“You went through that nest like a BOSS!”

Stacey was impressed as I led her through a “nest” of motorcycles like a true Italian. After days of coping with and now copying Italian drivers… I knew we had to just dive right in. We were dragging our TWO bags each through dozens of bikers as they arrived – engines revving, and this was after navigating our way through countless semi-trucks – all with their engines running and drivers at the wheel. We were trying to find our way through the port to the ferry. We had done a good deal of laughing but trying to neither let it show nor slow us down. But here I am telling the end of the story before I have begun.

The only appointment to be kept on Saturday was an evening ferry ride to Greece so we decided to sleep in and scarcely made it out of the hotel at checkout time. It is a shame that we were so tired because it meant a couple hours that we would miss in our exploring… but you have to sleep.

We had a few choices for the days’ activities but narrowed it down to boat rides into a cave with the possibility of swimming or driving back to Matera. The caves were hard to resist but they had already been recommended by a trusted source and our objective is to try out possible activities for students… so off we drove to Matera.

We loved Matera – one of the oldest cities in the entire world! Coming into existence around 5000 BC makes Matera 7000 years old! Caves in the limestone created sheltered homes for families. Over time it became a place of extreme poverty and filth. Finally in the 1950s society stepped in and rescued the inhabitants. Forcibly removing them from their homes and relocating them to new homes, the people had never seen running water nor learned to read. Fortunately they did not destroy the old homes and today it is a hub of tourism.

We were completely charmed and couldn’t seem to stop taking photos. It made up for missing Bari. Next time we will make sure to have better traction on our shoes – 7000 years of walking on stones makes them awfully slippery.

Driving takes the better part of each day. We have been amazed as we drive across Italy that our California homeland truly does have a Mediterranean climate. We have felt that we were in California almost the entire time. We also have had some trouble trying to get gas – driving in and out of gas stations that haven’t worked for a variety of reasons….

We finally took a moment to enjoy some gelato – amazed that it had taken us so long. This was to be our snack so that we could eat some dinner in Brindisi before returning our rental car and making our way to the ferry.

All went according to plan until we tried to find a restaurant as well as parking. It was already taking too long so we gave up and headed to the airport to return the car. We were then alone with out two hefty bags – luckily it was a relatively short walk to the terminal. Before catching a taxi Stacey realized she had left something in the car so I watched the bags while she ran back – but then realized we could ask our taxi driver to take us there. All of that finally done we made it to the port and checked in for our ferry ride. Then what? We had no idea what to do but there was finally time to eat.

Well – I have to say that the terminal food was not edible. It was so bad! We just had to throw it away and something about that moment – when Stacey picked up the plastic bag full of our food and it spilled all over the chair and floor sent us into another round of doubled over laughter. Fortunately we had found a secluded row of seats so our only audience was ourselves. One thing I always appreciated about travel with Mark was that neither of us would get worked up over anything that went wrong. I would laugh and he would be calm but neither of us would be upset. Now traveling with Stacey we both laugh – and both of our husbands would remain calm were they with us… and I hope that my husband is with me at least part of the time because Stacey still gets to call home.

Anyway – we sat on that row of secluded chairs unsure of what to do next. Eventually we figured out we had to leave the terminal and walk down the street and through the giant parking lot where countless semi-trucks gather to board the ferry. We found ourselves carrying those bags down a flight of stairs, through the gates and into that circus of trucks. Some of them had parked over the walking path so we took off through the midst of them, weaving in and out. Pushing and pulling our bags over the rough asphalt and just hoping that our little wheels wouldn’t give out. As we neared the second terminal the multitude of motorcycles came roaring up – undaunted we took a breath and plowed our way right through them. The terminal was full of young families and so we just took our place at the head of the nonexistent line, determined to board first as though we had earned it.

We did it – we were first on board. It doesn’t matter at all – but it was kinda fun. We settled into our cabin with two berths and went to explore the ship. Finally, though it was after 10:00, we found some dinner. Our dinners get later every night so I guess that Europe is already wearing off on us.

As the ferry left port we went on deck to enjoy the view. The chilly wind was exhilarating and I had to work hard to enjoy it without worrying about the fact that Mark was not there to wrap me in his warm arms and savor the moment. He loved being out on the water like that One way that I do this is to think something t along these lines, “Much of who I am is because of Mark, but for now I am on my own. And on my own I can still enjoy these moments.”

It’s more of a feeling than words so I’m not sure I’m expressing myself accurately. I may not be so brave if I didn’t have a dear friend with me. Nevertheless- at this time it feels healthy and I am going to run with it.

A little bonus – while I am halfway around the world my new little granddaughter made her appearance a bit earlier than expected. She was transferred to a NICU in a larger hospital about an hour and a half away but was soon off the oxygen and then IVs were out and four days later she is headed home💗

I love her already!