Park City – Utah!

Hello from… Park City, Utah! 

What a cute town this is, it stole our hearts during our week visit. Incredible mountains and views, nature…   

We knew it was very popular during winter for skiing but just realized how beautiful it is during summer.  Hiking at 8-10K altitude anyone?  

Horseback riding on mountain paths with a cowboy…   

We even paid a visit to the Olympic park and watched future Olympians practice – how inspiring!  

The town also has great restaurants and a cute Main Street filled with shops.  
So next time you want an extended weekend or weeklong quick getaway… think Park City!!

Mira Spiaggia Spa – Sicily, Italy

Another spa another different experience!

From different kind of massages we choose the one with karite butter candle which heals the skin and of course with our luck we meet Rosy and her experienced hands they know exactly how to massage not too hard not too light just as it should be and her positive energy also change the athmosphere and how you feel, her smile too was relaxing and of course the warmth of melted  karite butter was amazing.

You can gift some of this relaxed moments to your friends via this aromatic candles.

Rosy’s special karite butter treatment started with emotional shower then continued with bagno turco (hamam) and sauna then soaking in jacuzzi….

If you like you can relax few minutes before having your massage and finally the healing hands and karite butter of Rosy gives you the massage.

Also you can have very special dinner for two or cocktail at the roof top of the spa with wiev of San Vito beach and San Vito lo capo too. You only need simple reservation before to make sure it’s available too book. For a 3 star hotel their food is pretty much 5 star so enjoy the beauty of San Vito and Sicilian food.

Catania Fish Market

We spent some time in the city of Catania while in Sicily.  Though short it was full of action and the kind we like: adventure and food!!

Private tour guide helped make most of our tour. Will tell you more about that next time 😉 

We love local markets, seeing the live local culture in action is just priceless…

A short walk from our hotel, the Catania fish market was waiting to welcome us. It was like heaven for us, the variety of days catch – all sorts of fish, shellfish, octopus,… lively stall keepers shouting for their goods…  

At the skirts of the fish market the vegetable and fruit stalls and accompanied by olive and cheese tables.  Making sure the shoppers will have a pick of the best for tonight’s dinner!

For more photos follow us on Instagram: surprisesaffron

Riserva di Zingaro

To go or not to go? Yes! Go! 

We took a 4 hour tour of the Zingaro by boat. It is refreshing to go by boat and see all the different coastal spots of this reserve.    

You will see rock formations, old caves, secluded white beaches… and Bella Mare!  At this particular excursion they let us swim in two spots, we saw many fish and jellyfish. No, that did not stop us from swimming.  

Take a big excursion boat. We took a small one, it was ok but they were not well equipped, no fins, no food, no snorkel gear… It was too bare bones. If we could do it over we would go with a bigger boat.   

Go and enjoy the natural beauty of Sicilian coast!! Buona Giornata!! 🇮🇹

Buon Giorno from San Vito Lo Capo!

We are posting from the beautiful beach of San Vito Lo Capo today!!

This is the best beach in Sicily and arguably in southern Italy.  If you are a beach lover and can’t go to Maldives, this will do for now.   For our Maldives paradise adventures see our past posts :))  

The sea is clean, clear and gradually getting deeper. Buoyancy is high, the water is very salty. We love it like this!

The sand is very fine and light yellow. To rent a one um fella and two chairs roughly will cost you $12 euros. There are zones on the outskirts that you can just put your own chair and towel – but we recommend renting since they are situated in the best zones of the beach. 

🇮🇹 Ciao!  We must go swimming now 💦🏊 

Lecce’s native son and artist Alberto Buttazzo!

One lazy afternoon while strolling the cute streets of Lecce, we entered an unassuming shop. It was hardly recognizable as a shop from the outside.  Inside Alberto and Dino were sitting and chattering away as if they have been waiting for our arrival all this while…

We did not know that we were looking at the portrait of an artist, until we started looking around the shop. I saw a print and immediately knew it would be mine. Maker turned out to be Alberto himself. 

 

When people like each other no matter what the languages they can communicate. Though we know some limited Italian it was easy to connect with him.  He told us about his art and showed us his books, prints, the printing machine and more. 

  

 This is Alberto’s passion!  He has been doing this since 1934, his father founded the La Teatrale typography shop in 1926.

 

Dino, his brother in law, and AnnaMaria, his sister – a soprano, joined our lively conversation.  Also we had the pleasure of meeting Antonio, Dino’s talented son.   

Hard not to fall in love with culture, art, passion… we felt lucky that we walked in on this history waiting to be told and heard.

 

If you are visiting Lecce, drop by and say hello to Alberto and family. The shop is located at Via dei Perroni, 21 Lecce.  If you are far away then follow him on Facebook at Tipografia Del Commercio Lecce.

Grazie Alberto!!!  

Spa Salus PerAquam – our respite in Lecce, Italy

Our long time followers know about our Spa addiction. We have been in Spa’s around the world.  See our past blog entries for Maldives, Seattle, Kohler, Thailand, etc…

In Lecce, we have been walking everywhere. When you walk all day long and have fun it’s important to rest and treat your body well. It will pay you back!

