Favorites, Do-Overs, and Last Impressions

Patty and I have put together a list of special moments for the month of riding that we did in Italy and here they are:

Favorite bike ride-

Patty-Abruzzo

Cindi-Abruzzo

Favorite gelato-

Patty-Vivoli in Florence

Cindi-Vivoli in Florence

Favorite attraction-

Patty-Borghese Museum

Cindi-I would agree with Patty, but a close second for me was the Castello Buonconsiglio in Trento...I loved the frescoes

Favorite sound-

Patty-bells...cow bells, church bells

Cindi-the day we were riding to Daniela's house in San Miniato...it was a Sunday...and we heard singing coming from the church a half mile away and up on a hill...

Favorite breakfast-

Patty-in the garden at Fabio's in Florence

Cindi-without a doubt...in the garden at Fabio's

Most frustrating moment-

Patty-trains

Cindi-I had four...the two train travel days, the night we were out in the middle of nowhere, in the dark, and I had no point of reference to get me to Fredrica's house in Ferrara, and the day we rode to Mezzolombardo and I couldn't find a street sign and a corresponding road on my iPad to save my life...and then Patty figured out we were about a half mile from Tiziana's house...

Most disappointing moment-

Patty-no water in Trevi fountain

Cindi-utter commercialization of the Vatican

Most fearful moment-

Patty-in Rome, right after we had gotten off the train at 10 pm, in heavy traffic, getting a flat tire and not seeing Cindi anywhere (I wasn't too far away :)

Cindi-in Rome, after being swindled with transaction fees when I exchanged some money, there was about a two minute period where I thought I had lost my phone

Biggest surprise-

Patty-the vast network and number of bike trails in Italy

Cindi-how safe it is to ride in Italy...I never felt unsafe...not once

Hardest ride-

Patty-Florence to San Gimignano

Cindi-the ride to Marina di Pisa...it meant our trip was coming to an end

Things I missed the most-

Patty-ice, eggs

Cindi-ice, quiet

Most beautiful sight-

Patty-Dolomites

Cindi-yes, the Dolomites, and also coming down from Passo San Leonardo, around a turn in the road, and seeing Pacentro, perched on the hillside, the bobbing heads of Jeremy, Jackson, and Jordan when I first met them in Florence, sitting at a long table at the Agriturismo in San Miniato with Germans and Italians and simply enjoying the food, the setting, and the love of Life.

Most amazing thing-

Patty-Cindi's route finding ability (I swear, I did not pay her to say that...)

Cindi-that for 30 days, often with people who spoke little or no English at all...we managed...quite well

There were things that we would do differently:

1).  Train reservations.  We wouldn't make any.  We would simply go to the departing station and buy the tickets on the spot, for both rider and bike.  We found the train to be very reasonable in terms of price. I would also get off at a smaller city as opposed to when we got off in Bologna, because that would certainly make the riding easier.

2).  Accommodation reservations.  We would make fewer.  If you have a reservation, there is pressure to get there and does not allow for those serendipitous times when you see a place along the way that is both charming and timely.  That said, having a reservation may be necessary in places where there are a lot of tourists, like Florence and San Gimignano.  

3).  I would bring very little US money and rely on a debit card for money exchanges, and a credit card for larger purchases like train tickets, accommodations, city tour passes.

4).  Do a better job of learning more of the language.  I really enjoyed the times when we could communicate a little in Italian.  I want to be better.

Both of us used nearly everything we brought.  An exception for me was a Goal Zero solar charger that I bought for touring and backpacking.  Every place we stayed had electrical outlets, we simply needed the adapter.  An extra phone battery and USB power pack work well as a backup.

Last impressions--from Cindi--

I remember Bill promising me one time that we wouldn't go to our vacation destination until i had "planned it to death".  I can't imagine ever wanting to take a vacation cruise or booking a group tour, at least not when I could plan the adventure myself.  I realize there are people who do, and they have a  fantastic time on their vacation too...but it's just not for me.

Italians are expressive people.  They seem to love family, food, and tradition.  And shoes...they love shoes.  They are patient people, waiting for phone lines which do not work, or traffic that is backed up for miles, or delicious food that cannot.will not.ever.become.fast food.  For the most part they seem friendly, and I always loved it when I called out "Buon giorno!" and got a smile and a "Giorno!" in reply.

Patty and I got to see a variety of Italian landscapes, from the densely populated cities of Rome, Bologna, and Florence, to the forested, sheep dwelling mountains of Abruzzo, to the crags of snow capped Dolomites, and finally the vineyard lined hills and valleys of Mezzolombardo, San Gimignano, San Miniato, and Pisa.  I loved it all.  I loved that old brick buildings which used to be barns have been renovated into lovely homes and that family farms still make their own wine and press their own oil.  I love that when I was talking to Daniela about the round zucchini and told her that in the US, we only grown the long green ones, her eyes lit up and she said the round ones are like "Cinderella's Ball".  My Patriot Supply and Sustainable Seed Co. both have them.  Giddy up.

Patty and I probably spent around $3500 a piece for this trip.  We both used airline miles which was then fuel surcharged, but it cost us nothing to ship our bikes.  They went as our checked bag, and we carried the other pannier on as a carry on.  We stayed with friends, a couple of Warm Shower hosts, and a bunch of Air B&B folks.  We ate best with Pete and Shirleen, but we didn't exactly deprive ourselves the rest of the trip.  I haven't stepped on the scales yet...don't think I will.

I picked up my mail and buried in the middle of the stack was a manila envelope.  It had my RAGBRAI jersey and all of the entry wristbands and information that I will need.  RAGBRAI is the Des Moines  "Register's Annual Great Bike Ride Across Iowa".  This is the 42nd year and five of my friends have talked me into doing the 6-day 468 mile ride.  Italy to Iowa in a week, olives to corn, wine to chickawawa...life.is.good.