I was in Rome for a 2 days seminar and hubby said once i returned home if i could accompany him to a job interview in Santa Margherita di Ligure..i said where is that?? Do you know Portofino?? Yes..i said..it is a famous tourist place..well it is near. So off we went and had a splendid day splurging under the Ligure sun and sea.

A lovely place worthy to be revisited with pleasant pace…not of course in a 3 hour one. We had a nice lunch of fish and lasagne with pesto (the original) at Osteria N7 highly recommended by the locals at Santa Margherita Ligure then took a bus to Portofino and had our icecream admiring the busy little port still brimming with tourists…speaking of which I am.

As i always say…i´ll be back soon!

This is the second year i gave myself a travel birthday gift and the second i spent with my friend Shalimar … this time though instead of the trendy chic Cote D´Azure i went to historical and mythical Athens.

However in a packed 3 day visit you can´t have it all but i guess i have had the feel of the dynamic city and metropolis it has become. The old and the new, ancient and modern, vibrant yet it has that non hurried feeling of relax of the people.

I went to the old wet market, the Plaka, Monastiraki, waited for hours for the change of guards infront of the Parliament building, Syntagma Square, Benaki Museum, the National Garden, Stadium, Lykavitos, did i mention it all?? Guess not , you can see some here, ahh i have to add all on foot, in fact after  the first day of visit i soaked my feet in hot water with salt and a soothing oil.

But the height of my visit is The Acropolis, spectacular and majestic. Being there gave me that feeling of belongingness…a brief magical contact as if talking with the Gods. Hey lady… wake up! Huh? I was dreaming?? Sunny hot Sunday, weather perfect, the climb was long coz Sha and Boni my Athenian guides are passionate of long walks so we made it the longer way…hahaha.. of course i was already more than prepared with  better shoes.

The view says it all though words aren´t necessary. From the top of the hill lies Athens under the very bright light of the day, so intensely bright. Then downhill awaits us two other friends to join us for a hearty lunch in a resto mostly frequented by Athenians themselves. Fed with charcoal grilled lamb chops and real Greek salads we decided to take coffee in the new Acropolis Museum. Packed with tourists we invited into this ultra modern building that showcases the treasures found in the site and ended our tour sitting in the terrace of the museum facing the hill of the Acropolis and a bit down the Temple of Zeus.

This may be just the sight i want to remember with my visit in Athens…a cup of coffee with wonderful friends and a view so breathtakingly beautiful of the Acropolis.

I will surely return for more, a promise.

I am going to meet Sara…the two month old baby of my neighbor in Tripoli…they live a flight of stairs above our flat. My friend Cinzia left Tripoli when she was almost due so i did not see her baby. Back in Italy for the usual renew of visa i got the opportunity to go and visit the newborn.

My contact of the South of Italy is ’till Rome..further than that…nada..niente! So i was eager to see my friends but am eager to see too their place. Travel info Florence-Rome-Salerno-Potenza by train. They have booked me to this beautiful bed & breakfast for two days in Matera right at the heart of another UNESCO Heritage site Sassi di Matera.

A very big plus to this visit… never heard of it…googled the place and surprised it is famous worldwide..unknowingly even have seen it on the screen The Passion of Christ by Mel Gibson. Armed with enthusiasm and this time my camera (i always forget it) i travelled many hours by train specially the regional one from Salerno to Potenza…at every small station we stopped but gladly i made conversation with a nice lady from Milan returning home for the May 1st holiday helping me improve my geography…hahaha. Now i can cite you all the stops from Salerno to Potenza..wink!

Finally i arrived in the Station and voila’ Sara, Cinzia and Michele…how wonderful to have friends around the globe and thanks to these people i experienced a real and grand…SOUTHERN hospitality!

My ignorance hasn’t prepared me…i thought we are close by the sea instead we are in the mountainous area and that day it was cold. We arrived a bit dark already the owner consigned me the keys and showed me my lodgings… B&B IL CORTILE wow i am inside centuries old house carved on the rocks.

Early morning though the view that greeted me from my table breakfast which was laid out lovingly by the charming owner was worth all the many hours of travel. The good thing of staying too in the b&b is for the informality but warm atmosphere homely yet very comfortable accommodations.  For the rest of my stay along the narrow streets, nique and corners a leap to the past so vividly real. A very unique experience i will truly remember…never have i walked and climbed stairs in my whole life in two days time…hahaha!Thank you Sara for giving me this opportunity to know and meet your family…this i will truly treasure…till next visit!

So i get this chance to live my life Guizohanon-Mandauehanon-Cebuano a whole month…wow and i promised myself to relive as much as i can the way i have always known my place.

A lot has changed of course not the Guizo i know of my childhood days but the spirit of it still remains at the hearts of the people i know! Family is always family and it warms the heart thinking and be with them specially as we stay rarely together.>
Neighbors are considered extended family and part of your day to day..they pass by and greet..asks how you are..tell you their worries..their lucks, their life. Everything is shared and for these exchanges we always have place we call “istambayan” a meeting place. Nabor’s store is the perfect spot..it is actually my old’s house spot..where we were born..but this is just only a detail. If you want the news of the day..just bring your cup of coffee…pick from the sari-sari store your breakfast and the news of the day will arrive via radio ba-ba..street news..hahaha! We cannot compare this to chic cafes in Europe but there is nothing like it as we are used. Jokes, the hot gossips, free and unsollicited counselling, politics, everything just like the store..pick your choice of topic. Going around my place brings back a lot of memories.

I can see a world around on this small corner! A part of me, a part of my past..relived with much pleasure and with a little twist of the heart. There’s no place like home!

Dreaming? No..dream come true. i just remembered my dear high school teacher when she passionately describes us all these marvelous places and stories. I AM here.. Among Pharoahs…my teacher would be proud of me, i thought. To my beloved teacher, this is dedicated for you.

I felt great, i felt big…i am with KINGS!! Whew, this cruise along the Nile River really gave me this opportunity to live the pages of history i lovely listened to from the benches at school. I and two travel companions decided to book us a weeks cruise along the Nile and see on its course Abu Simbel, Aswan, The Kings Valley then coming to Cairo for the Pyramids..this was the etinerary.

The Nile.. it emotes way back in time..a story of a boy in a basket found along its banks..sound familiar?? The Pyramids with its mysteries, tombs, treasures, mummies, enormous statues, the land and its people. How can one describe centuries of incredible history a country full of magical mysteries in a weeks visit?? Impossible and not even my competency, for that there are myriads of books from real experts.

In my small way i would only be able to describe my personal feelings and appreciations. I can never forget this trip. I want to share to you by photos here… my perspectives of this great Land of Pharoahs.