Day 17 – Thursday 9th June 2011
Bari at 5.40am. Not even the toilets are open. Just outside the train station is a map. The ferry port shouldn’t be hard to find: head to the sea and turn left or right. I decide to turn left, after all, there is a sign saying “Port” in that direction... and it even has a picture of a boat!
I must have cycled a mile and a half before the next “Port” sign reassures me that I’m still on the right track. I eventually get to the entrance: no cyclists and no pedestrians. That’s a bit off since the ferry I’m after takes foot passengers. This must be the wrong port. It’s the only explanation. I find a little petrol station and use their facilities to freshen up before heading back into town and going the other way along the seafront.
This time the port is dead easy to find! I ask the gate guard where I can buy a ticket and he directs me to a blue building. It’s 8am. Although the building is open, none of the ticket kiosks are.
After sitting for 20 minutes I go outside to a little snack bar for a coke and some crisps – what a healthy breakfast! I sit there for as long as I can before heading over to the ticket kiosks again. A few Americans are talking to each other, but I like my own company so I leave them to it. A very impatient man is strutting around as if his very presence should demand the kiosk to open. Some official-looking people walk past and tell him to wait. He takes it like a slap in the face. I wonder why he thinks he’s so important?
The kiosk opens. I sit back and watch as everyone else rushes forward. Of course the impatient man is there first. “Thanks matey, why don’t you put the ticket lady in a bad mood for the rest of us? What a lovely start to her day you’re going to bring!” Obviously I keep those thoughts to myself...!
After a while I get up and join the queue. One of the Americans is in front of me so I start chatting to him. It turns out he’s actually Canadian. He’s hitch-hiking and couch surfing his way across Europe. He seems nice enough and we take a stroll into town since the ferry doesn’t leave until 8pm and doesn’t allow boarding until 5pm.
After lots of, “Let’s go this way!” we eventually find an internet café and then afterwards find a very reasonable pizzeria for some lunch. I go for a bit of pot luck with the menu and end up with a seafood pizza. They shouldn’t be allowed... or at least come with a warning message. I had a slice of seafood pizza before and it’s like licking a beach. Not fun! I eat it anyway since I paid for it, saving a bit of coke to try to take away the taste afterwards.
This Canadian guy (I think his name was Henrik – going by his Facebook profile when I glanced over at the internet café) decides to take a nap before getting on the ferry. He finds a nice spot and I go back to the port to check on Ol’ Betsy and then to try to find a supermarket.
I know that in France the shops tend to shut from 1-2pm for lunch. It’s 3pm and I head to a Tourist Information to ask where a supermarket is. “Everywhere is shut until 4.30pm.” That’s a bit of an extreme lunch hour! It turns out they take a break for a siesta in Italy. They direct me to a supermarket anyway and I head off in the hope that it might be open.
This is at least the third Tourist Information centre I’ve been to in Italy where what I’ve asked for hasn’t been where they’ve said. They seem so knowledgeable, but maybe they just make it up to get rid of people.
The town of Bari is like a giant grid, a few square miles in every direction. The roads are all one-way with all the parallel roads alternating the direction as you go along. Again, traffic lights seem optional. I eventually locate a supermarket, this one not opening until 4.45pm. Great. I find a place to sit down in the shade to wait.
Where I sit just happens to be outside a church where a van pulls up and 3 men in suits jump out with a bunch of flowers. 5 minutes later a hearse pulls up and these men pull out a coffin. They are obviously funeral directors and the youngest of the suited men (he could only be in his twenties) seems to enjoy the job far too much.
4.30pm comes and I head over to the supermarket, out of the way of the funeral. It opens, and I get some supplies for the ferry, which includes a tub of ice cream which I hope will cool me down after a day in the heat.
It’s just after 5pm and I cycle fast to the ferry, knowing it’s only a matter of time before the ice cream melts. I flash my tickets, padlock Ol’ Betsy (well, actually I don’t padlock her, I just strap a bungee between her and some railings so she doesn’t move), and get on deck. One of the crew asks if I want a drink. “Not yet.” As he walks off I take out the ice cream and one of my little plastic spoons. With all the cycling around Bari with the heat, I’m pretty hot and the whole tub goes in about 10 minutes. Man, now I’m stuffed, but oh, it was good!
On deck there’s a TV nearby which screens the film Forever Young in English with Greek subtitles. I can barely hear it, but I’ve seen it before and it’s a bit of entertainment.
Henrik the Canadian finds me and brings his other two American friends – Josh and John – to join us.
Fairly soon the conversation turns to Jesus, the Bible and why some Christians are just plain idiots (e.g. for believing the world was going to end on May 21st 2011). Whenever Henrik mentions the name of a prophet he always adds, “Peace be upon him.” It turns out he converted to Islam just over a year ago. From the way he talks about it, it seems more like a fashion statement than actual religiosity. He seems so in awe of it all, like a little kid with the cardboard box of what should be his favourite toy. Until he gets deeper into it and starts to question it, there’ll be no reasoning with him. As someone once said to me, “You’ve got to go there in order to come back.”
Well, the boat gets underway and these Americans decide to find somewhere inside where Henrik can serenade them with his guitar (or should I say, “gee-tar”!). I join them for a bit, then head off to get some time to myself before sleeping on some of the boat’s seats.
