I’m looking forward to writing up my stories from what I think is fair enough to describe as the family holiday of a lifetime but maybe we can better it … one day.
London – plus Biggin Hill for me to fly a Spitfire – then Paris, Rome and down to Puglia to stay at Matera during the Festa Della Bruna, and then some seaside days spent in Polignano a Mare before time in Istanbul and a very special visit to Gallipoli.
Now to get writing for print and radio!
Quiz question: How many times did the kids hear me say, “I shall have my vengeance in this life or the next.”It took us just a week and a bit to fill our boots … and have to buy extra luggage!The story I will tell of flying a Spitfire – A SPITFIRE – is one that’s more than an adventure of a lifetime, it was life fulfilling and rich with tears and whoops of joy. Oh! To sit behind a Merlin engine is to become part of the engine as you take to the sky on those beautiful elliptical wings.Just weeks before the Olympics we saw a city that was ready to shine with spirit and just a hint of nervousness.Matera, one of the oldest continually habited communities on Earth. My first visit was during a trek and it was peaceful respite after long days. Being here for Festa Della Bruna was an entirely different experience.Polignano a Mare on the Puglia coast. Famous for being the birthplace of Domenico Modugno who wrote and happily sang Nel Blu (Volare). The Lama Monachile (pictured) is a rite of passage to swim at and for the cliff diving (for locals and the international Red Bull competition). And just around the corner is the amazing restaurant, Grotto Palazzese, set into the cliff and an absolute joy to revisit with the family! Istanbul mosques, bazaars and a strait of water that takes you from Europe to Asia, and hopefully back again.Gallipoli. A quiet, private tour revealed sites that still carry so much emotion for anyone, not just Australians, who spend time here. Sorrow is the price we pay for knowledge of what happened here. Mourn and weep but do not break, because they who were here such a long time ago didn’t.
Chris Parry Writes For Us 