20.10.2020-Massafra and how a car fits through the eye of a needle

20.10.2020

Today I woke up a few minutes late - unfortunately the sun had already risen above the horizon. Too bad, but it didn't matter and breakfast still tasted good. And even though we didn't park under the street lamps of the beach promenade like five or six other RV's who also couldn't recognize the parking prohibition signs, we weren't robbed - what luck!
Today we headed to a pilgrimage church in a karst gorge in Massafra. Unfortunately, the most exciting thing about the whole thing was the journey there. Our navigation system was once again smart and wanted to take a shortcut. As you know by now, that ends with us driving through the old town of Massafra. The streets were so narrow that we had to fold in the mirrors and Lea walked ahead as a guide, checking if we would fit through. Unfortunately, we're not yet accustomed enough to think of taking a proof photo in that moment. We were so relieved when the streets returned to a normal width. Maybe it was due to our exciting journey that we didn't find the chapel as great anymore. But the chosen location was again totally crooked. Halfway up the cliff of a karst gorge. We still wonder why such places were chosen. Across from the cliff, walls were piled up and a garden was created, even though there would have been enough space above the gorge on flat terrain. But already Asterix and Obelix had recognized it accurately: "Those Romans are crazy!".

Today we should continue heading south to Gallipoli. You won't believe it, but we managed to coax a somewhat normal route out of the navigation system. If we had driven just one or two more kilometers, the route would have been totally easy, even for Italian standards. After that, we followed the coastal road again and passed numerous deserted holiday resorts. Due to the prevailing limestone, the coast has changed here. Rugged limestone sections alternate with picturesque sandy coves. During a short stop at a rocky spot, there was all kinds of creatures to discover in the water, small fish, shrimp, and even a few crabs. And Lea found a very pretty seashell (she claims it's a mussel, but today I'm allowed to write what I think!), which had to come along as a souvenir. After a few kilometers, something moved inside the shell. Oh dear, the crab that had taken shelter wasn't very happy about being relocated. But Lea was just as shocked because the little guy didn't want to stay in the seashell anymore. The only solution was to throw it boldly out the window - unfortunately in the middle of a built-up area, which Lea already regretted a few hundred meters later when she saw the beach again. I could hardly stop laughing!

When we arrived in Gallipoli, we looked for a parking space and prepared the bikes for a visit to the old town. It is located on an island off the coast and can only be reached via a bridge. If we were to call it a little island, no one would complain. First, we cruised around in the streets a bit and then we circled everything again - a very beautiful town. It's always amazing what can be built on a limited space.

We found our mosquito-infested overnight spot near the beach today in the heel of the boot at Torre Pali.

Now we just hope that the mosquitoes don't find a hole in the car and leave us alone.