Pocket Traveller

May 1st. It is 9 pm and here I am in Catania. It was raining when I left Alberobello this morning, cloudy and pouring with rain. My first mistake was to take a taxi from the airport to my hotel. As always, I made the wrong choice of the taxi driver as he took me the long route round and I ended up paying €40, the hotel told me it is a maximum of €25 so I certainly won’t be using that taxi again. When I was dropped off at my hotel, Hotel Gresi, I was confused to see just a plain heavy wooden door with a sign of the hotel over the top, as if it was closed, so I wasn’t sure what to do. The taxi driver pushed a button on the door and a lock was released. When the door opened it was like walking into a tardis, as I stepped inside it opened up into a courtyard with several other doors leading to nowhere. Eventually I saw a sign to say hotel Gresi which led me to a really old-fashioned lift. The whole place seemed rather eerie and I was reluctant to step inside, I hate lifts anyway so I can’t tell you how apprehensive I felt and I wondered if I had made the right choice in my hotel. When the lift door opened, it was a concertina door and I wasn’t sure how to open it, so one for one moment I thought I would be trapped forever in this time warp. I could see a small counter, a reception area, where an elderly gentleman and a younger man stood behind the desk. At first they did not smile but of course I gave them a big smile and a friendly greeting, which soon had them under my spell ha ha! I was shown to my room which was up one long flight of stairs,for me this was not a good place for me to be as many of you know I’m not that flexible. The single room was a small room with a bed a wardrobe a desk and for some reason two chairs, I wondered who would be joining me, however, I was really impressed at the cleanliness of this place. The bathroom was immaculate with tissue covering the toilet bowl and a brand new toilet roll wrapped in decorative paper. This cheered me a little thinking that I would only have to sleep in this room as I would be outside most of the time. I went to open the shutters and was very disappointed to see a fire escape instead of walking out onto the balcony overlooking the volcano. But I was pleased that at least it was clean and in a very nice area, central to the main piazzas and historical places. When I went back down to reception they told me they would be moving me tomorrow to a different room, Now that is exciting, I wonder what I shall find. Senor Salvatore, the owner of Hotel Gresi, recommended a restaurant called Trattoria De Cavalleri , which is where I am now, at 9:15 queueing up for a table. I have been here for 45 minutes now but it looks as though it must be the most popular place in Catania. There are crowds of people waiting for a table. So after one hour I finally have a table and I’m now waiting for my meal. This menu is so cheap but from the amount of people eating here it must be good quality. I have ordered an anti pasta à la casa, as I always do in new places, as it gives some idea of the different tastes and qualities of the restaurant. Then I have ordered pasta à la Norma, which is the traditional pasta of Sicily. It is rigatoni pasta with aubergine and ricotta cheese, the traditional pasta that I must try now I am here. I have also ordered half a litre of the local red wine which is €2! The anti pasta à la casa was only €4 and it consisted of Arancini which is a typical Sicilian dish made of small tower of rIce that has been rolled together with a centre of mozzarella cheese, then covered in breadcrumbs and deep fried -delicious. The aubergine rolls, which seem to be stuffed with ham and cheese and capers, were very tasty, I can sense the influence of Arabia which of course is part of the history of Sicily. I think I might try this recipe at home. I’ve just bitten into the Arancia and was a little bit Surprised to see that it also had meat in the middle, although good quality meat when I was expecting a soft centre of mozzarella cheese. However very tasty. I’m actually full already and I expect a pasta mix, so I will have another glass of this really excellent cheap wine! I’ve just spoken to a group of two couples who are sitting next to me at my lonely single table, firstly to ask them about the local food but also to make contact with the real people that live here. A very pleasant experience. It’s now 22.30 and I cannot eat the rest of my beautiful pasta. First because I have waited so long to eat, I may be past being hungry, but also there has been very pleasant conversations between me and the table next to me. I hope they won’t mind me taking a photo of them as a memory of my first night in this beautiful city of Catania. I’ve drunk my wine, shared my WordPress website blog, for some reason got a takeaway of my remaining Pasta Norma,Now I will make my way back to Hotel Gresi and hopefully be able to get inside the big door. What ever the wine was, has given me a reason to go to bed and have a good rest!

Tuesday 2nd May
A comfortable night in my small little room, but today they will move me to a different room that has a balcony onto the street so at least I will see some daylight. I had hoped to stay in a room overlooking the volcano but unfortunately that room is the honeymoon suite and as I am not on my honeymoon, and alone, I will take what I can. I decided to go to the monastery today hoping for somewhere peaceful to remember my love, my Chris, on this the second year anniversary of his death. I thought this place may be peaceful and quiet but it is full of people which somehow takes away the atmosphere I was hoping for. However, when I saw many young students with the traditional laurel leaf crown to symbolise their graduation, I realised why there were so many people around. I could not resist taking a photo of this beautiful girl who has just graduated in technical marketing. She and her family were so nice, her name is Caroline and we had our picture taken together. It was lovely to see all the young people taking the next step in their lives, I hope they have a bright new future.
I’ve walked down many back streets today, preferring to avoid tourist areas, and came across a small alleyway. It looked so pretty that I took a photo, then a lady came out of her house and talked to me. Her name is Francesca and although she spoke Catanese, the local dialect, we had a nice conversation together about the diversity of our lives. I just love meeting the local people when I am on my travels, it’s what makes it so special. I’ve just had my lunch, basically to get out of the pouring rain. I like to eat my main meal in the evening so I ordered a salad at this restaurant called DOC- the Sicilian experience. It certainly was an experience, as I ordered a swordfish salad expecting a nice piece of swordfish cooked to perfection, with a salad at the side. When the salad eventually arrived, the swordfish was cut up into pieces and it was raw! I have never eaten raw swordfish before, I didn’t enjoy it very much so that’s today’s lesson learnt. I sat outside to eat but all of a sudden it started to rain heavily and within a couple of minutes there was an almighty storm. The thunder roared through the city and for a moment I thought Mount Etna had erupted! The rain was torrential and crowds of people huddled in doorways trying to keep dry. The storm lasted over an hour and the streets were turned into rivers as the rain poured down the roads and paths. Eventually I could start my walk back to the hotel, my feet were aching now from treading the ancient stone roads. I passed by some interesting spots, but because of the bad weather I didn’t stop to explore, but took some photos to share with you all. As always on my travels I come across homeless people and find myself chatting to them, luckily this old guy has a shelter to go to tonight as it’s very stormy. This evening because I’ve had a long tiring day I’m just walking around near to the hotel trying to find somewhere to eat and came across this fantastic little pub called Mr Hyde, selling draft beers. The unusual thing about this pub is it’s set up as an old English apothecary/pharmacy in a unique style that is fascinating with so many artefacts to do with the pharmacy. Not particularly Sicilian, but a very pleasant atmosphere to have a beer and relax after a hard days walk. I’m now in a very nice restaurant not far from my hotel, called Aless, having one of my favourite meals, Angus steak and vegetables. Not Italian, but after the raw fish lunch I am craving a good piece of meat! A treat for a special day to lift my spirits and think of good times with Chris. I was served by a lovely waitress called Sophia, a young 17-year-old trying to earn some money to help herself stay at school. When she asked me where I was from, I told her that I had a Trullo in Alberobello. She was so keen to visit I gave her my email address and the contact through Workaway website so if she felt she wanted to come and visit she would be welcome. Once again a contact I think will be beneficial to us both. I have had a very good wine here tonight, Sicilian obviously. It is called Cerasuolo di Vitoria, made from 50% of Frappato grapes and 50% Nero D’Avola. I will definitely be buying some of this from the shops tomorrow. And now my pocket travellers, I will leave the restaurant and go back to the hotel for a well-deserved rest after a wonderful busy day. Now I have better Internet I hope that this will be posted tonight on Facebook and my WordPress blog Pocket Traveller. roaminrosie.travel.blog ….update. .. this post did not upload last night, storms made internet impossible, so I’m trying again today (3rd May), I hope it goes through!

