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The drivers here are so un Italian is was a breeze to get into the city. Finding the B&B was a bit more difficult since the GPS coordinates were correct, but there was no sign and the GPS said the street address was one street over. This is at 30 degrees on narrow warrens of roads, many of which are one way and some dead ends. Finally we asked for direction, but that was not help. Ultimately we went back to the first spot and by then the owner was out looking for us!
https://c4.staticflickr.com/8/7356/2...a4755846_b.jpgTo Mainland from Sicily CC by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr We spent the day walking in the historic centre.This town is definitely a bit gritty. The drivers here have some manners though. There is graffiti on all the buildings in the historic centre. Several of the big landmarks once open to the public are in ruins. https://c7.staticflickr.com/8/7135/2...ac8ea280_b.jpgCatania-2 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://c3.staticflickr.com/8/7445/2...7fbf61b7_b.jpgCatania-3 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://c3.staticflickr.com/8/7349/2...c6e2f606_b.jpgCatania-4 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://c3.staticflickr.com/8/7531/2...67630b5b_b.jpgCatania-5 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://c5.staticflickr.com/8/7385/2...66de6d0b_b.jpgCatania-6 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://c7.staticflickr.com/8/7318/2...c634d28e_b.jpgCatania-8 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://c3.staticflickr.com/8/7511/2...f193a957_b.jpgCatania-10 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://c5.staticflickr.com/8/7668/2...f92cedd5_b.jpgCatania-11 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://c3.staticflickr.com/8/7566/2...51da62dd_b.jpgCatania by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr There are ruins of a Roman amphitheater buried under the city. They have excavated a small part. https://c2.staticflickr.com/8/7257/2...87296ecb_b.jpgCatania-9 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr |
That said we had an enjoyable afternoon and some great ice cream with the ladies who had just left one of the many wedding we saw in the city today. For dinner we stopped at a road side Bbq spot for some MEAT! Of course a gelato.
https://c7.staticflickr.com/8/7166/2...6934079d_b.jpgCatania-7 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://c5.staticflickr.com/8/7360/2...cfd3c11484.jpgCatania Iphone-2 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://c8.staticflickr.com/8/7228/2...d279f4d29a.jpgCatania Iphone by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://c2.staticflickr.com/8/7462/2...1a95dc9cf5.jpgCatania Iphone-3 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://c6.staticflickr.com/8/7407/2...55f9f7ba27.jpgCatania Iphone-4 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://c5.staticflickr.com/8/7232/2...9e212fde_b.jpgCatania-12 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr |
Todays plan is just to get to the ferry dock, back to the mainland, and then about 250 km north east. If you take the coast road from Catania to Messina it is 104 km and takes 3 hours, but if you take the toll road for 3.50 E it is 96 km and only take 1 hr 15.
https://c7.staticflickr.com/8/7522/2...160df80814.jpgScreen Shot 2016-06-02 at 16.07.48 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://c2.staticflickr.com/8/7303/2...fcc1f2d9_b.jpgScreen Shot 2016-06-02 at 16.07.30 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr We also decided on a side trip on the loop road up on the Etna Volcano. This is a 48 km loop off our course that adds 1 hr 20 min. There are a ton of guys racing up and down on donor cycles and some of them in packs will come up on you at serious speed. https://c5.staticflickr.com/8/7459/2...19925397_z.jpgScreen Shot 2016-06-02 at 16.08.26 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://c7.staticflickr.com/8/7496/2...12d1b9fd_z.jpgScreen Shot 2016-06-02 at 16.08.45 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr |
Up the south side you can see the lava flows and you arrive to the base of the active cone, where you can get the gondola up.
https://c2.staticflickr.com/8/7425/2...8befb66b_b.jpgTo Mainland from Sicily CC-3 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://c5.staticflickr.com/8/7330/2...95175f06_b.jpgTo Mainland from Sicily CC-4 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr On the north side it is treed, but you can see the real cone and the smoke coming out from it from this perspective. https://c2.staticflickr.com/8/7653/2...dbb15d26_b.jpgTo Mainland from Sicily CC-5 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://c7.staticflickr.com/8/7292/2...af034370_b.jpgEtna-3 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://c5.staticflickr.com/8/7352/2...ea9e0739_b.jpgEtna-2 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://c2.staticflickr.com/8/7233/2...185a07a3_b.jpgEtna by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr |
Arriving to the dock we only had about a 15 min wait for the next ferry.
https://c2.staticflickr.com/8/7688/2...a4bede56_b.jpgTo Mainland from Sicily CC-6 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://c1.staticflickr.com/8/7047/2...ed2a5b28_b.jpgTo Mainland from Sicily CC-7 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://c3.staticflickr.com/8/7075/2...1f23e641_b.jpgTo Mainland from Sicily CC-8 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr Routing north the only option is to stick to the main highway as even if you enter avoid all highways you are still routed here since on the small roads it would take days. We headed 226 KM north east to Lombardo and finally got some time on the highway pegs. https://c7.staticflickr.com/8/7533/2...288ccd27_z.jpgScreen Shot 2016-06-02 at 16.10.51 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr The gas here on the highway is 160 plus and we decided to hyper mile the last 60 km to get off the highway to get gas in the village (still 1.50). The small hotel we booked was in a tiny town, but it did have a hip bar/gelateria with good cones. |
Today we are going to Bari in 304 km to get the ferry to Durrës Albania.
