The flight to Rome was a bit bumpy at times but we arrived a little bit early. Our connection to Bari where we had booked a hotel for the night was scheduled for just under 2 hours from our Rome arrival. We had planned ahead taking only carry on luggage. No fancy clothes needed for hiking around. If we didn’t make the connection, the next flight would have been an additional $500 each.
As we walked off the plane, I asked an airline representative where we might find Ryan Air, an airline that does short hops in Europe. It was our next flight. She sent us off to follow signs for Terminal A. It was a welcome distance to walk. We passed easily through immigration since EU citizens just walk through without question. There was no competition.
We got to terminal A with over an hour to spare. Time for cappuccino. Our gate was a holding area for us to pass ticket taking and get on a bus to the plane. The flight to Bari was completely full. I guess it’s a destination of sorts. Once we disembarked, we spoke to a man at an information booth. He directed us to the train station to Bari central. The train leaves right from the airport and drops you in town. We were a few blocks from our hotel. I thought I had a good idea of which way to walk, but we stopped to ask a local. She spoke no English except to say Google Maps. Duh! That was easy.
Bari is actually fairly small and quite walkable. We checked into our hotel; deposited our luggage; and ventured out into the city. We were determined to get ourselves on local time without taking a nap. We walked to town and along the harbor. We visited the city museum. Then we walked back through a pedestrian street. The city is old and very Mediterranean. Palm trees line the streets even though it’s sort of chilly.
We came back to our hotel for a short rest before dinner. We were advised to go to a nearby restaurant that looked inviting when we had passed it earlier in the day. We arrived just after the restaurant opened. We were placed behind a pillar and close to the kitchen. It didn’t matter. The food was delicious. We shared a variety of dishes. We were hungry. We were the only non-natives in the place. Our tiramisu for dessert was the best I have ever had.
As we left the restaurant we spoke with a couple who were seated at an outside table for after dinner drinks. We had a lively political discussion. Not surprisingly, they can’t understand our situation. But neither do we. We walked back to our hotel and fell into bed. Tomorrow we go to Matera. We haven’t yet decide how to get there. But it will be done. Then we join our group.
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The Adventures of Anne 