Plan B

After our rained out Monday, we had to figure out what to do for Tuesday.  Again rain was in the forecast, but when we woke up, it was partly cloudy.  We could see in the horizon the storm clouds moving in so we decided to act quickly and pack up an overnight bag.  We checked the weather conditions in certain cities and Lecce was suppose to have rain the next morning.  Then again, Lecce was 3 hours away from us.  We figured let's go as south as we possibly can to beat the rain and enjoy some action.  And away we went on our little excursion.  We drove before the storm hit us but from then on, it was a constant race to beat the clouds.
We drove for almost 2 and a half hours til we settled in Ostuni.  We were hungry and needed another shot of espresso.  Most of the times, we were driving through acres and acres of land so it did get tiring on the eyes.  Plus my friend was doing all of the driving since she knows how to drive stick shift.  Ostuni was a beautiful city!  Gorgeous white brick that practically glowed from far away!  I couldn't wait to see what was in store for us.  There was a lot of traffic going into town so they have a pretty good following as far as tourism goes.  We had trouble finding parking and had to hike up into the central region, and when I mean hike, I mean we HIKED!  lol.  Luckily I had my gladiator sandals on but it's was still difficult to walk because of the steep roads.  We settled for some pizza at a cute restaurant and luckily got seated right away.  We must have just beat the rush because the restaurant got filled up pretty fast.  I felt bad because they seemed to be under staffed.  Regardless, we had no worries because we were resting for a bit.  I ordered pizza (which was pretty big but delish) and my friend had a bowl of pasta.  We also ordered a bottle of white wine. 
We started to walk around town when it started to rain, and then it rained harder.  We took cover at a cafe.  I decided to have a cappuccino, but something that my friend had said earlier struck a nerve with me.  She said people usually don't have cappuccino late in the afternoon.  I was surprised because we sometimes took a siesta and depending if I slept too long, I would wake up too groggy.  I can't believe Italians wouldn't serve themselves a cup of something because the day is not over when siesta is.  People sometimes go to work and finish up business.  Just something to think about. 
Once we figured the rain wasn't going to give up, we knew we had to get out of there or else we'll never make it to Lecce.  The steep roads were very hard to walk through in the rain.  We were soaked.  I hate the fact we couldn't hangout in Ostuni much longer because we never got a chance to walk around.  I did notice some graffiti with the demonic symbol 666 on it, and an upside down cross.  I found out later that it's not devil worshipping necessarily.  People have a lot of conflict with the Church and express their frustrations that way.  Interesting. 
When we FINALLY reached Lecce I noticed the temperature change.  It was definitely warmer, and seeing clear blue skies made our day!  We found parking in the street and made our way to our bed and breakfast which was located in the central area of town.  There was a lot of hustle and bustle in Lecce, so I knew we would enjoy our time here.  Believe it or not, I missed the action of a big city.  People were finishing up siesta and going back to work when we arrived.  Although at this time my friend was crashing hard.  She wanted to rest badly. 
We settled in our b&b and met the owner.  He gave wonderful recommendations and was super nice to us.  I'm still not use to the idea of a bed & breakfast spot, but since I was with my friend, she reassured me we would be ok here.  It had great ratings and we were in the middle of everything.  I left her there to rest up while I walked around the central area and sight see.  We were still on the lookout for a dress for her to wear to the baptism coming up next week.  I figured I'll wander around and checkout the retail shops myself first to see if there's anything for her. 
I did find some wonderful leather shops along with other interesting finds.  But they were mostly tourist shops.  I couldn't find their retail shopping district, so I was out of luck.  I came back and woke her up an hour later so it wouldn't get too late for her to look for herself.  We decided to chance it and shop outside the central region and that's when we found the retail shops.  It was getting frustrating again because most of the stores had fall merchandise and nothing cute for a Sunday baptism.  We had reached the last couple of stores on this block when my friend found a stunning day dress.  It had a houndstooth print and was fit-n-flare but we figured she could wear it in the winter as well with opaque tights.  We found a winner!
Now it's time to head back to the b&b and change for the evening.  The shops were now officially closed and the restaurants were getting packed for dinner.  I changed into a mini floral print maxi dress and my friend wore a cute floral dress.  The nightlife in Italy is mostly restaurants and bars, so we don't have to wear club wear out since the crowd is mostly tourists.  At this point we kept walking around trying to find the one restaurant that caught our eye, but that turned out to be over an hour of confusion.  We were hungry and upset and finally we caught the one!  An osteria restaurant with a intimate setting.  We were pleased! 
I devoured my plate and we were getting excited about going out for a bit.  But guess what happened?  Yup.  The rain found it's way to Lecce, and it was raining hard.  We were one of the last guests leaving the restaurant and we were stuck on what to do.  We had no umbrella and one of the workers there tried calling a cab for us but with no such luck.  He gave us one of their umbrellas from the restaurant and we figured we'd walk back to the b&b.  It was hard to walk in that rain especially on the cobblestone!  We had to take our time.  I'm still amazed people ride their mopeds in that weather.  We ended up falling asleep and skipping our big night out on the town.  What can you do?