Wednesday 3rd May

This morning I’m visiting the fruit and vegetable market just down the road from the hotel. This is unbelievable! I love the markets around the area I live in Alberobello but this display has such top quality vegetables and some that I’ve never seen before it’s just amazing. In some ways I wish I was self catering because I just want to buy these things and go home and cook something really lovely, which I’d rather do than eat out every night. Bunches of asparagus are only a euro and such a variety of tomatoes at low prices. I saw some broccoli which was huge! I’m told that all the vegetables here grow so big is because of the richness of the volcanic soil. There were trays of artichokes and big onions being smoked on a barbecue, the smell was so good I wished I could have eaten a plateful. There was a stall selling big trays of every fish imaginable, all ready to cook, just for €5. I didn’t go out to lunch today, instead I bought cooked meat and a healthy black bread roll and crunched on a fresh juicy red pepper, eating it like a apple. Much better than yesterday’s raw swordfish! I feel tempted to buy another travel bag and take this lovely produce back with me, but not the live snails that were squirming around in the trays! I hope you enjoy the photos, the long green vegetable is a courgette! I’ve never seen anything like it. It’s very lovely just to do what I want and have spare time not worrying about anything else, so this afternoon I treated myself to a little bit of beauty therapy and had a massage and a nice facial, now I feel fresh. The hotel is in a really good position, close to the main shopping area lined with clothes shops. Lovely! I looked but resisted the temptation to buy, there was so much choice. Worn out from window shopping I rested for a while with a nice glass or two wine, and went out to find a place to eat. Now I’ve just returned after having a delicious sea food selection. My legs and feet are aching from all the walking and I. Sure I’ll sleep well tonight! It’s easy for you, being in my pocket! 😉 The last two photos are…the view from my balcony and the painting on the ceiling of my hotel room.

Thursday 4th May

Writing up my blog at the end of the day can be quite a long task, so I’ve discovered that I can dictate on NOTES during the day, and then all I have to do is to edit it before I post it to you all. I found that my blogs on New York and New Orleans were taking me hours into the night to prepare, especially when there are lots of photos to upload. I have very poor Internet in my room in this hotel and have to sit in reception to put the blog together at the end of the day, so I am writing “on the go’ where you are literally in my pocket at every stage of the day. I’ve just booked my trip to Mount Etna for Saturday, a trip by bus which is easier for me as I cannot do much trekking. Saturday seems to be the only day that will be fine, as it has been very overcast with showers and sometimes heavy rain. I’m now in the Duomo square, taking a photo of the famous elephant made of lava rock, but it has unfortunately got scaffolding around it, which meant I couldn’t see the fountain surrounding it. I asked the local people what the significance of the elephant was and got several different stories. Some say it is a symbol of the victory Catania won over Libya. Others say that it was built in 1736 during the byzantine period to protect Catania from Mount Etna eruptions. I was also told It was made to imitate Bernini’s Minerva Elephant in Rome. There is an ancient Egyptian obelisk decorated with hieroglyphics on the elephant’s back, brought from Egypt. The people I spoke to are very proud of this elephant. On the right of the Duomo square there is a little fountain called the Amenano Fountain, built in 1867 in Carrara marble by the Neapolitan sculptor Tito Angelini. It depicts the Amenano river as a young man holding a cornucopia where water flows into a convex basin. The square consists of many historic buildings, too many to mention here, and it would take me more than a few days to explore them all. I actually prefer to walk around the streets to simple places away from the tourist areas. Me and Chris travelled to far off places in the past so I’ve seen many churches and museums, and now I prefer meeting the local people and being involved in local culture and everyday life. I’ve just made my way through the fish market, I really wish I was self catering, the food here is incredible. I couldn’t resist taking a photo of this swordfish, although it’s almost made me want to be a vegetarian seeing such a beautiful fish cut into pieces for people to eat. But I suppose they must have been put on the planet for the human race to survive. Sad, I think. Maybe one day the fish and wildlife will domineer the humans. Moving on from the fish market another shocking view, of a very small carcass hanging in front of me. This time it was half of a goat. Many years ago I had goats, my children were brought up on goats milk so I do know that goat meat is very tasty, especially in a curry! However this very small goat was apparently only one month old, hardly taking its first breath. Why? Next to the baby goat was a bundle of something hanging from a hook, it looked like a bunch of old cleaning rags. This strange unappetising display was various pieces of offal, stomach, lungs and other nasty bits which I am sure the local people love. It seems every single part of the animal is eaten here, as in many other countries. Once again I’m wondering if I should be a vegetarian, especially after seeing all the wonderful fresh vegetables here in the market. It started to rain around lunchtime so I decided to buy an avocado and some giant barbecued prawns and take them back to my hotel for a relaxing lunch “at home”. So now I’ve eaten well, had a small glass of wine and will have a little nap. All this walking is exhausting! I never can sleep during the day, so after about half an hour of trying I decided to go out for another walk. This time I wandered down the backstreets exploring dark alleyways, finding beautiful buildings behind great big doors. It seems to be the common thing that, although the streets are full of broken buildings, behind the doors is a whole new world of privacy away from the hustle and bustle of traffic. I decided to go back to Mr Hyde‘s pub this evening for something to eat. I have now returned to the hotel after a very pleasant time where I met John and Sue from Adelaide Australia. They are here on holiday for a few days and I enjoyed their company, and conversation. Tomorrow I plan to go by train to Taromina, apparently a very pretty little town further up the coast. So now my pocket travellers, after a very busy day I’m off to bed to regain my energy for another day.

Friday 5th May

It’s 10 o’clock in the morning and here we go my pocket travellers, another day. Well this is the first time that I’ve seen Mount Etna, I’ll just take a photo for you, it’s been so cloudy since I’ve been here and not visible at all. I’m very late this morning because I had a very broken night, alarms going off in the street in the early hours of the morning, plus a very annoying mosquito buzzing round my ears. So now I’m off to walk to the train station for a visit to Taormina, hopefully to have a nice day out there. The walk should take me about 20 minutes and the train will take about 40 minutes. Phew! it’s just taken me 40 minutes to walk to the train station and I’m exhausted!This is the first hot day that we’ve had so I’m in full sun for the first time since I got here.

We only just made it! I had to get a ticket from the station from the machine €5.20,  so a sweet smile to a nice guard at the station got me through really quickly and now I’m on the train. We leave with two minutes to spare and for the first time I’m out of the city. I can see the sea and now I feel a sense of freedom, away from the streets and heading up the coast to somewhere new and a new adventure for the day.  10.42, the train is moving now and were off! 10 minutes into the trip on the train I went to clean my glasses and the one of the lenses fell out!  Unfortunately so did the tiny little screw that was holding them all together so it was impossible to fix them. I can’t see anything at all without them. Fortunately there is a nice group of three German girls sat next to me on the train and I asked them if they have a plaster so I could stick my glasses together. They didn’t so we came up with the idea of cutting a piece of string off a Covid mask and tying the glasses together until I can get them fixed when we arrive in Taormina. Lovely girls. Thanks for your help. 

At 1150 we arrived at the train station of Taormina and just paid €1.50 to get a bus up into the town because it’s high up on the hill. The German girls are walking. I’m on the bus and I don’t know how anyone can walk all this way, I think it will take them a good hour to get there. I just found an optician here ,a man called Andrea who has fixed my glasses for nothing, lovely man. Now I can see where I’m going I’ll continue to have a look round and get myself a snack. One of the local snacks in Sicily is the arancini, a ball of rice wrapped around a piece of mozzarella cheese then coated in breadcrumbs and deep-fried. There are many variations of this with different fillings but always surrounded by the rice. So many shops sell them I just didn’t know which to choose and unfortunately I picked one that was not very good. In fact I took two bites and threw it in the bin. Possibly I’ll try again another day and hopefully get a better quality. The trouble I find with eating out in these tourist towns is the quality of the food is not as good as when you eat in a local village or out of the main tourist area. I’ll eat my main meal this evening anyway.

I’m not really sure what to photograph in this town, there’s always the churches but I photographs so many churches just for the architecture so I feel forced to photograph one now. I am one of many people pointing their cameras at different churches and buildings and am I find I am uncomfortable being tourist and long to be off the beaten track, so now I’m going to venture out down some dark alleyways. I’ve got to get out of this area. An old man is playing the accordion and singing Italian songs to crowd of inebriated diners ‘oh lari, oh ho, cantare, oh ho ho ho!’ He can’t even sing and all the people are taking photos of him and clapping. I’m glad they’re enjoying themselves but I’m sorry…it’s just not for me.

