Bringing our car from Ireland to Spain was always the plan. Not even the about 30 hours it would take to make the trip dissuaded us!
We could have sold our car in Ireland and then bought a new one in the continent (and we may still do it), but we ended up deciding that the investment was not worth it, given that our car was working perfectly and that we did not see many benefits in a new car (apart from cruise control!).
So, we booked the ferry from Rosslare, Ireland to Bilbao, Spain that sailed between April 29 and May 1, leaving on Friday evening and arriving on Sunday morning. The whole deal cost us about 400€.
We had no problem finding the spot where we were to board the ferry. After passing passport control, we had to wait in line (in our car) for a couple of hours until we could finally board.
Boarding the boat was a nerve-wracking experience...
You may know from the entry where we packed our car that our Opel Corsa was quite full. So full that its back was noticeably lower than its front. As we approached the ferry we noticed that the trucks were turning right inside it, towards a fairly flat area, while the cars were turning left, towards the upper deck through the steepest ramp I had ever seen. We got understandably worried that we would have to climb the ramp and that our car would stop midway, specially since the cars below did not wait for the previous cars to arrive on top before starting the ascend...
Corsair (our car) had some trouble getting up the ramp, having lost traction and turned on the traction control light for a moment! It got through it though. My partner, H, remained calm the whole time but I admit I was grinding my teeth and holding on way too tightly to my seat!
We were sent to our cabin, but not before we got the mandatory face masks from our car (we were not wearing them because they are no longer required in Ireland). The cabin had a suitable size for two people, though it might have been uncomfortable for the four it allowed for. The problem was the bathroom, that smelled worse than any public bathroom I have been to. For someone with some mental constraints related to dirtiness, the bathroom was a big challenge and I ended up having to use it with the door open and wasting a lot of the perfume my parents had given me for Christmas making the air more breathable...
As I am writing this entry, I do not remember exactly what time it was when we finally boarded the ferry, but I remember that it was way past our usual bedtime when we finished getting ready for bed. Just after we said goodnight, an announcement came through the cabin speaker in which we were asked to make our way to the bar area for a safety demonstration. Not remembering the safety instructions related to travelling by boat, we made our way there regardless of how sleepy we were.
Imagine our surprise when we got to the bar to find dozens of people drinking and chatting away! Despite the full room, from what I could tell only us and two other people paid any attention to the safety demonstration, which basically consisted of just how to put the life jacket on. They did not even tell us how we would get the life jacket to start with! Of course I went up to the person doing the demonstration and asked about it (fyi, there are points spread throughout the boat with life jackets and, in case they are needed, members of the crew will be there to hand you yours).
The rest of the trip was comfortable enough. We were bored and slightly nauseous, but ended up distracting ourselves with chatting about our future and what we want and do not want from life. I was also consumed by the book I was reading: Wool by Hugh Howey.
Getting out of the ferry was not as nerve-wracking as getting in, though I admit I was grinding my teeth again... We waited for what felt like at least an hour for passport control and that was it. We were out of the island I love so much and instead in the continent where I grew up!
Where is Gato? #2
During the crossing, Gato, our cactus, stood next to the window. There was not much light and they are slightly too short to see the ocean beyond, but I still think they enjoyed it.
Then, after we packed to leave the ferry and while we were waiting in the bar, Gato sat on top of our bags. They are getting so big - and the flowers are really coming along... I so look forward to those!
