First Stop: Bari, Italy

BARI, Italy

Here is our first stop.  We had grand plans, ways to save money on excursions by doing our own, but since it was a Sunday the train station was closed.  Instead we decided

to tour around the city.

A gathering of men playing poker in the the streets.

I LOVE Italian pizza ... I mean, REAL Italian Pizza

Above and Below are pictures of Castello Normanno-Svevo

Fair Warning: it looks really cool on the outside, especially coming from Germany (Germans preserve everything and make it so neat and completely worth paying money to see).  This was not so.  This was not cool.  The picture from the outside is all you need to see, don't spend time or money going inside.

This is probably my favorite side street!! We kind of got lost going down here, but definitely not a disappointment.  There was a little corridor right next to this with a couple of women sitting on lawn chairs chatting while their kids played all over the place on scooters and such.  While the kids played and the women chatted they had an italian opera blasting through the air. It sounded amazing! 

Above: Cathedral of Saint Sabino
Below: Inside the Cathedral of Saint Sabino

It used to be decorated Baroque style but they have recently put it back to its original form: Apulian Romanesque.  I kind of like the stone arches leading up to the pulpit.

Below: inside of The Basilica di San Nicola
(I cannot believe I don't have a picture of the outside, shame on us)

I absolutely LOVE the Gold ceiling!

Unfortunately, we just happened to be here during a service and weren't able to see all the mosaics or the crypt.  Fortunately, we happened to be there during a service and were able to see the people with their herbs and listen a little to their worship service.  It really was a neat experience.  

Lastly, a memorial to the victims of the air raid on the Port of Bari on December 2, 1943.