I manage about 3-4 Hours sleep. I wake up on the couch and all is quiet. By my calculation, we are about an hour and a half away from Brindisi. The ship is totally quiet. There are no crew or passengers around and I note the cloud and sunrise of the starboard (right) side of the ship. I grab the camera and head for the deck. A strong breeze greets me as I open the door to the deck. I shiver and close the zip on the jacket. I don’t think it is that cold but lack of sleep and an empty stomach combine to create a chill.There is a battle going on between the sun and the clouds (See pictures). Each time the sun breaks through the clouds bring in reinforcements and take over the sky. The sun climbs but eventually loses the battle and disappears completely.
An announcement asks for drivers to return to their vehicles. I head down to the car hold and start the engine. As I wait to leave the ferry, I work out the driving strategy for the day. I will drive until I get tired and then find a hotel and crash for the night. The rain starts as I leave the ferry. The number plate attracts the Italian Customs Officers and I am pulled over to one side. A quick chat about where I have come from and I am away. The rain is heavy as I find a two lane highway. The signs are for Bari and I know from my planning that this is north of Brindisi, so it will do as a target. I find myself driving in the fast lane as the slow lane is in such bad condition. This is the first time I have had to do this since Saudi Arabia.
The Italians have a strange way of driving. They all believe they are racing drivers. Their way of overtaking is to drive up behind the slower vehicle in front, pull out and overtake and then pull back in front of the slower vehicle as close as possible. On several occasions I am forced to hit the brakes as the car cuts back in. B*****ds. I hope their economy goes the way of Greece or they go out of the World Cup at the group stage. The drive is now becoming very difficult because of the Italians and the heavy rain. The rain starts to clear up as I reach Bari and select Pescara as the next target. The view of the Adriatic is beautiful as the sun emerges and I head up the East coast. By the time I reach Pescara the sun has won it’s battle and the temperature is climbing. From Pescara I opt for Ancona and push on. At Ancona I stop for food and check the SatNav. Bologna looks feasible and I guess that that would be a good place to spend the night. It is about 2PM but I am feeling pretty good so Bologna it is. Joining a major toll motorway helps the journey and I arrive in Bologna without any signs of fatigue. I check the maps and decide that Verona is possible and push north towards the alps. The alps appear on the horizon as I approach Verona. A sign states that Munich is 270 KM away. I am feeling good so decide to make the push to Munich tonight. It is 6PM. Reaching the Alps is like a shot of adrenalin. The scenery is breathtaking and the route through the mountains is amazing. My eyes are starting to play up due to lack of sleep and the light changing as you drive around the mountains. I enter Austria and arrive at Innsbruck where the highway goes right and descends to Munich, north of the alps. A difficult drive into Munich, because of the strength of the sun, brings me to the centre of the city. I find a hotel at 9PM. It has been a 1200 KM drive taking fourteen and a half hours. I head to a nearby McDonalds for food as the hotel restaurant is closed. On the way back to the hotel a drunk vagrant advises me that if I don’t give him food he will punch me. He can hardly stand up, never mind punch anyone and looks seriously under nourished. I give him my chicken Mcnuggets and he looks amazed that his threat has worked. I am still laughing as I get back to the hotel.
A selection of the Photographs from Cairo are now on my web site at: http://www.johnee-dee.co.uk/portfolio101945.html
A selection of the Photographs from Wadi Rum, Jordan are now on my web site at:
http://www.johnee-dee.co.uk/portfolio103735.html
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