I was just about ready to leave this place and get the train back to Catania when I h

decided to stop and sit on a bench take some photos. There was someone laying asleep on the bench and it was there that I met Charmaine who comes from Massachusetts. She had arrived the night before and was jet lagged, needing a quick nap. Charmaine was searching for her family tree and was going on a tour called ‘the godfather’ as the films were filmed in Taormina.  We had a nice chat and I decided that as I had a few hours left,  I’d go on the tour with her. We also teamed up with another single lady called Shayne. So here I am on the bus on another adventure. I haven’t watched the Godfather films so I was not sure what I would get out of the trip, also there were many stops to visit churches. I was tired from walking so I sat in a wall while the rest of the tour walked up a steep hill to a church. 

As I sat there, a very attractive well dressed man appeared at the side of a house being renovated and walked over to me. Obviously I smiled and we had a nice conversation about the renovation and restoring old buildings. He was very charming and asked me if I would like a glass of water,  I said yes and he invited me in to look at the renovations on his property. The water turned to wine and we shared a glass of very nice white wine! Reluctantly I had to go back to the bus to join the bus, very reluctantly I may say. We had a photo taken together and I have his phone number so I do hope we meet again. His name is Federico. 

On my way back down to the bus I met Francesca, who lives here, she has to walk up the streets every day to get to and from the shops. We sat down for awhile and had a chat. I just love meeting local people here everywhere I go. So now I’m just going to go down and look at the bar that was in the film the Godfather. It was a good trip today and I was late getting the train back to Catania. I was dreading g the long walk back to the hotel but fate helped by a young lady who was a great help to me. She got a bus ticket for me and came with me all the way to my hotel! Bless her! What an angel. After a quick freshen up I went out to find somewhere to eat and was looking for a single table in the street of restaurant restaurants near my hotel. A lovely couple asked me if I would like to join them and I was pleased to accept. Denali and Holly are from Albuquerque, USA,  I spent a pleasant interesting hour with them, enjoying their company.

They had nearly finished their meal when I arrived so left before me. I was amazed when I came to pay my bill that they had paid for me too! What a day I have had! So many kind and wonderful people have come into

my life today. I am trulli blessed

Saturday 6th May.

I had such a late night last night after very full interesting day. I was still writing and editing my post at midnight so it was a very long day. Today I’m going on a bus trip to Mount Etna, it’s a lovely sunny day but now it has clouds and a layer of snow at the top, looking a bit like an iced bun. Its 11.30 and we will be leaving very soon. We all have earphones to listen to a commentary in our chosen language, so I am trying to take notes to get some information for you. Excuse me if this next text seems official at some points, but it’s because I’m trying to get my facts right from the audio info.

When the volcano erupted in 1669 16,000 people out of 20,000 people living in Catania died. Mount Etna is 3346 meters high and covers 16,000 sq kilometres. It was formed by the African and Eurasian plates colliding thousands of years ago. We’ve been on the bus an hour and just stopped over in small town called Nicolosi, just for comfort stop. Nothing much here but it’s still a long way up to the volcano so it’s good to get out of the bus to stretch our legs. As we drive up and up the winding road the driver is tooting his horn all the time because of the danger of traffic coming the other way, the road is so narrow. I’m so glad I didn’t chose to drive in Sicily as I would feel a little nervous doing this trip on my own.

It’s 13.30 now and we’re just stopping to have a look at the house that was destroyed by the eruption of the volcano. I’m not sure that this one will be up for renovation! I noticed a lizard basking on some volcanic rock and, unlike the lizards at Paradiso, changed colour from natural brown/green to black against the lava rocks.

We are now moving along the road again, up and up until we will reach 2000 feet above sea level and to the next stop. There is another tour that goes to 3000 feet but I’m quite happy just to go this high. Five minutes later we have arrived at our destination 2000 feet up the mountain. It’s a typical tourist area with a hotel, souvenir shops, bars, coffee shops and crowds of people. It seems to be the only way you can see things nowadays. It’s €50 each way for cable car if you want to go higher and then €70 after that to reach the summit by bus. I have three hours here to explore, so for me it’s more hard walking so I’ll just gaze at Etna from a distance. I really don’t like these tourist places. (Oops … I’m a tourist!) where you tend to get food that’s not local and just churned out for the tourists.

Yesterday my experience with the arancini was not good as it did not have proper cheese inside, I found out it was a vegetable paste. So today I’m trying arancini a Nonna which has ricotta cheese inside. I’m also having a nice red beer and a cannoli. Umm, I’ve decided I don’t like arancini.

Now I’m going to have a wander around this ‘resort’ and try to keep away from loud people. To be perfectly honest I’m not really enjoying this trip. One reason being it makes me realise that I’m not fit and, having two false knees, I find it difficult walking up very steep slopes, which is quite upsetting. But I am enjoying the view of the volcanic mountain and spoke to some people who had been up by cable car. My purpose in coming to Etna was to remember Chris and hopefully see some volcanic activity. Maybe foolishly, I had an image in my mind of the volcano spitting out a few flames and molten rock, but that is left to the imagination, which I have a lot of. I could’ve pushed myself to the limit to go up there for the extra €50 but once up to 3000 feet you still have to walk to get to a viewing point so I didn’t see any point in going. However, one young couple kindly showed me their photographs and told me that it is quite a hike when you get off the cable car, so there it is. Unfortunately you will not be in my pocket at the summit and will have to be content with as far as I have brought you now. Apologies..

Now I have an hour before the bus departs and it’s getting really cold here as the sun is starting to drop even at 15.20. So reluctantly, I will go and find a souvenir shop, not to buy anything, but to keep warm and away from the swarms of mosquitoes. It’s 4 pm now and the newly hatched tiny mosquitoes are landing on my arms in big back patches. I really am ready to go back, I’ve come inside one of the cafés now just to get away from them. I hope that soon the bus driver will be here so I can get into the bus. I’m sorry if I don’t sound very enthusiastic now but three hours was a bit too much for me and I’ve had enough of crowds. Now I’m back at the hotel having a glass of wine in my room and will now go to the restaurant for a quick meal and an early night. Ready for a good sleep.

Sunday 7th May

I was hoping to go to Palermo today but the train takes 5 to 6 hours and a change at another station, so it is not going to be possible to get there and back in a day. Possibly I’ll fly to Palermo another time and explore that side of the island. I think I’ve seen most of what I want to see in Catania city so maybe today is a coffee shop day sitting in the sunshine watching people go by. Not very exciting, but who knows what the day will bring. I walked through the back streets this morning, all seem to connect with the main shopping road, what a contrast from scruffy shops and dirty streets to pristine designer outlets. I would’ve liked to gone back to the hills of Taramino, but it’s Sunday, and trains are not running as often as weekdays. Also it’s difficult to get from the station up into the hills. I feel trapped in the city now and need to get out, and perhaps head towards the water. I’ve asked a few people, and the suggestion was to get a train, but now I found out I can get the Metro, so that will be a new experience here.

I’ll be heading towards a place called Galatea which I think has a marina, I don’t need to lay on the beach but I’m hoping to get a different feel of Catania and watch the boats in the marina. The metro is only €2 for a day and Galatea was only two stops which was only three or four minutes. I’ve just walked for 15 minutes and asked the way to the marina and unfortunately I’ve done 15 minutes walk in the wrong direction so I now have to return past the Metro where I got off and do another 15 minutes the other way! Not the adventure I was looking for. I see these little scooters everywhere on the way and

I’m very tempted to get on one, I think you pay by card, but I’m afraid I might fall off! Another 10 minutes walk and at last I see the sea and one lonely yacht so I’m going to walk round the corner and find somewhere where I can get a drink. I’ve just had a quick snack and a bottle of water, sitting down resting my tired legs and watching people as they go by. Sitting in the shade thank goodness, as it’s very very hot and sunny today.

