Day 37 – Paris, London

Arriving in to Bercy station 40 minutes late, time is short to cross Paris in time for the 1113 Eurostar service to London. We walk to Gare de Lyon, travel two stops along RER Line D to Gare du Nord, and make check-in with not much time to spare. We buy some coffee and before we have drunk it the boarding call is made.

The train is on time, we are soon back in Blighty, and at 1229 we reach the end of the line, and the Study Tour. Now the hard work of preparing the research paper and a presentation to the CIBSE Council begins…

Day 36 – Bologna

Today is at leisure before the final push for home. Bologna may not enjoy the reputation of Rome, Venice or Siena but it is a lovely city in which to spend a relaxing day. It is famed for its extensive arcades, 45 km long in total.

 

   

 

At 2150 we collect our backpacks and walk to the station in good time for the 2231 sleeper train to Paris.

Day 35 – Bari, Bologna

We disembark at 1023, rather later than the published 0900 arrival. There’s no passport check or other formalities of any kind. It’s not exactly a pedestrian-friendly exit from the port but we’re soon meandering through the pleasant old town, past the castle and up towards the station.

 

We hunt in vain for a cafe with outdoor seating and wi-fi but at least the coffee is predictably good. Before too long it’s time to head to the station for the 1258 departure to Bologna.

 

The train is fast, modern and spacious and quiet until we reach Ancona. We arrive in Bologna on time at 1094, walk in to our hotel, and go for dinner.

Day 34 – Athens, Patras

Another replacement bus service to look forward to, this time between Kiato and Patras, where it appears the narrow gauge railway is being replaced with standard gauge.

Yesterday we bought our tickets and booked our seats on the 0806 service from Athens Larisis. The trains speeds towards Kiato on the standard gauge track completed in 2006, crossing the impressively deep and narrow Corinth canal too quickly to take a photo.

The switch to road transport is uneventful and we head west along the coast where perhaps the most notable sight is the Rion-Antirion bridge that crosses the Corinth strait, connecting Peloponnese with mainland Greece. Completed for the 2004 Olympic games it is the longest cable stayed bridge in the world with a continuous deck of 2,250 m, longer than the Golden Gate bridge (1,966 m).

Shortly afterwards we arrive in to Patras, a little late. We have been told it holds little interest for the traveller, and since I have blogging to catch up with, we settle in to the cafe between the station and Gate 3, from where the ferry to Bari departs.

We board at 1530 for the 1730 departure. It feels like the holiday season is over, with few passengers, mainly long-distance lorry drivers.