Flyin’ Down The Highway

Before I get started. Just a word of warning on this post. I am having all kinds of technical issues with getting blogs created and posted. I finally had time the past few days to write something up but my only internet is at the team stop near the apartment. There may be some typos.

The first couple of weeks of 2023 was a bit of a whirlwind. Mostly seeing southern Europe from the windows of planes, trains and busses.

I have learned that although overnight busses save the cost of a room for the night, the day I leave is usually wasted waiting for the bus and due to poor sleep and hauling my luggage around until 4pm check in, the day I arrive is wasted too.

I have sworn off the crazy multiple transfer travel days like I had getting out of Turkey. The past couple of weeks have been early hotel check out, catch the first bus or train and ride as far as I can before nightfall.

I started by breaking these new travel rules on day one getting out of Tirana. It wasn’t my fault though. I casually checked out of my hotel in the morning, missed my airport shuttle bus by 5 minutes and had to wait 55 minutes for the next one. I still got to the airport with plenty of time. Really plenty of time because the departure board said my plane was delayed 2 hours. Tirana is really nice but its airport is not really a hub of interesting things all in one place.

I killed as much time over a chicken sandwich at KFC as I could stand. Killed some time in the security and passport line. Then just walked up and down the concourse for 3 hours.

I watched the sunset. Knowing that my after dark travel rule turned into an idea that seemed good at the time.

Finally I boarded the flight to Rimini Italy with the day’s light just a red glow on the horizon. It’s a really short flight and I even gained an hour but still couldn’t catch the sun and walked out of the airport into a cold dark night. It was only 6PM and didn’t have a brutal travel day behind me so I was feeling pretty good.

I tend to wait to get to the last airport before booking a room given all the travel hassles that can delay or cancel arrival these days. If I have time, I’ll even wait to book from the parking lot so I can get one last look at it. Rimini has the beach area and the old town area. I chose the beach area because winter rooms in a northern beach town are cheap. Rimini is small regardless of where you go. The hotel I found was only four miles away. Since I had<span;> a couple of days here, I turned my luggage into a backpack and walked. It gave me a chance to see the boardwalk area that turned out to be just barely alive on a cold foggy off season Monday night. It was a good hike but I do admit that I was pretty happy when the blue dot finally crossed the red pin on my google map.

I checked in, dropped off my luggage and went out for dinner. Pizza, of course and then right to bed.

Next day, I was up early for the main event. I went off in search of the bus that would take me to the 5th smallest country in the world. San Marino. I wasn’t expecting much since I have read its just a big duty free zone. And with it being in the EU, I couldn’t believe there was much duty free going on.

The bus drove through what looked like it was once a big busy shopping area but its busy days were behind it now. I got ready to get out and check it off the list and head back for a lte breakfast. Instead, the bus kept chugging up a winding mountain road until it stopped at the walls of an old mountaintop city. I assumed we were at the end of the line now cause everyone got off the bus. I followed them and ended up inside the mountaintop walled city of San Marino.

It is still a real city with people living and working there. It’s not big. I was able to walk through its narrow cobblestone streets lined with touristy shops and cafes, toured a tower or two and ate some pasta in just a couple hours. Its an easy half day trip but I could see how people in a more romantic mood could make an overnight of it.

As I was walking to the bus stop for my return trip, I noticed a trail that looked like it was heading down. I figured I would get some exercise and catch the bus a few stops down the mountain. 11 miles later, I had finally timed my location with an arriving bus and rode the remaining 12 miles back. It was all downhill so not very hard. Probably wouldn’t do it again though.

I went to Rimini’s old town for dinner but was not in the mood for Italian. Seriously limiting my options in Italy. I finally settled on a Chinese place. Walked in and waited to be seated. It was strangely bustling but I could see the main room was pretty empty. Maybe a lot of delivery? And old angry Chinese lady came out and I held up 1 finger. She said a lot in Chinese that maybe her granddaughter’s translation cleaned up a bit to an apologetic we don’t have room. Somehow, I could tell she wasn’t translating exactly. Looking back, I think she didnt want to waste a table for 2 on me.