This is unbelievable! I’ve just seen a man with two children, one only a baby, all of them on his moped! The boy, about 9 years old was driving with dad on the back holding the baby. As they drove past me I could see the baby looking at me, terrified, as if to say, ‘Help! Get me off of here!’ I shall worry if they all got home safely.

I’ve just seen this young man swim back into this little bay with a bag full of wonderful fresh fish that he has just caught. He told me he caught them using a speargun which has a line attached to it and several fishing hooks. He fires the gun down into the water and then waits until the lines are full of fish. I asked him how long it took him to catch them, he said he is usually out at sea for two hours floating in the water, waiting for the fish to bite. He was cutting them open and dropping the guts into the water where children are swimming!

Well, this is my last night here and my legs are worn out! So I’m not walking far tonight, just a short stroll to Mr Hyde’s pub for beer and dinner. Not Italian tonight, ribs and roasties. I’ve got a late flight tomorrow so another morning walking tomorrow. I’ve had a lovely time here in Sicily, but to be honest, I’m looking forward to getting back to Paradiso, and lots of salad to lose the weight I’ve put on here! I will probably do a short blog tomorrow but unless another adventure comes my way, there will be little to say. I do hope you’ve enjoyed being in my pocket, thanks for commenting and I promise we’ll be off again soon!

Tuesday 20th December. Here we go!
Ok my Pocket travellers. Today is day one of the next great adventure, this time we’re all off to New Orleans, or should I say ‘n’awlins’ or nawh-lanes, I’ve yet to know the real pronunciation of this until I actually get there. If you followed my last blog to New York in August you will know that I say it as it is, so what you see is what you get, and by doing that, I hope that you will feel my feelings, see what I see, hear what I hear, and meet the people that I meet. That way you don’t even have to leave your house, you just come with me in my pocket and share this adventure. Before even setting foot on American soil I have already a story to tell. I flew from Bari to Stanstead this morning, then got a bus to Heathrow Airport where my flight leaves tomorrow. I am now at the Renaissance Hotel near the airport and I’ve had a super evening with some new friends. On arrival at the hotel there was a massive queue waiting to check-in, just the place to meet people, and I was fortunate enough to be in a queue next to Chris and Sharon, Manda and Colum, and within minutes we turned a stressful situation into a barrel of laughs, ending with us all meeting up for drinks at the bar and a meal together. Unfortunately I have been let down getting a caricature for this blog, but I must thank Sharon‘s husband Chris for trying his best searching for a way to get a cartoon of me playing the saxophone. We tried always to create the perfect avatar with me holding a wine bottle in place of the saxophone, which created much amusement, not only with us but with the other people in the restaurant. I’m hoping to get the cartoon published later, many people have been involved trying their best to get it done. And so the adventure begins in a light-hearted mood, taking away all the stress that I have felt arranging this trip. What a brilliant way to start the journey. Tomorrow I will be up up and away early morning and hopefully will be able to write up the days story when I arrive in New Orleans and check in to Hotel St Pierre on Burgundy Street. Buon Viaggio!

Wednesday 21st December. 

Good morning Pocket travellers! I’m writing this at 2am on Thursday morning as I didn’t arrive in New Orleans until late evening and now I am finding it impossible to sleep. The time difference is really kicking in. The day started badly for me as I had a very emotional experience at Heathrow airport. The last time I was there on 2nd May 2021 when I had flown from Italy to the UK to complete the sale of my mother’s house, as she was moving to a care home. It had been a hard decision to travel and leave Chris alone, but he assured me that he would be fine looking after himself. Reluctantly, I went to do the business. I was waiting for my return flight to Italy at Heathrow when I had a phone call from my son James to say Chris had suddenly been taken ill and had died on arrival at the emergency hospital in Italy. It was one of the worse days of my life. As I entered Heathrow airport yesterday the memory suddenly came back to me and I was overcome with grief. It was a shock and I had to be be strong and carry on, but I was breaking up inside. The reason I am doing these trips is because it is my way of coping without him, trying to build a new life alone, I had not been prepared for the shock of this deep memory erupting in my heart. But life has to go on. It would been his birthday today (22nd) and I know he is with me in Spirit, encouraging me to live a full life. Although my flight wasn’t until 10am I had to get to Heathrow early because I had booked assistance. Ok, you may think this was a ‘cop out’ (for my Italian friends.. this means avoiding something because you think it’s too difficult), well that’s just the reason why I did it! My journey involved a flight transfer in Houston, which is a massive complicated airport, and I only had 90 minutes to transfer. I decided it would be wise to have some help, especially as I don’t walk long distances very well with luggage. It was definitely the right decision and I was well looked after, getting through the crowded border control process quickly with no stress, just what I needed to keep my blood pressure stable! The flight with United Airlines to Houston was 10 hours 45 minutes, a nice flight, great crew and good food, so I was very happy. As soon as I boarded, I just had to have my photo taken with Rob, who I presumed was the captain, as he had wings and stripes on his uniform. I think he was actually the head of the cabin team as when I saw him after take off he was serving drinks..I thought, well, if he’s the captain who’s flying the plane! He was such a nice man and during the flight I went to the back of the plane and had a nice cup of tea with him and his super colleague Mario! A lovely experience, making new friends even on the flight. The time past quickly, several small sleeps, snacks and watching movies. The flight from Houston to New Orleans was only 1 hour 15 minutes and on arriving I was once again taken care of, the assistance people organising a taxi to take me to Hotel St. Pierre in Burgundy Street. It’s really amazing. A maze of beautiful rooms in different areas, named after Jazz musicians and historic figures. I’ve attached a short history as it is such a unique place. (I hope it downloads ok as the internet is very poor in New Orleans due to it being very flat.) I don’t like posh high rise hotels, I like simple historic places which I why I chose thIs particular hotel. The manager Shaun, was brilliant and I when I arrived late I felt at home straight away, confident he will be my friend and support during my week in New Orleans, My room is in a little wooden building that used to be the Morning Star baptist church, now part of the complex, cosy and holds a lot of history, just what I like, and for those who know me well, you will understand the attraction. So here I am! It’s 3am and I’ve had a short sleep, now I will try to adjust my time clock and sleep once more. A great day ahead and I am excited! Chris is in my thoughts, especially on this day, and I will be wandering the famous historic graveyards, maybe he will be waiting! ………UPDATE 9am New Orleans time, Thursday… I have just been given a different room as the internet was so poor in my original one and it is essential I have good connections, especially for doing my daily blog. Today’s Manager, Larry, has been fantastic and has shown around the big maze of lovely buildings, courtyards and gardens, searching all the time for the best internet. I would have loved to have stayed in ‘ The Louis Armstrong’ room, but unfortunately it was not possible. Louis Armstrong was our favourite jazz artist, his song ‘All the time in the word’ was our song, played at our wedding. Sadly, we did not have ‘All the time in the world’. But I know I will hear it played sometime while I am here and know Chris is with me.

