We did a lot of local stuff that would make your eyes glaze over with any type of detail. It was a lovely day with absolutely no agenda. It was SO chilly! We just didn’t feel like moving or making a lot of plans. We wandered over to Starbucks and bought a Bari mug. We visited the porchetteria for Jim’s pork sandwich. We took a couple of toasty warm buses and did some local Bari sightseeing. For the first time, a bus driver asked us where we needed to go. I think he thought we were lost.
But, there are some interesting things to talk about.
Anywhere you walk (so far at train stations, and in Rome, Bari, Lecce) there is a pathway of tiles that are patterned differently than the others. In Bari each tile is stamped “Lions Bari”, in Lecce “Lions Club Lecce”. Why? I guessed, easier path for your luggage, or a stroller, or those rolling shopping bags that everyone has here. Jim guessed maybe easy access to utilities? Nope. It took me a bit but they are called tactile pathways and they are for visually impaired people to find their way around.
High-security locks on doors. Not sure of the reasoning, but the locks have 4 positions. I locked myself in a bathroom when I first got here. What in the Sam Hill?
Recycling. Our apartment has lots of different trash cans for various items. Plastic, glass, paper, organic garbage, and “other”. When we arrived, there was a glass container outside our door. It has since disappeared. Now we just have 2 garbage cans labeled “all other waste”. Why are we sorting our garbage so carefully? We have seen plenty of coded recycling dumpsters, but nowhere near us.
No toilet seats on public toilets. If you are a man, this is easy. All I have to say is, “Ew.” Make sure your squat game is on point before you visit! I’m forever terrified of peeing all over my pants. I drink very little water during the day because I don’t want to have to try to find a bathroom. One of those “Go Girl” products would be very handy here. At least they aren’t the hole in the floor toilets that I remember from 35 years ago! That still might be in my future the further north we travel. We didn’t venture south when we lived here. I was watching a YouTuber from New Zealand who was traveling in Italy. He was in a public restroom. He asked if you would like to do your business here, “they’ve even stolen the toilet seat! Who would do that??” Hahahah. Not stolen, just not provided.
No tipping. You do not tip in Italy at restaurants. If you feel like you have had a particularly good service, you leave a small tip.
Strikes. There are 3 strikes scheduled for the near future. We are going to Carnevale on Sunday. (that sounded like the tamest day and geared towards family activities). There is a train strike scheduled for that day though. I’m a bit disappointed, but I have been to Carnevale – the big one. In Venice. So, it’s a minor setback. I subscribe to an app called “The Local” that talks about… you guessed it. Local news. Now, the strike has been called off. So we still might go.
paleremo presto
Bomb Drop Toilets? While rarer in N. Italia then they were ~35+ years ago, I encountered several of them last Fall. I recall seeing one in a pastry shop/bar in Sacile. I just had to show “Elaine”. Seeing is believing. 😆
Not much exciting, but still enlightening.