This morning we arrived in Bari before 07:00. Since we had no excursions we decided to meet in the buffet at 07:00 with the intent to leave the ship before 08:00. I went down to reception before breakfast to request self-baggage for tomorrow. We aren’t sure of MSC protocols, but we read that they have limited space for those wanting to take their luggage with them. Just before 08:00, we met in our stateroom and walked off the ship together (The kids aren’t allowed to leave the ship without a parent). I think that Bari was the longest walk to the terminal gate. When we left the terminal, we had a rough idea of a few points of interest to check out.
We first walked to a huge Basilica behind the city wall. The ceiling was beautifully decorated with murals. As we looked up, we noticed the pillars were not symmetrical. It was a beautiful structure though! As we were leaving, there was a sign outside that caught Tavis’ eye. It was a nice message to the tourists of Bari.
We made our way through narrow streets and alleys toward our next stop. We passed a couple more Basilica’s and street vendors. Eventually we found Castello Normanno-Svevo House. It was a museum with archeological diggings underneath the castle. As we approached, the sign said it was 8 euros and 3 euros for the kids. However, when we went to pay, there was no charge. Yay! I was actually impressed with the museum, not just because of the price. Throughout the site, they used modern technology, combined with ancient design. The rooms had drywall between old historic bricks. They also had impressive slideshows where they lit up specific areas of the ruins as the video described what they found in each location, and the meaning behind each finding. The museum had a lot of the same things we had seen in other museums, but this time, I didn’t touch anything. I really enjoyed this museum. I am glad we went in, and I would recommend it to anyone who finds themselves in Bari.
After leaving the museum, we wandered through old streets and into a more modern area of the town. All the stores along the main street were closed but they had several name brand stores you would expect to see at home. It wasn’t at all what I expected. At the end was a nice fountain, and a grand train station. The architecture of the town was a very “old meets new” feel. I liked it.
At this point everyone seemed to be ready to go back. We popped into a cute little store and enjoyed gelato as we made our way back down the main street and toward the waterfront. We saw a fish market and saw several people selling fresh shellfish along the boardwalk.
We enjoyed a nice walk in Bari today but everyone was a little depressed that this was our last stop. Our cruise portion of the vacation is coming to an end. When we got back on the ship, everyone parted ways. We knew this would be the last day to enjoy all the amenities and everyone had their own way of saying goodbye.
Tavis and I relaxed at the Espresso Bar with a few drinks while our room was being cleaned. We then decided to check on the kids before making our way to the buffet. We were shocked to find all of them in their room packing their bags. They were reminiscing about all that we had done on the cruise. We all took some time to recap some of our adventures. We eventually made our way to the buffet to enjoy our last lunch at our favourite spot at the aft of the ship (the best views onboard in my opinion).
After lunch, Tavis and I finally broke down and began packing our belongings as well. It is funny how 9 days can seem so long but not long enough. Once we were all packed up, Tavis spent time at the F1 Simulator and Ayva and I enjoyed several rounds of bowling. We met up with the entire family again at dinner. We enjoyed our last meal in the dining room with our servers, Budy and Yogi. From there we went to a show, which wasn’t’ as entertaining as gthe previous nights, but we enjoyed the American Rock and Roll music.
We ended our day bowling a few rounds with Ayva before returning to our staterooms for our last sleep onboard MSC Spledida. Tomorrow we make our way to Bressanone, in the Dolomites.