WELCOME TO OUR BLOGSITE. IT'S MAINLY ABOUT OUR TRIPS... IN A TRUCK. WHILST TRAVELLING OVERSEAS WE USE THE TRAVELOGUES SECTION OF THE SITE TO DOCUMENT OUR LOCATION, RELAY SOME EXPERIENCES AND - SOMETIMES - TO TAKE A WITHERING STAB AT TRYING TO MAKE SOME SENSE OF THE WORLD.

POSTS APPEAR IN DATE ORDER WITH THE MOST RECENT FIRST BUT NAVIGATING TO OLDER POSTS / SPECIFIC TRIPS IS EASILY ACHIEVED BY FOLLOWING THE RELEVANT LINKS.

AS WELL AS MEMORIALISING TRIPS THE SITE ALSO OFFERS A BRIEF INTRODUCTION TO US, OUR TRUCK AND A FEW USEFUL RESOURCES.

WE HOPE YOU ENJOY YOUR VISIT!

Eastern Balkans Trip - Day 13 - Italy

Blogging at 22:15 on Sunday 31st July from intended overnighting spot N 42.26477°, E 13.13515° / http://maps.google.com/maps?q=loc:42.26477%2C13.13515

True to form, we'd not been long in bed last night when some music started from somewhere. On the upside, we didn't see any drug dealing.

It's been another sweltering day with temperatures of 37 deg C and relentless sunshine meaning everything was again stuck to everything else (yes, even those things) as we made our way through the Italian countryside. 

It's basically been a day of covering a bit of ground as we have to make the next ferry leaving from the port of Bari in the south of the country by Wednesday. We didn't really stop much en-route today, except for a steady lunch in some welcome shade, and to take on some diesel.

The day's drive has been through some pretty pleasant scenery, and once again the journey has seen a lot of effusive approval for the truck: or at least that's what we hope it is.

I found tonight's intended overnighting spot whilst out on the bike late this afternoon and, for sure, it's more our thing than the last three nights (pic).

The views from here are excellent and, being at decent altitude, we're blessed with a reduction in temperature to around 28C. We're close to a cemetery that has - by our own conventions - some unusual features. One of these is that it's evident families are able to buy fairly substantial detached mausoleums where they are then laid to rest together, above ground, in separate chambers. These buildings then also have a small communal area usually adorned with flowers and religious symbolism. These, and all of the other burial spaces in the cemetery were well tended.

In spite of the 'improved' overnighting spot, the noise-thing continues. Notwithstanding the fact we're in an extremely rural setting at around 1000m altitude we can still, even after 10.00pm hear a rural bar in full swing, dogs for miles around barking, and the rumble of a distant road. This sort of location in just about every other country we've visited in the truck would be silent but for the noises of nature. Here all manner of human tramplings literally permanently rent the air. It's awful.

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