Tag Archives: Puglia

Lecce, Puglia – my it was hot!

As I wind down from completing my thesis, I have been reviewing my WordPress Draft Folder, as I have many posts that were nearing completion but weren’t in my desire to complete my PhD.

This post did not make it past draft while travelling through Italy.

Lecce was wonderful, and it was hot. Afternoons when the town closed allowed me to work on the book chapter I was writing based on my research. It was also a time when I could participate in the “Shut Up and Write” sessions with my study buddy. We were early adopters of Zoom!

With nearly two weeks in Lecce, we could take it easy and live our slow travel mantra.

Our Airbnb apartment was delightful with a superb host. It was more B&B than Airbnb, with the traditional home-baked goodies our host provided an added benefit. Our apartment was ideally located near the train station, a bus stop, and a short walk to the old town. The entrance to our apartment was through a small door that did not indicate what was inside. Of course, our apartment was up multiple stairs, which is always a challenge with suitcases. At least it was well lit. The apartment had been our host’s home until she and her husband had children, at which time they moved to a farm just outside the town. We were the beneficiaries of the farm with fresh produce each morning, along with those baked goodies.

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Lecce, Italy – a writing day

Napoli Arch and Obelisk, Lecce

When we planned our trip to Europe I knew I would need to do some research and writing. I was quite looking forward to it. When we’d been away in 2015 I had used the early mornings and afternoon siesta time to write and that was in winter.

This time it’s summer and its hot and humid making the afternoons not that pleasant. As a result, it hasn’t been hard to spend many of our afternoons reading and writing while we have been travelling. My PhD supervisor will be pleased!

One task I have over and above my PhD research is to write a chapter for an academic book due for release next year. My contribution is due about a month after we get back and has been the main focus of my attention while we have been travelling. The topic is aligned to my PhD research which was why I pitched the idea in the first place.

With breakfast done, the day set to be hot and humid and a disappointing but not unexpected loss to my beloved Adelaide Crows out of the way, I sat down to write.

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