European Civilization

My wife is typically French in that she has taken many holidays and spent them in many adventurous ways (touring in Southeast Asia, Central Asia, West Africa, South America, and India to name a few). But she has also been influenced by my American ways in that she now enjoys a good road trip. So when we were invited to my Greek friend’s wedding in his hometown of Volos, she suggested a Balkan holiday road trip. Furthermore, my 8-year old daughter was asked to be the child bridesmaid.

We left on our trip (see the map below) from our house in Burgundy, France near the village of Pierreclos.  The trip from Pierreclos to Volos  was ~2500 km and the return from Volos to Pierreclos was ~1500 km, 1000 km less because we took a boat across the Adriatic from Igoumenitsa in Greece to Ancona in Italy.  Major highways in France (and most of Europe where I have traveled) are truly fascist in that they are owned and operated by corporations but controlled by the government. However, while they are expensive, they are generally very good; thus, there were about 250€ in tolls. Eleven frontiers were crossed on the trip: France-Italy, Italy-Slovenia, Slovenia-Croatia, Croatia-Bosnia, Bosnia-Croatia, Croatia-Montenegro, Montenegro-Albania, Albania-Macedonia, Macedonia-Greece, Greece-Italy (by boat), and finally Italy-France.

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Note: 1 mile=1.61 km, so 1000 km=621 miles, and 130 km/hr (the highway speed limit)=81 mph.

 The route. Note that the return stage between Igoumenitsa in Greece and Ancona in Italy was by boat. (created in Google Maps)

The first landmark we passed was the tunnel under Mont Blanc; on the border between France and Italy, it is the highest mountain in the Alps.  That first morning was the worst experience we had the whole trip because there was a two-hour queue getting to the tunnel, that isGreece jumped ship off the coast of Italy, so the boat had to stop until he was picked up by the authorities. As for the other crisis, the economic one, Greece seemed more prosperous to us than the other Balkan countries. The cafes had plenty of customers, the roads and shops were in good order. My friends’ friends and family  were also coping well.

The scheduled departure of the ferry  was 8 PM, but on the reservation, the ferry line insisted on arrival at least two hours in advance. When we arrived just before six to pick up our tickets we were informed the departure would be 90 minutes late so we should come back at 7:30. However, it actually arrived two more hours late and loading the ferry with all of the cars, buses, and trucks is an operation in itself such that the departure was after midnight. We had reserved a cabin so the overnight crossing was very comfortable for us. We arrived in Ancona in the early afternoon, stopping at lovely Parma for the night. Our last leg to return through the tunnel back in France was uneventful except that we were greeted by, for us during our trip, unaccustomed rain.

The late arriving ferry to cross the Adriatic.

Of course, people have been recounting stories and writing about their travels for all of the human existence. Traveling in the Balkans brings to light so much history, economics, and culture, as well as glorious scenery and food. I hope this trip will remain memorable for my daughter. For me, it has stirred musings as much about the future as the past, as I now imagine some day when I might participate in her own wedding.

The author with his daughter before the wedding. She was proud to be the only child bridesmaid to participate in the ceremony. He was proud to be her father.

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