Stats
Mileage = 21.04 miles
Riding time = 2 hours 33 minutes
Average speed = 8.2 mph
Top speed = 16.8 mph
Total mileage since start = 793.9
Bari at 5.40am. Not even the toilets are open. Just outside the train station is a map. The ferry port shouldn’t be hard to find: head to the sea and turn left or right. I decide to turn left, after all, there is a sign saying “Port” in that direction... and it even has a picture of a boat!
I must have cycled a mile and a half before the next “Port” sign reassures me that I’m still on the right track. I eventually get to the entrance: no cyclists and no pedestrians. That’s a bit off since the ferry I’m after takes foot passengers. This must be the wrong port. It’s the only explanation. I find a little petrol station and use their facilities to freshen up before heading back into town and going the other way along the seafront.This time the port is dead easy to find! I ask the gate guard where I can buy a ticket and he directs me to a blue building. It’s 8am. Although the building is open, none of the ticket kiosks are.
After sitting for 20 minutes I go outside to a little snack bar for a coke and some crisps – what a healthy breakfast! I sit there for as long as I can before heading over to the ticket kiosks again. A few Americans are talking to each other, but I like my own company so I leave them to it. A very impatient man is strutting around as if his very presence should demand the kiosk to open. Some official-looking people walk past and tell him to wait. He takes it like a slap in the face. I wonder why he thinks he’s so important?
The kiosk opens. I sit back and watch as everyone else rushes forward. Of course the impatient man is there first. “Thanks matey, why don’t you put the ticket lady in a bad mood for the rest of us? What a lovely start to her day you’re going to bring!” Obviously I keep those thoughts to myself...!
After a while I get up and join the queue. One of the Americans is in front of me so I start chatting to him. It turns out he’s actually Canadian. He’s hitch-hiking and couch surfing his way across Europe. He seems nice enough and we take a stroll into town since the ferry doesn’t leave until 8pm and doesn’t allow boarding until 5pm.
After lots of, “Let’s go this way!” we eventually find an internet café and then afterwards find a very reasonable pizzeria for some lunch. I go for a bit of pot luck with the menu and end up with a seafood pizza. They shouldn’t be allowed... or at least come with a warning message. I had a slice of seafood pizza before and it’s like licking a beach. Not fun! I eat it anyway since I paid for it, saving a bit of coke to try to take away the taste afterwards.
This Canadian guy (I think his name was Henrik – going by his Facebook profile when I glanced over at the internet café) decides to take a nap before getting on the ferry. He finds a nice spot and I go back to the port to check on Ol’ Betsy and then to try to find a supermarket.
I know that in France the shops tend to shut from 1-2pm for lunch. It’s 3pm and I head to a Tourist Information to ask where a supermarket is. “Everywhere is shut until 4.30pm.” That’s a bit of an extreme lunch hour! It turns out they take a break for a siesta in Italy. They direct me to a supermarket anyway and I head off in the hope that it might be open.
This is at least the third Tourist Information centre I’ve been to in Italy where what I’ve asked for hasn’t been where they’ve said. They seem so knowledgeable, but maybe they just make it up to get rid of people.The town of Bari is like a giant grid, a few square miles in every direction. The roads are all one-way with all the parallel roads alternating the direction as you go along. Again, traffic lights seem optional. I eventually locate a supermarket, this one not opening until 4.45pm. Great. I find a place to sit down in the shade to wait.
Where I sit just happens to be outside a church where a van pulls up and 3 men in suits jump out with a bunch of flowers. 5 minutes later a hearse pulls up and these men pull out a coffin. They are obviously funeral directors and the youngest of the suited men (he could only be in his twenties) seems to enjoy the job far too much.
4.30pm comes and I head over to the supermarket, out of the way of the funeral. It opens, and I get some supplies for the ferry, which includes a tub of ice cream which I hope will cool me down after a day in the heat.
It’s just after 5pm and I cycle fast to the ferry, knowing it’s only a matter of time before the ice cream melts. I flash my tickets, padlock Ol’ Betsy (well, actually I don’t padlock her, I just strap a bungee between her and some railings so she doesn’t move), and get on deck. One of the crew asks if I want a drink. “Not yet.” As he walks off I take out the ice cream and one of my little plastic spoons. With all the cycling around Bari with the heat, I’m pretty hot and the whole tub goes in about 10 minutes. Man, now I’m stuffed, but oh, it was good!On deck there’s a TV nearby which screens the film Forever Young in English with Greek subtitles. I can barely hear it, but I’ve seen it before and it’s a bit of entertainment.
Henrik the Canadian finds me and brings his other two American friends – Josh and John – to join us.
Fairly soon the conversation turns to Jesus, the Bible and why some Christians are just plain idiots (e.g. for believing the world was going to end on May 21st 2011). Whenever Henrik mentions the name of a prophet he always adds, “Peace be upon him.” It turns out he converted to Islam just over a year ago. From the way he talks about it, it seems more like a fashion statement than actual religiosity. He seems so in awe of it all, like a little kid with the cardboard box of what should be his favourite toy. Until he gets deeper into it and starts to question it, there’ll be no reasoning with him. As someone once said to me, “You’ve got to go there in order to come back.”
Well, the boat gets underway and these Americans decide to find somewhere inside where Henrik can serenade them with his guitar (or should I say, “gee-tar”!). I join them for a bit, then head off to get some time to myself before sleeping on some of the boat’s seats.
Stats
Mileage = 21.04 miles
Riding time = 2 hours 33 minutes
Average speed = 8.2 mph
Top speed = 16.8 mph
Total mileage since start = 793.9
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