I ended up at a Greek place where I got the same feeling but was still sat at a small table next to the door. I had a big fat Gyro that did the job quite nicely. I also learned about <span;>Coperto<span;>. It’s a table charge of 1 or 2 Euros added to the bill. Not sure if the wait staff gets it or its pure profit for the owner or if it’s a loser tax on people wasting table space.

It looks like a nice old town. Lots of shops and restaurants. Little bars where everyone congregates out on the sidewalk. Would be really nice in warmer weather. I chose to head back to my nice warm room.

The next morning I was up and on the train first thing. Heading south to Bari. Another town I knew nothing about. I got in around 3 but hadn’t eaten all day. So definitely lunch time. Bari is pretty good. If you like to shop. Its pedestrian walking street after pedestrian walking street of shops. They all blur together for me but it seems they are mostly fashionable clothing shops. Definitely not my thing especially when I hadn’t eaten since the Gyro.

This is where I learned that the restaurants other than maybe McDonalds close after lunch until 7:30 or 8. I had walked miles away from the train station McDonald’s before I learned this. Plus I didn’t have a room yet and no WiFi to get one. I finally found a coffee shop where I could order one of those silly little cups of expensive espresso and get on Expedia.

With my silly little cup of expensive espresso at my table. I asked for the wifi password. She didn’t know and couldn’t find the paper it was written on. After about 10 minutes another Iady brought the password paper by. No wonder she didn’t know it. it was still the 16 character random letters and numbers that come from the internet company. After a few typo errors, I got on line and found a place that was at the high end of my budget but a nicely remodeled suite in a group of rooms in a old high ceiling building. It was pretty sweet.

It was still early for restaurants so I went out for a walk hoping to be the first one in the door when one opened. I walked through another maze of a European old town. Nothing new except the old ladies that sell their homemade pasta put if their front door. Looked pretty good but me without a pot to boil in. More walking and walking and walking. Even after the restaurants opened, I was so hungry, I couldn’t choose. Nothing looked good. I finally gave up and had pizza. I was happy and went home to bed.

The next day was a 2 hour train ride further south. To the main reason I came here, Alberobello and its pointy roof trulli houses. I saw a picture of them somewhere and put it on the list for things to see if I am ever in the area. They are pretty out of the way for a typical time constrained tourist but if you are rolling through, its worth a visit.

Some are set up as guest houses so you can stay if you are in a romantic mood, or want to be. I wasnt eithet and caught the next train back.

I got off the train a stop early because I had time before anywhere was open for dinner. There was an Ikea near the stop so I figured I would go and see if they got cooler stuff than we do. They don’t, They dont even have the horrible waxy but delicious Swedish fish.

I walked back to the train stop but the next one was an hour out. The stop was just a platform between the tracks and I was only a couple of miles from the hotel. I decided to walk.

We’ll, That didn’t go well. With the help of google maps, I tried several roads but they all ended up being on ramps to freeways. I found a little road that took me through acres and acres of farmland which ultimately ended up at a huge sports complex. Right next to a freeway. I finally found a little path next to the train tracks under the freeway. It was pretty brutal but i finally ended up in town just as the restaurants were opening. Got myself another Gyro and called it a day.

I was on the bus first thing in the morning to the other side of Italy. Pompeii. Got a Bed and Breakfast here. I got in early enough to have the afternoon in the Ruins of Pompeii. The place is huge. I walked 5 miles while I was in there. Its pretty cool to seen but after a couple of hours, all the rock walls just run together. I am glad I went but don’t need to go again.

I checked the weather and rain was forecasted to start in the next couple of days. I wanted to go up Mt Vesuvius but with wet weather. I would probably just being paying $30 to look at a wall of fog. I bought a ticket for the first bus up the volcano ghe next morning. It was money well spent. It can be hiked but only along the narrow winding road shared by countless tour busses and vans. The tourbus drops you a mile’s hike from the rim so you still have to earn the peak. All in all, the 90 minutes allotted for looking around up there is plenty.

I was back in Pompei by 1pm so I still had the afternoon to fill up. I asked about renting a car to drive along the Amalfi coast which is right around the corner. It sounds like its a real hassle due to traffic, parking, etc and just not worth it. Its kind of a bring a date kind of effort anyway.

