Well, we’re either being very lucky with our weather predictions or we’re should apply for a job at the Met. Office!
After checking the forecast for today, we decided we didn’t need to pack up the van last night. Apple Weather said 35% chance of rain at 10am, which would give us loads of time to decamp.
So it was a reasonably leisurely start, pootling about having a shower and coffee while we tore the camping stuff down.
Side note: both of us got bitten really badly yesterday, so we’re desperately trying not to scratch today!
And just as we were leaving, the heavens opened.
Our Igoumenista ferry departure was 22:30, so we had loads of time to do the 100k from Alberobello to Brindisi. So decided to stop at Ostuni on the way.
But it didn’t half rain on the way.
We got rather ripped off for a parking space in Ostuni, €10 for what turned out to be an hour. And the double parking around the town as we entered was legendary…
We navigated over 20 double parked cars heading to Ostuni but this Post Italia van just wouldn’t move. And with 10 cars behind us honking, we took to the pavement and got round him.
Ostuni was pleasant enough. Old streets a Cathedral and a 28,000 year old woman (we didn’t go into that museum), it was worth a stop. But it was wet, and gave us a hoot as we watched the torrents poorimg out of the drain pipes as we sheltered in the arches of a rather impressive underground toilet….
And because of the rain, it seemed that most of the cafes were shut, with forlorn staff watching the rain like the rest of us. Even with the rain there were tonnes of tourists. Must have been on day trips from the cruises we thought.
Then on to Brindisi.
We had lots of time to spare today, so we took a stop at the Brindisi Decathlon (Sue bought some more flip-flops), then headed to a shopping mall for a mooch… and to get some snacks for the ferry.
Next it was into the old part of Brindisi for a couple of hours wandering the streets. The old town is worth a wander if you’re in the area, and there’s a couple of really interesting historical crusades places of interest.
We parked the van in an out of town parking area on Via Spalato. The parking was free and there were a dozen or more other vans parked up there… safety in numbers.
We first came across the old Roman pillars l, one now collapsed that were set at the entrance of the old town.
Just past those pillars there’s a plaque showing how a house in that street was once lived in by Virgil, the poet, wrote many of his works and died there in 19CE.
Next we came across the Cathedral and a wedding. There was also a wedding going on at the church in Ostuni, is Monday a wedding day.
After the Cathedral we headed for Lonely Planets top must-see place in Brindisi – The Church of San Giovanni Al Sepulcro. This is one of the stopping off points for the crusades and was built in 1128, modelled on Temple in Jerusalem, the “umbillicus mundi”. Much of it was in ruins, but was restored when the local government took charge of the site. Well worth the €3 each to get in.
The final stop of the day was to take a look at the castle. But despite all the tourist signs pointing you at it, when you get there you realize it’s still being occupied by the Italian military and you can’t get in, or anywhere near really.
There are some pretty big naval ships parked behind it though…
And finally it was time to head to the port… 3 hours early. Considering the number of people that probably go through the terminal, it wasn’t exactly the Chunnel Terminal…
And because Sue seems to have finally given up on her beloved Flip-Flops, we had a ceremonial throwing away picture..
So, as I write this, we’re killing three hours before we can board at 9. It was worth getting here early as the car park at the terminal is small and it’s wet. The weather in Greece and Corfu isn’t looking great for the next week or so, but I’m sure we’ll find some sun somewhere!
Tomorrow we’ve got a campsite confirmed for 2 nights outside of Igoumenitsa and then we’re off to Corfu.
Currently parked next to a couple who have driven from Germany because the dog couldn’t fly and it was born in Greece’s on their way to see South African family.
2074 miles on the odometer sat in Brindisi port terminal car park.
Thought of the day: clearly the car manufacturers are missing a trick in Italy. We suspect that all the cars sold here probably do have indicators installed, but for all the use the Italians use them, they could easily not be installed and nobody would notice!! We also suspect that when you do see indicators being used, the driver is probably foreign and in a hire car, or the driver must have nudged the indicator some time that day accidentally!
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