9-14 Exploring Ortona

 The weather has turned to the cold.  And it is windy.  We started laundry this morning.  Our apartment is very minimalistic - The only trashcans are in the kitchen and one of the bathrooms.  There is a lovely dishwasher in the kitchen - however there is a set of dishes and silverware for 4.  There is also no dish washing detergent.  Are you supposed to put on the dishwasher every night for 4 plates?  The clothes washer is outside on the very large patio.  A large patio with no view except the parking lot next door.

On the other hand the living room, kitchen and two bedrooms are quite spacious.  The master bath has a large sink and shower and lots of space to store stuff.  The other bath has none.  The master bedroom has a long spacious desk.  I can set up my computer for photos and accounting and leave things laying out.  The kitchen table is very small - there is enough room for Michael's computer and for us to eat.  Michael likes lots of space in his bathroom - so he gets the big one.  I get the small bath  - but the larger bedroom.  It all works out in the end.

The kitchen only has one outlet on the counter.  You can plug in the coffee maker or the microwave or use the oven - one at a time.  It always takes time to figure out how to do things in a new place - but I think the week will go smoothly.  We can toast our bread in the oven.  Michael makes his coffee early - I make my tea in the microwave later.  

We didn't get going on our walk until almost 11 am.  

We are not that far away from the Old Town.  

This area was heavily involved with WWII.  There are many monuments - including this one honoring natives from Canada.

The castle is on a hill overlooking the sea.  It does not appear that you can go into the castle - but there are many paths around it and to the sea below that you can try.

Below the castle is the harbor.  It is still very busy - and the largest in Abruzzo.

Lighthouse on the left.

I believe that is another WWII monument in the harbor.  

And there is a beautiful very long promenade overlooking the sea and the harbor.

Could we afford to stay a couple of months in one of the apartments at the top of these buildings?  You would have great views of the sea.

Piazza della Repubblica.

Tourist information center.  We got lunch around the corner - as we wanted meat!  Most restaurants around this area specialize in fish.  In the fine print below they name a local dish that is pasta with crab - I would love to try that.  And of course the local waffle - how can you not try that?

This information is very helpful.  There is a lot of history here - important to Michael.

The tourist season is winding down - but some cafe's are still open.  We got Gelato here.  Delicious!

The Old Town goes for a ways up this hill.  

Very abruptly we are at the end of Old Town - the vibe of the city changes.  Here is regular life.

Another church across the way.

This building is on a side street.  No signage.  I am very curious what it is - or was!

Michael is leading the way - I am not sure where we are going.  It looks like if we want to head back into Old Town - we will have to go up stairs - like these.

But now we seem to be heading out of town.

An interesting doorway.

I will have to look up the history of this building.  This is a historical family name.

And now we are at the edge of the city.  This looks like grapes!

And look at the mountains way in the distance.  They appear to have snow on them.

Maybe a restaurant we should try?

I'm guessing dolphins!  The rest of the area was not interesting.  We made it back to our apartment - both of us exhausted and still very full.  Both napped.  

Tomorrow is supposed to be windy or rainy or both.  We did not make a reservation for Sunday lunch - a risky thing to do in Italy.  Sunday midday dinner is a ritual here.

All in all a good day!