Bari, Italy
June 20See photos below
As fas as travel days go, this one was going to be a real slog. We needed to get from Naples, which is on the west coast of Italy, all the way across the bottom of the boot to Bari, on the east. This section would involve two train rides. Once in Bari, we needed to catch a bus that would take us to the main port where we had an overnight ferry to Dubrovnik (with no bed). All in all, we would be traveling for almost 24 hours.
We started by waking early, giving ourselves plenty of time to catch the bus to the central train station. Once we arrived, our first train wasn’t set to leave for another 45 minutes, so we sat for a coffee. Better safe than sorry. When the time came, we boarded the train finding two adjacent seats. This first ride, taking two hours, was smooth and dropped us at a small station in a city unknown to me. The layover was quick, just enough time to grab a snack. Next thing we knew we were boarding the second train, this one a tad bit more comfortable than the last, finding seats next to each other again. We settled in as the train jolted on the tracks and started the four hour ride that would complete our coast to coast journey. The ride felt long, so being able to tuck into a book on my kindle was a real pleasure. I got lost in the story for hours, until suddenly we were pulling into the Bari Strain station.
Stepping off the train, we were hit with an intense heat. First, we took refuge in a market to buy water and soak up the air conditioning. Then at a park down the street we looked for a shaded bench. Unfortunately they were all taken by other people that had the same idea. We wound up near the water on a bench in a small plaza to wait for the ferry that wasn’t set to leave for another six hours. We lasted on the bench for about an hour before becoming restless. We walked to a small neighborhood that had a few cafes and bars. Ashley ordered an Aperol Spritz and I needed to stretch my legs. I walked in the tight alleyways of the old neighborhood, noticing the pockets of light that made its way through the tall buildings crowding either side of the pathway. Around the corner, a lady shaping pasta was listening to music on her radio, letting her pasta dry against the opposite wall. I eventually found myself crossing under a large archway that signified the end of the neighborhood. I looped back around the walled area and met Ashley just as she was ordering a second round. We stayed there until hunger took over. McDonalds was the beneficiary of that hunger. Eating killed a bit more time, then we sat and waited until it was finally time to head to the port.
I have never seen such a massive port in my life, so big in fact that we needed a shuttle in order to take us to the right terminal. After taking us in a loop to the other end of the port, we finally arrived to passport control. From there, we waited to get our bags checked, and then we were loaded onto the boat. It was great to be aboard, but now we had to wait another two hours until departure. Our total boat time was 12 hours, 7PM-7AM. We walked around checking out the different decks, of which there were two, including an outdoor bar and dance area. Inside was a restaurant, bar, and cabins which we did not book. Instead we had semi-reclining chairs to try and get comfortable in. Luckily by the time the boat left port, there were plenty of empty rows so we could lay diagonally across three seats. It was an uncomfortable night, but we were hoping that the destination would make it all worth it. In the morning we would be starting our extended time in the Balkans.