Thursday 22nd December Day 2 

Well, I really don’t know what day it is or what time it is, obviously it’s a jetlag thing. At the time of writing it’s 8 pm here and I’m trying to catch up on what’s happened since I last did the blog. I am now located in a different room in the hotel, as last night I had hardly any sleep because of the banging pipes and it has been impossible to link to a good Internet signal in this particular part of this wonderful building complex. I cannot fault the staff here, they have been amazing and have shown me several different rooms to see if they will suit me. How good is that?! I have never known such patient helpful people in any hotel I’ve ever stayed in and I’m now in a beautiful room above reception where I can get good Internet and hopefully continue my blog each day. As the hotel does not do breakfast and as I was still tired I didn’t want to walk to find a cafe, I called at the local Cornershop and picked up some yoghurt, cereal and fruit to eat in my room. It was a very long walk to the cemetery and when I arrived I realised that I would have to pay $25 for the privilege of walking round with a guide. It is not allowed to wander freely in this main cemetery which is called Saint Lewis Cemetery 1, because previously people had vandalised the cemetery and written graffiti on some of the tombs. There were several people outside the guarded gates, trying to decide whether $25 was worth it for a 40 minute tour. Amongst those people were two men, one about my age and the other in his 40s, they introduced themselves as Gary and Aaron, I think they were from Idaho. We got chatting and decided we would all walk to one of the other cemeteries a few blocks away which we were told were free entry. It was quite a way to walk but when we arrived it seems that all the gates were closed so we were disappointed. Gary went back to collect their car and after taking the traditional photo of us together. we parted company. I decided that as I would only be in New Orleans once, I would pay the $25 and take the tour anyway. I was still very tired from a broken nights sleep and jetlag and wondered if I would be able to make the long tour but I took on the challenge and it was really worth it, especially as it was something I wanted to do on Chris‘s birthday. The guide, Alan, a great character with a huge beard and a personality to match, was very knowledgeable about the cemetery and I think if I had been alone I would not have learnt so much about the history, the ‘residents’, and the process of the burial system, Maybe all too much to go into here on the blog, although I am tempted as it was very interesting. We walked amongst the tombs, which are all above ground due to there being a very high water table and it is impossible to bury a body beneath the ground or it would float up if the land was flooded. I imagine not a pretty sight and resembling a horror movie! There were some very interesting tombs, I have taken photos of the plaques that were on some of them to give a little bit of information and history about each one, which I thought you might like to know. One was the tomb of of Marie Laveau, a well-known voodoo queen, this one had been vandalised many times. I could not resist taking a photograph of a grand tomb built in Italy of Italian marble by architect Pietro Gualdi in 1850 and shipped over to New Orleans. Ironically he died shortly after it was completed and was the 1st to be interred in the tomb! One of the strangest tombs Is one shaped as a pyramid which has been built for Nicolas Cage, the US film star. He paid $1 million for it and had to get permission to build it. having first proved that he had distant descendants from New Orleans. I don’t know what you think about this but I think it’s outrageous and it has lowered my opinion of him. After the tour I made my way back towards the hotel and decided to walk down town to a different area to get some lunch. On the way I met a lady who had a basket of home-made voodoo dolls. You may not agree with what I done, but I bought one from her on impulse, as you would buy a flower from a gypsy on the street with a basket of blossoms. I’m not sure why I bought it, and now I’m not sure what to do with it. But one thing I will not do is cause anybody any harm, so just trust me no one is in danger! She did explain that the voodoo dolls are not just used for bad things as most people think, but they can also be for good. I think I will make more enquiries before I do anything with this one! I was walking on a bit further to find a restaurant when a car pulled up with Gary and Aaron inside! They said they were going to lunch and would I like to join them so I got into the car and off we went. You may think that this was a bit stupid to get into a car with two strange men, but we had met earlier and had a very good connection so I felt quite safe, although it could’ve turned out quite differently with two different people. We went to I really nice place called Coop’s Place, a Creole restaurant where we had a delicious lunch. I had Cajun fried chicken served with rabbit and sausage jambalaya and coleslaw, something I would never eat in Italy, totally unhealthy, but totally delicious! They walked part of the way back to my hotel with me and we parted company the best of friends, exchanging email addresses, and now you will find Aaron on my Facebook page so we will definitely be keeping in touch. I had a short nap this afternoon to try and catch up on some sleep and then took a walk out to find a nearby bar for a drink, But the only one nearby was at small dingy place with loud modern music, not my scene, so I walked back to the hotel in pouring rain, stopping off to buy a can of beer and some crisps and to write up my blog. What a lovely day I have had!

Friday 23rd December. Day 3

It’s absolutely freezing now, the temperature is dropping so quickly and all day I have been absolutely frozen. I had planned to go to the jazz Museum today and was really looking forward to it and walked quite a long way to get there, glad that I had brought some warmer clothes with me just in case the weather was cold. One thing I did bring was a hat, but not the ideal style to cover my ears, but at least it kept my head warm. When I got to the jazz museum I was so disappointed to see that it was closed for the holidays. I’d looked it up on the Internet before I left and there was no sign of it being shut for the holidays, so I was a little bit disappointed. Hopefully it might be open again before I have to leave on the 28th as jazz is one of the main reasons I’ve come to New Orleans. The jazz museum is located in the French market district so I was hoping that many stores would be open but because of the bad weather, and also the Christmas holiday season, it was fairly empty. The few stores that were set up were sparse and stall owners were already packing up their goods at 11 am. I seem to be the only person there, apart from the groups of homeless people huddled in doorways trying to get away from the bitter wind blowing from the Mississippi River, which actually made me feel quite vulnerable. I tried to avoid the sidewalk, a little afraid that someone would jump out and take my handbag, but was approached in the roadway by a scruffy looking man who asked me if I could spare some money for a hot coffee. I had some loose change in my back pocket of my jeans which I had taken out to stop my bag being so heavy, so it was easy just to give him that. He was so grateful, just for a few cents, and thanked me and said I was the only person for days that had given him anything. I’m not looking for any compliment or approval, because that money is nothing to me and I give it gladly to anyone who needs a hot drink, the main thing is for me that someone may feel happier just by knowing someone had listened to them. He said he was a veteran of the Navy and that he had always been called Flipper. It was actually quite interesting talking with him as he told me a little bit about his life, whether it was true or not doesn’t matter, his story was different from other ones I have heard from homeless people. Usually it’s ‘my dogs died’ or ‘my wife’s left me’ ‘my bag was stolen’. Flipper told me his mother was a Russian Countess who had married an American soldier and he went on to tell me a little bit about his life in Russia before he came to the USA. He said he actually had a house but couldn’t afford to heat it so he would wander the streets just to be with the other homeless people who he tried to help if he could. Suddenly a young girl in a filthy white dress dashed past, he called out to her and she came back to him, falling into his arms. She was so young and I noticed that she was a few months pregnant. She was crying and Flipper held her in his arms for awhile, she cried to him that she had been raped the night before and he comforted her like a father to a daughter. Flipper seem to be a pillar of strength for the homeless people around him. Because of the respect the others had for him I asked if I could take his photo and he pulled off his dirty old hat, bowing slightly as he did so, which made me laugh. I think he will be on my mind for a while, how different life is for him and his homeless community. Walking further on in the French market area I found lots of shops, mostly selling tourist rubbish, but still I went in just to get a little bit of warmth away from the bitter wind. I past by the famous Cafe Du Monde that sells sweet powdery cakes called French Beignets, not something that appeals to me, too much sugar. I don’t really like touristy places so I moved on towards Jackson Square and Saint Louis Cathedral. On the opposite side of the road I was so pleased to see a restaurant called Landrys Seafood House which I had seen on the Internet as one of the places to visit for good seafood, I decided to go inside for lunch and to get warm. There was so many tempting things to choose from and as I only wanted a light lunch I chose the corn and crab bisque with a side serving of fried white fish. The soup was absolutely beautiful, just the thing to have on a cold day to warm me up. I’ve never tasted anything like it, it was delicious, thick and full of flavour. I continued my walk, pleased that I had not gone to the jazz museum or I would not of come across all of the nice shops that were in the area, or have met Santa Claus who was wondering the streets! Of course I had to have my photo taken with him before he set off on his sleigh delivering Christmas presents. I went into a small store to pick up a bottle of wine for my Christmas present to myself and was amazed at the biggest apples I have ever seen. I have taken a photo of one because it was bigger than my hand, I imagine they are genetically modified to become such huge fruits so I didn’t buy one as I prefer natural miss shaped fruits that I know are truly real. The streets of New Orleans are set out in a grid fashion, making it quite hard sometimes to know which direction one should be travelling in, however it can take you to places that you don’t mean to be in, and I came across a small courtyard that lead to a pub called Pat O’Briens, again one that I had seen advertised on the Internet. All I wanted was a nice hot cup of coffee so I went inside and saw that there was a big Santa chair, I couldn’t resist having a photo taken on it so I asked a kind young man to take the photo for me. I spent the next half hour chatting with the Clayton, the barman, and enjoying a cup of hot black coffee which they kindly gave me for free. It was getting late and the weather was getting worse, so I decided to get back to the hotel. On the way I passed by a small pub and thought a quick beer would be nice and an opportunity to meet more people. The barman, James, was really nice, a lovely young man, funny and friendly so I quickly settled in ordering a most unusual beer. James could hardly say it’s name he was so embarrassed. It was called ‘Piggy Fart Dust’, a wheat beer brewed in New Orleans. We laughed about it and soon I was inspired to write a quick poem. Those who know me well will know this is a normal pastime for me, writing on any scrap of paper to quickly get the words down. James pulled some paper from the till roll and soon I had a little ditty about the crazy named beer. It was fun and James and I had a great laugh together. To end the day I have just been out to a jazz session down Frenchman Street. My American friend Jill arranged for her friend Larry, a jazz musician, to pick me up and take me out to some bars to experience the jazz scene, but as the night progressed the weather was so cold we only stayed an hour. And now I am tired from a very long day, I hope it’s not so cold tomorrow. It’s minus 7 degrees now and I’m glad I am here in the warm. Flipper and his friends are on my mind, and I wonder how they will get through the night in this weather.

