Brindisi, Italy

October 25th, 2004

We arrived in Brindisi by ferry early Monday morning. Dave, his mom, and aunt weren't scheduled to meet us till late in the evening, so we had the whole day to play. So you may ask, why Brindisi? Well because a friend of ours was already planning to be in Brindisi with his parents during that time, so we decided it sounded like a good place to meet up. The ferry goes from Greece to Brindisi directly and there are cheap flights from London to Brindisi.

Anyway, back to the story... We were starving, so first we looked for food. My sister and I were explaining to her boyfriend, that there really isn't much breakfast to speak of in Europe, much less Italy. The normal breakfast in most countries is coffee (usually espresso) and a pastry or piece of bread. Eggs are usually served as a main dish for lunch or dinner. I've found that if you are a breakfast person then the best thing to do is stay at a bed and breakfast. Well he didn't believe us at first, but he soon learned :) For breakfast, we enjoyed a cappuccino, pastry, and fruit.

The rest of the morning we spent walking around Brindisi. I did stop by the Tourist Information office to get a map and learn a little more about Brindisi. The guy working there was extremely nice and helpful! So, armed with maps, we set off exploring. This first sculpture is the Monumento al Marinaio d'Italia (Italian Sailor Monument) built in 1933. It has a chapel at the bottom for the fallen sailors of World War I and II. The other sculpture is the Colonne terminali della Via Appia (Roman Columns or Harbor Columns).

We stopped in the Church of S. Theresa (completed 1697) to look around.

This is part of the old city wall and gate.

After lunch we decided to do as the locals do and take a siesta. This was the view from our hotel room...

The Anchors Fountain, built in 1937, is in the middle of the big shopping street. This is also the road which goes from the old port to the train station, so everyone passes by it. Between 12:00 and 5:00 the shopping street is absolutely deserted and most shops are closed. However, after 5:00 pm all the people just appear out of nowhere and stroll along the street stopping to talk with friends.

We strolled up and down the street window shopping and occasionally trying on an outfit. With tired feet, we headed to a wine bar to relax and await Dave's arrival. Luckily his flight came in on time and we were able to enjoy a late dinner together catching up on the past couple of weeks.