Sea, travelling and fun in Apuglia (southern Italy)

I still can't remember exactly how the whole "apuglian experience" idea started.

By the time I realized it, the whole trip was arranged (tickets bought and all that)... Still, it was my idea... Based on multiple good recommendations I just went for it - as they say - head first :) so, probably out of enthusiasm, I forgot to "do my homework", meaning to do a proper research on the spot. When reading more and more about the Bari region I discovered it's not really the best sea-side location (not even close to Greek beaches, by the way), but it's a good location to get around and visit some very original and unique locations.

In our attempt to make the best out of our one-week stay in Bari, we planned several day-trips in the region. Bari itself has a specific charm, one or two days should be suffice to feel the beat of this apuglian city. Although during the day it may seem deserted, the old town center comes to life during the evening and night: the beautiful night lights, the view of the sea, the very crowded streets and restaurants... On the one hand, there are the tourists looking for a fine dinner and a good night out; on the other hand, there are the cruise-tourists. What I did not mention, Bari is an important "gate" for the Apuglian region, due to the international airport and also due to the port. A lot of cruises arrive and part to / from Bari port, so most of the tourists are just by-passing trying to make the best of their half-day stay in Bari.

[Bari by night]

There is a very very long promenade by right by the sea. So, if you have time to spend, this is a nice location for a relaxing walk or a bike-ride :-) Also, at sunset the sky lights up in pastel colors... I only had my phone along, but there's no telling what a professional camera and an experienced photographer could come up with ;) The sea, the sky, the feeling on this sea-promenade reminded me of Venice and Venetian waters. Don't you think?

[Bari promenade]

Bari is not the best location for sun and sea bathing, it's waters are sometimes polluted and the public beach has red flag (bathing prohibited). So if you travel to Bari for sea-side you may be really disappointed. In the northern part of the city, there are however some sandy private beaches that look much more welcoming.

Once you've discovered Bari (and most opinions state that 1-2 days are suffice), it's time to further explore the Apuglian region; only by traveling around you can get the better southern-Italy experience and feeling. As we were to discover, there are some pretty impressive locations near-by.
Out of the many recommended locations, we chose a few that seemed worth seeing. Travel options go from rental cars to buses and trains. Ah... traffic there can be quite a stress... I'd go for the train :) though you don't have the full flexibility of a car-traveler...

Monopoli town is reachable by train, about one hour train ride south from Bari. The old town center, and promenade by the sea are quite romantic, but the beach is small and quite disappointing. Actually most of the recommended beaches in the region are quite disappointing, once you've seen any Greek or Croatian beach :-) ... so my advice is Avoid the beaches and stick to visiting!
We found a nice restaurant where I ate the best pasta... I don't really remember the name of the place, but it's probably listed somewhere on Tripadvisor.

[Monopoli]

An entry that should definitly be on your visiting list: the small town of Alberobello. It is part of the UNESCO World Heritage and very famous for the "trulli houses". It's a great place for an afternoon walk. If you go from Bari to Alberobello, and if you like caves, perhaps a stop at Castellana Grotte will add a little fun and entertainment to the trip.
Once you reach Alberobello, you will be impressed by the crowded little streets packed with shops, restaurants and flooded by tourists.

[Trulli of Alberobello]

Also part of UNESCO World Heritage and clearly a must see, the city of Matera, know for it's historical town center, Sassi. I admired the cultural richness of the Apuglian region, the unique places to visit. Every place was different, impressive and fabulous in it's specific way, but Matera topped them all...

[Matera]

Southern Italy is home to some magnificent places so be sure to cover as much as possible when coming to this region.

For me, the most impressive location was Polignano a Mare. To sum it all up, it's a breathtaking scenery, a crowded beach with clean waters and cliff divers.

As breathtaking as it looks, the beach is quite rocky and very very crowded (like towel next to towel crowded), but the water and the waves are just great! You just can't get out of the water :)

Polignano a Mare is home to a very famous restaurant, called Grotta... We did not reach it during our trip, maybe some other time ;)
However, we found the cutest little place (Mint Restaurant) where we had this super-delicious detox meal... I remember all the restaurants on the main streets were crowded, full or tables reserved... It was quite a challenge to find a place to eat, but the search paid off because the little place on a side-road of the old town center, was just great!