Labor Day in Italy!

I had chose this week to be in Italy mostly because I didn't have to miss so much work if I incorporated the Labor Day holiday in there.  Turns out it could have been a bad idea after all.  They were not lying about the rain.  We had to get up early because my friend had to go into work for an hour.  She teaches English here in Italy and takes assignments as they come.  Today she had to go to a daycare that mostly dealt with kindergardeners and 1st graders.  These kids were so adorable!  Italians come in all shades, so it was interesting to see different faces in class.  They were very excited to learn something new.  Our lesson was on England, so my friend taught them easy expressions and words associated with their nearby neighbor.  We also did an exercise with Simon Says.  Kids have a lot of energy so it's good to have them moving constantly to pay attention.  I do have to say I enjoy how expressive Italians are with their speech.  Sometimes I think it helps to get your point across instead of beating around the bush. 
Afterwards it was already 11am so we started thinking about lunch.  We figured we can go by the farm and do some fig picking.  Yesterday we had a slice of fig pie in Peschici and my friend wanted to bake one and have me compare which one is better.  She definitely improved her cooking skills in Italy.  On our way to the farm we passed up a little town called Torremaggiore.  It was there where I saw my first castle.  It was small, but very well constructed.  The town turned it into a public library.   
We enjoyed the time we had outside walking through the farm and observing the grape and olive trees.  We picked a basket full of figs before we got interrupted by a very big guy that came out of nowhere and scared us half to death.  He had a garden tool with him.  I think he thought we were stealing, but once we explained who we knew that owned the farm, he left us alone and walked off.  I honestly do not know where he went because there was nothing out there but acres of land.  I noticed the clouds getting darker and darker and we figured it was time to head back.  Being out in this particular farm area, lots of truckers pass by, and with that, prostitutes waiting at every corner.  It's interesting seeing them out in the open, but my friend informed me that the town had gotten rid of the brothels because of the church.  They felt that having them roam about will give them an opportunity to get help instead of having them working in an environment that's hard to get out of. 
Regardless, once we got home, the storm came, and it came HARD.  I saw the streets flood with a few inches of water.  Trees were bending sideways.  I heard thunder but didn't really see any lightening.  But it lasted for close to 30 minutes.  Enough to do some major damage.  It rained the rest of the day.  A couple of times it stopped but then it started again.  Me and my girlfriend were stuck in the house.  We napped during siesta and then got up to make dinner.  A couple of friends were going to join us for dinner.  My girl threw down in the kitchen!  I couldn't wait to eat!
Once our little dinner party came over, they set out the wine for the evening.  I truly enjoyed tasting new flavors, mostly because I do not consume beer back home.  If in Chicago, I usually order a vodka with cranberry, sometimes a glass of red.  But because of the company I was with, Italians adore their wine and are glad to share different variations with you to increase your knowledge.  It was a quiet evening with friends, but we made the most of it despite the weather conditions.  Now the biggest challenge is to figure out what to do the rest of the week...