WILD STORY of ADVENTURE # 3 "Do the Dodge"

               I said farewell to Darren and wished him good luck on his personal mission.

    
     I was on another quest and that was to get back to England on a very limited budget.  First I had to double back through the Greek Islands to Athens and catch a ferry to Italy.

     Something that is noticed when getting off a Greek ferry at an island is the fact that when disembarking one's ticket doesn't need to be shown.  This got me thinking, as a back-packer does when travelling around.  I wonder if I pay to the next and closest island and stayed on to a further destination, would I be able to get away without paying the full fare?  After a few days on this island I'll put the plan into action on the next ferry.


      A great sensation about hanging around in Greece is waiting by the harbour with all the small Greek fishing boats bobbing about, while getting drenched in the sun and above is the purest blue of a sky.  The sun smacking against your skin is such a soothing feeling. 

      My ferry rocks up.  Now my heart starts to pace up a bit.  I show the man my ticket and he waves me through.  PHEW!!  first part done, ( didn't ask where I was going ),  now to get to the top deck and relax for the journey.  I'm heading to the port of Pireas just outside the city of Athens, where I'll catch the ferry to Italy. 

      After a sun bleached ride and seeing dolphins cruising the wake of the ferry,  the boat slides into the dock.  OK, it's time to see if "the dodge" can be done!?  I head down to the exit and watch as other people disembark.  There's a man checking tickets, uh oh!  No wait, those people are getting on .... OK, time to leg it. I casually walk through the door and I'm out!! 

      Yeah it works!!  Cool, that was "a dodge" from Rhodes all the way to Athens ... yeee haaaa!!  :))

      After sorting out the departure details for the boat to Italy I wonder around the city and check out some sights.  Greece is such a mecca for history.  There are ruins scattered where ever you walk, really old well decorated churches and the people are friendly and jovial.

      OK, time to get on my 54 hour ferry ride to the land of delicious pasta, fast cars and fast women.  :),  On top on the deck I settle down to watch the sights glide by, for in a couple of hours the sun will deliver the day's final colours. 

     I have some food, a torch so it's time to eat.  After doing the rounds of the boat, well it's not really a boat but a huge ocean liner type cruise ship.  It's massive and has all kinds of entertainment.  I settle again on the top deck with the fresh air ready to watch the sun go down on Europe.  Talked to loads of people and had a good time on this rather large ferry.  Sunrises and sunsets get me in such a good mood, the colours of dawn and dusk over a navy blue sea with the white frothy wake always sets an ambiance.

     Alright here comes Italy!!   :))   

     I love this country!  The food, the people, the architecture, the villages, the fields and fields of sunflowers stretching endlessly as far as the eye can see, and of course the North West area of Italy .... one of my favourite parts of the world, Val De Aosta, one of the most beautiful places I've ever been to!  :)))

     The boat pulls in and docks.  I'm ready to go go go!  Rucksack is packed with some food and all the essentials of surviving while hitch-hiking.  My ticket is taken and I'm now free to roam Italy, actually I'm free to travel to any country I want to, this is Europe now and there are so many countries within a short distance from each other.

                      Where to first?   Mmmmm, Bologna isn't far from here, grab the European road atlas from the side of my rucksack to find the right road and I'm out-a-here!!