saw local mafia bosses move to the United States of America, and ever since, the “mob” has been glorified on TV. This came full circle when Francis Ford Coppolla shot scenes from his Godfather franchise here on the island. There is even a small town called Corleone, perhaps the inspiration for one of the most iconic movie characters we have seen.

In the shadow of Mt Etna

Whilst the mafia still exist today, you wouldn’t see any obvious signs of this, especially as a tourist. Sicily remains a very popular place for people to visit, and our visit was to start in Catania, on the east coast. Catania lives permanently in the shadow of Mt Etna, a very active volcano. In the days before our arrival it had erupted, with lava seen exploding out of the top. By the time we arrived, this had calmed down, and all we saw were plumes of smoke and lots of volcanic ash in the street.

I suspect Catania is not top of most tourists’ “must visit” list whilst in Sicily. We only spent one night in the city and managed to see a lot, including the famed fish market, views of Mt Etna, and much of the famed Baroque architecture Sicily is famous for.

Taormina

Our second stop in Sicily couldn’t have been more different. We took the bus along the coast to the beautiful town of Taormina. Perhaps a little too beautiful, judging by the vast increase in tourist numbers. Having spent time in Puglia, then Catania, this was the first time the vast hordes of tourists felt a little overwhelming. The narrow main street in Taormina was packed with tours from the visiting cruise ships. Little flag waving tour guides traipsing tourists up and down the main strip.

The location of Taormina is stunning. Perched high up on a hill, overlooking the Ionian Sea, with vistas stretching as far as the eye can see. One day we foolishly took it upon ourselves to walk down to the beach. It took 30 minutes downhill. And a little longer coming in the other direction. With a stop half way for a cold beer to ensure that I didn’t die on the way back.

Meeting a real life Nonna

Our bed and breakfast felt a million miles away from the hustle and bustle, yet, we found out that we could walk there in a matter of minutes. The host, a quintessential Italian nonna, had lived and raised her children in the same house, so knew all the shortcuts. We could go from our silent balcony with views across to Mt Etna, to greedily eating cannoli in the main street in Taormina in under 15 minutes. Bellissimo.

Taormina is unlike many small Italian towns. The number of high end luxury shops immediately tell you that this town is targeting a certain demographic. Those with fat wallets. This takes a little of the shine away, in my opinion. You don’t need to come all the way to Taormina to go shopping for a watch that will set you back as much as a small car.

We did a lot of exploring of the side streets and found a little Italian grocery selling cold beer at a price I am very comfortable with. Perched on the supplied stools outside the store, using a handily placed bottle opener, we were far away from the madding crowd. The simple life that I so adore Italy for.

Passeggiata time

The evenings quietened down a little, as people headed back to their cruise ships and coaches. We had two very enjoyable evenings taking our evening passeggiata and pre dinner Aperol Spritz. It was in Taormina that we had our fastest ever pizza served. We ordered from the staff, who entered it into a handheld device. We also ordered an entree to nibble whilst our pizzas were being cooked.

No sooner had the waitress walked away than two pizzas arrived.

“No, no”, I said,” these can’t be ours. We have just ordered.”

Quick check, and yes, these were indeed ours. I was told that they only take a few seconds in the very hot wood fired pizza oven. That said, the pizza chef must have been adding toppings even as the order was coming through. We had almost finished our pizza by the time the entree turned up.

The Greek Theatre

One of the highlights of any trip to Taormina, perhaps even the whole of Sicily, is a visit to the Greek Theatre. Dating back to the 3rd century BC, the theatre remains stunning. What a backdrop. Sat in the seats, looking out to the ocean, it is hard not to imagine the people that have passed through this most impressive of sights.

Our thoughts turn to Cefalu

Strolling back to the bed and breakfast, we were still a little incredulous as to quite how fast the pizza arrived. Unfortunately, the days seemed to be going just as quick. Already this was night three in Sicily, and tomorrow was time to move on again.

We had a train booked to Cefalu. A place we were very excited about visiting.

Made it to the Maldives

March 27, 2026 by Fran Leave a Comment

Who remembers the pandemic?

