Follow the Mountains : Greece - Day 42: Fuck, I am on the wrong ferry!!!

I set my alarm early, in order to reach the bus in Karpenisi at 7 a.m., using my headlamp to walk into town. On my way I passed the Lidl Container and even found some breakfast for me :)

Google said, the drive from Karpenisi to Agrinio with a car would be about 1.5 h So the bus would take longer, for sure, but maybe I can catch the early bus to Patras at 9:15 a.m.? Quickly I realized: that's never going to happen. It took us 1.5 h to get 30 km done and there were still 70 km to go! So I set back, relaxed and enjoyed the beautiful scenery, especially when we passed the dammed Kremasta lake.

In Patras I had enough time for the next bus at 2 p.m., so I thought I treat myself with some bananas and other things. But the supermarkets were (for an unknown reason) closed. At least I got a loaf of bread in a bakery!

The bus ride to Patras was supposed to be 2 h, but my experience of bus rides in Greece taught me, to add at least 0.5-1 h. That means I would be in Patras at 4 p.m. if everything works out, but more likely at 4:30-5 p.m. I thought, that should be fine, since the ferry to Bari leaves at 5:30 p.m. It is a 4 km walk from the bus terminal to the ferry terminal, but I thought it would be OK, otherwise I would have to take a taxi. But all right. So I booked my ferry ticket online.

But when I got the confirmation email, it said I have to check-in 2 h before and get my paper ticket at the port first (Greece isn't good with e-tickets!)!!!!! FUCK! So I called them and asked, what the latest is, I have to be there. They said 4:30 to MAXIMUM 5 p.m. That's cutting it close! So the taxi will be necessary, but even then its going to be close.

The entire ride, I was sitting there and thinking at every little stop we made: hurry! But despite the many stops, we were in Patras in time, even slightly before 4 p.m. So I got my luggage, went straight to the next taxi and was driven to the port.

I made it past 4 p.m. The people at the desk gave me my paper ticket and said I should wait till 4:30 p.m. and then I could do the check-in. But no, I had to wait with some other German passengers until 5 p.m., before we could pass a security and passport check (which took a while) and then we were driven to the ferry by bus. Everybody got off and we walked onto the boat. The guy at the reception was totally annoyed, because he was not ready and we were standing there in a tiny room, waiting for him to get ready.

He took our tickets, sent us up and I was off as first person. We were even allowed in the deck with nice chairs! One of the other Germans told me, the guy downstairs was asking for me. So I went down again. He told me, I was on the wrong ferry - also Anek Lines but not going to Bari!!!! Oh shit! Where do I have to go then? He said he doesn't know but I should leave.

Outside I asked some other people, they said: along the port the second boat after this one, a read boat. So I "ran" for it - whatever running is with a big backpack. And you know what? My foot was fine :) I think I am ready for Italy!!!

Thanks to the unpunctuality of the Greek, I made it to my ferry. I got onto the right ferry very sweaty and it hadn't left without me! Turns out, instead of 5:30 p.m., we left around 6 p.m.

On the deck, there was a friendly German woman next to me, so we chatted a bit. She is a doctor, between 2 jobs, travelling with a car and started also in Crete.

The ferry ride seems beautiful, but I am so tired... The ferry will have a stop inbetween in Greece (theoretical around midnight) and then I should arrive at 9 a.m. tomorrow in Bari. There are several buses during the day going to Sibari, where I will either start hiking, or wait another night to catch a bus at 6:45 a.m to Castrovillari, where I left my hike last autumn.

Enough action for today, now I will be lazily shipped over the sea ;)