OUT AND ABOUT BARI, ITALY!

We woke up to yet another beauuutiful day in Bari!  We walked along the Adriatic Sea toward Old Town. 

John checked the water temperature and surmised that it still didn’t measure up to the warmth we Floridians need!

I saw this painting on the side of a gym, and it reminded me that I am in desperate need for a yoga class SOON!

The fishermen were busy this morning, untangling their nets and engaging in some very passionate Italian dialogue!

We walked by the main theatre in town, a gorgeous structure, and one of the significant landmarks of the city.

We found a delightful cafe overlooking the water and decided to stop for a rest (we’ve averaged 5+ miles a day here) and beverages!  The owner spoke great English (he spent several years in Chicago) and, basically, planned our day tomorrow in Polignano a Mare!  (Thank you, kind sir!)

We continued our morning stroll…

…and found ourselves smack dab in the middle of Piazza San Nicola, a major square in old Town.

Dominating one side of the square was the Basilica  Pontificia San Nicola, a magnificent Catholic Church (also used as by Orthodox Christians).

The ceiling was spectacular!

We went downstairs and some sort of service was going on!  Very cool to see, however, clearly not a Catholic service, (according to John).

When we walked back outside, the church bells were tolling, alerting us that our THREE HOUR wash cycle was complete!  Time to head back and handle our laundry!

The fine art of doing laundry in Italy is, oh, so amusing!  A dryer is a novelty, so hanging your laundry to dry is a must.  In our Airbnb, we had to hang our laundry in a closet.  😳

After working so very hard sorting out that laundry stuff, we needed a bit of gelato!  While we don’t have a dryer, our condo is two doors down from a fabulous gelato cafe!

We finally got the call that our dear friends, Matt and Val, had arrived!  We ventured back to Old Town so they could walk the adorable cobblestone pathways and see the delightful pasta making Nonnas!  We were ready for a nice Italian pizza dinner together!

Our waiter took the obligatory photo for us.  Let’s just say he was much better at bringing the HUMONGOUS pizzas to our table than he was at photography!  😳  

That’s him, on the right of John!  (Why does everyone always want to get a picture taken with John?)  I was the photographer in this picture—take note how I got everyone in the photograph!

CIAO for now!