[Mint restaurant]

[Polignano a Mare]

I'd like to end this post with a bit of last minute advice, if you're not familiar with the Italian way :)

If you choose public transportation, please have in mind the following: If nobody is descending from the bus / train, you usually have to wave your hand to the driver, as a sign that you want to get in... otherwise you may have the unpleasant surprise that they don't stop just pass by the station... [ just in case you are wondering, yes... it happened to us :-/ ].. 

My second remark is that English doesn't always do the trick.. (yup.. also learnt that-one when ordering something and receiving something totally different). So, be prepared with some Italian basic words or just stick to places recommended by Tripadvisor and English-speaking.

Except for some misunderstandings (mainly the stuff just mentioned above), we have a great time in southern Italy, Apuglian region... Probably we only got to discover a small bit of the region, but overall we were very impressed. 

5 "courses" of fun, in Timisoara!

It suddenly occurred to me that I've never (so far) promoted my home-town and it really has lots of fun stuff to offer tourists :)
So I guess it's time to do this; to try to bring out the best in the area, or what I see as the best means of having some fun in and around Timisoara (yup... time to look it up on Google, I don't plan on adding extra information about it's location :P)

Why 5?
Because it's... round? :D
Because all articles tend to start with numbers "10 ways to ..." or " 20 best vacation locations..."
I guess there's a certain philosophy to choosing the number... you can't just choose any number cause it doesn't feel right :-)

So... my goal is to find 5 fun activities, along the way (nope, I did not make a list in advance, to count them ;;) )
Here goes!

#1 For "breakfast" , the first course of fun - metaphorically speaking - I have in mind a wake-up & energizing activity: a bike ride in the "Green Forest" of Timisoara. It's situated in the north-west city exit. There are multiple bike-trails to follow (actually there are 4 makes trails, just for the sake of completeness ;;) ). So, quite enough to keep you busy for a couple of hours :-)
It you're just visiting and didn't bring the bike, there are several rental options in town. IVelo is one I surely know about. The city has 'evolved' quite much during the past years e.g. bike lanes, rennovation of old town center.
While you are in that area, don't miss a short tour of the Village Museum. During a pleasant walk on the it's alleys you will discover a large variety of old traditional houses from this region [called Banat] , including a wooden Church and a School. Every spring, this place hosts a very nice international music and art festival, called PLAI.
The city Zoo is also located in this area. This is only for your information because personaly I do not encourage visits where animals are caged and animal freedom rights are broken.

#2 As an "appetizer" , after enjoying the forest area (N-E end of the city), I suggest a tour of the Old Town. As you can guess, it's located in the heart of the city. You may read or hear from the locals that Timisoara is also known as 'little Vienna'. This is due to it's specific architecture, baroque style. Right in the heart of the old town, you can find the so called "Baroque Palace", that hosts a permanent art-collection and also temporary collections (Museum of Art). I've never been on an actual guided tour of Timisoara so I can't really recommend anything experience-based. I know there are some travel agencies and also some free-guided tours available. But if you're not really interested in the history and all that, just wondering around (with a map), can be just as fun as a guided tour... You can walk through the Union Square, Opera Place up to the Cathedral while at any point you can stop at a terrace for ice-cream or a cold beer :) the center is "crowded" with options :)
There's an impressive collection of images taken from the air, available via EyeInTheSky page [photo source].

#3 As we've finally reached "lunch", the most important "meal" of the day (still figuratively speaking :P), it's a very very tough battle on what to suggest... I've finally decided to suggest a combination of walking + eating :) Here's what I suggest, exactly... When you come to Timisoara, the Bega shore is an absolute "must see". Bega is a small river (more like a channel) with some very beautiful parks and gardens along it's banks. These are also very close to the city center. The Children's Park was renovated and 'refreshed' not very long ago. As a child, you can choose among the many attractions (most of them for small children). Very close to this park, there is the "Roses Park" that is also worth a walk, along the Bega shore, especially during the warm seasons when the beautiful flowers color the whole park. Walking along the Bega shore, you will find some very nice restaurants where you can enjoy "a lunch with a view" :) Places like "Riviere" or "Gradina Banateana" are just at one side of the "Roses Park", while down the river there is another nice place, "Porto Arte" and on the other shore you can find a nice (and more fancy) restaurant called "Flora".
The bike lane continues down the river, exiting the city and continuing up to the Serbian border.
If you've already got a bike for #1, you can use it to explore the outside of the city, up until you get bored and come back :-) There are about 35km till the border, from what I remember.

