I'm on a BOAT!

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY, WORLD!

Sometimes, you do something because it sounds like too much fun NOT to. Even though you know it's going to be a slightly strung-out aging beauty queen, not the young lady in the advert. Or, the photo of the food is going to be way better than the food itself. The same is true with Ferry Travel -- taking an overnight ferry from Genoa to Barcelona sounded too absurd and romantic to skip. Grandi Navi Veloci got our Euros and our time. It was an adventure to say the least. The boat reminded me of a Ghost Ship version of the love boat - the pool was shut, the casino closed, half the guest cabins were roped off, the carpet was worn but clean-ish, and the wooden stairs were warped, cracked, but still sound. Our beds were freshly made, but the sheets had been washed almost to transparency. We were undaunted! We had an outside berth with a view! WE WERE ON A BOAT!
Plus, watching the overloaded lorries and caravans pile into the belly of this boat was almost worth the fare alone. Unbelievable piles of bikes, sinks, lawn chairs, and lord knows what else were stacked and lashed to the top of anything with wheels. When we booked online the route said Genoa - Barcelona. Turns out the route is Genoa - Barcelona - Tangiers. It was a richly varied and highly motley crew of fellow passengers. German ladies traveling solo, French families, Moroccans of every walk, lots of random bands of men smoking and talking in sandals and soccer jackets, a few conspicuous techie nerds, and us. The Ferry is MUCH cheaper than flying, faster than the train, and apparently oddly compelling to a wide range of folks. Mostly men. And traders with caravans packed with crap headed to Tangiers. No one checked our papers EVER. Leaving or arriving. Wild. Rather nice not to have to take your shoes off, for once.

I had purchased some 'frizzante bianco' in Genoa at a grocery store (carbonated white wine in a bulbous bottle which is actually very tasty) which we cracked open and had in our cabin out of plastic cups. We feasted on the green beans and pesto we had procured at the same time as well. Living large on the Ghost Ship!

Ports are also fascinating for reasons entirely un-naval (although all the gantries and ships and wooden sail boats are nice). We watched a scenario play out at the auto-loading area where a young nicely dressed man tried to argue with 5 Polizei on behalf of his friend (in the Polizei car) and (we guessed) his fancy ride. Other fancy men showed up with papers which failed to impress or change the outcome, at any rate. Lots of gesticulating, pacing, moaning, and papers being passed around. Good entertainment for the uninvolved. Fun to make up stories about why's and what's.


We have since landed safely in Barcelona, and are ensconced in our 'residence hotel' of sorts. It's like boarding school for traveling adults. A small, simple modern room with a bathroom not unlike what we had on the ferry, a cooking lounge down the hall with assigned drawers in fridge & pantry, and a laundromat downstairs. We will contact our friends of friends and begin the Housing Hunt in the morning. In the meantime, Barcellona is totally crush-worthy. We found a wonderful atmospheric bar, had a walk in the rain, found a late night 'stuff store' and procured cups for our room and laundry soap etc. Buh. pretty tired but very happy to be here.