https://c1.staticflickr.com/8/7186/2...77ca03c0_b.jpgScreen Shot 2016-06-02 at 16.12.12 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://c7.staticflickr.com/8/7424/2...8476a277_b.jpgBari CC by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr On the way we had an itinerary of sights to see. The first stop was at Matera. This is a town where until the 1960’s people still lived in the caves here. “Matera has gained international fame for its ancient town, the "Sassi di Matera" (meaning "stones of Matera"). The Sassi originated in a prehistoric troglodyte settlement, and these dwellings are thought to be among the first ever human settlements in what is now Italy. The Sassi are habitations dug into the calcareous rock itself, which is characteristic of Basilicata and Apulia. Many of them are really little more than caverns, and in some parts of the Sassi a street lies on top of another group of dwellings. The ancient town grew up on one slope of the rocky ravine created by a river that is now a small stream, and this ravine is known locally as "la Gravina". In the 1950s, the government of Italy used force to relocate most of the population of the Sassi to areas of the developing modern city. Until the late 1980s the Sassi was considered an area of poverty, since its dwellings were, and in most cases still are, uninhabitable. The present local administration, however, has become more tourism-oriented, and it has promoted the regeneration of the Sassi with the aid of the Italian government, UNESCO, and Hollywood. Today there are many thriving businesses, pubs, and hotels there.” https://c7.staticflickr.com/8/7583/2...8806fcd1_b.jpgWhite Cities-6 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://c4.staticflickr.com/8/7465/2...0a488090_b.jpgWhite Cities-3 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://c8.staticflickr.com/8/7317/2...2da2c2f6_b.jpgWhite Cities-4 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://c2.staticflickr.com/8/7310/2...02212a8a_b.jpgWhite Cities-2 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr |
This lovely lady I helped up the stairs is 89 and her very stylish sunglasses she said she has had for 50 years!
https://c4.staticflickr.com/8/7591/2...e7042f87_b.jpgWhite Cities-5 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr We also checked out the south side of the valley where the more ancient caves are located. https://c6.staticflickr.com/8/7378/2...c0228688_b.jpgBari CC-2 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://c1.staticflickr.com/8/7532/2...10363a92_b.jpgBari CC-3 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://c7.staticflickr.com/8/7433/2...7cc4ca38_b.jpgBari CC-4 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://c1.staticflickr.com/8/7168/2...02904e339c.jpgBari Iphone-2 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://c7.staticflickr.com/8/7207/2...ba4615b9_b.jpgWhite Cities by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://c1.staticflickr.com/8/7784/2...0ef4eb9c_b.jpgWhite Cities-7 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr |
From here it was to Albertobello which is the centre of the zona di Trulli. This is where they are concentrated, but for about 10 km around many buildings are built in this fashion.
“A trullo (plural, trulli) is a traditional Apulian dry stone hut with a conical roof. Their style of construction is specific to the Itria Valley, in the Murge area of the Italian region of Apulia. Trulli were generally constructed as temporary field shelters and storehouses or as permanent dwellings by small proprietors or agricultural labourers. In the town of Alberobello, in the province of Bari, whole districts are packed with trulli.” https://c1.staticflickr.com/8/7354/2...91edc7fc_b.jpgBari CC-5 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://c2.staticflickr.com/8/7186/2...4724f65a_b.jpgBari CC-6 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://c6.staticflickr.com/8/7368/2...3c86dafa_b.jpgWhite Cities-10 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://c2.staticflickr.com/8/7725/2...655ebb8a_b.jpgWhite Cities-8 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://c2.staticflickr.com/8/7439/2...91577b03_b.jpgWhite Cities-9 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://c7.staticflickr.com/8/7316/2...11bcf1d7ef.jpgBari Iphone-4 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://c3.staticflickr.com/8/7434/2...15779b6903.jpgBari Iphone-3 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr |
We hit a mile stone today as well.
https://c4.staticflickr.com/8/7106/2...67ac81b5_b.jpgEtna-4 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr It was then a stop to stock up on supplies for the ferry. The boat leaves at 10 pm, but the check in closes at 7 (actually 9, but on line it says 7). We arrived at 615 to Bari. You just follow the signs to the port and you follow then about 2 km past where the boats are docked. Finally there is the port entry. Here you follow the signs to check in. It is a bit unclear, but first you make a left to the actual ferry company check in. Here you get your tickets for you, you bike, security, and your cabin. https://c7.staticflickr.com/8/7206/2...0a759393_b.jpgBari CC-7 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://c6.staticflickr.com/8/7337/2...9f0e0c69_b.jpgBari CC-8 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr |
You are then directed to the loading area and ushered on board. As usual we are up on the second deck. Here there are friendly Pilipino crew members getting the vehicles parked. The bikes are tucked under a ramp. The cars and trucks must back into the ferry.
