Month: May 2019

My friend Woody managed to turn a short downhill ride that had miles of bustling beachfront into a delightful country ride with hills and noisy frogs.

We started slowly, because we had some extra hills, but settled in and managed to arrive in the village of Tavoletto for coffee. We knew we were on a good route because we kept seeing groups of cyclists along the road! At coffee, we saw a large group of Danish guys, oldsters like us, on fancy bikes (rented! The latest Bianchis, etc) and we chatted before they headed out.

The scenic spot for our coffee since the Danes had taken over the indoors of the cafe, was a bench next to the fish merchant’s truck.

The fish didn’t smell much and the backdrop was this:

Along the road, we passed a small shrine with this heraldric sign. A reminder that this area was often invaded by the French.

We rode past tended fields and wild valleys. I was often in the rear to take photos. Once, I rode up to the group who had stopped in the middle of nowhere. They gestured at me, but I didn’t understand. Oh, they wanted me to be very quiet. I stopped and got off my bike. Then I got it: a small pond next to the road had the loudest frogs I’ve ever heard in my life! I have a couple videos with the sound, but I haven’t uploaded them to YT yet. Stay tuned…

As we approached the sea, the fields became white with onion plants. I was fascinated by their round white tops.

We stopped for a delightful lunch (of course!) and then only had to ride about 10km to the hotel. The signs and decorations for the Giro stage that started here a week ago are still up.

Our destination was The Beach and the best way to get there was along the Lungomare beachfront pathway with a single-speed hotel bike. Here I am dressed for the beach on the ONLY sunny day of the two-week trip!

The beach here is just like all the others: full of buildings, umbrellas, restaurants. They are private spaces you have to pay to enter. But at the end of the main passeggiata boulevard my friend Julie and I found a great ice cream place and a free beach, so we went into the Adriatic and got our feet wet. Made us both happy.

My next bike trip is in the Central Massif in France, in mid- to late-September. Look for more road shots then…

Love you all!!

Today was the worst of days and the best of days.

We decided to go off route and find our own way to Urbino. OMG! We started out on a very steep road up to a tiny hamlet with huge panoramas. I hadn’t expected such a hard start to the day and I’m still quite sick, so it was hard. Then we dropped down to the river and found a cafe for coffee. Whew. A double espresso really helps.

We rode through a small town that was quite charming and had the stations of the cross along the main street.

Then some ordinary roads, a short stretch of “strada bianca” (unpaved roads) to get away from the highway.

Then up! The first few hundred metres were very steep. Then it got steeper: 18%. Some of us walked our bikes. Then it got even steeper: 20%!! All of us walked.

And yet we went on, into a beautiful nature preserve. Still up, but gentle. We kept going. Sunshine mostly but windy. I hadn’t eaten enough and was feeling the effort. It was hard. We kept going because what was the alternative?

We stopped at a curve in the road where a bunch of trails went off into the forest and ate everything we had with us. Not very much as it turned out.

But we kept going. And then, as if a mirage, I saw parked cars and a small building and people eating at tables. OMG! We were saved: we could get lunch!!!

By the time we got there, we only had 13km to go, mostly downhill. How delightful! So we had pasta, roast lamb, wine, dessert, coffee… And it was easy to ride to Urbino.

I was so happy to see the restaurant and to get a good meal. So very happy!!

The other day (now catching up on a post from a week ago), I rode with my buddies and had another great day, complete with an after lunch digestive and rain on the last 2 km. Very windy but otherwise just fine.

We left the hilltop convent riding down am extremely steep road past these ancient wash baths.

Then a few hours of riding over hills and through valleys. The countryside is beautiful and very green. Every hill has a town or church on it. This place looked so remote, I think it was abandoned. But who knows…?!

This farm sells mozzarella and other cheeses made from sheep’s milk.

Further along was a beautiful abbey. Lovely in the sunshine.

We went through some small towns.

Many had political posters up since the European elections were soon. The black poster is for the Forza Nuova right-wing party and says “Break the chains of Brussels” and the red poster is for a party called The Left and says “Europe needs a revolution.”

(Well, the results are in by now and the party who favors exiting the EU is stronger than before!)

It was tricky finding a place for lunch, but we saw there was a small restaurant about an hour and a half further along. I called them to check that they’d be open when we got there. Yes. Whew… We rode with an improved focus until we saw the sign. The place was in the middle of nowhere and yet had lots of tables and plenty of guests, including other cyclists. This photo shows Woody, Jan, and Jim.

We had a delicious meal, with wine and coffee, and when we were all done, the hosts brought out a trio of after-dinner drinks to go with the tiramisu: limoncello, grappa, and a bitter. The bitter was very tasty!

The final miles were rainy and windy but I still stopped to take a photo of this pole. It’s hard to see but it’s covered in blue ribbons. Apparently a son was born to this family and they are pretty happy about it: That’s a full-sized motorcycle up at the top of the pole!!!

And, just to put things in perspective, we finished the day with a banquet.

