Bari/Italy

18.6.2024 Bari

This time I went on another excursion with Astrid and Craig. We met at 8:15 am and boarded the shuttle bus together, which this time cost money.

We had booked the "Bari Walking Street Food Tour" for 11am through Getyourguide.com. We took our time to find the meeting point to make sure we would have no problem finding it later. We walked together to a castle, which Astrid and Craig visited while I looked around the city.

We met up again in good time at the meeting point, the tour operator's office. Our group consisted of twelve people and the city guide Carlotta.

We wandered through the narrow and winding streets of the old town until we reached our destination: a restaurant where we were served "Panzerotti". These are doughnut-like pastries filled with tomato and cheese. Because they are baked, the contents are liquid and eating them without making a mess is a challenge.

Next we visited a typical Salumeria. First we were given a glass of wine. In contrast to the previous day, I really liked this wine. Not dry, but rather sweet, which was exactly my taste. There was also a plate with various slices of salami and a piece of cheese, olives and a dry pastry. I bought a pretty kitchen apron next door with Italy and its pasta specialties printed on it.

A wedding had just ended in a church that is said to contain the bones of Saint Nicholas. The bride and groom drove away in a beautiful vintage Rolls Royce and we were able to visit the church.

At another church we were informed about a special feature: on a certain day of the year at a certain hour, the light falls through a rose window in such a way that it is completely projected into the nave. This moment is celebrated every year. If you like it...

To my amusement, I discovered a Baden-Württemberg sticker on the back of a traffic sign.

Now came the third course of our street food menu: focaccia. It looks and tastes similar to pizza, but is prepared in a pan instead of in the oven.

We walked through a street where orecchiette (pasta in the shape of ears) is made by hand to the last destination of our tour: a gelateria. Just the thing in the heat. I chose mandorla (almond) and spagnola (cherry) and ate the ice cream with relish.

Afterwards, we said goodbye to the group a little early to make sure we caught the last shuttle bus. This took us to the ship just in time, which was leaving at around 3 p.m. today.

I went to our coffee bar several times to get an iced chai latte, then an iced coffee, and then a hot chai latte after dinner.

The last item on the day's program for me was the concert by the "Jack Pack", four gentlemen from England who skillfully performed songs by Frank Sinatra, among others.