Italy Puglia 2023

March 2023

A 11-day adventure by Jcrieff Read more

35footprints
3countries
11days
195photos
0videos
13.5kmiles
12.0kmiles

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Traveler Italy Puglia 2023
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- Mar 1, 2023, 6:50am
- ☁️ 30 °F
- Altitude: Sea level
- United States Washington Clark County Russell Landing Portland International Airport 45.591667, -122.59545°35’30” N 122°35’42” W
Day 1
On my way
March 1, 2023 in the United States ⋅ ☁️ 30 °F
I woke up at 3:30am and thought I was leaving at 4am so I panicked. Then I realized that my ride was coming at 5am. Too much adrenaline to go back to sleep for 30 minutes! So I was able to enjoy my coffee, take care of last minute chores without rushing.

My Lyft driver arrived on time and we had a nice drive. He is an ex-baseball player and played all over Asia. I went in and headed directly towards security. Just as I got through the line, I realized that I needed to check my bag. Ugh. So I went back and took care of that.

It still left me enough time for my preflight Bloody Mary.Read more
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Traveler Italy Puglia 2023
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- Mar 1, 2023, 11:00am
- ☀️ 21 °F
- Altitude: 5,833 ft
- United States Montana Ravalli County Took Creek Saddle 45.727249, -114.3617845°43’38” N 114°21’42” W
Day 1
1st "meal?" at 35K feet
March 1, 2023 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 21 °F
I'm sure they will get better from here.
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Traveler Italy Puglia 2023
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- Mar 1, 2023, 4:00pm
- 🌙 34 °F
- Altitude: 23 ft
- United States New York Nassau County Meadowmere Park John F. Kennedy International Airport 40.64291, -73.78581240°38’34” N 73°47’9” W
Day 1
Terminal 4 Departures
March 1, 2023 in the United States ⋅ 🌙 34 °F
That's what the app tried to name it, and I decided to go with it. The flight from PDX was uneventful. I watched 6 episodes of Stanley Tucci's Italy. None were in Puglia...

I met a family that was heading to Senegal in the lounge. They even had a house there.

All in all, I ate and drank my money's worth at the lounge and boarded my flight at about 6:30pm.Read more
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Traveler Italy Puglia 2023
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- Mar 2, 2023, 11:53am
- ☁️ 57 °F
- Altitude: 194 ft
- Italy Latium Rome Monti Monte Esquilino 41.901667, 12.50166741°54’6” N 12°30’6” E
Day 2
Roma!
March 2, 2023 in Italy ⋅ ☁️ 57 °F
My flight was long. I wasn't really able to sleep. I watched the new Black Panther movie, which was okay...and long!. Dinner was some sort of Moroccan style chicken with rice. I talked to my seatmate a bit, before it was time to try to sleep.

I put Big Bang Theory on the monitor and tried to get some rest. I just cannot get comfortable! The breakfast was a really awful egg sandwich, which I did not eat. I did eat the fruit.

I am at Termini Station, waiting for my 1:05pm train to Bari. It has not been assigned a track yet. I am exhausted and still have another 6 hours of travel leftRead more
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Traveler Italy Puglia 2023
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- Mar 2, 2023, 4:41pm
- ☁️ 55 °F
- Altitude: 23 ft
- Italy Apulia Trinitapoli 41.351667, 16.04666741°21’6” N 16°2’48” E
Day 2
Frecciargento
March 2, 2023 in Italy ⋅ ☁️ 55 °F
I've been on this train for almost 4 hours, with about 15 minutes until we arrive in Bari. I did manage to close my eyes for a bit and feel a little better.

There was a guy sitting across from me with a bad cold. I ended up putting a mask on. The scenery has been pretty flat, but there was a beautiful double rainbow (arcobaleno). We are now close to the Adriatic, and I've caught a few glimpses.

This train is 5 minutes late, so I now have 10 minutes between trains. That should be fine.Read more
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Traveler Italy Puglia 2023
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- Mar 2, 2023, 5:26pm
- ☁️ 55 °F
- Altitude: 105 ft
- Italy Apulia Bari Stazione Bari Centrale (FT)41.118333, 16.86833341°7’6” N 16°52’6” E
Day 2
Frecciarossa
March 2, 2023 in Italy ⋅ ☁️ 55 °F
I'm almost to Brindisi. I knew this was gonna to be a long day, but yikes! This train was on the other side of the same platform, so it was an easy transition.

We are cruising along the Adriatic with the sun almost set. I will probably get to the hotel (B&B?) at around 7pm. I haven't eaten anything since the fruit on the plane. That was at about 9am. Still not really hungry.Read more
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Traveler Italy Puglia 2023
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- Mar 2, 2023, 6:51pm
- 🌙 54 °F
- Altitude: 69 ft
- Italy Apulia Brindisi Borgo Casale Piazza Vittorio Emanuele II 40.64, 17.94666740°38’24” N 17°56’48” E
Day 2
In Brindisi
March 2, 2023 in Italy ⋅ 🌙 54 °F
I ended up walking to the B&B Diamora Guerrieri. There were no taxis and it was nice evening. Plus, I was sitting on a train for 5 1/2 hours. It took about 15 minutes and was easy to find.

