Fresh Off the Boat

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Geo: 40.3533, 18.174

There's not a whole lot going on in Vlore, with its dirty beaches and water, but spending the night here was a necessity in order to catch a ferry today to Brindisi, Italy. Like the typical Albanian town, it did have a decent xhiro last night, and there appears to be a wealth of museums, though it wasn't something I was interested in either yesterday or today.

Though the hotel I'm staying in has been open only a year, it's surprisingly contemporary, and was a decent place to spend last night. Turns out the manager had lived in Vancouver for a number of years, and returned to live in Albania three years ago. The typical helpful Albanian, the guy wandered around the plaza outside trying to hook me up with a cab, warning me to pay only 300 leke, even though the driver would likely ask for more.

Customs was a breeze - though they were searching everybody's bags as they boarded, as soon as the agent saw my Canadian passport he simply waved me through. The benefits of being from a country loved by nearly all! Though the schedule calls for the ferry to depart at noon, in typical late Albanian transport fashion, that wasn't the case - but it was funny, as it seemed to be expected that the ferry would NOT leave on time.

A businessman from San Marino who frequently takes this ferry advised that it normally leaves at 3 PM and arrives in Brindisi around 8 PM, something backed up by staff I talked to. So ... if the ferry normally leaves at 3 PM, why not change the schedule to reflect that, as well as the ferry ticket, which clearly says noon? I wasn't the only confused passenger, as dozens of others were on board by 11:30 AM like me, sitting around for nearly three hours before departure.

Though I suppose we were lucky to be underway at 2:15, I wouldn't be arriving at 6:30 after all, at the B&B in Lecce, tonight's final destination. That was the time I had agreed upon with the owner, as he had asked if I could check in before 8:30.

I was looking forward to having a huge meal on board the ferry with plenty of drink, as I had all this leftover Albanian leke to spend. Funds were actually running low last night, but I decided to cash in a 20 Euro bill to get a bit more, knowing that I could use it today - wrong! No leke was accepted on board, only Euros, giving me sticker shock, since prices were more than double, perhaps even triple, what I was used to paying in Albania.

It's sad to be leaving Albania, a great little country that is worthy of a return visit - but there is still much to see on this trip, and the excitement of arriving in Italy tonight tempered that sadness. It's been nearly six years since I've been in Italy, during which time I never had the opportunity to explore the heel and the toe of the boot, something which will happen this time around.

Having not planned on being on the ferry for nearly eight hours, I regretted having read so much of my novel the past few nights, as three hours away from Italy, I finished the book and ran out of things to do. A nap would've been a nice way to pass the time, but the caffeine from the two espressos on board, in addition to the one from breakfast this morning, would not allow it.

As opposed to leaving Albania, the customs process upon arriving in Italy took forever, and ended with my backpack being searched because of the three bottles of wine conspicuous when going through the X-Ray machine. A free shuttle bus dropped me off in Brindisi's waterfront promenade, which was a 1 km walk from the train station - the next train was scheduled to leave Brindisi at 22:16, and get me into Lecce at 22:40, so I hoped to be checked in by 23:00.

Of course, that didn't happen, on a bad travel day like today - for whatever reason, the 22:16 train I got on wasn't the fast train as promised, though I was on the correct platform, and no other trains arrived during that time. I think that train ended up being the slow 22:26 train that stopped at several places along the way, so I didn't get into Lecce until 23:00.

The small streets and alleyways of Lecce are a bit of labyrinth, so of course I got lost, despite help from a few locals, one who even looked up a map on his smart phone for me. But finally, I rambled into the B&B Centro Storico, nearly 13 hours after I left my hotel in Vlore. The owner wasn't too happy, not that he should've been, since I was nearly five hours late, asking why I didn't call. He wasn't too willing to listen to my stories of trying to call from Brindisi's train station bar, even offering the owner money, which was declined, nor my tales of payphones that didn't accept coins, nor my credit card ...

Being exhausted after another epic day of travel, I was neither in the mood to continue arguing or complaining, only wanting to find something to eat and collapse into bed. Lecce's old town was bustling on a Monday night, and its pizzerias were calling to me, but its pleas were ignored, since the B&B kindly stocks each room with some pre-packaged toasts, a juice box, and some packets of Nutella and jam.

I'd been dreaming of a glorious return to Italy, of arriving early evening in time for the passeggiata, of having a delicious multi-course meal of Italian delights, a glass or two of refreshing Pugliese white wine, followed by two or three litres of Italian gelato. However, this was not possible on this evening, with all of today's travel tribulations - but strangely, that Nutella on toast tasted great anyways, perhaps because I've finally arrived in the beautiful South of Italy!

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Photos

Sheshi i Flamurit ...
... Flag Square, home to the Independence Monument. Some massive celebrations are planned in the next few months in Vlore, and the entire country, as 2012 marks the 100th year of independence.

Mirupafshim Albania, Ciao Italia!
e

Surprisingly-Good Meal Aboard the Ferry ...
..., roasted chicken and potatoes. A bit greasy, but tasty, nonetheless.

Dinner ...
... doesn't get any simpler than this!