As we concluded our travels around Sri Lanka we shared how we enjoyed the South West coast. This led us up to Colombo, the island’s capital where we had the opportunity to stay in the historic Galle Face Hotel and explore the sights of this old colonial city.

Now, we were about to make up for lost time. If you have been reading along for a few years you will know that we packed up our lives in Sydney to head overseas for some travel and adventure. In March 2020. We got as far as Perth and were here for two years. There was a small issue of a pandemic that we were all going through together. Across the globe.

A pandemic that saw us confined to the state of Western Australia. A very big state, mind. And whilst making the most of the beautiful South West we eloped in April 2021 and got married in Boranup Forest. Two witnesses and a celebrant. A perfect day. And being, well, the pandemic, we couldn’t have an official honeymoon. Since then we have always said that one day we would.

Arriving at Male

A short flight from Colombo and we had wheels down at Male International airport in The Maldives. The smallest country in Asia, yet spread over one of the largest geographical areas, Maldives consists of 20 natural atolls, which are ring shaped islands. Islands surrounded by pristine sea and beach. Known to have been inhabited for over 2,500 years, you will no doubt know of it as a luxury holiday destination. And luxury it is.

Not that you would get that impression on arrival in the capital, Male. The queue for immigration was long, the building a little ramshackle, and the process for a visa laborious. Unlike other countries in the world where you can apply for your visa before you leave your home country, The Maldives is a visa on a arrival destination. Meaning we all had to queue, answer questions, complete all the necessary rigmarole before our passports were stamped.

I don’t know, it just wasn’t the arrival I expected when I visualised visiting The Maldives. Once the formalities were complete we were through to arrivals where we were met by a representative of the resort we were staying at. With almost 190 resorts to choose from, scattered across the various atolls, picking the one to book was not a simple, nor quick process.

Our home for our honeymoon

We eventually choose Varu by Atmosphere, and their rep guided us to an outdoor area in the airport whilst we waited for another couple. With no air conditioning the hour we had to wait felt much longer. It was a relief to be walking the short distance to the harbour where our speedboat was waiting for the 50 minute ride to the resort.

Zipping across the water as the sun slowly set in the West, I had a pinch me moment. We were in the Maldives. It had never been that high on my travel bucket list. That was until we got married. Then, it just seemed the right place to be. And once we started planning our Sri Lanka trip, and realized just how close The Maldives were we knew it was happening. It took us a few years to finally get our honeymoon, and now we were here. Greeted on arrival at the island with traditional music and a glass of chilled champagne. These were going to be four very enjoyable days.

We were driven to our over water villa in a small electric golf buggy. Other than bicycles, the only transport we were to see on the island. The villa was amazing. Being all inclusive I shouldn’t have been as excited as I was to see that we had a temperature controlled wine fridge in the villa with a bottle of red and a bottle of white. Across the other side of the room was another small fridge, this one containing local beers, chocolate and soft drinks.

Dining in The Maldives

Having only experienced all inclusive twice before, once celebrating Victoria’s 40th birthday on safari in South Africa, and a second time on a cut price cruise from Lisbon to New York, it always blows my mind that you can drink whatever you feel like and the next day it is all replenished. It is like magic. And that you can rock up to a bar and select any drink you want without having to reach for your phone to pay.

Our villa was huge with a bed that faced the ocean. Double doors opened onto our private deck and plunge pool. With direct access to the warm, inviting sea from our own set of steps, many hours were spent snorkelling. Off the bedroom we had a large bathroom with freestanding bath. It was a lovely surprise to come back to the villa after a (couple of) pina coladas by the beach to see the bath run for us and full of rose petals. Accompanied by a “happy honeymoon” display on the bed. We hadn’t planned to take a bath before dinner, but how could we not pour a glass of wine, climb in and enjoy it?

The resort had a number of restaurants offering different cuisines. We tried almost all of them and the quality of the food was excellent. You may think that after three weeks travelling around Sri Lanka I would be over curries. No. Breakfast, lunch and dinner in The Maldives I started with a curry. Often traditional Maldivian, and sometimes a favourite or two from Sri Lanka. The hard decisions then started. What to eat next. With a literal smorgasbord of offerings I left every meal having eaten too much. And very happy.