I decided to catch a train to Sorrento instead. It is at the start of the Amalfi coast so would be reasonable facsimile. I walked around Sorrento until sunset. It is a pretty place, no doubt. Very touristy though. I almost had dinner there for some good people watching but my joints were telling me my good weather luck was running thin. I caught a train back to Pompei for dinner. I had a bowl of seafood pasta and ended up back in Pompei for dinner and headed back to the room just as it started to rain.

I woke up next day and it wasn’t raining. I  hopped the train towards Naples to visit Pompei’s little brother, Ercolano. Instead of getting covered in burning ash, it was covered by a river of hot mud. Still killed everyone but all the wall murals were preserved under all the mud. It’s not as crowded as Pompei and much smaller. I recommend checking it out if you have a couple of extra hours and still not tired of piled up bricks.

By the end of day three, I had had my fill of piled bricks and the rain had rolled in so I was more than ready to catch a flight out of Naples. A good thing I have learned about flying around Europe is that there is no need to plan ahead. I haven’t tested buying my ticket at the gate but I have been getting good prices a day before. It has really helped in getting around with no plan, or a little plan.
My little plan was to fly to Porto next. It didn’t include 20 Euro for the 1/4 mile taxi ride to the metro stop because it was pouring rain. The train, the shuttle bus and the Naples airport experience was super easy even with the rain.

Same experience on the Porto side. There is a Metro stop at the airport and a nice clean train into town. Porto is pretty sprawling with old 4 and 5 story apartments. After dark, the streets all look a like. I had a room reserved so knew where I needed to go. In my pre-smartphone travel years, this would have been a recipe for a long night of roaming around the city with my luggage. I thought ahead and downloaded google’s Porto map to my phone. Short of a few wrong turns from the metro stop to the hotel (especially now that I have lost all sense of direction in my old age), it worked like a charm. I was checked in and eating the classic Portuguese dinner staple of pepperoni pizza in no time.

Portugal is a pretty city. Famous for producing the the old lady drink of Port. I think it is like drinking a sweet cough syrup.They are also fans of anchovies. Theirs are not pizza sized. They come as big as your hand. I had them in Lisbon once. That was plenty. So here I was, in Porto without much interest. I was originally planning to stay here for the 30 day AirBnB discount but after a couple of days, I just couldn’t think of a reason to stay. As a walker, all the hills weren’t calling to me anymore either.

Winter rains were forecasted to settle in for the longterm forecast so I caught the next bus out to Oviedo in northern Spain. For no reason other than it was mentioned in high school Spanish class once and it’s fun to say.

It’s classic old Spain with late night sidewalk bars and cafes. I am sure when it isn’t cold and rainy, it is quite fun. There was still a good showing for a cold rainy Saturday night but it was mostly heavy smokers who are used to being exiled to the weather. So I chose “early to bed and early to rise”. Definitely not a motto coined in Spain. I pretty much had rhe whole city to myself walking around Sunday morning looking for breakfast. Even the one McDonald’s didn’t open til noon. After a few hours of walking, I ended up finding a small diner that offered up a piece of toast with a slice of ham with a silly cup of coffee.
It did the job though and I made it until a few more shops opened up later in the day. Not many, but enough to get through the day. It’s a small town and I knew it would wear thin if I settled in for the 30 days. I noped out and was up and out the next morning on the first bus to the Spanish border. For some reason the bus didn’t cross the border. My trip to France included a short but rainy walk to get to the train station that would take me into the first town in France.
A few minutes later, I looking out from the Bayonne train station at the pouring rain just as the day was turning dark. Pretty good timing. I found a cheap-ish room next to the train station which in the USA is not a glowing recommendation. I am happy to report that public transit proximity doesnt seem to be a problem in Europe. It was perfectly fine. Very basic but the doors locked and no weird stains were found.
Since I was in France and it was dinner time with nothing better to do. It was a perfect opportunity to find a little Cafe and get a nice French meal. Delicious….

I woke up to another rainy day, I would like to have checked out Bayonne a bit in case it was a candidate for my final 30 day AirBnB. It was just pouring down rain though so I caught the next bus out. I ended up in Tours for no teason other than it was a direct train ride and I didnt want to end up in Paris.
So here I sit until mid February but more about Tours in a bit. Don’t worry, it will be much shorter than this one. 

In the meantime, photo links are are on IG-ish page