Huddersfield to Istanbul Day 11.

Tuesday 29 May. Day 11.
Ancona to Durres. (Ferry crossing to Albania)
(approximately 20 miles just around Ancona centre today)

I was up early once again, but before breakfast my priority was to go to the ferry port and check out the sailing times to Albania. I didn't want to miss a ferry it there was one in the morning. So I head out from hotel on foot. Whilst coming down from my room I have a check to see if my bike is still in the arcade ! It is :) PHEW !!  Good news.

I'm heading over the road to what looks like the port building, but its not ! Its a bus station, I hurry along the road to another building, is this the ferry building ? Nope its a court hearing building !  Blimey, how far is this ferry building - well after about 25 minutes I find it, so of I trot into the building to find some desks open and some closed - yep you guessed it, the one I need is not opened yet.…  Come back at 10 am someone informs me at the building. So with the current time at 8am I head back to the hotel for some breakfast.

When I arrive back I find that breakfast is just a piece of cake, and a brew! Not ideal energy fodder for the day. I go back upstairs for a while to charge up kit etc..  At about 9.30 am I head back off again towards the ferry building. I arrive there as the desks are opening (good timing I know).  I ask the lady how much and what time to Albania - she informs me that the ferry to Durres sets off at 7 pm tonight and at a cost of 100 euros with a cabin. Well thats Ok I have the day at leisure then, and a cabin ! well thats a sleep over sorted too. She lets me know that the ferry arrives in Albania at 2 pm the following day.

Well now thats sorted, I can head back to hotel to check out and just explore Ancona for the day, and take photos of Ancona. I leave the hotel and pack up the bike. I head off in the direction of the hill in the town. On the way I cycle through the centre which is very busy - there is a clear path through a garden part that runs through the centre of the town, and comes out at another coast view, its from there I head up hill again through a built up residential area, I stop on a steep hill and call in a supermarket for some water and food to keep me going. I head up further to the summit of the town only to end up looking back down the other side of town to building work in the distance. I turn back around and head back towards the port area again.

Whilst heading towards the port I divert into the center again of the town, and stop for lunch at a cafe - I look at the menu and its all in Italian - I can't make out what it all says, so I take pot luck and choose something off the menu, and also order a drink too (Soft drink,  its only afternoon ! :-)) When it arrives, I'm thinking I don't like the look of this.. lots of rice with lots of mussels mixed in the dish, I nod to the waiter and smile Thank you I say - only to really be thinking Crap !!  Oh well I will eat it, and I did, it was Ok but would have like pasta instead :-(

I head back to port after that meal and stay mostly around until late afternoon - I mainly end up just sunbathing/relaxing not far from the ferry entrance. At about 6.30 pm I cycle my way into the ferry docks, I get towards the departure point and hit a queue of vehicles and cars waiting to board onto the ferry. I notice a large military presence awaiting to board also looks like NATO they have guns on them too!  At least it should be a safe crossing with these guys on board.

Once everyone were boarding their vehicles and trucks/wagons etc the queue moves slowly onto the ferry, I'm near the ramp and a big guy stops me - you are last because bike, big vehicles first! So I wait patiently for my turn to board, there are some right sights driving onto the ferry, I remember a car stacked onto what looked like a Dinky truck haha. It was my turn eventually and the guy waved me on board, he asked me where I was going to I told him Istanbul - he replied Are you not scared ??  Well,... thats the first time that someone had asked me that, so naturally after that was thinking Am I ?Never thought of it really, but if I'm honest the thought of traveling through Albania would probably be the most challenging.

I push the bike on board, tie it to some bars on the bottom deck, remove my belongings and make my way to the check in to get my cabin. All is great, I get my cabin card to get into the cabin, and when I get there I see that there are 3 bunks ! Ummm I think, do I have any one of these to sleep on or could I be sharing with others (surely not!) But I did notice a little wash bag on the opposite top bunk. My thought was that it could have been left by the people that was on the previous crossing to Italy from Albania.

Well just to be safe I had a shower, and tied my panniers up and left them in the corner of the cabin. If some others were sharing they were out of the way and locked up. I left the cabin and went up to the top deck before departure to see the view of leaving Italy and heading towards Albania with the sun setting.

I made a quick phone call back home as usual at this time of day, and informed Mrs F that I had three bunks to myself or maybe not !  I said that I would update here on the bunk situation when I arrived in Albania the following afternoon when we got a phone signal again, we said goodbyes and ended the call.

So after a few photos of the deck and shots of the sunset, I headed back to the cabin to see if I had any people sharing the cabin I was in. I opened the door, looked in and Nothing!! Everything was as I left it, so by this time I needed to go get an evening meal from the on board cafe. I got pasta and a few beers this time then headed back to cabin at around 10 pm. As I got back and opened cabin door Nothing and nobody was inside therefore I was definitely on my own in this 3 berth cabin, and so I started to open the panniers and remove phones and gps and place them on charge through the night in the few charging points in the cabin.