On that first evening, strolling back from dinner I decided to call in to the bar and get my customary whisky nightcap. As I was taking it back to the room the bar tender poured it into a takeaway coffee cup. I could tell from the weight that it was a healthy double of the 12 year old Glenfiddich. Little was I to know that each night they would get healthier. By the end of our stay my whisky was poured into the cup with a knowing smile. As it was passed to me it was obvious I was now getting a cup full of whisky so see out my night. Sat out on the deck of the villa, gazing into the very clear night sky, sipping whisky, very grateful for the life we choose to lead.

And it wasn’t just the bar staff. The service right across all the venues on the island was impeccable and the staff so friendly. Even in the short time we were there we felt like we got to know them a little. I smiled one day, returning to the villa to see that they had dropped off a pink lilo for us in the plunge pool. They must have been reading my mind. And that afternoon I spent a leisurely few hours floating on the water, drinking cold beer, wondering where it all went wrong.

All this eating and drinking has consequences. Which is why we live a life of balance. Each day found us in the air conditioned gym keeping up with our daily exercise routine. Time on the treadmill seems to pass so much faster when you have a view of the ocean between the trees. Showered, cooling down from the excesses of the gym, with a cold beer and another round of the Maldivian Uno Classic. Can anybody remember the score?

So hard to say goodbye

It is always hard to leave a great holiday destination. It is even harder to leave The Maldives. Walking around to Lime and Chilli for our final breakfast, a couple of black tipped reef sharks swam in to say goodbye to us. Today, we were headed back to Colombo for a couple of days sightseeing and to close out an amazing trip.

We had two nights booked at our hotel in Colombo, only one of which we will be sleeping. Our flight back home leaves Colombo at 1.45am so we paid for the extra night allowing us to go for dinner and then come back to the room for a nap, to freshen up, and be somewhat ready for travelling at such an ungodly hour.

At least I got to finally try my very first string hoppers for breakfast. I would call that ending on a high.

7 Must Visit Vineyards in New Zealand

April 23, 2019 by Fran Leave a Comment

Wine tasting in New Zealand

Classified as a “New World” wine region, New Zealand has an abundance of great wine growing regions, and the climate is perfect for creating some world class Pinot Noir. Yeah, you probably know this already. It is a good drop. There are also bold Bordeaux style reds. Big, robust cabernet grapes. And we couldn’t talk about the wines of New Zealand without mentioning the ubiquitous Sauvignon Blanc of the Marlborough region. The cooler climate helping to create the apple crisp, zesty savs from the South Island that are now found everywhere, with bottle shops and supermarkets worldwide saturated with it. A good wine, but it wasn’t the focus of this trip.

Unlike many wine tasting regions I have visited around the world, wineries in New Zealand tend to charge a “tasting fee”, almost without exception. Some even still insisted on collecting the fee even when we made a purchase at the cellar door, which is something that will not help encourage future, thirsty oenophiles.

New Zealand is a great country to travel around. Small. Outrageously scenic. And whilst you are there, point your campervan, or car in the direction of the following vineyards.*

*I use “winery” and “vineyard” interchangeably. However, they have different meanings. A winery is somewhere that wine is made. A vineyard is somewhere that grapes are grown.

Waiheke Island – Auckland

Known as “wine island”, Waiheke Island is only 40 minutes from Auckland on the Fullers Ferry service, leaving from the downtown ferry terminal. To get in the mood for a day amongst the vines, why not start the journey with a glass of bubbles on the way over. Arriving at the island, the Explorer Hop on-Hop off bus meets you, to transport you around the island. The consistently high temperatures means that the island produces some great red wines.

