Day 7/8, Foggia to Brindisi/Igoumenitsa

Day 7 - We left the hotel about 9:45. we had a couple of stops planned, petrol and some sightseeing but with an estimated ride time of only 5 1/2 hours, we knew we would be really early at the port in Brindisi. It was already 25 degrees when we left and was due to get much much hotter. Sorry to keep going on about the weather but it's a fundamental requirement to check what to expect for the next day or two. Usually it'd be whether it might rain. Now thought, it's about just how blooming hot we can expect it to get. It' snot just the heat, it's the blazing sun and little or no shade. When it is 30+, even a couple of minutes waiting at traffic lights saps the energy and lessens the enjoyment. Don't get me wrong, rather sun than raining, as that brings its own different set of problems, but 23 or 24 would be ideal. On the last blast to Brindisi Ginny recorded the magic 40!

The stops included, the Mausoleum Barbarossa, which looked be having the surroundings redone, as plastic wire was preventing access...... well almost. 😉 Just up the road was the Arco Traiano, though I couldn't see any arch, just some feminine statues, from my vantage point behind railings! In Brindisi we stopped at a roman fountain, one of the bastions of the town walls, one of the gates to the city and also a 123th Century church. Still, even with these distractions, we were still at the port at 16:45. Check-in was reletively swift and easy but we were told not to proceed before 21:00. So we hung around, grabbing some food and drink from the cafe, billed as a restaurant!

When time came to moved into position, it was a bit of a free for all, bikes, cars, vans, motorhomes in one big mass parking area. It was chaos when it came time to board, as you can imagine, though bikes were seperated on boarding and ushered down an oily ramp to and 'underground' deck. One on, we found our reclining seats, then went and had some dinner and beer. Beer count is 13 by the way. Then it was just a question of trying to get as best a sleep one could, wthe noise and the uncomforable seat. We managed some though.

Day 8 - We were woken by an announcement for passengers getting off at Corfu. I had no idea it was stopping in Kerkyra. Then several times later. Eventually we were tanoyed to say brekkie was open, so we made our way to the restaurant. Not long after we were getting ready for disembarkation. By 8:45 we were on the road. I was surprised we'd not had to show our passports anywhere.

We had 242 miles to ride, estimated at 5.5 hours riding time. Add in two fuel stops and shade/refreshment breaks and we didn't arrive in Olympia util around 16:00 ish. I think it's fair to say, thre Greek drivers are not as bad as the Italians, nor their roads as bad but their pedestrians, well, that's another story. The ride for the most part was pleasant enough, especially the parts close to the sea but it was somewhat disappointing to find our planned coffee stop was an abandoned building. We pressed on, over the Charilaos Trikoupis Bridge, a toll bridge from the north to the Peleponese peninsular, before stopping at a garage for refreshments.

Things were going pretty well, we were at the seaside again, when in a moment, Greece or Bust almost became Greece AND Bust, as an elderly gentleman, possibly an orthodox priest, stepped out in front of Grizzly. As I passed a parked van, I saw a black figure in my peripheral vision. Next thing I know, there's a screech of brakes and I look in my mirror to see Grizzly pulling into the side of the road. By the time I turned around, he was surrounded by a a small group of people. The old guy had just not looked before walking out into the road.Miraculously, Grizzly's reactions had saved a serious accident, as neither he, nor the old gent went to ground. Grizzly was asking did they want to call the police but a lad who spoke English, said the old chap said he knew he was totally at fault and was OK. They said we were ok to continue, so with another check the old boy was ok, we left the scene. The only obvious 'damage' was the the impact had spun Grizzly's mirror round, which we later fixed, along with a lever adjustment. Later on, Grizzly discoverd the frame on his pannier had been bent, so how the old guy hadn't been hurt or gone to ground is beyond us.

The rest os the journey was somewhat less eventful and we parked up in front of the hotel, to be greeted immediately by our host, Damien. He's quite a character and gave us advice on where to eat and where not to visit, e.g. our planned visit to Sparta! After some deliberation, we decided that rather than ride out tomorrow, we'll stay in Olympia and visit the archealogical site, which is after all the birth place of the Olympic games. Better to be hot and sweaty in shorts and t-shirt, than in full bike gear again. The advice about the restaurant next door but one, the other side of the police station, was spot on. Great food and great service. Beer count now 15.

Some pics.