Brindisi !!

Building in Brindisi -- Bank

Brindisi Marina

Street in Brindisi

Street in Brindisi

Statue at Entrance to Port in Brindisi

Bride in Brindisi

Flowers on House in Brindisi

Captain of the Port

Marina Brindisi

Purple Flowers on House in Brindisi

Small Roman Pillar

Large Roman Pillar at the Marina in Brindisi

Street of Marina  Brindisi

Statue

Pictures of Monopoli and Brindisi....

San Dominica Church

View of Monopoli from on Roof of Church

Climbed all the steps to the roof of the church to the bell tower!!

If you look in where the land meets the sky a little left to the center of the picture and you see all the white...that is the "citta bianca"  -- the City of Ostuni.   I had pictures last week when we went there.  It is an old city built on the side of the hill....all white.  When we were on the roof of the church we could see Ostuni...it is about 20 miles from Monopoli!

Bell Tower on Roof of Church

Me on Roof of Church

Last Night in Italy  .....

Well, it is 10:30 p.m. and it is my last night in Italy.  Yesterday the group of volunteers had a private tour
by the Presidente of the schools...similar to our Superintendent/Principal/Director....he has all of those jobs.
He is a historian and author of books about the Monopoli area and he wanted to take us around and explain some of the sights.  It was a very nice tour....pictures to follow this.

The night before we went to dinner in the piazza at a nice little place.  But before dinner we went to a concert that a man in our hotel had asked us to come to.....Ensano Jazz....we thought, oh, great, should be really good.  The guy had an extremely low voice and said he would be breathing fire, etc.  We get to the church in the piazza where the concert is scheduled...we sit near the back....the concert starts with this man that told us about it....OMG it was the most bizarre thing I have ever seen.....I can't even describe it.  He was making all these weird singing, screeching, low, high, crazy noises with his voice.....so now Kellie, the 21 year old, is hysterical, Ginny, sitting beside Kellie is holding it together.  I am beside Ginny and can't look at either of them or I would lose it.......since we were having a hard time controlling ourselves, we decided to leave so we wouldn't disturb any one.   It was just the funniest thing......I guess art comes in all forms.....

After we got back last night from dinner we went to the pool bar and had a few drinks with some other guests that we had met at the hotel while we were there....had a lot of laughs.

Everyone has gone on their way....Ginny and Kellie flew home early this morning to Massachusetts and Ohio.  We dropped Michael at the Brindisi Airport earlier this morning and he is on his way to Pisa and then Florence for 11 more days.  Gail dropped me at the Hotel in Brindisi where I have been spending my last day.  And Gail, our team leader, went to Lecce for another week of rest and relaxation.

It was a nice vacation and a learning experience for me interacting with the students for the last two weeks.
It's nice to see how other people in different cultures live their daily lives.   There are so many beautiful places to see.  The people in this region of Italy are so curious and happy to talk to Americans and they just love our country and what we represent....it is really refreshing.  When you talk to people on the street and they ask where you're from....when you say the USA, they just light up....it's really nice.

Well, I need to get some sleep because I have to be up really early for my flight back......I hope you all enjoyed my trip to Italy .... I enjoyed sharing it with you all!!!

Masseria Pictures

Cats sleeping on horse carriage

Front of Masseria

Cats

Masseria

Old Servants Quarters with Lookout Tower

Masseria Sign

Servants Quarters

Inside Cave where they produced olive oil in the 9th century

This is fireplace

This is an old olive oil press (wheel) to smash and squeeze the oil

These are wells in the floor to store the olive oil so it is kept at the right temperature

Sleeping quarters in cave for servants

Old Olive Tree

Another old olive tree

And Another Old Olive Tree

St. Stefano Castle at Beach

Caper Bush growing from rocks at the beach.

(I never knew where capers came from....)

A lot of cactus bushes in this area of Italy.

Figs

A view of Monopoli from the Beach

Secluded Beach

Poppies Everywhere near Beach

View of Castle on the Beach Road... sandy beach to the right

Wild Oregano -- smelled really nice.

I'm Back......

Hi.  Sorry for the little break there....I am down in the lobby so I can have Internet....

The last couple of days we taught in the morning and took little side trips with one of the teachers.
She drove us to a couple of the beaches in Monopoli.  The beaches are small compared to our
beaches on the east coast, but very nice.  Usually sandy beach in the middle area with rocks 
surrounding.  Sometimes a castle at the beach and lots of flowers and cacti...

Speaking of singular and plural....I learned today that when you order a panini (sandwich), we Americans
say I will have 1 panini....which is incorrect.....Panini is plural.  So, if you order 1 panini sandwich in the
future, you will know to say, "I would like une (1) panino or two (2) panini, and so on.....sorry, just
a little aside there.

The next day (yesterday), we took a ride to the outskirts of town to see a masseria, which is an old...
really old....farm that usually produced olive oil in the past....I want to say that the teacher said that these
are places from the 9th century, but I'm not quite sure I heard her right.  Anyway, these have now been
bought and restored and turned into restaurants or B&Bs.   

Above are some pictures of the beaches and the masserias that we visited.

Interruption in Blog -- Sorry....

Sorry for no Posts recently....we lost our Internet at the hotel and the only place we can get it is in
the Lobby.  

We are heading out for a concert this evening, but when I get back I will try to come down and post
some pictures.  I have taken some nice photos in the last two days...

Talk to you soon.......