#4 It's been a long ride, but "desert" is finally here! What do people think about first, when it comes to a good meal? ...desert (some think about wine though ;;) but I'm gonna go with desert this time)... I knew what this would be, even before the others. Well, if it's fun you're looking for, let's go for the Room Escape Games. When I first discovered the room escape games (I've dedicated some articles also on my blog to this type of fun-activity), there wasn't any available in Timisoara. There were some in Romainia but in different cities.. So it was my dream last year to open a Room-escape game in Timisoara. But, seems that I'm not CEO material :P I just have a lot of ideas but putting them to practice proves to be very very hard :P (apparently that MBA didn't fix me much :P).
Anyways, my point is that a Room Escape Game opened up in Timisoara and I was more that excited to be among the first customers :) or players. Now there are 3 games in total, provided by ExitGamesTimisoara. All 3 scenarios are very interesting and quite hard (I've played over 14 games in the last year in several cities and I can clearly say that the ones in Timisoara are among the best half).
In case you decide this "desert" suits you, let me tell you Bon Appetit! or Good Luck! :)

#5 A beautiful day spent in Timisoara. The sun is preparing to set... and I'm thinking... the last course of fun in Timisoara... what should "dinner" - metaphorically speaking - consist of!? Hmm.. Still so many choices left :)  Well, I've give it some thought and I guess it's just fair to go with a "pub crawling" :-) We should start at the Theresia Bastion area, that offers - besides a very nice architecture - several bars, pizza-place, music clubs. The palette goes from Jazz club, to retro music, latin evenings to chill-out bars... And if this doesn't cover it, there are several other options nearby, in the Union Square or City Center. Timisoara has quite a colorful night life, the latin spirit :) I like to say that the locals are genuine party people :D
Have fun!!!

[source EyeInTheSky]

Our little collection of dance-memories

Over the years, we got more and more involved with dancing .. in a good way :)

We started attending contests, shows and so on... part of the stuff was carefully documented by one of my colleagues, so below there's a little collection of some memorable moments from our "dancing career" ;;) it could have been a career had we started 10-15 years earlier :D as kids ;;) but well, as they say, better late than never :D

Back in 2011, we attended a dance show called "Dancing around the world".. I remember we were dressed up as cowboys (we = the group of adults taking dance classes as hobby).
There is no youtube recording of that show... or I couldn't find one. However, in 2013 we did another show. Our group danced in "Shrek"-themed costumes :)
There is some "online evidence" of that ;;)
Rumba group showdance
Waltz group showdance

We also attended some Flashmobs; in the one linked here, we're more in the background (the real stars were the professional dancers), but the whole thing was nice and a nice experience, even for an adult :-) After this, there came "dancing in the street activities" and all sorts of nice experiences. Unlike the competitions (that are... how should I say... competitive :P of course), the shows require team-work, synchronization and a very good collaboration. That's why I prefer shows over competitions... even though only competitions help you "grow as a dancer"... and that's like mandatory for a dancer... to evolve!

More recently, we found a new Dance group for adults and proof that we've blended in, are the moments below :)
Jive rueda showdance
Bachata group showdance

We've also attended several competitions (for adult social dancers) as I mentioned... but we have a lot of space for improvement :)
Competitions for adults (that did not start sport-dance since childhood) are less complex that the real "sport dance" competitions, but are pretty tough for an adult who did not grow up playing sports. For us, it's a great achievement so far... and learning :) ... but that will be the subject of another day's blog entry ;;)

Funny (but true) facts about taking up social dancing

Social dancing is just that: 50% socializing, 50% dancing :) it comes with new friends, dance-evenings, parties, dance shows, even dance contests for the most passionate and daring adults (this goes in the direction of sport dancing)
All in all, it's great, especially for extroverts... Dancing makes us happier, more optimistic, better in some many ways...
However, to have "the whole package" you need the right school and the right crowd :-)

From crowded "low-level" dance schools, to professional Sport-dance clubs, I've experienced it all...I've gone from trying to convince all my friends to join dancing classes, to having to swallow all kind of excuses :) to making new friends an the dance-floor, in dance-school and basically anywhere where there's a dancing event ongoing :-) because a hobby is what brings people together.