I was tucked up nicely in bed and sleeping like a log all was well. But in the early hours of the morning I was awoken with the door flying wide open and greeted by 2 Albanian guys and a big dog at their side stood in the doorway, it was dark I could only make out their silhouettes I could hear them taking and could make out the dog sniffing at my panniers near the door.   My first thought I as tried to open my eyes was - Is it customs, is it the police, is it a drug bust of some kind ??  I replied to them saying , I'm English !  One of them spoke english he said sorry my friend this is our cabin also, we have driven from London and got onto ferry to Albania, we were tired of all the driving and went straight to the bar upon boarding the ferry... I see I replied its Ok then, they were getting themselves into their bunks after putting the dog into the toilet part of the cabin. My first thought was wheres my wallet, phone and my gps (they were on the table at the side of the beds so I reached out with one hand in the darkness and placed it into my bunk under the covers, same with my phones.. it was my gps now that was still in bathroom charging, I threw the blanket of me and one of the guys says I will get the dog if you need to use the bathroom, Its Ok I reply I just need to unplug my gamin, I push my arm through gap in toilet room and retrieve the gps, I then return back to my bunk in darkness with all my valuable items at hand. We all say our nights and go off to sleep until morning.

I did not really sleep that well tonight, because I didn't really know who these strangers were :-O

Huddersfield to Istanbul Day 10.

Monday 28 May. Day 10.
Modena to Ancona 164 miles.

After waking up about 6 am I was feeling a little tired, but I had to get up, get packed and off I go on my bike for another day. After a larger breakfast than normal I was off to reception to check out of hotel, the guy on reception was the guy who checked me in last night and first off he said that I didn't lock my bike up last night and that he was surprised it was still there...  I left it in a bike rack outside the back of hotel. I said I thought it would be Ok being at the back of hotel but maybe not!    Lucky me then by the looks of it,   as it was there waiting for my good self to jump on and off I go for another day.

One thing that was different today that I noticed was how many people that were around and about compared with yesterday - probably due to the fact it was now Monday and all people back to work. Anyway, my first port of call was to see if I could get any money out of a cash machine as I was now really scraping the barrel. I cycled off out of Modena and it looked quite an easy route today I just need to follow the SS9 and that would take me to Rimini. I was just hoping the bike would be Ok and that the roads stay flat and then I could really knock out some good miles today - head down and off i went.

I received a twitter message from a follower around an hour after setting off and it said that stay in the north of Italy as its very flat.   Well they were bang on there,  because thats what it was like straight to Rimini.   I had made it there after about 7 hrs of cycling it was around 1 pm and I was in the centre just cycling around the town, I also remember it well because I had a go at getting some money from a cash machine (and it worked!) Fantastic !  I was starting to get a little worried, because I was down to about 5 euros in cash. So this withdrawal boosted my morale together with knocking off a hundred miles just after dinner. I celebrated by calling in at a pizza shop for a few slices and a coke cola drink.

I continued to make my was to the coast as I knew this maybe a beach type place and wanted to see the Adriatic sea. I did and continued to cycle along the coast and it was very nice beach, it was miles long and one thing I did notice was that it was in sections, all 250 sections I cycled passed along the path parallel to the beach. Each section had a bar, playgrounds, sun loungers etc (I'd never seen a resort split up like this before). The sun was beating down and the temp was probably at the maximum for the day. I was beginning to slow down and was just taking in the beach a little too much and the time was ticking away, I had a chance to really get a record day of milage in here so I better stop looking around and get on with the cycling.

I only got out of the resort and noticed a Mcds and turned into it and scoffed a Bigmac meal with coke and a coffee for after - the restaurant was really quiet too. I was one of three people who was in there (maybe Italians don't eat many McDs unless it was just a quiet part of the day for them). After the meal I was off on the bike again and heading towards Ancona. My thoughts along the way was that I could get a ferry from there instead of going further down the coast of Italy to Bari (thats where I originally was going to get a ferry over to Albania) I had my bother (Ady) looking on internet back home checking what times and days the ferry made the crossings. It worked out that I could board a ferry tomorrow from Ancona and arrive in Albania by 3 pm the following afternoon, or cycle to Bari and get to Albania the same day but at 7pm that night. Well, the option of Ancona was more inviting because when I arrive in Albania I could knock off some miles from 2 pm that afternoon.... So. thats my plan, I crack on towards Ancona, its about 40 miles to go but I stop off at a bike shop, to have a new tyre put on the back wheel, just in case (I didn't want to get to eastern Europe and have worn tyre that may start to puncture ! (I'd had enough of set backs earlier on in my adventure. The front tyre still looked liked new still even after all the miles up to now (Schwalbe Marathon type).

