Travel Struggle Turned Around
After some time in Italy, it was time to head to the next country. I booked an overnight ferry from Bari, Italy to Dubrovnik, Croatia that was leaving at 10pm but check in was starting at 7pm. The only train I could take from Salerno to Bari in order to make that time was leaving at 12:45pm. Since I was in Positano, I had to take a bus to Amalfi and then another bus from Amalfi to Salerno. I gave myself over 2 hours to get to the train station but I didn't check the bus schedule and just assumed that the buses would be leaving right away or they were frequent. When I got to Amalfi, it was around 11:15am and the next bus leaving from Amalfi to Salerno was at 12:30pm. I was going to miss my train. The next one was getting into Bari at 9pm giving me not a lot of time to get from the train station to the port to check in and then to the actual ferry.
I had two options: taxi or Blablacar (hoping that there was one leaving soon). A taxi for an hour would be way too expensive so that option was out of the picture. I found a Blablacar from Amalfi to Bari leaving at 2:30pm. I had my fingerscrossed that the driver would see my request since it was so last minute and also that he still had room in the car. He responded right away and had room for me.
I really lucked out and met a really nice Italian guy, well he is Albanian but he has been living in Bari for over 25 years. It took a little less than 3 hours to get to Bari but we made a pit stop at his favorite Italian gelato place and he refused to let me pay. It was the BEST ice cream I've had in my week in Italy. Then he gave me a quick tour of Bari and drove me right to the port to check in. When he even offered to help me check in and everything. When I went to pay him he refused to take my money!! It was such a nice gesture! I felt really bad but he insisted and wouldn't accept my money.
At the end, this was a blessing in disguised because if I had taken the train and made it, I was getting in at 6:30 and it was going to take me awhile to get from the station to the port. Additionally, I had to switch trains 3 times.
Thank you Tani!!