A lot of people don't really get "dancing as a hobby"... :-) Like the look of a person, after you've told them that you and your husband/friend are taking dance classes and you're even sometimes attending dance competitions... Some people look up at you with admiration :) These are the people who understand passion, who've lived it (perhaps on dancing, perhaps on other sport..or other activity).. But then, there will always be others who will make a long face... and just say "Dancing?!" while actually thinking "Dancing?! now why on earth would you pick such a hobby, why can't you go to the gym like a normal person... and why oh why are you dragging your husband - against his own will - into this dancing - what-ever nonsense?" ... this is all so funny for me, cause they are the ones "not knowing what they are loosing " :)

 Truth is that not all people understand dancing, not all people want to understand dancing, not all people are "dancer material"; some people prefer not even to try, other find various excuses, that - in time - I find more and more funny...
People have preconceptions... they have impressions that are really not true... so, let me clarify some of stuff :-)) so, if a friend asks you to take up dance classes, before you say "no + the lamest excuse ever", please consider the following true facts about dancing :-)

If your excuse is "Oh.. umm.. I can't attend a dance class, because I have always had two left legs", you should know that all people have "two left legs" before their first dancing class. So, instead of de-motivating yourself, tell yourself this: "Ohh come on, man up! That is the whole point in taking a class :D if I knew how to dance, you would not need to take the class in the first place." ... before your pissed off friend says to you "Oh, so I bet you didn't go to school in the first grade cause you didn't know the letters and you had two left arms, right?!"

"I've tried attending a course but the teacher told me I have two left legs" - If you've ever heard this during a dance-class, never - but never - go back in there. Actually, ask for your money back, cause that teacher is stupid. His/ her job is to turn the "two left legs" into "two right legs" , so the teacher is too lame to do his job, to explain everything in an understandable way.. as I said: this is not funny, but said for that dance instructor. Find a professional club to pick up dancing.

"My dance partner told me I have two left legs"... so, don't give up dancing, just give up that partner :-) while learning, tolerance is a very very valuable tip ;;) Remember there will be conflicts, toe-stepping, but since it's "social dancing" , consider that it's a lot of "socializing", before you actually reach "dancing" :))

If you are truly interested in taking up a dance class, find the right place for you, depending on what you want... Don't be afraid to search some more, it you don't "blend in" with the first dancer-crowd :)

"I don't understand the music" -excuse... Well, nobody really understands the music before their first class .. or before the first 3-month course :) some of us.. not even after the first year :P... now that I've already said so much... I can admit (without too much shame :P) that it took me years to actually understand the music :-) I attended a contest dancing - one of the choreographies) totally out-of-music (ok.. in my defense, it was among our first contests).

Or when a guy says "Dancing?! That's for girls.. I took up football." and you can only hear: "Dancing? Why would I hold and dance with a beautiful girl, on the dance floor, when I can go and run around with the crowd, chasing a ball" :-) Well, this is mean. I do support any sport activity, but I don't support people (or parents) who think that "football is for boys, dancing is for girls".. Oh well... :-)

And last but not least... "that guy" who's way too "manly" to join dance classes, but complains when some random dancer invites his girlfriend to the dance-floor - and she likes it ;;) or "that girl" who was too busy to take dance classes and now some cute guy comes along to invite her to dance and she's excited but way too worried, about her "two left legs" :))

Social dancing is somewhere between "nice to have" and "mandatory" ... not "math-mandatory"(because math is mandatory :P ) but more like "social-mandatory" ;;) if you know what I mean :)
So, think twice before saying "no" to dancing... or well, think as many times as it takes for you before you say "yes" ;;) This activity is clearly worth at least a "drive test" :) of let's say one month...

