Italy Part 2: Il Braccio

Yesterday I mentioned that we spent our second afternoon in Italy visiting Anna's favourite place. She told us it was called "Il Braccio" (The Arm). I'm not sure whether that is her name for it or the actual name but either way it is very accurate. Il Braccio is part of the Port of Barletta and stretches out from the city for a mile or so in to the sea, looking like a curved arm. Il Braccio is quite a popular place for fishing, diving and some people even bathe in the pools that form in-between the rocks!

It wasn't a long walk from Anna's apartment to Il Braccio and luckily for us, the weather was absolutely stunning. Anna wanted to watch the sun set from the furthest point of the arm and although it was light when we got there, by the time we reached the end it was already too dark for photos.

There are two photos I really wish I could share with you here but one of them hasn't been uploaded yet (damn it, Meryn!) and the other one was somehow deleted off McPake's memory card. The first photo was taken by Meryn while we were stood quite close to the edge of the rocks. She was taking a picture of me and Samuel pointing at the sea when we noticed a big wave coming towards us. We were trying to tell Meryn but she obviously thought we were still posing for the photo. When the wave hit the rocks, Meryn was covered by the spray. It was so funny!

The second photo was an example of how totally, slightly, maybe a lot stupid McPake and I can be when we're together. I was taking a photo of McPake and the Barletta skyline when all of a sudden, I wasn't looking at his face but his bum. Laughing, he told me to take the picture and I obviously agreed, once I could hold the camera steady from laughing. When his memory card went faulty later on that week I was gutted to find out the bum tourist photo had been lost. It was a gem!

This sky actually happened. This was real life. I can't even believe it and I was there.

The sun set as we took group photos and took in the spectacular view. My photos really do not do it justice. I spent a few minutes just staring out at the horizon, in awe of what I was seeing.

As we were walking around the top of the arm, we found a bit of rock that hung over the ocean. If you stand on the edge of the rock, you can hear the waves crashing around you, feel the wind and the sea spray and it's easy to ignore the rocks surrounding you. It feels like it's just you an the sea. It was exhilarating to stand on that rock, arms outstretched and just being there, taking it all in.

On our way back down Il Braccio, we were stopped by a fisherman who wanted to know where we were from. After Anna had told him, he started to talk to her about fishing for squid and how it's done. We were stood there for quite a while and he even showed us a squid he had caught earlier on. It was so cool, listening to Anna's translated version of what he was saying and watching his friend sitting there and fishing.

As we were walking back towards the city, I couldn't help but admire the beauty of the city lit by all it's lights. I can definitely see how it's Anna's favourite place. Standing there, the wind whipping through my hair, the sound of the crashing waves and the sight of the glowing city, I knew it would have been mine as well.