12 - 18 October 2017

I had never expected to go to the very south of Italy, but it's the truth. There is no direct ferry from Croatia to Greece, you have to go via Italy. So if I'm there anyway, why not cycle around a bit and see it? And while I'm here, there are even more surprises.

Sleeping on a couch in a lighted restaurant, where you can't stretch out, is not the best place to sleep apparently. Luckily my stomach is fine with it and I didn't get seasick. Around 8 AM we arrive at Bari and I start cycling along the coast. Very nice views! When I was eating some cookies, someone offered me some bread and beer. I think 8:30 is a bit early for beer, but the bread was nice. The rest of the day was easy and the last bit I cycled on a small path in between a huge amount of olive trees. Adriano was early at home and we drank some tea/coffee at a bar and in the evening we did some aperitifs (including a delicious, local foccacia) and went to another restaurant to eat pasta (also with local products). Back at his apartment we packed some clothes and drove to Trani to visit a friend and the cathedral on the sea. Beautiful. One last drink and then finally to bed, because I was very tired.

The next morning we drove back to Corato, where I packed everything quickly and went in my way to the Castel del Monte. A beautiful building that you can see from a long distance. In contradiction to the hills this morning, I had a very nice and quiet countryside road in the afternoon. At Altamura I found a less nice surprise, because my colacan (for if I was stuck in the middle of nowhere without any liquids) had collapsed in my big bag with sleeping bag, blanket and towel, etc. But luckily I had a warm welcome with Valentina and I was able to wash everything, while we ate some carrotcake. A bit later we went to a restaurant (a much nicer surprise) to have dinner with a lot of friends and family. I liked it!

During breakfast on Saturdays, Benny and I talked some more, since he arrived late yesterday and he was very curious about my story. When I went on the road, it was very hot again, but I was happy with the nice and quiet roads I found. Even though it was also a bit adventurous sometimes. In Alberobello I didn't take a lot of time to see the city, because the sun was setting and I wanted to pitch my tent on the camping. I cooked some pasta, took a shower and lied in my tent to read my book.

I had some struggles to pack everything away the next day, but after that I went on my way to the centre of Alberobello and its Trulli houses. Very cute. And then really on my way. I followed a country road to Martina Franca and from there I cycled through the forest, downhill, so that made me feel good. In Taranto I visited some nice buildings, but the best surprise was found when I cycled on the boulevard. A man and a woman stopped me to have a conversation about cycling, because laat year they had cycled from Paris and trough the Netherlands to here. We talked some more and in the end they invited me to stay at their apartment. So nice! Julie and Mark seemed to be warmshower hosts, but only host at their house in California. I had a nice shower, we talked a lot about bicycles and went to some friends for dinner. I enjoyed it.

In the morning we enjoyed an American breakfast with scrambled eggs and vegetables. I departed later than normally, because we still had a lot to talk about. The road was fine today. All along the water and not that busy. Quiet. Almost abandoned. A lot of houses, but no people or cars on the street and all shops are closed. Later I found out that these are summer homes from the people that live in the city, the rest of the year. All campings were also closed (and no possibility to get in), so in Porto Cesareo I asked someone for a cheap place to sleep. That's quite hard here, so I got an apartment for my own, for a bit more money than I wanted to spend, but I could cook, had wifi and it was safe.

I took my time Tuesdaymorning, since it wasn't necessary to pack up my tent and all the other stuff and left after I had paid the Italian woman who owns the apartment. It was not that far today, so when I arrived in Lecce I had plenty of time to visit the city. I really liked the historic city and did some shopping for the ferry trip. At Andrea's place we had a nice dinner and good conversations.

Andrea had to work early, so I also went early. It was very foggy! At a certain point I even took my glasses off, because I could see more without them. That's very rare. But when the sun started to rise higher, the fog disappeared and soon I arrived in Brindisi. I chilled a bit on the coast, because there wasn't much to see and I didn't feel like cycling further to the fortress. For dinner I went to a restaurant for a last Italian pizza. After that I cycled to the port and without any problems I could get on board. This time there was a big room with a lot of chairs and I could make a bed of four of them. And now on my way to Greece!