Magnificent Istria

We considered many possibilities for our vacation :-) We wished for a nice place that also offers cycling possibilities... I wished (as always) to meet and greet the sea :)
Ah.. my deep love of the sea... a vacation without the sea, seems so unnatural... so "not vacation-like" material :-) I'm not trying to suggest that I don't enjoy occasional inland city-breaks, of course I do (as you can see it in my other blog-posts :) )  but "the vacation".. "la vacacion" ... the minimal 7 days vacation must include a sea of some kind :D
So... we've finally decided to give the Istrian region of Croatia a try! OK... for a person who enjoys cycling and loves the sea, I found this location "only" perfect ;;)

After just one or two weeks of planning ahead, we were off to our little adventure, in Porec, Istrian region of Croatia. Bikes packed in the car and all :) I must say that the resort we choose, had a lot to say in the overall impression and feeling of this vacation. It was actually at Porec town's south exit, very close to the beach. It was within a walking distance from Porec port and town center (15 minutes walk through a very nice park).

I can still feel the refreshing breeze in my hair... and smell the sea-breeze mixed with a pine-aroma from the park while cycling along the Istrian coast...

During the day, we would cycle along the coast, south or north from Porec, just the "right" amount for two people tired from their office jobs :-)
During the afternoons we would relax by the pool, or by the sea, with a book / mobile app game in our hands :-)
During the evening we would take long walks in Porec... or stay in the resort and enjoy a lovely evening with shows, dancing and live music... or simply enjoy a colorful spectacular sunset by the sea...

I have been to Croatia several times, but I must say, this region was a really pleasant surprise and I recommend the Porec region... If you wish, you can simply relax on the beach and forget about everything, let go of your thoughts and worries and just enjoy the sea. If however, you are a more active person, you will find plenty activities to choose from. Starting with the more "common" like visiting the old town Porec or bike-riding, or playing sports like tennis, mini-golf and so on, to the more complex or skill-requiring :) like water-sports...
I must say I was quite impressed as it was the first time I saw water-skying and surfing sports complex. I would have tried it myself had I stayed longer... well.. I'll put it on my to-do list :-)

On the last day there, we took also a quick tour of Rovinj and I can confirm (what I also heard from others) that the town's worth at least one afternoon's visit ;) chill and relax on the shore.. next to the blue blue sea...

Top 5 activities in Bratislava!

Ever since my city break in Bratislava (a few weekends ago), I've been meaning to "promote" the city on my blog.
Why? Because - as the locals mentioned it - Bratislava is still a "transit" city, just a pit-stop between the well-known (what I mean is crowded with tourists :D) European capitals, like Vienna, Prague, Budapest.
However, as one of the four Capitals along the Danube river, it's a splendid view in the visitor's eye. It has a quite high touristic potential, I just want to point out what I enjoyed most, in my weekend trip.

So, below are listed my top 5 "must-see" / "must-try" activities. Here's what I would recommend to a friend traveler :)

#1 Free old-town walking tour
Among all the guided tours and mini-buses for city-visit, I settled for a Free Walking Tour, in the Bratislava Old-town center provided by befreetours. The tour has no fee, but the idea is to tip the guide at the end of the tour. The guides are usually students and I can say - at least from my experience - I enjoyed the tour very much. In a very relaxed and fun atmosphere, we discovered various information of history, funny facts, myth, local traditions...
You may also be interested on other tours they provide :-) also a pub crawling is available :-)

While you are visiting the old town, don't miss out a hike to the Castle. The view from up there is worth a trip during the day, but also one during the evening :D

#2 An 'ascent' to the UFO
unlike the Castle, this is reached by elevator :-) For about 6euro / person, the elevator will take you about 90m up in the sky, to the observation deck on top of the restaurant. I believe the restaurant itself is usually full, or booked for events, but there is also a very nice bar, where you can enjoy a drink and a some delicious desert... for a "sneak peak", take a look on the owner-group's page.
If you look for it in google maps, there's a nice description that pretty much sums up the experience :-) "UFO watch. taste. groove"