December 24th Day 4 Christmas Eve

The unusual freezing weather continued today and I was tempted to stay in the hotel, but I wanted to check out somewhere to have Christmas dinner tomorrow. I hadn’t pre booked anywhere as I wanted to be familiar with the restaurants first. Last year, when I was in Iceland for Christmas, my trip was organised by a tour agent, and included a Christmas Eve meal but not Christmas Day. I hadn’t been able to find a table anywhere so I was eating cheese and biscuits alone in my room for Christmas dinner, which was ok with me. This year in New Orleans my hotel is located in a quiet area, which is really nice, but is not too near the restaurant areas, which means when I want to eat I have to either walk or get a taxi so I looked up a few that were nearby and went to explore by foot. It isn’t that I don’t like taxis or don’t want to pay, it’s just I meet people when I walk and that’s what makes my days interesting. I found a restaurant called Broussard’s, and asked if they had a table. They said that the restaurant was completely full but there would be a possibility that I could have a meal at the bar. Of course I would’ve rather been in the restaurant but thought that if I didn’t get somewhere to eat I would be on my own in the hotel room for dinner. So I took I look at the bar area which seemed okay but, unfortunately the bartender was the most grumpiest man I had met since I have been in New Orleans and I did not relish the thought of spending Christmas Day in his company. When I went back to the booking desk they asked me if I would like to make the reservation and I said that I would prefer not to because I didn’t feel comfortable at the bar. The manager overheard my conversation and was very kind to find me a place in main restaurant, and that’s where I’m going Christmas Day. I went on my way to try and find somewhere to have lunch but unfortunately ended up on Bourbon Street, an area which I tend to avoid, it’s loud noisy and full of shops selling voodoo items. New Orleans is laid out like a grid of streets, a maze with no street signs, so when you need to find your direction it’s very difficult. It had been sometime since I had eaten and I began to feel disorientated so I was desperate to get something to eat. As I searched for food I was afraid I was going to fall down, and had to grab the most disgusting piece of pizza I’ve ever had in my life just to keep me going. After another 30 minutes I felt ill, concerned about my health I tried to call a taxi but unfortunately there are no taxis that go along Bourbon Street so I just had to brave it and walk it back to the hotel. The feeling I had in Bourbon Street was like one of those scenes you see a film where someone is stood still and the whole world is spinning round and round. It was very frightening I don’t think I will go down the street ever again. This evening I have been on my trip on the steamboat down the Mississippi. When I booked the trip it sounded ideal place to be on Christmas Eve but on arrival at the boat I was given a single table by the door, and with a force 12 gale blowing through every time someone came in I began to regret booking the trip. The event that had sounded inviting was also not anything special, the jazz band was on a different level and was projected on a large screen, and eating alone was not my ideal preference. It became clear that everybody was eating at different times and the maincourse was buffet style, almost like being in a cafeteria. Not something that I had visualised. Luckily, a couple who were sat nearby, invited me over to their table, and that was the change of the evening. We had a very nice conversation and lots of laughter which came to an abrupt end when our waitress Melanie, rushed passed us in tears. She looked so upset, I asked her what had happened. She had her coat on and she said she had been sacked. How awful, that someone could sack someone on Christmas Eve. She said she had always had a problem with this particular manager and for some reason the disagreement had come to a head and she had lost her job. I was so sad for her, she had four children, struggling to make ends meet as a single mother, it seemed like something out of the Dickens story, ‘a Christmas Carol’, to sack someone on Christmas Eve was so uncharitable what ever the situation. I just felt I had to do something. I went down to see her manager and asked her what was so terrible that she had sacked this girl on Christmas Eve. The manager, a stern oriental woman, said that Melanie had been rude to her in the kitchen, and she could not put up with it any more. I asked her if she had seen the film a Christmas Carol where Scrooge had been so mean to Bob Cratchit and if she could give Melanie another chance just for the evening. Eventually she softened up and said if Melanie waited another 10 minutes she could go back to the kitchen. I really got the sense this woman was a bully and wanted to make her own rules, but it did seem that Melanie had a chance of holding her job. I went back to tell her the news but she was not convinced that this woman would give her her job back and that she had been a victim of this bullying for some time. We went outside in the cold winter wind and had a chat, I told her one of the most important phrases Chris ever said to me when we first met was “you can’t change other people, but you have to change your attitude to them “. Its the only way to deal with a bully. So Melanie went back to the kitchen. We didn’t see her again. The boat was on the water so there was no way she could’ve left the boat. We asked another waitress what had happened, and they said the manager had sent her downstairs in the cold place of the boat, so she didn’t go back to the kitchen. Another passenger knew of the situation and, like me, had been to see the manager, having no response he went to the higher rank and reported the incident. Melanie will always be on my mind, not knowing what happened to her. I just hope from my heart that things will be worked out for her and that maybe the whole incident has given her strength to fight against those who try to control her. So I was very disappointed in the steam boat trip, but the whole experience was so memorable in its own way. I hope I haven’t bored you with this story, it’s so long, but I felt it important to include it in my blog to show how we should all have the spirit of Christmas, that if things go wrong, there are arguments or disagreements, we can always forgive and be kind to each other. Happy Christmas everyone!

Sunday 25th December. Happy Christmas! 

Happy Christmas everybody from New Orleans! I hope you all had a fantastic day. My morning was very quiet, no opening of presents, no Bucks Fizz, but nice cup of tea and a ginger biscuit. I was looking forward to my Christmas lunch at Broussard’s restaurant and took a stroll down early instead of taking a taxi. I was lucky enough to get a reservation at this lovely restaurant and had a table for one, although it was set for two. I thought, this looks like it could be a blind date maybe someone else will be joining me! But nobody came. However the staff were so nice and cheerful I soon felt happy to be there. I’ve put a picture on here of the menu which included a turtle soup. Although it sounded very interesting I was a little bit doubtful about eating such a precious little animal, I’m not a vegetarian, I do like beef and lamb and pork, which are also precious little animals. I told Rebecca, the manager who had come to speak with me, my fears and doubts about eating turtle and she made me laugh so much when she said that these were snappy turtles and not very pleasant so we could eat them, but it didn’t change my mind and I opted out for the salad. It wasn’t long after I had started my meal that a couple on the next table asked me if I would like to join them. Of course I was delighted, it seems when I eat out this always happens and I hope people don’t do it because they feel sorry for me because am alone. But I always love to meet new friends and I felt happy to spend Christmas lunch with them. The meal was excellent and the company even more so. Kim and Michael were lovely people and had driven up from Florida, it was so nice to share a table together and soon we became great friends. I am so lucky on my travels that I meet such pleasant people, it’s what my trips are all about. Not the place particularly, but the people that I meet on my on my way. After yesterday‘s incident in Bourbon Street, where I felt very uncomfortable, I am now feeling charged up again to start enjoying some more of this vibrant city. I have no plans yet for tomorrow, I’ll take it as it comes but one thing is certain, I will not be eating such unhealthy food. Living in Italy, I am used to a very healthy diet and apart from the occasional lamb chops and chips, my diet does not contain excessive amount of fat, cream and butter that I seem to find in every place I have eaten in New Orleans. Possibly this is why I didn’t feel so good yesterday, because my body is not used to this heavy fat diet. I am craving broccoli and greens, something I have not seen anywhere, so tomorrow I will search for a vegetarian place to eat, although I have noticed even those have loaded sauces which again are very unhealthy. But today has been a special day, the food has been excellent but not a diet that I could stick to for more than a few days. certainly today has been a great Christmas and I hope that everybody has had a super day too.

