Day 20) I'm on a boat

Route: Athens - Patras - Ancona - Rimini - San Marino

Due to the train strike in Greece, I had to travel from Athens to Patras by bus. That meant getting up at 7:00 am, taking a taxi to the bus station, waiting for the next bus, and then driving for 3 hours in an old but air-conditioned (which is not common in the Balkans) bus through the beautiful Greek countryside. The contrast between mountains and sea is particularly visible on this route. The bus often followed the empty train line to Patras. The bus arrived in Patras at 12:00 pm sharp, after which I had to take another taxi from the bus station to the port.

Being punctual, that is, 2 hours before departure, I finally arrived at the port. The check-in process was quick and easy, but the ship had not yet arrived. It finally arrived at 2:00 pm, two hours late from Ancona.

The ship left Patras with a one-hour delay. The entertainment options were limited, as was the culinary offering. For dinner, I had a stale and tough pork steak and an unidentifiable mush that called itself French fries in the self-service restaurant. The food looked and felt like it had been cooked five weeks ago and kept under the heat lamp since then. Even with salt, pepper, oregano, and mayonnaise, it tasted like nothing. But at least it filled me up. At least for 3 minutes. A Big Mac keeps you full longer, is cheaper, and tastes better...

The Euro Cup final was then shown in Greek on a pixelated screen. During the game, many passengers rolled out their sleeping bags on the benches, and after the game, I joined them and enjoyed a peaceful night.

The next day, I ran into an acquaintance from the previous day. She had booked a higher category and spent the night in the reclining seats. However, she also slept on the floor because the seats were so uncomfortable...

The ship finally arrived in Ancona, only two hours late. To make up for the delay, I decided not to take the regional train to Rimini, but to invest the ten euro surcharge in the express train. This way, I caught the earlier bus to San Marino in Rimini and arrived 75 minutes earlier. The international bus line then took me (without customs control) to the oldest republic in the world, Boro Magiorre, where my hostel is located. The hostel is the best (and only) hostel in San Marino. It is also the most expensive hostel of my trip, costing 20 euros (without bed linen, but with breakfast...).

My five-hour adventure in San Marino then started at 4:20 pm...