#92 Right in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea

March 14-15, 2022: Barcelona, Civitavecchia

J. We decided to book the ferry from Barcelona to Italy fairly last minute in Portugal. We had planned our route from Porto to Barcelona (via Toledo and Saragossa) very well, so there shouldn't have been any obstacles to our onward journey. We hadn't done any research on Italy and only realized shortly before arriving in Barcelona that we didn't know anything about the entry requirements. Although there are usually no controls or entry regulations within Europe, everything is different since Corona. After a short initial research, Florian found out that only triple-vaccinated, boosted or recovered individuals were allowed to enter. We panicked and tried to find a way to get vaccinated today. Although I had had COVID in January, I don't have a certificate and we still hadn't managed to get boosted. However, a deeper research revealed that a valid double vaccination is sufficient for entry (although you can't do anything in Italy as the standard is triple vaccination in restaurants, museums, etc.). Fortunately, my vaccination is still valid for 3 more days before the 9-month period expires, so we were just allowed to enter Italy. We just had to fill out a very long online form beforehand.

We reached the ferry port of Barcelona late in the afternoon and thus successfully circumnavigated the entire Iberian Peninsula. We checked in at the ferry terminal, packed our bags, had dinner, and then joined the line with the many other motorhomes and vans at 7 p.m.

A particularly sociable Italian, who was traveling with his ancient motorhome, organized a small gathering between the motorhomes. So for the next two hours, we talked to travelers from all over the world, exchanged travel stories and tips, and received a multitude of recommendations for Southern Italy from three Italians. Two of the three were Italian chefs who gave us their phone numbers so that when we are there, they can recommend us particularly cheap and good restaurants and dishes. There are too many to give them to us verbally right now, they said. Just an hour ago, we had no idea what we wanted to do or where we wanted to go in Italy, and now our map was dotted with countless little recommendation stars. Italy, here we come.

We boarded the ferry at 9 p.m.; an experience in itself. In a convoy, we drove up a very steep and narrow ramp with the other motorhomes until we reached the truck deck. There we were guided millimeter by millimeter by the many attendants and stood closely packed between the big trucks. We stayed seated for a while and watched the ballet of the trucks as they drove up the ramp after us. On the small space that was still free, two 40-ton trucks danced in maximum proximity to each other until they were all successfully reversed and neatly lined up as if for applause at the end of the performance. However, the true artists were clearly the attendants. It reminded me a lot of a circus performance with trained elephants and plenty of ringmasters.

We set sail at 10 p.m. and enjoyed the night view of the illuminated Barcelona as we left the harbor. We could even see the Sagrada Familia in the distance.

We spent the night more or less sleeping in our cabin. We were glad we chose a cabin and didn't have to sleep somewhere on a sofa, seat, or the floor like some others. The cabin was even larger than our van and more luxuriously equipped with two large mirrors and a bathroom with shower.

During the night, the waves and wind were quite strong. We kept waking up because we hit a wave hard, causing the whole ship to shake. The whole body trembled from the engine and at one point we really fell into a long trough. It was like being on a fairground ride where you're thrown in all directions one after the other, only in slow motion.

During the day, the waves calmed down significantly, and we spent a lot of time on deck in the wind or on one of the sofas talking to our acquaintances from the night before. The ferry didn't seem to be fully occupied. At least the disco, wellness area, children's playground, and one of the restaurants were closed, and the cafeteria only opened at meal times. So, besides the overheated and stuffy cabin and the very windy deck, we only had the permanently empty and overpriced restaurant or the lounge in front of the bar, where primarily the many truck drivers hung out, talked loudly, played cards, and watched four different programs on four televisions at the same time. We weren't used to that much noise and so many people anymore. For the 20-hour crossing, which turned into 22 hours due to headwind, I had planned to do a lot (read books, write diary and blog entries, edit photos, etc.), but I didn't manage to do any of it. Instead, I used the time for good conversations and windy views.

The circus when leaving the ship was even more exciting to watch than the circus when parking it. Because a van driver missed his turn, several impatient truck drivers simply started driving on their own, and the many attendants went wild and tried to salvage what could be salvaged. A medium-sized trailer had wedged itself crosswise in front of the ramp, so all smaller vehicles were squeezed past it. We were also among the smaller vehicles there and were navigated between two trucks standing across the road. When the sharp corners of the truck trailers were only a few millimeters away from our side wall, the attendant also realized that it wouldn't fit, so we and all the vehicles behind us had to reverse. Man, was I glad Florian was driving; he even had a lot of fun with it. You have to blindly trust the attendant who gives you precise instructions with hand signals and doesn't even look in the rearview mirror. One of the trailers almost bumped into us from the front because he didn't stop when the attendant told him to, but in the end, we made it past the trucks unharmed, down the ramp, and into Italy.

Day 151 - Total tour 11,111 km

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