Batch – our first port of call and where we also had a very good lunch, avoiding the showers that had started to threaten the day. When the skies cleared, we had the best vantage point on the island, with uninterrupted views across to Auckland. For a $12 tasting fee we had the Thomas’s Bach wines tasting flight. It wasn’t until I had been in New Zealand for almost a week that I learnt that “Bach” (pronounced batch) means a small crib, or beach house. Not often the standard way of doing a tasting, the flight is a good idea as it allows you to try your wines side by side, comparing the flavour profiles

Wines of New Zealand, including an excellent Pinot Noir. — Pinot Noir, Pinot Gris, Sauvignon Blanc, Rose

https://www.batchwinery.com/our-wine.html

Te Motu – Named for the original Maori name of Waiheke, “island of long shelter”, Te Motu serves up Bordeux style wines, sat overlooking the verdant Onetangi Valley. For a $20 tasting fee (yes, it was getting more expensive) we got a tasting of the premium selection, the Te Motu Heritage Flight. The Dunleavy “The Shed” rose, Merlot based and made in the Provence style. A 2016 Syrah, “The Grafter”, and a 2015 Cabernet Merlot, “The Strip”, named after the old airport runway, preceded our final wine, which was the Te Motu 2009. Good for cellaring up to 2025, this was one that I enjoyed there and then.

https://temotu.co.nz/our-wines/

Stonyridge Vineyard – Specialising in premium red wine, Stonyridge has been described as :

“The vineyard that caused the wine world to wake up to Waiheke” – Lonely Planet 2015.

Stonyridge is a short 5 minute walk across the fields, and through the vines, from neighbouring Te Motu. So we HAD to visit, didn’t we? Following a brief tasting at the cellar door, we purchased a full glass and took it to sit amongst olive trees, drinking our wine in the courtyard that has a distinctly French flavour. Great wine, great views, and great company. Do days get any better?

The vines of New Zealand, enjoying the glorious sunshine.

http://www.stonyridge.com/

Hawkes Bay – North Island

Nestled on the east coast, and by the city of Hastings, Hawkes Bay is fast becoming a must visit wine destination. The “Bridge Pa triangle”, which is a cluster of conveniently located vineyards and cellar doors, Hawkes Bay is set up to satisfy all your wine needs, whether you want to visit in your campervan, or if you prefer to pick up a bike locally and pedal your way around.

Ngatawara – easier to find, than to pronounce, we had our first tasting here, in the old stables. We had an unstructured tasting, which means there isn’t a set list, but you get to taste whatever takes your fancy. After a rather uninspiring sauvignon blanc, then a Pinot Gris that failed to match the heights of earlier vineyards we decided to move on rather than work further through the wine list. It can be a tough job, this wine tasting lark. Wine is a very subjective thing, and the beauty is that all our palates are different. Good wine, whatever the price, won’t always be to your liking.

Ngatarawa. New Zealand. Hawkes Bay. — Easier to find than pronounce.

http://www.ngatarawa.co.nz/wine/

Oak Estate – conveniently located just next door to Ngatawara, we were back to a structured tasting, for a $5 charge per person. This tasting fee was refunded when we left with a bottle of wine. We needed something to go with our fish and chip dinner later that evening. The wines in the tasting included a Chardonnay, spoilt for many due to the proliferation of mass made, over oaky variations in the 90s. However, this wine is currently undergoing a renaissance in the New World. The one served at Oak Estate was another great example of how good Chardonnay is fighting back. At cellar doors, when asked if I want to try a chardie, no longer do I reply with a screwed up face.

Through the rustic, red cellar door, the courtyard, in amongst the vines, was a perfect spot for us to fill our hungry bellies. The wine tasting was complemented with a very good lunch platter. The Oak Platter, which was more than enough for two. Now, I just needed to find somewhere for an afternoon nap.

The Oak Platter. Oak Estate. Bridge Pa. Hawkes Bay. — Lunch is served. The Oak Platter.

http://oakestatewines.co.nz/

Marlborough – South Island

We travelled through the Marlborough Sounds by ferry across to Picton in the South Island. Despite our earlier decision to bypass the Marlborough region, and head straight down the west coast, the blue sky and the sun glistening on the vines as we drove through proved too strong a temptation. And so we found ourselves swinging the campervan into the car park of the nearest vineyard.