As I sort of expected, no one was there. I texted, then messaged on Booking.com, and finally called. There were 3 boxes on the wall outside the door. And he gave me the code to #2. I had to let myself in and find the room. It wasn't difficult, just weird. The room is nice--it was really hot! I had to turn off the heat and open a window.

Nothing opened for dinner until after 7:45pm, so I had time to kill. I checked out the TV--nothing in English. I also washed out my dress and socks, changing into jeans and a sweater. I am not tired and will probably need to take something to sleep, since I'm so wound up.

I decided to walk around and find a place to eat. It turns out that I am really close to the waterfront. I saw one of the restaurants on my list and decided to eat there. It was good, not great. I had a salad with tuna, fennel, and olives, followed by frutta al mare pasta. They did have a nice lemon slushy thing at the end of the meal.

I walked by the end of the Appian Way before heading back to the B&B.Read more
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- Mar 3, 2023, 11:46am
- ☁️ 59 °F
- Altitude: 82 ft
- Italy Apulia Brindisi Fontana Grande 40.635, 17.94166740°38’6” N 17°56’30” E
Day 3
Wandering Brindisi
March 3, 2023 in Italy ⋅ ☁️ 59 °F
I didn't sleep well and ended up taking a sleep-eze at 1:30am. Of course, then it was hard to get up this morning. I got dressed and went to the breakfast room. It was a small room with 3 tables, with room numbers on them. I had to figure out how to work the espresso machine, which is difficult before coffee! There were packaged croissants and some store bought cakes, too. Not impressive.

It was sunny in the little courtyard, so I went outside to enjoy my espresso and journal a bit. The cleaning team showed up and were loud as they yelled at each other. I had about 5 espressos before I was ready to get dressed and explore.

First, I walked to the port, which is only a few steps away. Then I walked up the main drag, Corso Umberto. I stopped to get cash, and received 4 "turds," which is what I call 50s. When I travel alone, they are difficult to unload. I went into the bank to try to exchange, but no one was helping me, so I left. I sat on a bench in a piazza with a fountain to figure out what I wanted to do next. I walked back to the port and went as far as I could in one direction. I was also looking for a place to eat lunch. I can discover an entire city, just looking for a restaurant!

I stopped at a few, but none had outdoor seating. It is supposed to rain this afternoon, and I want to stay outside as much as I can. I found a place on Corso Umberto that looked good. I am now enjoying my first spritz, along with carpacio di bresaola and cacio e pepe arancini. All good!Read more
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- Mar 3, 2023, 8:00pm
- ☁️ 54 °F
- Altitude: 66 ft
- Italy Apulia Brindisi Borgo Casale Piazza Duomo 40.64, 17.94540°38’24” N 17°56’42” E
Day 3
Evening in Brindisi
March 3, 2023 in Italy ⋅ ☁️ 54 °F
After my afternoon nap, it was time to get outside. My first stop was the Betty Cafe at the port for my first gelato. I sat by the water and enjoyed it thoroughly--even though it was a little cold!

At 6pm, I started to think about dinner. Unfortunately, I am in Italy, and no one thinks about dinner at 6pm. Fortunately, they do think about apertivi! I wandered around and settled on a place that had outdoor seating. I had a Hugo Spritz, which was very sweet and delicious.
I walked by the restaurant I was interested in and it was completely empty. 7pm was too early. So I found an enoteca and had a glass of rosè and some taralli.

After the wine, it was 8pm and time for dinner. The restaurant, La Cantina Ti L'Artisti, was still empty, but this time, I went in. I am getting more confident with my Italian, and when the server gave me the specials menu in English, I told her that I don't understand Italian food in English. From then on, we spoke in Italian. I had ravioli with burata, followed by grilled calamari. I finished with Catalan cream and some Montrnegro Amaro. I decided I wanted some limoncello. It was the best I've ever had, and when I asked, it turns out they make it in house. I would have bought some if I could. I thanked the server for being so nice and headed home.

It was a very good day.Read more
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Traveler Italy Puglia 2023
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- Mar 4, 2023, 11:00am
- 🌧 52 °F
- Altitude: 69 ft
- Italy Apulia Brindisi Borgo Casale Piazza Vittorio Emanuele II 40.64, 17.94666740°38’24” N 17°56’48” E
Day 4
Checking out of Brindisi
March 4, 2023 in Italy ⋅ 🌧 52 °F
I woke up early this morning and started to pack up. It was sunny out, and I enjoyed my espresso on the patio. I had a roll with Nutella--I'm getting into my Italy groove.

I hung out in the sun for a while before heading to the room. I took a shower--why are Italian showers so small?!? Then I finished packing up. It was still early, as I planned to take an 11:30ish train. I watched the rest of an episode of "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel",before leaving. It was the only thing I could access for free on Amazon Prime, and I am enjoying it.

The walk to the station took about 15 minutes, and it's 15 more minutes until my train arrives.

Arrivederci Brindisi!Read more
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