Ferry Time

This is the ferry we took to Greece.
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We had a 5 hour drive from Rome to Bari.  We needed to be on the ferry by Noon.  We left the hotel at 5am.  The hotel packed a breakfast for us.  We had a different driver and the bus was a double-decker.

The ferry was beautiful.  It was similar to a small cruise ship.  It had three main decks.  The first had a reception area, a cafe, a lounge, some air seats, and some rooms.  The second level up had a tanning deck, more air seats, the restaurant, and more rooms.  The top floor had a bar and some rooms.

The lounge outside the restaraunt.
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I took a few pictures from the port.  Lunch was out of our own pocket and we had eaten so much already, that many of us passed on lunch.  I did munch on a Toblerone and some hazelnut and chocolate wafers in my room.

I spent the afternoon taking a nap and then sunbathing on the deck.  Dinner was at the restaurant.  They served us salad, bread, and Spaghetti.  Rosa had asked for something other than pasta considering our past meals, but they didn't honor her request.

The port at Bari.
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That night, they were having music in the bar that had a dance floor.  Since there was nothing else to do, the whole group ended up at the bar.  George seemed to have a great time.  They played the song P.I.M.P. and he was dancing with some of the Berg women.

I had met two Greek men at dinner.  We had talked about dessert and they were trying to tell me that I didn't need to worry about eating dessert because my stomach was just a bank.  These same men were at the bar.  They called me over to talk to them.  I took my glass of wine and sat down to talk to them.  They were both named Ergos.  They said, you can call us George.  One spoke great English, while the other knew bits and pieces.  They asked me what I was drinking and said that wine would not do.  They asked if I drank Jack Daniels.  They were drinking it straight up.  I said no way.  They asked if I like Ouzo.  I said I hadn't tried it.  They ordered me a glass.  It has a licorice/anise flavor.  The men began telling me about themselves.  One, who I named Ergos #1, had a 5 month-old daughter who he wanted to take on the road with him soon.  (The ferry had a lot of trucks as the cargo and these men, like many others, were truck drivers.)  Ergos #1 also had an uncle in Chicago, but said that he was too afraid of flying to make the trip to visit him.  Ergos #2 did not speak English well, but he could still talk to me about my visit.  They could not believe that we were visiting Greece, their homeland, and not visiting the islands.  They said that the islands are absolutely beautiful.  Another reason to return to Europe!

I got called away from my conversation with the Ergos's to take care of a student.  It was another late night and early morning.