7th May - Bari

We wake to the noise of traffic - to horns blazing for seconds at a time - clearly at least one motorist is not happy! - no sooner than the angry motorists move on we are accosted by the noisy voices of Italians waking to the day. 

We breakfast at the Strada Cafe - we watch as young Italian men consume their morning coffee on their way to work - they look good - their suits stylish.

We watch kids walking and kids on the back of scooters heading of to school.

We watch as a person calls down from their balcony above us to order breakfast - the call is acknowledged and it is delivered 

We sit some more sipping our coffee and listening to Italian voices 

We wander - We arrive at the Basilica of St Nicholas  - we listen to the chanting of priests at the tomb of at Nicholas - Bernie lights a candle for Mel.

It is early - the church is quite - the crypt is quite - there are tourists and the faithful - the tourist respectful - the faithful contemplative.

We watch as a women religiously rearranges the randomly arranged lit candles into a cross. She moves to the next set and repeats the process.

We wander some more - towards the sea front - it is setting up for the festival of Saint Nicholas for the next three days - we witness the chaos that is an Italian boss instructing his people on setting up a gazebo - it seems that it is not straight - in the wrong place - facing the wrong  direction - his loud mouthed angry demeanor instantly reverts to a smiling chatting demeanor as soon as he is satisfied. 

Bernie sits and looks out towards Albania.

Back through the narrow streets - "don't you want to see the ladies who make and sell pasta on the streets" say I - we walk 20 meters and there she is! - her father sits with her - "Australian" says Bernie - the old man points to his hat that displays the southern cross - smiles and handshakes all around - we buy some  orecchiette from her - we will leave it for our B&B cleaner.

Slow - slow - slow - stroll - stroll - back to the Strada Cafe - coffee with milk - it is 10am - "wanna go back" say Bernie. I take it as a direction not a question! 

We rest a while - talk to the cleaner - emerge again into the streets of old Bari towards the cathedral 

It is no longer the slow and relaxed town it was at 9:00 am. The crowds have arrived - the guides with their lofted umbrellas and their trailing hordes have arrived - they dominate the narrow lane ways of the old city giving way only to the locals on their motor scooters.

The church rings it's bell to announce mid-day and the Italian airborne aerobatics team roar overhead as they celebrate the passage of St Nicholas from the port to the sea. He will return tomorrow to much pomp and ceremony.

We watch the crowd - there is no shortage of young female  wanabe influencers - they prance around - they photograph themselves and each other - they smile - they try out pose after pose 

We watch as North African trinket salespeople ply their trade - their strategy is smile and smile some more - persist and then persist some more.

We brush away flies and smile as expert scooter riders and local cyclists do battle with the crowd.

We see the occasional professional beggar in the form of very mature females dressed in traditional black garb - it makes us a little sad. 

We  lunch  by the square  -Orecchiette ragu and  Orecchiette in fish sauce ragu - local Chardonnay - sweet - nice - expensive.

"Wan some wah-ter" says the Italian waitress in an almost perfect American accent. She barely speaks and understands English but somehow has managed to be Americanized!

We sleep

"I only have one more walk in me today" say Bernie - there is a parade tonight so her reserves will be saved for it. I wander out and about.

To the sea front - the set up of stalls for tonight's parade has progressed as if on steroids - both sides of the esplanade are now lined with market stalls for about a kilometer - every sort of stall imaginable - clothes - sweets - trinkets - hot potatoes - sweet corn - Nutelleries - toys - balloons - bbq pork vendors and more  bbq pork vendors.

I  wander back into the old town - through the large mercantile square - back into the old town again - through narrow stone paved laneways past private residences and residences turned into B&B's 

I head back to Bernie and we head out for a drink -gin and tonic!

We wander in search of the parade - we follow a group of girls dressed in period costume - clearly they are heading to the start of the parade - a correct decision - 

We reach the Swabian Castle and the starting point of the parade - we watch as men dressed as Swabian peasants arrive to join the parade.

Soon we are sitting with the locals awaiting the start of the procession that will see a picture of St Nicholas in a boat hauled through the streets of Bari to the port and then out to sea.

The route is fenced off and there are volunteer police everywhere - all are ignored - people open the traffic barriers and wander as they see fit - people in scooters - people on motor bikes ignore the officials - no one complains.

The parade eventually starts - St Nicholas'  boat is led by hundreds of locals dressed in traditional dress - by magnificent black horses - by bands - by beating drums.

How fortunate are we to have randomly arrived in Bari for the feast of St Nicholas.