Monday 26th December. Day 6

It doesn’t look like I’m going to get to the jazz museum, it’s shut again so I decided to go and find some different type of shops apart from the tourist areas that just sell souvenirs. Quite a long walk again, but I eventually found Royal Street, a very nice area of art shops and unusual gifts. In one of the shops I couldn’t believe my eyes when I saw a dragonfly ring! If you have read my previous blogs you may know that the dragonfly it’s very important to me, a symbol of Chris. This one was beautiful, unique, made of silver and Amber, the amber is very symbolic for me, as Chris bought me antique Amber which was made into a necklace and bracelet, ankle chain and earrings, so this ring is absolutely perfect for me. I just had to buy it. A Christmas present from Chris I am sure. Walking further along the street I came across a young homeless person sitting in a doorway. This young man caught my eye more than the others because he was so much like my son Simon who died in 2015. As I always do, I asked him about his circumstances that had put on the streets and, as he told his story, I felt that he was different from the drug addicts and the drunkards that I had come across before. In fact instead of giving him money I asked him if he’d like to go for a hot drink and he was happy to do so. We wandered a while and decided to sit in the sunshine on a bench outside The St. Louis Cathedral. We talked together for around 30 minutes and I really wished that I could help this young man, he’s only 37, and still has time to turn life round to get his life back on track. I think I must’ve been in the wrong job in the past, I think I should have been a social worker because I just feel I want to help people who are struggling with life. Anyway, he wasn’t that poor because he had a mobile phone. His name was Nicholas, I told him if ever he could get his life back on track to get a passport he could come to Italy to help me at Paradiso, I gave him my telephone number. Maybe I’m just a soft touch, but I did feel that this time it was different with Nicholas. We will see what will come from this. I moved on to find some lunch, something light and healthy this time instead of the fatty high cholesterol food that I have been eating. I found the New Orleans Creole cookery seafood restaurant and noticed on the menu that they had salads so I thought this may be a good choice. I ordered the iceberg wedge which I first came across in New York. It’s a really good way of serving a salad, which is a quarter of an iceberg lettuce that is covered with a dressing, in this case a rich blue cheese crispy bacon and dressing that was healthier than the gumbo or the Creole. I ordered the side of Gator bites, which I thought would be like a chicken nuggets but instead of chicken chunks, alligator meat, but when it arrived it was more like a salami sausage, very spicy and I wouldn’t have known it was alligator or chicken so I was disappointed. Funny how yesterday, on Christmas Day, I did not want to eat a turtle yet I had no qualms at all about eating an alligator! Maybe it’s because I think turtles are cute and alligators are mean. There doesn’t seem to be much jazz happening lunchtimes so I walked back to the hotel and lazed about for the rest of the afternoon. Around 7 o’clock I decided to have a walk outside and just went down to the pub down the road where I had the ‘piggy beer’ and had a quick pint. I really didn’t want to venture out down to Frenchmen Street where most of the jazz takes place, it was a long walk and not worth taking a taxi in case everywhere was still shut for the Christmas holiday. I’m not one for being out late at night, especially on my own, I do feel a little bit vulnerable wandering around, and there is no way I want to get lost at this time of night. I see new arrivals faltering at Crossroads wondering which way to go and although I’m slowly getting used to this maze of streets I sympathise with the newcomers as they study their map, but most are couples or groups, not single like me. So here I am back at the hotel after another adventurous day, just one more day to go then I’m homeward bound. Tomorrow is another day and I look forward to what it will bring.

Tuesday 27th December Day 7

What an amazing day! I decided I wanted to get to Frenchmen Street today to find some jazz so I set off about 10 am. It’s quite a long walk, but I like to walk because that’s when I meet people. I’ve already packed my case this morning and I had a padded jacket that I had brought with me which was a little bit too big. It was also very bulky to put into my case so I decided that I would take it in a carrier bag, and if I saw anybody who was homeless who would like it and make good use of it, I would be pleased just to give it away. I hope that doesn’t sound as if I’m wanting to sound like a goody-goody, really all I wanted was just to make sure someone could use make use of my jacket. On my way to Frenchmen Street I passed through the French market, which had been closed during the recent freezing weather. There are a lot of homeless people in that area and I knew that the right person would be there, somewhere who could use the jacket. I soon came across young woman, so so thin, she wore only a torn cotton dress and had a dirty blanket around her shoulders. Her face was red from the cold and scabbed, her lips sore and broken, How awful that someone so sick was on the streets. I asked her if she would like to have the jacket and she eagerly took it out of the bag. She put it on inside out, so I had to help her to put it on properly. It was so good to see her wrapped up warm in the padded jacket and I felt so happy that she would feel more comfortable. I made my way to Frenchmen Street, the jazz centre of New Orleans, hoping to hear some jazz, but I think I was there too early, so instead I went into a darkened bar where I could hear laughter coming from inside. There was an American couple in there having a drink and soon other people came in. I don’t drink alcohol during the day so I had a Cranberry juice. A few minutes later another couple arrived and sat on the stools next to me and within minutes we were chatting away. The young woman’s name was Ashley and she was a bundle of fire, laughing and I instantly warmed to her. She was with a guy who introduced himself as Roy and I immediately began to feel more comfortable, rather than a single person alone in a bar. After while we learn more about each other and I was telling them about the problem I had getting healthy food in New Orleans, Suddenly, Roy left the bar and when he returned he gave me a business card and a $50 token for a restaurant called theTrue Food Kitchen on Saint Charles Avenue. He is the general manager there and I was absolutely amazed at his kindness. Ashley has a problem with alcohol, she also has a 15-year-old daughter. I knew of someone who was an alcoholic and had a young daughter but is now recovered and I was able to talk with Ashley about where she saw her future. It’s not necessary to go into the conversation here, but she has my email address and I’m hoping her and her daughter Emma will come over to Italy one day for a weeks holiday and to help me at the trullo. We exchanged telephone numbers and I left grateful that I have meet so many wonderful characters in this city. The restaurant was quite a long way from Frenchmen Street and I decided to try and walk, but after several blocks I became exhausted and not wanting to have the same reaction as I had went on Bourbon Street, I decided to get a taxi. Unfortunately I could not find a taxi anywhere and I asked a group of young black women if they could give me a number of the taxi service. They suggested that I got an Uber cab but I do not have the app on my phone, plus my phone would not connect to any American number. They were so kind and soon an Uber cab for me, the people in this city are amazingly friendly and helpful. An Uber cab arrived within a few minutes and I got in, thanking the young lady so much for her kindness. The cabdriver was called Doris, a really nice lady, and I told her the story that I had not been able to use the Uber app. On arrival at the restaurant I asked her how much I owed. She said that the fare had already been paid for by the young woman who had called the cab. I had no idea that this was the system with Uber and as the young woman didn’t mention it I had no idea she had already paid, so I felt very bad. On the short journey to the restaurant Doris had asked me where I had been that morning and I told her my concerns for the homeless, and the shock of seeing the young girl. She said there are many homeless people in the area and sometimes it wasn’t always safe but I told her about the jacket and how it gave me pleasure to help them. Doris said she felt that an act of kindness is always returned and that the girl who paid for my fair also gave her act of kindness which would be returned. It seems to be the attitude of New Orleans people. Everybody helps everybody else, willingly, with no expectation of thanks. I was glad to be part of that culture. I had an amazing meal at the True Food Kitchen, the best meal I’ve had since I’ve been here, if anyone comes to New Orleans please look it up, it is a little treasure. So now I am back at the hotel, packed and ready to go in the morning. Taxi booked, I think I’m checked in but will leave early just in case there may be a problem. I have had a wonderful time the hotel St Pierre has been my home for a week, and I have gained another little family and I hope one day I can come back to visit. Certainly they all have an invitation to visit me and I hope they will. I may not make a report tomorrow as I will be in the air most of the day, not arriving until the following day when James will collect me from the airport and take me to visit mum at the care home. A quick sleep and then I will be back travelling back to Paradiso.

