9/9 Monday
We
get up at the crack of before dawn to get on our ferry to Brindisi. There are
cars and trucks lined up in the parking area, but no other walk-ons as yet. We
head across the lot while the street dogs mill around. Suddenly, a new dog
comes onto the lot and all the others run up to greet him. One big old hound
gives him a “Welcome to my pack!” Another big old shaggy shepherd dog gives him
a “Welcome to MY pack!” “Whoa, what do you mean, YOUR pack!?” says the hound.
“You heard me, MY pack!” Now the two big dogs are barking at each other,
showing their teeth, while the rest of the gang bark and jump around, trying to
look enthusiastic without actually picking sides. The whole mess of dogs decide
to stage this pissing contest with US as the centerpiece, and some of the shyer
dogs have the mistaken impression that we can shelter them from the chaos. It’s
all pretty unnerving, and we walk very slowly to the pier with the arguing,
barking pack hopping around us. As we reach the waterfront, some of the
dockworkers casually disperse the dogs and save us.
Watching
the ferry pull in is really interesting. The huge ship is lit up in the morning
darkness, and moves into place inch by inch, with the dockworkers catching the
mooring ropes and lining up the gangway. Once it’s set, they wave us on and
everyone hurries on to grab a good spot. We have reserved Pullman seats, in a
private room that also serves as a small theater. There are only about eight
others in the room, so we can take over the seat rows and get some sleep for a
few hours.
Later
in the morning, we go out to explore the ship. It’s more of a cruise ship than
a ferry, with a big restaurant room and floors of private rooms that don’t seem
to be in use. There are people camping out all through the ship. Three people
have put up an inflatable mattress in a hallway, all of the banquettes in the
restaurant are used for beds, and some people have just put their heads down on
the tables. Gradually, everyone starts to rouse. We order some tea and latte
from the barista, who hands me a cup of hot milk. “You asked for latte!” he
deadpans. So what’s coffee with milk? “Cappuccino. You want cappuccino, no
problem.” It is incredibly delicious.
After
a very pleasant sea cruise across the Adriatic, we arrive at the port of
Brindisi. We come into a new port terminal at the industrial side of the
harbor, without many services. There’s a free shuttle to the main port
terminal, but instead, we grab an overpriced cab directly to the train station
in the city.
We
get on a train to Bari, an hour or so north. The countryside on the way is
filled with olive orchards for miles and miles in every direction. Most of the
trees look like they could be five hundred years old, or more.
In
Bari, we have a very nice, stylish hotel, The Hotel Victor, right near the Aldo
Moro University. We walk to the pedestrian avenue to look for a restaurant. It’s a lovely 5th Ave. promenade, filled
with all sorts of people, with giant palm trees down the center and designer
shops. We’re surprised at how many people are out on the street. We’re also
surprised that there are no cafes or restaurants to be seen. Nothing but a few
gelato shops. Nothing down the side streets either. If we keep walking, we’ll
come to the historic district of the city, but that’s farther than we want to
go.
We
circle back to our hotel block, heading up another direction, and find soon
some tables on the sidewalk. We ask if we can sit, and do, although they’re not
quite ready to serve us, they’re just getting open. We sit and relax at a table for four, and order
some beer and pizza. There’s still nobody else in the restaurant. A woman and
an older man come up the street and sit at the tables across from us. It’s a
setting for six, but they take the end two, which is perfectly normal. The
proprietor lady comes out and basically tells them to leave. Apparently she’d
rather have the restaurant empty before she has people sitting at the wrong
table. Somehow, we escaped her notice until it was too late to chase us away.
1 Video Included
Ferry and Train, Igoumenitsa to Bari
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