Sunday April 23, 2023
We enjoy a good nights sleep and go down for breakfast a little after 0800. There are some pastries, prosciutto, cheese, and they will cook you eggs. Eggs in Italy for breakfast is a rare thing so Carol starts off with two eggs which he cooks in two little skillets on an interesting griddle. First he puts them on top to heat from the bottom, then moves them to the next level which is more of a broiler. He repeats the same for me only I get some bacon with mine. Cappuccino and the gourmet meal is complete. It is very nice. Tomorrow, we have an early train so I ask if we can have breakfast around 0630 or a take away bag as we have to leave by 0700. He says they will make a bag. It was a nice relaxing start to our day.
We start our morning tour by walking to the sea and along the walking path called lungomare. It is a beautiful morning. We come to a spot in the harbor where fishermen are selling their catch. Always a variety of fish. One man is negotiating for an octopus(it is alive), when the fisherman cuts off a tentacle and hands it to him. He puts it in his mouth and we watch it slowly disappear like a long strand of pasta. It is very raw and apparently very fresh as the deal is completed. There are tables also where men are drinking beer and playing some kind of card game which I am sure involves money by the animated conversation of one gentleman.
Continuing on we come to our first destination, the Pinocoteca, or art museum. There is no entrance on the Main Street but we find it down a side street and climb the 4 stories to the museum. Dave takes the elevator. It is a very nice museum with some interesting art. On the smaller side, it is nice as you are not overwhelmed in each room and have time to enjoy various works of art. The gallery hosts art dating from the 11th century to the 19th century so it covers a large time period. Artists of note are Paulo Veronese, Giovanni Bellini, and Tintoretto. We really enjoy the museum.
It is a beautiful day so after the museum, we continue our walk along the water until we come to Pane e Pomodoro Beach. We sit ad people watch for a while. There are some people in the water, some walking across a sand bar to a jetty, and some setting up paragliders to surf under. It also seems to be a thing to run into the water with a mix of a paddle board and kayak and race others around the jetty and back to the beach. It is quite the scene. Carol and I decide to walk the sand bar to the jetty. This does involve getting your feet wet so we take off our shoes and carry them across. The water is fairly cold on our feet but feels good. We make it across and find a nice spot by a vertical rock to sit. The rock blocks the cool breeze that is blowing and it feels good to sit in the sun and get a closer perspective on all the water activities going on around us. After a bit, we walk back and find Dave and Gwen. They found a place across the street that makes sandwiches and more importantly, has a bathroom. The number one rule in Italy is never pass up the opportunity to use a bathroom. Public ones are far and few between and establishments generally will only let customers use theirs. We grab a sandwich to share and go back to the bench they are on to eat it.
As we leave a whole group of paragliders go in the water. Their gliders are strapped to their waste and pull them on their surfboards at pretty good speeds. Steering is all done by leaning into the way you want to go or turn. It looks like fun and also looks well beyond my skill level and strength at this point in my life, but one never knows. Leaving the beach, we make the walk back along the water and then turn inland to see if a grocery store is open. My info says it is but on Sundays, it is always a 50/50 chance despite what the hours online may say. Sometimes they are open until noon or 1300, sometimes totally closed, and once in a while open all day which means until 1900 or 2000. After 8 PM, it is rare to find a grocery store open anywhere. We make it to the store and find it is open so we go in and buy a few items for our long train ride tomorrow. Successful shopping done, we find our way back to our place to drop the groceries and enjoy some afternoon wine and snacks on the roof. Finishing our happy hour, we head out for an early dinner. On the way we check to see if the cathedral around the corner is open as it was closed earlier. It is, so we go in to check it out. The Cathedral of Bari was completed in the late 1200’s after the previous cathedral was destroyed by William the Wicked (would you expect anything else with a name like that) when he ransacked the city. The inside is very nice but not overly elaborate in the decorations. we find our way to La Cantina dello Zio, our restaurant destination for the evening. A liter of wine is ordered to start and they bring little niblets for us to enjoy, olives and Tarelli. We enjoy a seafood pasta and have a good time, maybe too good as Dave orders another bottle of wine but only a half liter and instead another liter arrives. By the time we are done, I discover, I may have imbibed a little too much. I am very happy right now as we take a circuitous route back to our place. The circuit includes a stop for pictures at a place we noticed earlier. If you are offended easily skip the next paragraph.
The place we go to is called the Dick Factory so if you ladies wanted to know where they come from, it is here in Bari, italy. When we saw it earlier, it was closed but the pink neon sign is now lit and it is not exactly what we were expecting. Cakes and pastries of certain anatomical parts are for sale with their slogan of “It’s not gonna lick itself” also lit up in pink neon(Photos Below). We pass on dessert, pretty sure it is not a traditional offering. It is a short walk back to our place with one quick or not so quick stop as Gwen is craving fries so we order some at a little shop that also sells various fried fish, shrimp, and calamari items. It takes about 15 minutes for her order to be ready and she claims they are the best fries ever. Wine talking or are they the best? You will have to come and try for yourself. Back at our place It is time to pack and get some rest for our early train tomorrow with one hitch. I lay down and pretty much pass out. Stay tuned to see if I recover in time to make our train tomorrow. Expenses Pinocoteca Art Museum 10E Puccia sandwich 4.90E Groceries and wine from Carrefour Market 19.90E Dinner at La Cantina dello Zio 36E BNB La Maison del Borgo Antico 72E Walked 8.6 Miles
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