This trip was not supposed to happen. This year Tina, my wife, had a major dental problem: operations, dressings and various treatments, so a problem that dragged on over time and at considerable cost. The dentist came to my aid, and between one operation and another at least 60 days had to pass, just the time needed to make this trip proposed to me by my friend Lorenzo of the Desert Club. At the last minute Tina agreed to do it and we set off. The trip, leaving from Ancona on 30 April, begins with a ferry that will take us to Patras and, from there, through Greece and Turkey, we will reach Syria and then Jordan, our main destinations. On the return, the sea crossing will be from Cesme in Turkey, landing again in Ancona on 10 May, and thus the end of the trip.
After closing up everything that could be closed in the house, we set off, but not before having hunted down Schizzo, who as usual, seeing us loading up the camper, hides, but he's always found right away because all you have to do is call him and he answers. First stop in Porto Garibaldi for lunch, then in Cesenatico for dinner. A visit to the historic centre with its canal port, where the historic boats that are part of the maritime museum are moored.
Cesenatico - Tourist port
Day 229 Mar 2008
Ancona port – Fiera Parking
We continue our journey along the Adriatica, stopping for lunch in Fano, while for the evening stop we set the Tom-Tom for Ancona, via Marconi, where the Portolano lists an equipped area with water loading and unloading and electrical hookup. An absolute disappointment: there's no power, but that's not a problem; the water loading and unloading is located in a corner, very difficult to use in a very busy and cramped area. The mayor of Ancona should be ashamed. We move to the tourist port and, having parked the camper among various articulated trucks like us waiting to board, we spend a quiet night.
Fano - Porta Maggiore
Day 330 Mar 2008
At sea
We reach the boarding pier, which is the meeting point with the other participants in the trip. We're the first, then one by one everyone arrives. We already know one crew; they were with us on a previous trip to Russia. The first introductions are made, with an inevitable quantity of names that we'll only remember by the end of the trip. There are 17 crews, and remembering 34 names isn't easy. Lorenzo, the group leader, gives us the final instructions and assigns each of us a number to put on the camper: this will be our position for the whole trip. By rotation, in the morning and after the lunch stop, the one second behind Lorenzo will move to the tail, so that everyone has the chance to travel both at the front and at the back.
When there are so many of you, the column has an elastic effect and, if the first one drives at 90 km/h, the last one, because of this effect, will drive at 130, which isn't very pleasant since it means having to chase those in front. It's a very fair thing that I tried to make understood on previous trips but that was never taken up. The company is ANEKAE Lines, the ship: F/B Hellenic Spirit. Once the campers are settled in the capacious belly of the ship and Schizzo is put in his carrier for transport, we queue up for cabin assignment. It's no. 8256, very nice, but it has no porthole; Tina will want to sleep with the bathroom light on so as not to be in the dark. Schizzo, meanwhile, inspects every corner and settles on one bed, then moves to the other, he can't decide.... Dinner is at the self-service, where we find good things but expensive: €40.95 seemed a bit pricey to me.
It's late, everyone off to bed.
Sailing - Ship F/B Hellenic Spirit
Day 431 Mar 2008
Greece - Highway gas station parking
In Greece we're 2 hours ahead of Italy, one for the time zone, the other for daylight saving time. In the morning we wandered around the ship, chatting here and there with friends while waiting for noon. Some went back to the self-service, while we, without being noticed and with Schizzo in his carrier, went to the camper to eat our own food and waited for disembarkation around 14.30. We continue towards Turkey on the highway, which is still to be completed but has, every now and then, toll barriers for payment. For the night stop we pull in at a petrol station, which hosts us in a forecourt in front, not too clean.
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