Giesen Wines – Giesen is a wine brand that I am sure I have heard of, but for the life of me can’t remember why. It is a name that I now won’t forget due to the excellent Pinot Gris I tasted. Paired up with another family for the tasting, paying the standard $5 tasting fee, we were taken through the history of the vineyard, which I always find fascinating, and through a structured tasting, sparkling, to white, through to red, and ending on sweet wines if you so wished. I did so wish.

https://giesen.co.nzP

Peregrine Wines, Central Otago – leaving Queenstown was always going to be hard. The ultimate destination, whatever time of year, I am afraid that our 3 days did not do it justice. Mountains. Lakes. Great restaurants. Oh, take me back. What better way to perk ourselves up, as we headed north in the campervan, than to call at the renowned Peregrine Wines vineyard. An architectural wonder that catches the eye as you walk to the cellar door. And the wonders don’t stop there. The wines produced here are nothing short of excellent. Cue, more bottles purchased.

Peregrine Wines. Central Otago. New Zealand. — Central Otago, simply stunning

http://www.peregrinewines.co.nz/

Come to New Zealand for the scenery, and stay for the wine. I challenge you to visit the above vineyards, and not leave with a boot full of wine. What are you waiting for?

Let me know what your favourite vineyards in New Zealand are. What are your go to grapes? What vineyards should I check out on my next visit?

2 Perfect Days in the Hunter Valley

February 2, 2019 by Fran Leave a Comment

Day 1

Taking my freshly brewed coffee, I went and sat outside on the deck. The early mist was rising over the low mountain range, and the birds were deep in conversation. Strong wafts of eucalyptus were mingling with my coffee aromas. The very vocal kookaburras all seemed to find everything hilarious as the two grazing kangaroos took off into the distance.

Goosewing Cottage, Mount View, Hunter Valley.

This is why I come to the Hunter as often as I do. And is why I love it so much. The peace. The serenity. The complete removal of all the audible sensory overload I get living in the city. Each morning in the valley starts this way. Up early. Slowly sip the first coffee of the day, just sitting, and watching. And I breathe intentionally. Slow breath in. Hold it. Slow exhale. Hold it. And repeat. Something so simple, and so effective, keeping me in the moment. I am only 2 hours from home, and yet at Goosewing Cottage I could be a world away.

Not owning a car, having one for the weekend, on quiet roads, with no traffic lights, is a pleasure. The Hunter is a large place, made up of a few small towns, and without a car it would be difficult to get around. First stop this morning was the Sabor Dessert bar in Pokolbin. As we weren’t hungry, really not hungry, I thought we were just getting drinks. Imagine my surprise when a tasting plate of 6 cheesecakes was brought to our table. Well, now that they are in front of me, it would be rude not to try some. At least it would be a little lining in my stomach, as our next stop was a number (quite a high number) of vineyards. As you would expect from someone who has a burger spreadsheet, I also have one documenting all the wineries we have visited around the world. A quick check had me planning out the route for the day, ensuring we sampled some new wines, from some new wineries.

Following trips to Pepper Tree, Constable Estate, and Mount View, we finished up at Briar Ridge. It was here that we had a voucher to “be a member for a day”, meaning we got a private tasting, 20% off any wines we bought, and a half price antipasto platter. One of the conversations we had on the way up from the city was to not buy too many wines. The problem with this? It’s a very vague objective. I don’t do well with vague. How many is too many? By the end of the day we were up to around 24 bottles. You be the judge.

Yes people, I present lamb’s brains to you.

Brains. Let’s get straight into this. Specifically, lambs brains. You ever had them? Ever wanted them? Yeah, me either. Yet this is what I chose as my entree at dinner that evening. Bistro Molines specialises in French food, done with a Gallic flair. Enter the brains. Deep fried, basking in a river of garlic butter, and served with a sharp caper salad cutting through. I am always wanting to try new experiences, and push myself in all aspects of my life. This was a great opportunity to push my culinary boundaries. And what I had read turned out to be true. Quite a squishy consistency. Tofu like. And quite large portions. Perhaps I shouldn’t have kept cutting them in half, whereby they actually looked like brains. This only reminded me what it was that I was chewing. Yes, chewing. Was I eating the thoughts of the lamb? It’s memories? Good lord, it doesn’t bear thinking about.

