Sotto Le Stelle 15 - Sleeping in the apartment

So close to finished that we can sleep there and publish version 1.0 of the before and after pictures.

The gas has still to be connected, thanks to the Italian bureaucracy. The bathroom is now complete apart from the door which is still being constructed - the tower rail, shower screen, mirror and lights are all in and the loo works even if there is no hot water.

We started the process of furnishing the apartment: I unpacked and assembled the sofa, put up a curtain pole for the alcove behind the bed and completed the bed assembly left over from the last trip. Then we brought a load of kitchenware over from Trullo Azzurro.

With aid of a kettle and toaster we were able to sleep there even if we had to go back to Trullo Azzurro for a shower. A major milestone.

The builder actually thanked us for allowing him to work on the building - to modernise an old building whilst preserving and enhancing its original character. He is a man with a passion for stone and we were guided by his advice on a number of items so he must take a goodly part of the credit.

Next trip we should have heating and a bathroom door (with any luck).

A full set of before and after photos on Flickr: 20131012-Sotto-Le-Stelle-Before-After.

Venice 2013

Our trip on the Orient Express ended at the Santa Lucia railway station. The transfer from station to hotel was by water taxi, given Venice's watery nature the only sensible way to make the trip.

Mary had done her research and booked us two nights in the Hotel Al Ponte Antico that had rave reviews on Trip Advisor. It is a converted palazzo (palace) and had amazing high ceilings complete with frescoes. The location was unbeatable, right on the grand canal with its own balcony and a view of the Rialto bridge - stunning!

View of the Grand Canal from the balcony

View of the Rialto Bridge from the balcony

The bar and dining area

The ceiling of the bar and dining area

After checking in and a rest we went out to eat at Osteria Antico Dolo recommended by the hotel owner. Busy and full of other tourists; we had to wait to be seated but were too tired to look elsewhere. Very authentic, local food but I made a poor choice. I had not realised that the tagliatelle with squid would be in a squid ink sauce. While an unusual and typical dish, the blackness of it all and the grainy texture were not really what I had been looking for. Oh well.

Osteria Antico Dolo

That last time we were in Venice was in 2001, at the time of the twin towers so I can date it easily. We had the Cadogan Guide with walks for each of the six sestiere or neighbourhoods. Then we did one per day but on the last day time constraints meant we had to truncate the Cannaregio walk. This time we had a full day in Venice on the Saturday so literally retraced our steps and completed the entire sixth walk.

Cannaregio - door

Cannaregio - bridge

There were masses of tourists about, especially Italian tourists, because the Friday, being All Saints' Day, was a national holiday.

Piazza San Marco

We manage to find an excellent little bistro for lunch - Osteria ai 40 Ladroni - that was everything I had been hoping for the night before. Full of locals and tasty, fresh cooked food.

Cannaregio - gondola park

That evening, thanks to more research by Mary, we dined at Ristorante Algiubagio [http://www.algiubagio.net/eng] down on the Fondamente Nove. That was a much more satisfactory dining experience - a class restaurant with excellent food and wines - a suitably romantic, candle-lit supper.

Ristorante Algiubagio starter

Our direct flight on Sunday from Venice to Bari had been cancelled some weeks back so we had ourselves rebooked via Rome. Unfortunately the large number of Italian tourists returning home after the weekend meant the queues were horrendous. It took forever to do bag drop and security - we were only just through the scanners at the same time as our flight was due to leave. Stress levels sky rocketing. Fortunately so many people were in the same boat (plane?) as us that they had to delay the flight - we were part of an entire busload of passengers similarly delayed.

At Rome we had a reduced connection time as a result. Fortunately both flights were domestic so no formalities to queue for. As luck would have it our arrival gate and departure gate were not only in the same terminal but directly above one another. We only had to go down on escalator and so made our flight easily; not so our luggage…

We arrived at Bari and waited until the carousal was empty and then reported our missing luggage. There was a later Rome-Bari flight so we were hoping the bags would make that. Mary was worried because "the dress" plus the cufflinks Mary gave me on our wedding day and some other nice stuff were in those bags.

Later that evening the airline called to say the bags had arrived in Bari and they would be delivered to our apartment in Cisternino the next day. Sure enough around 10:30 the bags were delivered to our door - big sighs of relief all round.

Orient Express - London to Venice

Thursday 31-October-2013

The back story: we originally booked for our actual 20th wedding anniversary on the 30th October. Since the schedule was Venice to London we didn't fancy returning home as the culmination of the journey. Instead we booked a half journey Venice to Paris with the plan being a couple of days in Paris before returning home.

A friend of ours said that you got a 25% discount with Nectar. We were dubious but so it turned out: 25% off a big number is a big saving - that is some serious money (http://www.nectar.com/spend/orient-express.points).

A couple of weeks later Venice Simplon-Orient-Express wrote to say that journey was cancelled and, if we cared to rebook, they would give us a further 20% discount, Shedding crocodile tears, we booked the full London to Venice on the the 31st, the anniversary of our honeymoon instead, at a total 45% discount - result!


