Otranto

May 29, 2022

Castello Aragonese and Mosaics

It roared today.

The predicted thunderstorms rolled in today, dropping rain just in time to delay our planned excursion. But I get ahead of myself. First there is colazione.

We had our usual Greek yogurt with fruit and granola, then on to a bakery for coffee and dessert, errr, a pastry.

Ricotta and chocolate inside an incredibly light crust.

Back to the accommodation until the castle opened. The skies opened first so we waited out a few passing storms. We got lucky that this weather was on a foot day.

There were much darker clouds behind me.

The rain eventually abated and we were able to go out. This Aragonese castle was much better presented than the one in Gallipoli, with a few video presentations and interesting accompanying exhibits.

It’s surprising just how far the castle walls extend.

There was a Sebastião Salgado exhibit of photographs from South America.

Then on to the chiesa and it’s mosaics. I didn’t realize it was the entire floor.

There are some Catholic leaders in the US who could learn from this.

It did feel a bit awkward being inside while mass was happening. Also interesting that I can still tell approximately where in the mass they are, even with it not being in the same language.

These are funny/cute but not that funny for the €.

Daily grocery rant. Mascarpone runs at least double at home for the 500g size.

Who says table wine has to come in a glass bottle.

I’ve never seen an evergreen like this. Looks more like an antenna array.

Before we went out to look for dinner, I was checking the clothes line to see if my shirts were dry. I could hear a band in the distance but could not tell where it was coming from. Turns out it’s the parade for the Festival of San Francesco da Paolo. They took Frank out for a walk around the city, accompanied by the town band.

Dinner at Blu Bar Bistrot was an excellent seafood puccia with a glass of white.

Now time to get to bed. It’s on to Lecce tomorrow. Starting early so maybe we avoid the worst of the heat.

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