Wednesday 28th December…or is it

Thursday 29th December?

I have t got a clue what day it is, or what time it is, so this will be brief. I left the hotel in New Orleans 8am Wednesday 28th. Flew to Houston Texas. Changed planes and flew Houston to Heathrow.. 11hrs in the air, very little sleep. James met me at Heathrow, we drove 3 hours to Devon. Visited Mum, it was well worth the effort, she was so well and knew me. She even let me cut her hair. It was so lovely to see her almost as she used to be, asking questions about who was still alive, and telling me where she wanted her ashes to be put. Now I will sleep at James’s home with the family and catch the bus to Stansted Airport tomorrow, a 5 hour journey. I am so so jetlagged, dizzy, exhausted, confused about time. I think I’ve done too much. Signing off.

Friday 30th December. Recovery

I think I’m getting back on track after sleeping a few hours. I’m writing this on the bus at 07.30am as I travel from Devon to London then on to Stansted airport (8 hrs on the bus), where I will stay overnight, Then homeward bound to Paradiso tomorrow, arriving New Year’s Eve. Thanks to you all for travelling with me in my pocket and I do hope you enjoyed the New Orleans experience, (without the stress of cars, buses, trains and planes.) it may take a few days for me to recover! Watch out for the next adventure… who knows where or when it will be! Just a final comment. Thanks to my grand daughter Lauren for designing my Big Easy Travel avatar!

This is the first blog I have done on WordPress. I hope to share with you my adventures, and take you in my pocket, so we can travel together. First, a brief explanation of why I have chosen to share my journeys with you. In May 2021 my husband Chris sadly passed away at the age of 72, leaving me alone and wondering where my life would go from now on. I decided that I would do three trips a year to focus my mind, my heart and my energy on things that I did not have the chance to do when I was young, also this planning and challenging action would hopefully give me the strength and the courage to face my life alone. Chris died in May, so my first challenge was in August 2021, my birthday. This first challenge was a safe one for me as I was with my family. The next challenge I decided would be Christmas time and so I travelled solo to the land of ice and fire, Iceland. That story is for another time. In May 2022, the first anniversary of Chris‘s death, I took a road trip and drove 2800 miles around Italy, again a story for another time. So here I am in August 2022 ready to celebrate my 73rd birthday and this challenge is going to be the most adventurous yet. On the 11th of May I will fly from my home in southern Italy to Milan and then on to JFK airport in New York. I have been so fortunate to meet a wonderful friend called Jill, who is of Italian origin and lived in New York but also has a home here in southern Italy. When I told her of my desire to go to New York, she offered to travel with me, giving me some security and contact in this huge city. This was an amazing opportunity as I would be able to be independent yet have the support should any problems arise. Jill will be staying with her friends and has offered me sole use of her studio in Manhattan where I will be central to many of the places I would like to see. What an opportunity! I am hoping that I can see New York in a way that normal visitors would not see, avoiding the popular attractions and for 10 days living the life of a New Yorker. Chris and I were great jazz fans and so New York seemed a natural choice to experience the many clubs in the city.  Jill’s husband, Tomasso, is a jazz musician so now I am checking out which clubs I’d like to go to with the added advantage of Thomas’s contacts and knowledge of the jazz musicians playing during my visit. So if you like the sound of travelling with me, yet not leaving your home, then hop into my pocket and I’ll take you with me and we will share this adventure together. I hope to write something most days but being new to WordPress there might be some delay or some mistakes I make in my account of this adventure. Get packing! We’re off 11th August. I’m in a New York State of mind.

04.19am, tea and biscuits in bed, listening to the radio..they’re playing NEW YORK STATE OF MIND!!!incredible! I’ve been awake since 02.45, so excited. Jill picked me up at 9 o’clock and we were well on our way when she got a phone call to say that her house  alarm on had gone off so we had to turn back to find out what we could do about it. Apparently the gate hadn’t shut properly and set the alarm off,  it delayed us for about an hour but we got to Bari airport in good time. We had about an hour and a half to kill before our flight to Milan so we had a look round the shopping area. We were very amused to see T-shirts with the name Ross on it, some of you may know that I have a new friend, Ronn Moss the singer, actor, well-known personality, who has just bought a house near to me in Puglia. Jill was so amused that it had his name on the T-shirt and tried to persuade me to buy him one but translating what it said on the T-shirt was not appropriate and I wouldn’t insult Ronn by buying it or buying Devin his wife the bag. It means ‘overdecorated, or extreme’ but Ronn and Devon are certainly not that. They are the nicest more genuine people  have met. So, no T-shirt or bag. But we did have a good laugh about it, actually is not Ronns company at all but just something with the same name, it’s just one of those funny little things that happen when you’re  travelling and something will catch your eye and make the holiday experience memorable. The flight was good bit on arrival in Milan it was confusing about where to get our shuttle us  to ‘the First Hotel’ a place very near to the airport as our flight to New York is at 10am tomorrow. Unfortunately we couldn’t check in online so we have to be at the airport at 5 am when the desk for Delta airways will open. On arrival at the hotel we were approached by a guy who was having trouble organising his flight to New York, he was on a different airline to us. As Jill flies regularly to New York she kindly helped him to organise his flight and in response of his gratitude he asked if he could take us to dinner. There was a very nice restaurant called La Quercia, which was next to the hotel and we have just come back from a lovelymeal with, for me, a couple of glasses of very nice Salento rosé wine. I had told myself I must not have anything to drink tonight because I have a long flight, nine hours, tomorrow and I will be up at 5 am, but Hayhoe, it’s done. The guy we met was called Patrick and he was very generous, ordering us all a lovely fish meal with mussels seabass, salmon, swordfish, and salad. So we have enjoyed a very pleasant evening, albeit far too late to bed, and also far too late for me to write much more. So, you people in my pocket, this is just the first stage of the adventure and already we have made connections and hopefully made a difference to someone’s life, and they have made a difference to ours. Which is what life is all about. Meeting people, interacting and making memories. Good night

Well, I’m back from the trip, taken a couple of photos. It was Ok, but only worth the visit because of the interesting things I saw on the walk here.I must admit that the tourist attractions do not appeal to me, although I can say I’ve seen the lady Liberty.

I got the subway back to the studio and was so exhausted I’ve had a short nap, and now I’m getting ready to go out to the Blue Note jazz club to meet Jill and Tomasso. We are seeing a jazz player called David Sanborn, a tenor saxophone player. Hes played with Stevie Wonder, david Bowie and the Rolling Stones, to name a few. I really looking forward to it. Jazz is one of the reasons I wanted to come to New York, there is so much music here. So I’ll sign off here as I think I may be later when I get back, and with the confusion if the 6 hours time difference I’ll lose track of the day again. If I don’t write later I’ll blog in the morning about the show. Bye for now my Pocket Travellers!

I had quite a tiring walk wishing to see all of the displays and needed refreshment and rest. I had heard of a nearbyf pub called The White Horse Tavern. It first opened in 1880 and has an impressive wood panelled interior, A. beautiful smell of mature oak greets you when you open the door and a massive oak bar stretches the whole length of the room.

I set off on my trip to Iceland tomorrow, the first ever holiday on my own. I invite you to join me, I will put you in my pocket and we can share this adventure together. I will never be lonely and maybe you will enjoy the trip as I talk you through amazing places and hopefully surprising encounters that Iceland has in store. Internet allowing, I will attempt to report, as I do at the end of each day, where I’ve been, what I did and people I’ve met. And all the time you will be there, in my pocket. Seeing what I see, hearing what I hear and hopefully experiencing the trip with me as if you are really there. So my pocket travellers, get ready.. we are off tomorrow. Flying from Bristol airport at 14.35, arriving 17.45 and as soon as I get connected to the internet I’ll give you the update. My itinerary starts tomorrow night, searching for the Aurora borealis, weather permitting, with my guide who will pick me up from my hotel at 21.30 so it will be a late post here. Wrap up warm, it’s minus 4 degrees!Thanks to my brilliant daughter in law Charlotte, for the amazing artwork!