Departure lounge, Victoria station, Platform 2

The first part of the journey is 30's vintage British Pullman - Victoria to Folkstone with brunch. The carriages are all restored originals full of wonderful wood panelling.


Bellini and Brunch

At Folkstone we transferred to executive coaches to cross the channel via Le Chunnel. On the French side we boarded the Orient-Express proper.


Orient Express Sleeper Carriage with our Maitre de Cabine, Thibault

The train consists of three restaurant cars, a bar car and about six sleeper cars plus kitchen and staff accommodation. We found a complementary half of champagne in our cabin to sip until it was time for cocktail in the bar and dinner in the restaurant.


Isn't this dining room fabulous?

Dinner was lobster, the tenderest fillet steak I have ever eaten, cheese and a dessert, then a digestive and chat with fellow celebrants in the bar afterwards. Friends will not be surprised to learn that we spent the discount money we saved on the wine list.



In our cabin the seating converts into bunk beds. The corner of the cabin has a cupboard containing a washbasin for basic ablutions. The loo is at the end of the carriage. A full shower will have to wait till we get to the hotel in Venice.



The next morning, after breakfast in our cabin, we watched the alps slide past our window. They changed engines at every border otherwise they'd end up with French engines in Italy.


The train

Then it was time for a three course lunch with more fine wines.


Prawn in filo with baked fish

A bit of a siesta followed by afternoon tea and cakes until we arrived in Venice for detraining and a water taxi transfer to our hotel.



People ask "Was it worth it?" The answer has to be "Yes". This experience is, as they say, not available in the shops. Unique.

Full set of photos on Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/markmclellan/sets/72157637677307075/

Van Morrison at the Royal Albert Hall

Wednesday 30-October-2013.

Part two of our 20th wedding anniversary celebrations at the BluesFest.

We have seen Van the Man nearly as often as Marcus Bonfanti. The first time was on my birthday nearly a decade ago when we both agreed it was the best concert we had ever been to. We have seen him another thrice and this makes number five. He did not disappoint on this occasion either.

Mick Brown of The Telegraph agrees in a 5 star review:

"Legendary grump, Van Morrison, was in unusually jovial spirits as he lit up the Albert Hall with a stunning performance. [...]

By now it was apparent that something remarkable was happening. Van Morrison was visibly enjoying himself. [...]

The end piece of this performance was All In The Game, with Morrison’s scat vocals fluttering around the melody like a butterfly, seguing into You Know What They’re Writing About - "the poetry section" as he gruffly announced - its stream of consciousness phrases "meet me down by the water... I’ve got no safety net... going to the burning ground’, building to a thrilling climax.

Artistry at work. And - astonishingly - with a smile."

A great wedding anniversary celebration with the Orient Express to look forward to.

Marcus Bonfanti at the Royal Albert Hall

Wednesday 30-October-2013.

Part one of our 20th wedding anniversary celebrations at the BluesFest.

We had already booked our tickets for Van Morrison in the evening when we discovered that Marcus Bonfanti was playing during the afternoon. So we decided to make it a double header with supper in between. We bought a daytime stroller ticket and headed up at lunchtime for an afternoon of wandering about from stage to stage.

We started with Marcus. To quote the man himself "we're gonna do a 10pm style show for you at 2pm!" It was certainly his loudest gig yet and he did the full-on rock guitar god for a whole hour. My ears were ringing as we wandered off to catch the tail end of Natalie Williams' set then stayed on for Liane Carroll.

Afterwards we hung around in the new Berry Brothers and Rudd wine bar sipping champagne until it was time for our pre-show meal in the Coda Restaurant.

Cleaning the Wandle October 2013

Earslfield, London. Sunday 13-October-2013.

It had been raining and then really started tipping it down as I cycled to the clean-up site. I found Theo peering at the Wandle in full spate with all manner of detritus being swept along - pallets, logs weeds, and about a dozen plastic footballs.

Theo inspects while Erica photographs - Oh bugger my gloves and glasses are in the way.

The water level was rising and the flow rate increasing. It was decided reluctantly to abandon the clean-up on safety grounds.

I have to second that. Back in February the water level was high and then I was thinking, as I stood on tip-toe, "This is a bad idea". In these conditions it was double-plus-bad.

This stretch is in a concrete culvert so there was not even much in the way of bank side litter picking to do. For the second time ever the event was abandoned before it started.

Instead we ate the cakes that were intended for lunch.

Jo who baked the cakes is leaving for a year abroad and was presented by Erica with a leaving present of a framed poem.

After cake and tea we all went home.

More at The Wandle Trust Community Cleanups.

Lulu at Under The Bridge

Friday 04-October-2013.

Another icon ticked off my musical bucket list. Lulu at UTB, one of our favorite venues. Not much seating unless you get there very early but you can get right up close to these musical legends.

She announced that she was going to sing a set comprised of the songs that influenced her and a couple of favourites from her own back catalogue. She then proceeded to have a good time belting out some classics.

The press were there behind the silken rope sipping PR champagne and they liked the show.