Following a glass of local sparkling wine, erroneously called prosecco (since 2010 Prosecco is no longer the name of the grape, which is now called glera, but is geographical indication, in much the same way as Champagne) , we moved onto the main wine of the evening. The Majella Cabernet Sauvignon was an excellent choice and went terribly well with the whole meal. Not wishing to join me with the brains entree, Victoria chose linguine with pippies, not puppies as my autocorrect suggested, which was excellent. The puppies would have been one up, or would that have been down, from the lambs brains.

The evening at Molines was excellent, and somewhere I would highly recommend. Sweeping views out over the vines. Watching the day slowly morph into night. Multiple shades of green becoming a singular black. The service and the food is what you would expect from a restaurant that has had a chefs hat since 2010. We will definitely return, but I think I’ve had my fill of offal.

Day 2

Driving around the Hunter, visiting vineyards, we don’t get much exercise, let alone get anywhere near the daily target of 10000 steps. For this reason we took another early morning stroll around the gorgeous Mount View area. Sweeping fields of grazing cattle. Nervous kangaroos always on high alert. And this morning, a slate grey, very squat, very muscular, Staffordshire Bull terrier charging down the road at me. This raised the heart rate.
The heat was taken out of the situation when the owner shouted “he will kill you with kindness”. It turns out he just wanted to play. So we did. Our walk was only about 4kms, but enough to work up our appetites for breakfast.

Deciding to eat out for breakfast, for maybe the first time in the Hunter, we headed to Cafe Enzo at Peppers Creek which we had read good things about. Taking the last available table in the courtyard, sheltering from the blazing sun under a large parasol, we had a wonderful breakfast of free range scrambled eggs on perfect sour dough toast. Just the right amount of saltiness in the crust. The coffee was outstanding, and I followed up my double shot latte with a piccolo.

Quite remarkably, the heat continued to rise making even just walking tough. So we chose to stay in the car a while, driving around the Hunter, making a plan for later in the day. Following a stop for extra bottles of water at the general store in Pokolbin Village, we headed on to our first tasting of the day. Leogate was another new vineyard, but much the same story at all the others. Great wines.

Equally good tastings followed at Piggs Peake, Tintilla, and Mistletoe Wines on Hermitage Road, with us concluding our day at Mount Pleasant. We had planned to cycle around these vineyards, an activity that we usually see lots of people enjoying. For some reason, we hadn’t seen anybody “enjoying” it today. This was because at 42° you would have to be a masochist to want to pedal anywhere. So we decided to call off the planned ride. The easiest decision of the day.

The evening was spent avoiding offal. We had our traditional BBQ of easy to recognise meats, complemented by some of the excellent wine we had bought. How many bottles were we up to now? Was anybody counting? Let’s just say that we won’t be running out any time soon.

Sat, late into the evening, with a nightcap of Sullivan’s Cover single malt, from Tasmania, I was left reflecting on another excellent weekend, in the glorious Hunter Valley.

Having a retrospective on 2018

January 20, 2019 by Fran Leave a Comment

In keeping with something I try and do each year, I am again reflecting on the year that just passed. And in the spirit of how I have been working in my professional life for much of 2018, I am doing it in the form of a retrospective.

A key event in Scrum* (the office based type, not outdoors on a field type) is the retrospective (retro). Done frequently, giving you and the team the opportunity to look back, to inspect and adapt, reflecting on what went well, and where you think you can improve in the next period. In practice, you should be having a retro at least fortnightly, not yearly, but you get the idea.

When I look back on last year’s post, I had a successful 2017. Areas for improvement in 2018 would have included doing my first yoga class (spoiler: it didn’t happen this year either), and doing more writing, which I am not totally happy with. By this I mean I would like to have done a lot more. And not just blogs, but more travel writing, and more fiction. Also building on my memoir experiment. A constant work in progress.

But, the overarching goal for every year that I am able to, is to learn something new, go somewhere different, and do something that I haven’t done before. I also want to read as many books as is humanly possible. The people who connect with me through the excellent app “Goodreads” will have seen my very ambitious target for 2018 was 120 books. This was a moonshot. And aiming for this allowed me to read a total of 115 books. A great achievement. I have slightly lowered my goal this year to 100. If you have any “must read” recommendations, send them through to me. I will add them to my ever expanding “to be read (tbr) pile”.