...view of the old-town, from the Ufo observation deck

#3 The challenge and intrigue of a Room escape (ore more :P)
Well.. it wouldn't be me, if I would not recommend a room-escape game :-) and in Bratislava, I must confess, that I was impressed and intrigued by two fascinating room escape games. This was valuable experience for me, because after you play a lot of room-escape games, some may seem a little "too easy" like..."That was all?" But it was not the case with these 2 games that we've played, both kept us up-and-running until the last minute!
I recommend them both :-)
The Da Vinci Room (by Paniq)
The room

#4 The Devin Castle
This is a "must see" next to Bratislava, in a near-by village (Devin). You get to see the fortress's ruins, hosting also a permanent museum. Sometimes, the castle walls are animated by Knights, shows, activities (for both adults and children). There are several festivals/events going on, all year round, especially during the warm season.

#5 Danubiana
Also situated out-side the city area, Danubiana is a modern-art museum situated on the Danube, close to the southern end of Bratislava.
The indoor wings are a nice walk along the Danube, because the river is visible through the huge glass windows... Also outside, there is a very nice Park animated with modern sculptures, a mixture of colors and shapes... See... I don't actually understand art (after years and years of technical studies :P) but even I enjoyed the museum very very much... so I can only imagine how inspiring those works would be seen by artistic soul...

All in all, Bratislava is clearly a little something to remember... and someday to come back to ;;)

A colorful day, in "animated" Aqualandia

Does Venice ring a bell? .. of course it does :)
Now... does Lido di Jesolo ring any bell? .. it probably does, to the most of you who have visited - or plan to visit - Venice & the surrounding areas.

What about Aqualandia Jesolo*?
[*I put Jesolo, because there is another Aqualandia in Spain, close to Benidorm]

Yes? No? To my surprise, most of my acquaintances (who - by the way - have visited Venice and Lido di Jesolo) never heard of it... and that's a pity, because they were missing out on a great deal of fun, that can be "packed along" with a visit of the beautiful and stunning Venice.

Lido di Jesolo, as you probably know, is a small but very populated sea-resort, in northern part, from Venice. From Lido di Jesolo, you can reach Venice in about 1 hour, also by common transportation (bus + ferry). So I can say that staying in Lido di Jesolo is the perfect recipe, when you want to combine some sunbathing and seaside, with a city visit of the impressive and unique Venice. At least that was my option, when I planned my visit a couple of summers ago.

When staying in Lido di Jesolo, don't miss the chance to enjoy a colorful day, in "animated" Aqualandia.

Aqualandia is - as the poster says ;;) - "the number one Water Themed Park in Europe". I've only visited a couple of water-parks around Europe, so my experience is not relevant, but I must confess I was impressed... it's one of a kind. The high "quantity" and "quality" of fun, rank it also on top of my water-parks' list :)

Besides the great variety of pools, water-slides and attractions, the Park has it't own schedule of activities so you will not get bored, independent of age or preferences: from aqua gymnastics, to bungee jumping... From watching acrobatic shows in the Park's arena, to being called on the stage for an interactive number, with the public. From taking your children to the Park's Circus or kids' water-slides, to an adrenaline rush on the Spacemaker (the highest slide, where you can reach scary crazy speeds that I can't even mention :-D... so... check out more details here). It's the high slide, in the picture below, together with other "red labeled" slides... You must know, slides are ranked in color, depending on the level: green is for "easy" and red is for "hard" or high adrenaline.

In between, you can enjoy some food or refreshments, relax, or swim in one of the many pools...
At the end of the day, you will want to come back for more ;;)

A lot of surprises are packed in that one entry ticket. I'm not sure if this is the adult or my inner child talking, but it was great from so many perspectives, this is an attraction that must not be missed!
I actually ended up running from one show or one activity to another, on the clock! Time flies and before you know it, it's close to Park Closing time... but the best part is yet to come (in the final Show, on Pirate's Galleon)!

All in all, I had so much fun that I had to plan an extra day in the Park, to be able to see and enjoy everything that I wanted to :)

So, if you plan your Venice city visit in the hot season, don't miss the chance to check-out Aqualandia...  and reverse... if you plan you Aqualandia-Jesolo visit, don't miss a Venice city visit!!! :-)

Enjoy!