The bike shop quickly changed the tyre and also changed the brake pads - Result! that should do me for the rest of my cycle to Istanbul. At the shop there was a Japanese guy who looked like he was on a cycle adventure too - he was trying to talk to the shop owner that he's cycled from japan and loves Italy country. he was right I was enjoying Italy too. The japanese guy was having plenty of photos taken with the locals, before he set back off on his touring bike to wherever next. I left the shop not long after and said my goodbyes (no photos though) :-)

For the afternoon it was all along the coast mainly, cycling with the sea view to my left for the rest of the afternoon into the early evening. I had a couple of stops at petrol stations along the coast road where I had drinks and snacks and a few ice creams. I met another touring cyclist from Sweden, he was going in the opposite direction.  I was eating well today but I'm not surprised as when I arrived in Ancona I had cycled up a daily milage of 164 miles (this was the most on any day of my trip so I was buzzing).

Just as was coming into Ancona I looked back to take a photo of the sun going down had been a great day of cycling considering I was not feeling very energetic this morning. I was on the outskirts of Ancona near the ferry port and came across a hotel it was only a cheap one, I walked in with my bike and asked if any room for tonight, It was 20 euros, very basic but Ok. The only thing that concerned me was the fact my bike was to be left in an arcade part of the cafe within the hotel building :( but the girl on reception assured me it would be Ok. I took my panniers up to my room, usual shower, changed and out around the corner to a restaurant pizza and pasta place I remember it well as the locals were gathered around the television above the small bar area watching Deal or no deal in Italian :-)  After my meal and of course some Red wine, I returned around the corner back to hotel to sleep, on the way up the staircase I looked back to make sure my bike was ok (It was still there propped up against the gaming machines :-) My first job tomorrow morning was to get up early and go to the ferry port to check sailing times to Albania.

Huddersfield to Istanbul Day 9.

Sunday 27 May. Day 9.

Alessandria to Modena 145 miles.

As usual it's the same routine, up around 6.30am then down for breakfast at 7am. Stock up on food a lot today as I do need to bang some miles in now, especially the roads seem to be very flat which should help me knock up the milage.

Before I leave the town I need to find a cash machine, as my card that had my budget on has all been used up whoops! After trying at one hole in the wall its not playing and states connection not made and spits my card back out - not a great start, I will just have to try a other cash machines along the route for today.

Looking at the map I reckon it would be great to hit Modena by this evening... looks a good distance for today.   I'm heading east now towards Piacenza, its nice and sunny again and the roads are superb, and I've just got my head down listening to my tunes.

Last night on my daily call back home to my wife and daughter, my wife told me that my 6yr old daughter had written a letter to me asking for me to come home safe and that she misses me (This was fantastic and I was really touched by that,  so today I recorded a video message to send to Facebook so she would see that I had received her letter - she sent it the previous night by way of a lantern that was let off from our house).

Just after midday it was time for stop at Lidl for food and drink stop. Once topped up I'm back off and making fantastic mile up to now, I'm definitely on plan to reach destination. Around late afternoon I just stop for a little break and see a nice motorbike, I put my bike down and take a pic. Its by a furniture outlet and in the entrance is a drinks machine - I just feel like a coffee so I buy one and it did taste nice even if it was out of a machine. 

Its now about 7pm and I'm coming into Modena, its a fantastic looking place lots of old buildings and lots of restaurants I spend sometime just cycling around the centre checking the place out. Its also time to try and find somewhere to stay, I end up just outside the main centre and book in for the night, I have to leave my bike outside tonight at the back entrance to the hotel, there are other bikes in the rack at the time I place mine in, I then remove my panniers etc and make my way up to my room, after shower and change I'm off down to reception asking for wifi code so i can update twitter and facebook - the nightly updates :-)

He replies with - you pay for wifi,  it was a little expensive for internet so I passed on that one and headed out into the centre to look for somewhere to eat. The place had quieted down a little since when I first cycled into the place. I see a restaurant with tables and chairs outside, I pick my table and now waiting to place my order the waiter comes over and I point out my order (I can't speak Italian neither!) and I order the wine, can't forget the rocket fuel .

After my meal and drink I head bak towards the hotel, lots of people have gone by now and only few people about the place. I get back and the same guy is on reception, hello I say and ask how much is wifi for 1hr ? I asked because If I update now it will probably be enough to update status on social media.

I'm very pleased that I managed a high milage day today,  and go to bed very happy/motivated and looking forward to another day of high milage tomorrow if roads are as flat as they were today.