As I probably mentioned last year, having a list of goals suits me better than making up “New Year resolutions”. I don’t want the start of the year to be when I suddenly decide to improve myself. I want this to be an ongoing, ever evolving journey. Here is what I wrote as my goals for 2018:

Do a surf lesson – outcome: Is there anything more quintessentially Australian, (other than hugging a koala bear, in your vest and flip flops, whilst cooking a prawn on the BBQ, chugging a coldie), than surfing? So many great ocean beaches. So much surf. And the romance of it all. Who hasn’t watched “Endless Summer”, or sang along to the Beach Boys, and not wanted to just get out there on their board? Well, as it turns out, me actually. I had thought this would be great, but on reflection, the reality of it does match the romance. I would be constantly falling off. I would be in danger of drowning in the swell. I would have salt water up my nose, and I would be choking. Have you even seen me trying to paddle board? ‘Nuff said.
Drop 4kgs – outcome: This didn’t happen. But, the positives I take is that I didn’t put 4kgs on. I have come to the realisation that I love the lifestyle that I have, balancing being a bon vivant, with being mindful of my diet and exercise. I don’t want to be Joe Wicks. I want to be a healthy version of me. And I’m winning. For now. It is a precarious balance, but as I leave 2018 the same weight as I entered it, then I must be doing something right.
Experience my first cold Xmas in 6 years – outcome: I am afraid this was another where the romance of it was driving my thought process. My heart ruling my head. I really did start the year thinking I would be ending it in Canada, wrapped up warm, enveloped in North Face clothing, but revelling in my first cold Xmas since 2011. However, planning the summer holidays, in the depths of a July winters day, I already knew that I would again be having an antipodean Xmas. Prawns, bbqs, and beaches (as per above, minus the koala hugging).
Increase my knowledge of wine – outcome: A success. Any casual observer of this blog, or anybody that knows me, will also know that I am a lover of good wine. Over the years my tastes have developed from drinking wine out of a box on long backpacking trips, to now being picky about exactly what region I want to drink my Cabernet from. A trip to Mudgee, NSW, in January kicked off the wine tasting year, and having the opportunity to taste wines in four completely new wine regions, in New Zealand, ended the year. I am still on my wine journey. I’ll never be a sommelier, but I do like to know my way around a wine list.
Visit somewhere new – outcome: I managed to maintain this tradition, with my first visit to the paradise that is Hamilton Island, off the coast of Queensland, in the Whitsunday Islands. I wrote about this trip in an earlier blog. And just the thought of it brings me out in a beaming smile. I will be back.

In summary, I signed off 2018 in the same way that I started it. Happy. Energised. Positive. Excited and enthusiastic for the challenges and adventures ahead. I know this year will continue in the same vein. It is the year I will need to find a new job, as my current contract is coming to an end. I have thoroughly enjoyed my 2+ years there, but I stick to my motto, “always leave the party whilst you are enjoying it the most.”

This year brings a significant birthday (not mine) to plan for and celebrate, which will be done searching out the “big 5” on safari, with some wine tasting thrown in. There is my first visit back in 2 years to the UK to see my mum. Oh, and my sisters. And all my other family and friends. Part of this trip will see me exploring places I haven’t yet seen. Will I win my fortune in Monte Carlo? Is Nice nice? How many Greek tavernas can i visit whilst in Santorini and Kos?

I will continue with my growth mindset, stretching myself personally, and professionally. On the personal front, doing more writing, even maybe entering a few short story competitions, or submitting a few travel articles. See if this takes me in any new directions. Do more meditation. It works. Trust me. And on the professional front, I will strive to become an even better coach, helping teams and organisations become their best selves.

You see, the possibilities are endless. I can’t wait to get started.

*Scrum – the latest and greatest in the world of software delivery. Move over PRINCE2, you are so passe. This is a job for Scrum, coupled with an “agile mindset”.