Prolog II

Almost exactly 24 hours after I set off, I then reached Ancona.

The ICE to Munich departed a bit late, but arrived right on time. From there, after a short stay, I continued with the ÖBB Nightjet. I can highly recommend it. I was able to sleep quite well, and in the morning, they even bring a small breakfast to your bed. And it doesn’t even cost that much. It also runs between Hamburg and Vienna.

Okay, after that advertisement block, I should mention that the train arrived in Bologna with almost 150 minutes of delay. Because of that, I missed my connection.

My plan not to panic was already obsolete. I had a little over 4 hours until check-in in Ancona, but situations like this are still exciting.

I then took a seat on the first train marked “Ancona” and waited to see what would happen. The train was, in contrast to the one I had booked, one that stopped at every little station or, better said, every beach resort. It went straight along the Adriatic via Rimini. The entire time I had a view of the sea and the beaches. I always imagined Rimini to be a bit like a Ballermann from yesteryear, but at least while passing through, I found it quite nice there. At some point, I must explore Italy a bit more.

Upon arriving in Ancona, in 36 degrees, I initially walked 45 minutes to the passport control to find out that I had to check in somewhere else first. A bit of panic set in because there were only about 30 minutes left until the “latest check-in.” But everything went smoothly, and now I am sitting on the ferry that left the port in Ancona half an hour ago.