Mediterranean, Medieval Hilltop Towns, Ancient Greek Ruins and Buffalo Ricotta!

Yay, I have finally found a bar here in Castellabate that has WI-FI. I can't tell you how happy I am. I have developed a strong attachment to iPad and the ability to communicate instantly with the other side of the world. We are sitting here by the castle at the top of the medieval Castellabate. The sun is setting and we have moved from gelato to sundowner and coffee. I reflect on what e have seen and experienced in the last couple of days. We rented a car yesterday. It was our practice run for Sicily. Terence is typically a good driver but still felt at odds with the road when sitting on the left hand side of the car. I was shitting myself and kept holding onto the dash as he wound his way down the switchbacks from Castellabate to the beach below at Santa Maria di Castellabate. With no maps, we trusted the advice of Cirro - just follow the signs to Paestum. So this is what we did. Unlike in Australia, the roads are well marked and you can always find your way to a destination. En route to Paestum is a must see Buffalo Mozarella farm. It was well set up and we skipped breakfast to feast on the selection of sweets filled with creamy buffalo ricotta. We devoured the buffalo yoghurt with fruit compote and a buffalo ricotta cannoli. I love my cannoli and would myself an expert when it comes to good and not so good this one was average and makes me yearn even more for the canoli that await us in Sicily. Paestum, or Poseidonia as the city was originally called (in honour of Poseidon, the Greek god of the sea), was founded in the 6th century BC by Greek settlers. The three Doric temples of Paestum are said to be the best preserved Greek temples in the world and the walls around Paestum are the most complete of that period. I have walked the ruins of Pompeii but they didn't leave a marked impression on me like Paestum. The temple of Neptune (or Hera) was so incredibly intact. I felt like we were transported in time. As I enjoyed the respite of an olive tree, I could not help but wonder why the architecture of today does not impress in the same way that the temples from over 1000 years ago impress. I imagined the offerings laid down in these temples, of the goddesses adorned in jewellery, of the rituals. We returned the car unscathed and spent the afternoon at our usual spot on a coupled of flat rocks perched above a rock platform. We are away from the masses and plonk in the sea every time the sun gets the better of us. It reminds me of when I was a kid and spent countless summer days sitting on the rocks at Port beach. I am immediately relaxed. We returned the car this morning and made our way from Santa Maria di Castellabate to Punta Licosa (a point with a lighthouse). As we walked along the shore we found a friend. He was a stray dog although he a quasi collar. Perhaps at some point he had an owner but his thin frame told us that he was fending for himself. We rock jumped along the rock platform curving around the headland. Our canine friend followed even when he had to plunge in the water to get from one rock to another. He walked the 3-4 km with us to Punta Licosa, following the dirt road that hugged the coast and gave us a sneak peak into some of the finer properties. 'Ferret', our canine friend would walk a few meters ahead and then stop and look behind to make sure that we were in sight. He followed us all the way to the lighthouse. We shared concern about how we were going to let him go. When we stopped For a swim, he curled himself to sleep by Terence's bag. When we snuck away, he ran to find us and joined us back to the port of San Marco di Castellabate. The local yellow community bus turned up and we ran to catch it and give our legs a break. 'Ferret' followed us to the bus. We hopped on and looked behind as the bus started moving. The sad face of our canine friend stared at us as we wheeled away from him. His look was so sad and questioning ...'how could you leave me?', 'I trusted you'. It was such a sad departing and reminded me of the Australian fin, 'Red Dog'. As we lay on our rock afterwards, Terence could not stop thinking about Ferret. He felt so bad, like we'd abandoned a new friend who instilled his faith and trust in us. As I type, tears well up in Terence's eyes. He has been wondering whether he's ok, whether we should have found a pound for him, whether he will be looked after. I send a prayer his way ....