Telegraph: Almost inevitably, her latest career turn is, as she announces tonight, "songs from my roots": the soul and blues that hooked her as a Glasgow teenager. [...] Performing with a band of top-notch blues and soul session players, Lulu delivered a heartfelt, groovy, uplifting masterclass in emotionally nuanced singing, peppered with chatty anecdotes about the music she has always loved.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/music/rockandpopreviews/10357865/Lulu-Under-the-Bridge-live-review.html

Independant: Lulu seems to honestly love tonight's songs, earnestly lecturing us on them, and her own time on the great soul label Atlantic's roster [...] And though her band are technically excellent, she's so much better when they ease off and you can hear her sing.

http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/reviews/gig-review-lulu--under-the-bridge-london-8864404.html

The band were top notch. When you are that well known and have been in the business as long as Lulu you can pick the best.

The "no photography" rule is erratically applied - perhaps it depends on the artist. On previous visits security have asked people to desist and one time made me delete my crappy iPhone pictures; the quality is so bad they are no threat to anyone. This time there were several members of the audience visibly holding up iPhones and recording entire tracks. At the Thin Lizzy gig one guy even recorded most of the show on a proper camera from right in front of the stage. As the Americans say "go figure".

Update: Official photos of the gig from UTB now on Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/utblondon/sets/72157636289908034/

No encore but you kinda knew that when she finished with "Shout".

Another fine evening. Now I'm trying to work out who else should be on the bucket list.

Sotto Le Stelle 14 - Kitchen Fitting

This whole purpose of this visit was to oversee the kitchen installation and it was a good job we were there in person.

This is what the kitchen looked like earlier in the year after the initial stripping off of the plaster and before the removal of the dividing wall and replastering.

Kitchen Before

A key feature of the layout was that the sink unit be exactly aligned to the central niche. Most of the sequencing of rest of the units and appliances followed on from that.

At one point the workmen said the end spacers meant the whole thing had to move three centimetres sideways. No! Plus it would have blocked one of the electrical sockets.

A good job we were there or that is what they would have done. Instead they bashed off the infill end pieces and installed them at the opposite ends where they fitted perfectly.

We have a suspicion that the guys at the factory screwed up and pre-assembled the pieces the wrong way round - they fitted the end gaps so well.

Once it was in place it was clear that the splash back should not run the full width of the worktop. Instead it will be cut to run only where there is plaster and leave the stone and niches exposed.

As you can see the colour scheme is white. The original hob had grey pan rests but was discontinued and we were able to make the switch to all white SMEG hob and oven.

Mary has declared herself extremely pleased with the end result.

After we leave the electrician and plumber come in to connect up the appliances. The builder will infill the niches with marble to make them level with the worktop.

The mains gas will be connected once Italian bureaucracy has processed the paperwork to approve the installation.

All should, hopefully, be working by our next visit in the first week of November.

Trullo Azzurro - September 2013

A flying visit to supervise the kitchen fitting at Sotto le Stelle allowed us to try two new restaurants and two different salt cod dishes.

We arrived late Saturday and went straight from the airport to Cisternino to meet with Kath and Richard and their friend, another Mary, at restaurant Mezzofanti. Only opened this year the restaurant rambles through several interconnected rooms and multiple entrances. This was our first time of dining there. I had ravioli filled with salt cod on a bed of puréed potatoe. Very flavoursome.

Sunday we met up with the same plus Chris and John to try another new-to-us restaurant Osteria le Valle on via San Quirico. Our end of the table shared an antipasti della casa supplemented by a dish of deep fried battered salt cod.

For secondi (main course) I had roast king prawn which I amused the others by eating with a knife and fork instead of my fingers; it's not so hard to do and makes for a leisurely lunch.

That evening Mary decided to make fig jam as the figs were at optimum ripeness.

They are fiddly things to peel when they are that ripe.

Two kilos of figs into the pan with zest of four lemons, 300g of sugar and a splash of water. Half an hour later we had goo that plopped like volcanic mud making a real mess of the work top and six jars of jam.

Tried it the next morning on toast and very tasty it was too.

Trullo Azzurro: beautifully restored trullo in delightful, secluded valley near Locorotondo, Puglia, Italy. Available to rent on a per week basis, sleeps 8-10. For more information visit http://www.holiday-rentals.co.uk/trulloazzurro

Kirsty McGee and Myshkin at The Green Note Cafe

Camden Town, London. Thursday 26-September-2013.

We first saw Myshkin (http://www.myshkin.co) back in 2001 at  the jazz fest in New Orleans and then again when she toured the UK some years later with her ex, Mike West. If she's toured the UK since we missed it but having discovered the Green Note Cafe (http://www.greennote.co.uk/) we were pleased to discover she was doing a date there.

The first set was from Kirsty McGee (http://www.kirstymcgee.com/) with Mat Martin on guitar and Myshkin joining in on a couple of songs. Kirsty reminded me of Michelle Shocked but that may have been the hat. File under "alternative folk"

After the break the roles were reversed - Myshkin and Mat performing with Kirsty joining in on a couple of songs.

After the show we bought not one but three Myshkin CD's thus catching up on several missed years of listening.

In the excitement of chatting to Myshkin and buying the albums I forgot to settle my tab behind the bar and had to go back the next day to retrieve my credit card.