The new Ryanair destination came with a bang, offering flights for 6€ right from the start. Originally booked for 6 people, our group eventually decreased to 4 and expanded to include an additional 5 people, a couple, and a group of three led by a friend. It was the largest trip so far and a new experience in coordinating such a large group. After the trip, we concluded that Italians are a bit crazy… From witnessing a massive beach brawl where half of the beach started hitting each other with sun umbrellas, to the chaos of traffic and parking where rules barely exist, having a personal black guide who took us all the way to our accommodation, and breakfast in bed… You can only experience all of this in Bari 🙂
Contents
Day 1 – Meeting with Bari
Day 2- Pane e Pomodoro Beach and mass battle
Day 3- Cathedrals and basilicas in the city center
Day 4- Morning departure
Day 1 – Getting to know Bari
We arrive at Bari airport on Saturday at 11:40, from where a bus took us less than 10km to the main station. Right next to the station there is a McDonald’s, in case you happen to be hungry, we just refreshed ourselves with some water and off to find accommodation. Our two friends had checked in two days earlier, so they saved us a bit of trouble with accommodation. Our accommodation with the seemingly pleasant name Saint Nicholas Plaza was booked, but in the end, it was just an address with an office, and only a man of black skin came instead, who was arranging accommodations in the city. Fortunately, it wasn’t a scam, because we had sent a 40% deposit in advance to the account.
The man of black skin accommodates our group of 4 people first at Pensione Aquila. According to their price list, it was 35€/night, but we didn’t have to pay any additional fees, so the accommodation ended up being very cheap for us (25.3€/3 nights). We took it as a justification for not staying at the promised little castle according to the photos 🙂 We are unpacking our things and agree with the rest of the group to meet directly at the main beach. The beach Pane e Pomodoro was about a half an hour walk along the coast. The sun is very aggressive, so we are getting a little sunburned on the very first day.
On an evening stroll, we encounter a large procession, something like a festival of ghosts and goblins. Along the way, we stop for a glass of wine and pizza. It is worth noting that just sitting down already incurred a charge of €1.50 per person. We fall asleep pleasantly tired in the evening, making sure to turn on the fan for the night.
Day 2 – Pane e Pomodoro Beach and a massive battle
Breakfast was truly served in bed. Then comes the big shock – on the tray, we have two croissants and two small piccolo coffees 🙂 Something tells us that we won’t be satisfied with this, so we gulp it down quickly and head to the beach. The weather is on our side again and it looks like another sunny day. On our way there, we see a guy by the shore shaking a bowl of octopuses – quite an interesting activity. Finally, we arrive at the beach and it’s packed, colorful umbrellas covering the entire beach as far as the eye can see. At the entrance, we are tempted by a stall selling hats for €5, so we go ahead and buy them, black for the guys and white for the ladies. Little did we know back then how many parts of the world these hats would travel to 🙂
We spread out a blanket and head to swim to a nearby stone barrier. For lunch, we go to a small restaurant to hide from the sun a little bit, and then we continue sunbathing until evening. Even at this beach, there were African Americans with boards full of souvenirs, and then it happens. An African American accidentally stepped on the foot of an Italian guy, who clearly couldn’t handle it. He throws the defenseless African American to the ground along with his board and starts kicking him. A group of people runs over to defend the African American, then friends of the aggressor come running, and the fight is about to begin. We were about 10 meters away from the center of the action, and the fight was escalating, people started hitting each other with umbrellas and sticks from the trees they found. The biggest joke is that the main aggressor packs his things and leaves undisturbed with a few friends. The fight continues for about half an hour until the police and some paramedics arrive. Of course, we don’t have any pictures from this event 🙂 In the evening, we start a trip to the city center and have a fancy dinner at a restaurant. Our attempts to find a nightclub are unsuccessful.
Day 3 – Cathedrals and Basilicas in the city center
On the third day in the morning, we split into two groups, the first one, which is me, goes to explore the citadel of the city and the rest go sunbathing on the beach. So I walk along the walls around the city. The historical center has narrow streets in some places, almost claustrophobic. Along the way, there is the Basilica of Saint Nicholas, a mini beach on three-headed rocks, the port of Porto di Bari, Bari Cathedral with its dominant small tower, and the Swabian Castle, where I am taking a tour both inside and out. According to the map, my destination is the second beach at the other end of the city, so it will take a bit of determination and picking up the pace. I only wanted to refresh myself, but it turns out the beach is actually a paid one, costing €4, so I decide to just admire it from the outside 🙂 I’ll head back by bus and quickly catch up with my friends at the beach. We’ll refresh ourselves a bit more, take some photos in our hats, and bid farewell to the beach. It’s evening now, we are going to sit in the center for some mixed drinks and try out a fancy salad. It’s our last evening in Bari, so we are heading to bed early because the alarm is set for 3:00.
Day 4 – Early Departure
We wake up to a quiet morning, with not a soul in the streets and only one fallen tree along the way. We meet up with more friends directly at the station. We buy tickets at a local bar and head towards the airport. Everything goes smoothly without any further complications, and we arrive back in Slovakia safe and sound.
