Chapter 29: Ciao Italia- a sleepless Yasas to Corfu

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Chapter 29

Ciao Italia - a sleepless Yasas to Corfu

At Bari, they caught the bus to the port, having received very friendly advice from a tourist agent. At the port they were told there was a ferry to Corfu at 19.00 that day and they could board around 17.30. They bought their tickets which included a 2 berth cabin with ensuite toilet and shower. They were able to leave their rucksacks at the other terminal and began contemplating how they were going to pass away the next 8 hours. Feeling totally shattered already after the train journey, having to waste another 8 hours was going to be a challenge. Martin had the idea of going to a cinema, but after searching and finding three of them, all closed, they gave up on that idea.

Bari itself is fairly clean and seems like much of Italy to have some nice parts, however when it comes to finding a restaurant which is open at lunch time was almost impossible. Those that were open were either extortionately expensive, or they didn’t display their prices; the others were just cafes. They finally ended up going to “MacDonalds” (Dominic would have spat on them). After the so called meal, they headed to the gardens of Piazza Umberto where Maya rested her weary head on a bench as Martin read a Dutch man’s history of Spain. The temperature was beginning to drop, so they headed back to the port and dozed for the next two hours on the not most comfortable of seats.

Soon it was 17.00pm and they headed to the other terminal having picked the bags up. Upon arrival, a young lad with rucksack said hello and claimed he was from Newcastle. Though his English was very good, it had a foreign school hint to it and was definitely not Geordie. He informed them that he was trying to hitch a lift to Athens to find some work during the Olympics ( a great idea they thought). Unfortunately this is where he stopped being sensible, as he went on to say that he and some friends were going to buy an oil tanker for £15,000 and convert it into a hotel (Still not totally insane). The part where their plan fell apart was to have this up and running after the Olympics (a missed opportunity). He seemed a strange chap who went off to ask some Turkish truckers for a lift, needless to say they just laughed at him and he was not seen again.

They hung around until almost 18.00pm, when they finally allowed to board the ship. They were joined by an older woman from Manchester called Cheryl (with a Tje), who lived in Corfu who was accompanied by a blonde girl from Bulgaria (probably her maid). The crew greeted them on board and showed them to their cabin, which has to be said was rather disappointing. It was absolutely tiny, with bunk beds and an extremely low ceiling and not enough room to swing a cat in. However it was theirs for the night, and meant they should get some sleep. They headed back upstairs for a drink as the “ Polaris” shook its way out of the harbour. The television was showing a dubbed “Forest Gump” and they had lamb and chips for dinner (no mint sauce) in a canteen restaurant with the rest of the clientele, who were predominantly, chunky truckers.

The deck provided them with a chance to wave farewell to Italy which they did not with too much sadness, but with some great memories. A month had been more than enough time in one country and both of them were eager to reach Corfu and Greece. From one great empire to another. They headed for bed (crate),Maya had been worried about sea sickness, but it was actually Martin who felt it. He had never suffered from it before, and wasn’t actually sick, but the motion was making him feel a little queasy. It was a very smooth crossing, and Martin did eventually fall asleep. Maya was not kept awake by the sound of the ship’s engines, but by the even louder sounds emanating from Martin’s nostrils. Italy was left behind with its rustic yet somewhat dilapidated traffic filled streets. Ciao! Highlights of Italy: Rome, Siena and Toarmina.

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