Used Prêt-à-Porter (Or The Art Of Renting Clothes)

When you pack for two months away, you are surely going to either forget something or just have to resign to leaving something behind. Once you get to the destination, you will have to make the choice to either go without or find out where to get it. We tried to keep an eye on the weather before we left and figured that the first couple of weeks were going to be on the chilly side, especially at night, and the last couple of weeks were going to be more of the t-shirt and shorts weather we hoped for. So, I had to decide if i wanted to bring cold weather clothes and pack them away once the weather turned warm (and lugging them back home) or did i want to take some warmer clothes and buy some new ones if it looked like i didnt have enough. In the interest of packing light, i opted to leave my winter jacket, gloves, wool socks, and boots behind. What I do have with me are a thermal shirt and a sweatshirt/hoodie and when I wear both together, I tend to be comfortable...usually. What we are finding is the days are in the 50’s and the nights are getting down into the 30’s. A couple of long sleeves (thermal and hoodie) are just not cutting it. I don't think I need to go to a coat store and add to my wardrobe...but what other options did i have? Well, a quick Google search for “used clothing in Bari” returned in a place called Mercatopoli. It looks like it is a bit out of our neighborhood, but the map tells us it is a 44 minute walk from here and even more importantly they are open on Sundays! So, after breakfast we set off to find this place. We definitely crossed out of the downtown area and after walking through a little bit of a rough patch (high speed car zone coupled with minimal sidewalk) we started coming into a more residential area with sidewalks, cafes, and other people walking. Another half mile and we know we are in the right area, but still don't know exactly what we’ll find. A small sign tells us we have arrived and sure enough, in a city that seems all but shut down on Sundays, the open door invites us in to have a look. It really is set up like a small Salvation Army. Lots of stuff we will never need, but if you keep your eyes open, you just might stumble on something you can use. Today’s shopping list is a warm shirt for me, an espresso maker for El, and two large coffee cups (the apartment only has espresso sized cups). After about 20 minutes, we walked out with a sweater and an espresso maker. We saw a few cups that would work, but they were all part of larger sets that had to be purchased as such. That said, as we walked back to the city center, we congratulated ourselves for our success in conquering a challenge. Sometimes a small win can make a new place feel a little less foreign.

half of today's score

not my first pick for a fashionable sweater, but it is warm

PS, while walking around yesterday we found a homewares store and bought two large coffee mugs. 

PPS, we have also noticed clothing donation boxes throughout the city, so I do have an idea of what I can do with my new sweater once the weather turns consistently warm.