Our hotel Risorgimento Resort luckily for us has a lovely spa. It is perfect for after a long day of site seeing and travelling.  We recommend that you book at least a day ahead. 

Our favorite spa expert is Monica Valiani – ask for her by name.  She speaks Italian, English, French, and German.  We had spa services with her for two days and it was simply excellent. 

 

Turkish Bath (Bagno Turco) after a good salt scrub on the entire body transforms your senses and starts the relaxation process. The emotional shower (rain, breeze) with special light therapy completes the whole treatment. We left clean, relaxed, and energized for our dinner party.

 
Next day we returned for facial and the special Cinque Sensi massage created by Monica. She designed this massage based on chackras. We loved it and our faces were radiating after the facial.  If you want a couples massage ask Monica for her signature massage designed for couples. 

The prices are middle range. For a great 50 min massage we paid €80. The Bagno Turco was €20. They have manicures, waxing, and many other facial and body treatments. You can also request something more tailored for your needs. 

The spa is small but tranquil and you can reserve it for privacy. You will be surrounded by unobtrusive service and positive energy.

  

Monica – thank you for awakening our cinque sensi and make our journey even more special! Grazie mille!! 🇮🇹

 

Restaurant Hopping in Lecce – Italy

So, if you find yourself in Lecce and need to eat… you have many choices. Since none will tell you the truth about which restaurants are good or not, we will!!

Avoid rooftop restaurant at Risorgimento Resort hotel. Food is mediocre at best and expensive.  Service was ok. So instead go up there for drinks, desert and the view.  Food was so bad that I actually got sick from it.  We loved the view, but regretted having dinner there. 

 
Take a chance at Nonna Tetti. Cute little restaurant in home cooking style. Food is great, relatively cheap but… ignore the rude staff if you can. Tell yourself you are here just for the food.  The pasta sagne was especially delicious!!  Make sure to order the house starter plates; they are small plates of side dishes like fried eggplants, pickles, beets and other yummies. 

Best place we had dinner at was Blu Notte! Everything we had was fresh, delicious, and memorable. We had pasta, fish, octopus, muscles, and desert. It is not cheap but not too expensive either.  Staff was well trained, friendly and efficient.  You might also get lucky and find a table without reservation, like we did. We recommend that you don’t take the risk and make a reservation.

 
 

Maybe you are wondering about paninis, sweets, and gelato — well, come back another day for our special focus on these dolci!!

Italian Adventure: first stop Brindisi! Lecce!

Our journey started in Stockholm, Skavsta airport. This is the first time we are using this airport and RyanAir.  Skavsta is known for cheap and direct flights to places in Europe.  Since it is cheap go ahead and treat yourself to a Business Plus upgrade!  

We found RyanAir to be basic, entertaining, and efficient. They had food, duty free, and lotto on board. Yes you can indeed play the lottery while flying :)) 
Total flight was three hours long. Went by quickly.  You can imagine our excitement when we saw the land as we approached… we knew out Italian Adventure started!!   

As we travel the Puglia region and other surprise locations, follow us along!! Ciao 🇮🇹 

Vacation Forever?

Is that possible? Is that true? I need vacation. I need forever. I can hear you right from here you are also saying I need that too (with big warm smile). Who doesn’t? Maybe few very luck people I wanna meet them please to feel really on vacation and to make sure this is on earth and real 🙂

Actually I need vacation from jealousy from anger from harm will from evil eye from destroy from war from money from hard work from addiction from insult from bullying from unjust from unfaithful should I count more and more I think I should stop here not because this is the end of the bad things or don’t have more to count but because all we know the rest and even lived once all of this feelings or situations and still living.

How about what we really want to do about that? are we really creating right circle around us? Yes I know this is not what normal vacation include but by being loving, caring, happy for others happiness and success, calm, willing good, sharing, generous but of course not stupid (even people do think we are but usually they are blind enough could not see what is the real purpose of helping others what means to you) and this is not always money but sometimes spending time with someone who need you or speaking to them or doing something for them easy for you but hard to do for them or what doesn’t have value for you will mean to much for other. but please don’t forget you are a small line of this circle so you have to be wise to choose this circle which people to avoid and which people must include in this vacation.

Do we really need a vacation from this world and this body’s? or just from any kind of toxic people around us? Maybe all. so we should wait in this world until our new great journey or vacation starts but while waiting hope we could find our forever vacation circle in this world and stuck to that even it seem to others selfish or like big ego but at least when you know that is your truth and that makes you you then let people call it hell and you are the evil. (that most of them blinding themselves in those full lies-life’s they thought they are living right way and they try to drop you into the same hell or their fake heaven and they are the angels) So be aware when you can create and live in your own hell or heaven. Why living others’s?.

Don’t expect people will tell you good for you! or you deserve this good things! or feel happy for you while doing something beneficial for yourself. Expect they will do it for them selves and while you are doing the same they will tell you how bad, selfish etc…and guilty you are this shows really who they are.

Until next vacation….

Life is short keep your circle clean as much as you can & live your vacation forever and full time!