Day 11: Ferry to Italy - Athens to London in 1983 - CycleBlaze

May 20, 1983

Day 11: Ferry to Italy

Day 11: Friday, 20 May 1983

Start: Campground, Corfu, Greece

End: Campground, north of Brindisi, Italy

Up at 6:00 to pedal to the ferry terminal. Boat back to Igoumenitsa. Then eight-hour cruise from Igoumenitsa across to Brindisi harbor.

We have only a crappy map of Italy at this point, but manage to navigate away from the harbor area and head north, riding about 30 klicks along the coast. We stay at the first campground we come across. It's deserted. We eat at the attached restaurant. Also empty. The tourist season, we're told, hasn't started yet.

Everything seems more expensive around here. We get 1440 lire to the US dollar. Dinner comes to an incredibly high US$14.00 for the two of us. Campground costs equivalent of US$2.00 apiece. When we change money, we're warned -- if I understand correctly -- to keep a close eye on our bikes and gear and to watch out for thieves and bandits.

Conditions 

Distance: 30 km and 8-hour ferry ride 

Weather: Warm and windy 

Road: Okay 

Traffic: Busy 

Terrain: Flat 

Mechanical: Toe clip still broken 

Physical: Good, no mal de mer

Today's ride: 30 km (19 miles)
Total: 501 km (311 miles)

Rate this entry's writing Heart 3
Comment on this entry Comment 0