Location: Onboard Superfast II ferry, anchored in Bari.
Weather: Partly cloudy.

A long, fairly tedious day, but ending according to plan. I got up early, had a cold show (not by choice - the water heater seems to have packed it in), a light breakfast, and was off to the train station. I managed to buy some stamps and post some last postcards from Rome before getting on my train, a Eurostar express. This one was one of the old style, painted red with a bullet train-styled nose rather than the now prevalant green TGV-style in use across Europe.

The train left on time, and gradually took me across the country, passing parallel to an impressive Roman aqueduct for a while. We stopped at Cassino, whose monastery was perched on a mountaintop high above the town. I believe it was fairly comprehensively flattened during the war, so this must be the new and improved model. As we pushed on, the blue skies were replaced by more ominous grays, dark clouds that hung over the hills.

Finally we arrived, at about a quarter to 3. I checked my bag into the left luggage and went off to find the port. This was unexpectedly difficult, despite a couple of large bus maps, as the port's ferry traffic appears insufficient to rate it much attention by the town. Absolutely everything in town seemed to be closed, and I still didn't have a ferry ticket, or, for that matter, a backup plan. With the help of a couple of police officers, I managed to find the port. All the ticket offices outside were closed tight, but a terminal building inside the port itself was open, so I was able to get a ticket. My 1st class Eurail pass got me a free couchette (6 euros for the port tax), and I was told I could upgrade to a cabin onboard the ship.

With major relief, I set off back towards the train station. I stopped at a luxurious cafe I'd passed on the south side of the old walled town and had a delicious meal--Mediterranean salad, a bowl of pasta, water and a glass of white wine--hoping to avoid having to have dinner on the ferry. (My appetite gets wonky due to easy sea sickness.)

I've retrieved my bag and checked onto the ferry. It's still over an hour before our scheduled departure, and apparently I can't request a cabin until the Pursar's office opens, one hour after our 8pm sailing. Still, it wouldn't kill me to sleep in the couchette, so either way I think I'll be pretty happy with this trip.
posted by Tom at 6:58 PM | link |