Day 119 - Travel Day to San Foca, Settling Back Into Slow Living
Day 119 was another travel day, but it felt like a bit of a shift in pace. We had only planned two nights in Lecce, so we were up around 6:30 to get things moving. Emmett was up early, so the two of us sat at the kitchen table chatting for a while. I had my coffee, he had his cereal, and it was one of those slow, simple starts to the day before anyone else got up.
Kia came out next, followed by Maddie a bit later, and we all just sat around talking for a while. It wasn’t rushed at all, which was nice, but by about 8:00 we realised we needed to get moving if we were going to be packed up and out by 10. That quickly turned into a bit of a scramble as we packed everything down and got organised to leave.
The night before, Kia had tried to find a taxi or bus to get us to San Foca but hadn’t had much luck. We gave it another go in the morning, and I ended up finding a local driver and messaged him via WhatsApp. We agreed on a time and a price, told him we had a lot of bags, and hoped for the best. He showed up in a van with his partner, loaded everything in, and got us there without any stress for 60 euros. Considering the weather was pretty rainy and it was about a half-hour drive, it felt like a really good outcome.
The only issue was one of Kia’s suitcase wheels finally gave out. The rubber had perished and completely fallen apart. It had done well to last this long, especially being secondhand, but now we’ll need to figure out how to repair it so it can roll properly again.
We’d received a message earlier saying check-in was available from 11, and everything lined up perfectly. We got picked up around 10:15 and arrived right on 11. The hosts were there, showed us through the place, and then left us to settle in. By the time we brought all the bags inside and had a bit of a look around, it was already lunchtime.
We headed straight across the road to a small local restaurant and ended up having a really nice meal. It was a big space but didn’t have that echoey feel a lot of places seem to have. The acoustics were actually really good, which made it a comfortable spot to sit and enjoy lunch. The kids had pasta and meatballs, Kia ordered a few share-style dishes, and I went for gnocchi. They brought out fresh bread as well, and everything was simple but really well done. The owner was super friendly and gave us a few recommendations of places to check out while we’re here, which we’ll definitely follow up.
Back at the accommodation, the afternoon turned into a full setup session. Because we’re here for a few weeks, we wanted to get everything sorted properly. Bags were unpacked, spaces were assigned, and we started to make the place feel a bit more like home. Maddie set up a little post office upstairs so we can send letters to each other between floors, and Emmett helped put together a bit of a laundry system. It’s always interesting to see how quickly the kids create their own little systems in a new place.
I spent some time working on the website while the kids did a bit of schoolwork, and we just eased into the space. Later in the afternoon, we went for a quick walk along the water, but it was still drizzly, so we didn’t stay out too long before heading back.
By around 6:30, we realised we’d missed the local shops, which close around 2:00 in the afternoon, so we had to head out again to find some dinner. We ended up at a place serving chicken schnitzel and chips for everyone. It was pretty basic, but it was actually really good.
The bigger takeaway from the day was the cost of eating out. Between lunch and dinner, we spent around 120 euros, which is what we’d normally spend on about four days’ worth of groceries. Add the 60 euro taxi on top, and it was a pretty expensive day.
That made it clear that getting a car is going to be important. The hosts put us onto a local guy who rents cars, and he’s coming by tomorrow to chat. It looks like we can get one for around 600 euros for 20 days, which is much cheaper than the bigger rental companies and includes insurance. More importantly, it’ll give us access to larger supermarkets so we can cook our own meals and keep costs under control.
It’s been a couple of cold, grey days, but the weather is supposed to improve tomorrow, which we’re all looking forward to. With places like Roca and Torre dell’Orso nearby, it feels like we’ve landed somewhere we can properly settle into for a while.
After a run of short stays and constant movement, this feels like a bit of a reset, and we’re all ready for it.