Little trip from Greece to Italy
Who doesn't love Italy? It is simply impossible not to love this country!
This time I was lucky to be in the South of Italy in the sunny city of Bari!
Pilgrims from all over the world tend to come here to pray at the relics of St. Nicholas the Pleasant, and I am no exception! I will say right away that it is really incredible when in the morning you are in Greece - in Halkidiki. In a moment you find yourself at the airport of Thessaloniki, and after 2 hours you ask for well-being for your family and friends, bowing to the relics of St. Nicholas!
But first things first)
We flew on a plane of the Greek company EllinAir, the flight took only 1 hour! At the same time, the process of arriving at the airport - obtaining a boarding pass - boarding the plane goes so quickly that you don’t even have time to understand anything! Just super! The planes are good, the service on board is very pleasant and unobtrusive, the flight goes absolutely unnoticed. You have time to drink coffee, have a snack with fresh sandwiches - and now you are already in Italy!
Bari is a typical southern city! The sun, palm trees, restless Italians - emotions capture from the very first minutes of your stay in this hospitable country! Literally in 25 minutes, we reached the goal of our journey - the Basilica of St. Nicholas, where his myrrh-streaming relics are kept and where Orthodox people from all over the world aspire! The temple consists of two parts. Catholic services are held in the upper church, and Orthodox services are held in the lower church, and it is in the lower church, in the crypt, that the relics of St. Nicholas are kept. This is the only Catholic church in the world that has an Orthodox altar! Incredible!
It is difficult to convey in words the feelings that arise in this place and excite the consciousness of every believer. All minor problems fade into the background when you understand what a happiness it is to be in this place and venerate this great shrine! Prayer, notes, worship of the relics of St. Nicholas - no one is in a hurry, every believer asks for his own, for the most secret... You don’t understand how tears well up in your eyes... with joy to be here!
A reminder of this important event for me will be a consecrated pendant with the face of St. Nicholas, which (like oil and myrrh) I bought in a church shop. I believe that this small, but so valuable little thing will protect my soul and help in difficult moments of life.
Then there was a walk through the city center! An amazing atmosphere, narrow streets, the Cathedral, the French Quarter, emotional Italian speech around - all this cannot leave anyone indifferent!
Separately, I would like to say about our guide Sergey - he is a great guide who presents historical facts in an incredibly interesting way, which brings intrigue and makes the whole group languish in anticipation of the next story from the life of Barians and Bargrad! You don’t want to leave it even for a minute, so as not to miss something interesting)
Then there was a “modest” Italian lunch. After I destroyed the delicious snacks, as well as the traditional pasta, it turned out that this was only the beginning and the main course awaits us ahead - the most delicate fish! And, of course, I can't help mentioning the great wine and refreshing lemon sorbet for dessert! The dinner was a success, so it became a little more difficult to walk further than on an empty stomach...
Further, after a short walk, we went to the Russian Compound - the largest Orthodox mission in Western Europe! Here everyone was able to light candles, write notes, and venerate the icons.
Then our guide gave in to the requests of the female half of our group and left us for an hour on the street with shops and delicious ice cream! So everyone found something to their liking. And everyone returned to the bus happy! Most - with some purchases in memory of this wonderful day in the capital of Puglia!
Then the airport - check-in - a few minutes in duty free - the plane - smiling flight attendants - coffee and... goodbye, Italy! Hello again Greece!
I remember vivid impressions, no less colorful photographs and... Italian sandals (it was not in vain that I went shopping for an hour! ).
But after this eventful day, I really want to spend my next vacation in Italy! So, Bari, it is quite possible that we will see each other again!
