Time to Say Good-Bye to Rhodes

We have a few hours before our ship weighs anchor and we say good-bye to Rhodes – just enough time to walk off those Greek goodies and the slab of moussaka I devoured at lunch. I NEED a walk.

Back in Old Town, we walked by an old church. A small sign informed us that for a small fee, one could climb up to the top of the church tower and enjoy a nice view of the harbor. Climbing up a couple hundred steps sounded like just the thing I needed.

Time For Some Exercise

I was alone in that view, so we decided that I’d go up to the top of the tower while my not-a-stair-climbing-fan Better Half would wait below. She said, “Go ahead. You can tell me how it was.” Or some such words of encouragement.

The climb wasn’t bad, and the view was great. I could see our ship in the distance. Good. It hadn’t left without us.

We made our way back to the ship and settled in for some down time. I went out on the balcony to have a look around. An inter-island ferry had pulled in beside us.

The ferry had backed in. A few people were going in and out of a large opening in the rear of the boat. Then a guy on a motorcycle went in. Then some small delivery trucks went in and some others came out. For some reason, I found the activity interesting to watch.

Nervous on the Saguenay

I know nothing about ferries. We’d been on a ferry just once, when we crossed the Saguenay river while on a road trip in Quebec. The Saguenay ferry looked to me like not much more than a fortified raft.

We drove the car onto the ferry and parked. Others followed. OK. That’s enough cars. How much weight can this thing handle? I was slightly nervous.

Then a huge truck pulled in and parked. Now I definitely was nervous. Do these guys know what they’re doing?

Of course they did, and we made it across without a hitch. While crossing the river, our attention had been diverted by a big moose lying flat on a trailer parked just across from our car. He was staring right at us. But that’s a tale for another time.

Meanwhile, Back in Rhodes…

Back in Rhodes, the level of activity at the rear of the ferry picked up dramatically. Motorcycles, cars, and trucks were rolling in through the opening and into the ferry. I was amazed how many vehicles were entering.

Then people with suitcases started showing up in droves. It seemed like hundreds of people were boarding. The back of that boat had been like the entrance to a busy anthill.

They weren’t the only ones who would to be leaving soon. We’d be right behind ’em.

We’ll head back the way we came, skirting the Aegean Sea, cruising past a gazillion tiny Greek islands. Then we’ll go up around the Peloponnesian peninsula, passing through the Ionian Sea.

We’ll enter the Adriatic Sea by way of the Strait of Otranto, then we’ll head north toward Venice. Italy will be on our port side and Albania on our starboard side.

The Strait of Otranto

The Strait of Otranto lies between the heel of the Italian boot and Albania. It’s only 45 miles across. This little stretch must have been risky business for sailors back in the day, when the Mediterranean wasn’t a safe place to be.

The Strait of Otranto has been a wild place in more recent times, too. Whenever trouble is brewing in the Balkan countries, the Strait of Otranto is the easiest place for people to “get out of Dodge.”

Those countries, including Bosnia-Herzegovena, Kosovo, Croatia, Serbia, Albania, Montenegro, and Macedonia have a long history of not getting along.

These days things are calm, but when the fighting starts, Albanian smugglers work overtime to smuggle people across the strait to the Italian side. We’ll keep our eyes peeled.

Once through the Strait of Otranto, we’ll continue up the Balkan coast until we reach Dalmatia. That’s right — where the polka-dot dogs come from. And within Dalmatia lies our destination: the old city of Ragusa.

Never heard of Ragusa? That’s because you’re too young. This city was known as Ragusa for 1,000 years. It was “Ragusa” until 1918, when its name was changed to – Dubrovnik.

To be continued…