Overcoming fears

Driving in a foreign country—especially Italy—feels like stepping into a fast-moving current. At first, we hesitate, watching the chaos from the shore. Buses barrel through impossibly narrow streets, scooters weave recklessly between lanes, and cars dart forward with a confidence we don’t yet possess. Pedestrians seem to be an afterthought, left to fend for themselves. It’s absolute mayhem, a symphony of speed and impatience.

Still, we decide to dip our toe in. Hm. Not too bad. We inch forward, wading a bit further. It’s okay. We got this. And then—deep breath—we plunge in, swept up in the rhythm of the road, hoping we can keep afloat.

Today is the day. We need to do a little driving practice, on our own, without an audience. We are picking up Jim and Nancy in Rome my widget tells me in TEN days! Woot! So, armed with our vast knowledge on how to get out to the Bari airport we head out. We are both nervous. Yes, we both drove in Europe but that was 34 years ago!

We haven’t rented the car yet. We check online. This company seems too cheap and not real. We decide to go to the counter. There are a plethora. So we randomly choose one. We get an estimate. Nope. Way too much! We sit down, do a little research, and rent a car online. Our company is Drivalia. We find the counter and after a bit of paperwork strike out in search of the car lot.

We end up with a Fiat Tipo. It is in nice condition; let’s hope it stays that way! I wish I could insert a scratch and sniff of how powerful the deodorizer is. Wowie. My eyes are watering. We plug in our route. We decide to go visit Vieste. Trains do not go there. We will drive through a National Park and what we feel are some of the windiest roads in the world. I looked it up. And no, not quite THAT windy. But close. Here is the link for your enjoyment: http://www.theworldgeography.com/2012/03/12-of-most-winding-roads-around-world.html

We enjoy our day of driving. We stop at an overlook and enjoy a lunch. We picked up a couple of rolls at our bakery / coffee shop this morning. Salumi, cheese, rolls, an orange and San Pellegrino. Lunch of the gods. It takes us waay longer than google maps says but we eventually make it. Vieste looks like it is a destination for many folks during the summer. Beaches, hotels, restaurants – all shuttered right now – dormant. Sleepily waiting for the crowds.

Of course, it is riposo when we reach our destination, so we don’t even find a bar to have a caffè. Bummer. Our journey formed a loop, allowing us to take in new sights on the way back home.

Jim and Nancy, we’re happy to report that we feel ready! We’ve navigated various weather conditions, traversed small local roads, bustling city streets, highways, and even tackled an autostrada after dark, in the rain. We stopped and filled up the car and made our way back to the airport. We used 31 euro worth of diesel for our trip. Not bad.

We park the car. Do a fist bump and head in to turn in the key. We pass a gal with a Drivalia jacket on. Little do we realize, she is also the one that is working the counter, so she will not be there when we go to turn the key in. The folks at the adjoining counter offer to give our key to her. Against my better judgment, I hand over the key. I ask to take their picture so I can at least show the insurance company who took possession of the key if things go awry. They laugh. Sure. (Jim is behind me, eyes rolling into the back of his head, I’m sure).

Turns out, I could have waited for the gal to return. Our bus is not due to arrive for 40 more minutes. We were going to have pizza when we got home, we are rarely out at 7pm when it is socially acceptable to go to dinner. But, along with the 40 minute wait for the bus and a 40 minute ride back, we wouldn’t be eating until after 9 pm. That is way too late for us. We head inside and have a slice of Foccacia Barese for dinner. (foccacia, tomatoes, olives – careful! They still have the pits in them)

Hahah. The gal is at the Drivalia counter. I stop to talk to her and make sure she got the key. All’s well. We get back to Bari Centrale and we are surprised to see that the fountain has colored lights at night. Fun! See, I told you we were missing a lot of night life!

paleremo presto.