https://c7.staticflickr.com/8/7547/2...f43ec192_b.jpgBari CC-18 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr We grabbed our supplies and made for a cold drink and a shower! It was a bit of a rough nice and not because of the sea. The vibration of the ferry was strong, but we did not sleep much since the frequency kept changing so much it would wake you. https://c7.staticflickr.com/8/7014/2...cb9ac559_b.jpgScreen Shot 2016-06-02 at 16.13.04 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://c3.staticflickr.com/8/7451/2...bf597f97_b.jpgEtna-8 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://c7.staticflickr.com/8/7393/2...4221f166_b.jpgBari CC-19 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://c5.staticflickr.com/8/7062/2...8664a9d6_b.jpgBari CC-20 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://c1.staticflickr.com/8/7310/2...5c86585f_b.jpgBari CC-21 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://c1.staticflickr.com/8/7016/2...51b997a7_b.jpgEtna-10 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://c5.staticflickr.com/8/7360/2...d7b6a1ac_b.jpgEtna-9 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://c4.staticflickr.com/8/7339/2...c3410949_b.jpgLeaving Italy-8 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr |
We were up and out of the cabin at 7 and we could see the port of Durres. The offloading was quick. Once you unload you head to the police check. Here they want your passport, title, and green card and you get a passport stamp. This was very quick.
https://c1.staticflickr.com/8/7639/2...4093a932_b.jpgRubik CC by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://c1.staticflickr.com/8/7329/2...fa72cb1b_b.jpgRubik CC-2 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://c6.staticflickr.com/8/7443/2...f3018498_b.jpgRubik CC-3 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr From here we were waved thru the next gate and then waved into the area to by Albanian insurance (15 E each for 2 weeks). https://c8.staticflickr.com/8/7408/2...5c49c64e_b.jpgRubik CC-4 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://c4.staticflickr.com/8/7283/2...8fa1dfcf_b.jpgRubik CC-5 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr |
Then we were fancy free in country 46 Albania. There is certainly no shortage of gas stations (and car washes) here and at least unlike Italy all have a very similar gas price (1.10 -1.15 E). We stopped for a coffee and cold drinks at a cafe and again for a much more reasonable price. The plan today was to get up to the north part of the country to ride in the mountains. We hoped to ride as far as the loop to Kolsh, but had a back up on the SH30 thru Gojan if time ran out. Since we were off the ferry and out of customs by 805 we will likely have time. The gas attendant spoke English perfectly.
https://c8.staticflickr.com/8/7309/2...1e54b098_b.jpgScreen Shot 2016-06-02 at 16.15.02 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://c7.staticflickr.com/8/7658/2...a8be6a43_z.jpg https://c6.staticflickr.com/8/7785/2...69e8f74c_b.jpgRubik CC-6 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr |
Another great change here from Italy is the drivers here follow the rules of the road and drive like normal people!! They are very courteous. We booked it up the highway and then took the secondary roads. We came across a few small towns and lots of people in the fields. All were friendly and lots waved and yell out Hello!
https://c5.staticflickr.com/8/7346/2...7916038e_b.jpgAlbania by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://c1.staticflickr.com/8/7116/2...71a3c524_b.jpgAlbania-2 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://c8.staticflickr.com/8/7322/2...f30bc1b1_b.jpgRubik CC-7 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://c8.staticflickr.com/8/7107/2...80118640_b.jpgRubik CC-8 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://c5.staticflickr.com/8/7734/2...c16b20f6_b.jpgRubik CC-9 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://c4.staticflickr.com/8/7450/2...ba5110b9_b.jpgAlbania-4 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://c3.staticflickr.com/8/7546/2...ff0b6ff7_b.jpgAlbania-3 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://c5.staticflickr.com/8/7377/2...440dd897_b.jpgRubik CC-10 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://c7.staticflickr.com/8/7368/2...81bfb7d2_b.jpgRubik CC-11 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://c3.staticflickr.com/8/7319/2...981fdaf0_b.jpgRubik CC-12 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://c6.staticflickr.com/8/7381/2...fa49bf88_b.jpgRubik CC-13 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://c3.staticflickr.com/8/7354/2...a2b57be3_b.jpgRubik CC-21 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr |
We took a small off road detour to see this mosque we could see in the distance.
https://c2.staticflickr.com/8/7170/2...47959a6f_b.jpgRubik CC-14 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://c3.staticflickr.com/8/7601/2...c5ce080d_b.jpgRubik CC-15 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://c4.staticflickr.com/8/7338/2...af70fe9d_b.jpgRubik CC-16 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://c3.staticflickr.com/8/7300/2...b3c743c0_b.jpgRubik CC-17 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://c1.staticflickr.com/8/7358/2...b1ef1e10_b.jpgRubik CC-18 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://c7.staticflickr.com/8/7309/2...38a6c901_b.jpgRubik CC-19 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr |
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