Yesterday we rode through earthquake country. One town in particular, San Ginesio, which is full of braces and scaffolding and steel cables holding buildings together. And we ended the day in a Catholic convent.The day started fine, with coffee in sunshine. Marnie had a perfect caffe macchiato.Gorgeous scenery, filled with foreboding.We rode a long uphill into San Ginesio, a lovely brick cobbled town. There was a market finishing up in three main square answer I bought a pretty scarf.Noticed that many buildings are bolted together with cables and lumber. Finally I asked someone. Ah yes, in October of 2016 was a terrible earthquake. The buildings haven’t been reconstructed, just supported.And there are two banners asking about reconstruction: when will it happen? It’s been three years!And at night, we were in a convent. Several nuns were Filipino and I’ve was from Indonesia, so they spoke English. A simple night but quite comfy.

Day before yesterday was a good ride. Bits of rain but nothing serious.

First we got coffee from a tiny bar in the town wall.

Then we trundled on until it was lunch time. We tried one hotel restaurant, but the English lady who owned it told us they weren’t open quite yet. So we ended up at the tiny pizza place in town. We got there only ten minutes before he closed, but had a great lunch. Turned out it was Jim’s birthday!

We’ve seen so many buildings here with reinforced doorways and scaffolding. Here are two common examples.

Saw these two on the way. I like the juxtaposition of the two photos…

I rode with a group of friends into Ascoli Piceno.

We stop for coffee, we stop for views, we stop for a long lunch with wine. Excellent company and great food!

We rode into the town right through the main center, past beautiful churches and wide piazzas.

Here’s my roommate, Kelli, in the main piazza.

This province, Le Marche, has plenty of mountains and wild countryside.

And very green everywhere!

Check out this palazzo. It’s in “Egyptian” style.

Amazingly tasty lunch in the parking lot at a truck stop.

At the bar where we had coffee, there was a sign “It is severely prohibited to disturb the card players!” !!!

Here’s the gang at coffee outside:

We seen so many buildings held together with cables and scaffolding. So many!!

Just a bit of artwork in an old wall.

Yesterday was a long and hilly day: 90km with 6,000ft elevation. It didn’t rain but was chilly and overcast all day. It was hard. Endless ride.

Also, worth noting: I only took 4 photos. Just wanted to be done!

Here we are at our first coffee break.

Another walled town.

How’s this for a cool water tower?!

We started the day in a positive space, which sustained us all day!

Today we rode a real point-to-point ride, across hill and dale. Lots of walled towns, but here everything is brick. No marble or stone facades.

Every town is surrounded by a thick brick wall with round towers.

Almost the first thing we saw when we got out of our village was a sign for Sacramento, not the California one though. 🙂

Later in the morning, we came around a corner and saw a Disneyland town in the distance: Corinaldo.

The towns here have been in perfect condition. Well maintained, no trash anywhere, almost too immaculate. But lovely, each one.

Two unexpected sights: a huge mural. I think that this area might be a communist or socialist stronghold. This mural makes me think of the ones I’ve seen in Russia and China.

And, at the very end of the day, I ride up into the town of Iesi and discovered an excellent exhibit of Tina Modotti’s photography. She was very active politically, using her photography to show poverty and oppression. She was involved with Edward Weston for a while and was pals with Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo. Here’s one of her photos.

It rained too much to ride, so I spent the day in Ravenna looking at ancient gorgeous mosaics. This is an ancient city, dating back to Roman times: It was the seat of the Western Roman Empire in the 5th century and then of Byzantine Italy until the 8th century. There are 8 buildings from the 5th and 6th centuries with incredible mosaics. According to Unesco’s World Heritage list description, these show “a wonderful blend of Graeco-Roman tradition, Christian iconography and oriental and Western styles.” 

From the floors to the vast ceilings, it was quite awe inspiring! At the risk of overwhelming you, here are my best shots.

Let’s start with this one. It’s a side arch in a small chapel. simple cross, good shadows. 

I found my eyes pulled upwards time and again. The mosaics looked as though they were constructed yesterday. So detailed, so colorful!

        

       

 

        

         

And the floors were amazing too. My head whipped up and down, side to side, then up and down again… 

         

It was always about Christ. There were crosses and figures in every archway and ceiling. 

       

Yesterday it rained heavily all day and the winds were whipping the trees, so we hired a bus and traveled to Montemaggiore al Metauto in style.

As we drove up through the village, I saw signs with Winston Churchill on them. What’s up with that? We’re in a tiny village in the middle of nowhere. Well, it turns out that Winston came here in 1944 to scout out how to attack the Gothic Line. This town is right on the top of a hill, so they had 360° of view. A huge battle was fought here and the Germans ran away afterwards.

A local church has been converted into a museum to commemorate this event. How cool is that?! Here’s the poster with Winston on it.

We stayed in a great restored house. This is some of the bike group at dinner last much. Roast guinea fowl and succulent lamb chops.

Looking up from the restaurant towards the main town church…