More Rome - I'll stop soon!!!

Injuries

Well both Princess and myself have suffered injuries in the last 4 days. First of all I rode off the road, and ended up having to jump off the bike to remain upright, which meant I had one pedal take my shin out. Then some drunken yobbo's decided to not be nice to Princess last night, and bend my back tyre slightly. So it was a quick trip to the Rome bike shop man, who was very nice, charged me 5 euro and made Princess all good again.

Me in front of the bike shop.

Rome Shots

Colosseo and Arco di Tito Ruins

Vatican at 7.30am!!!!!

Rome Pantheon

ROME - Oh my

So I had breakfast at the Vatican and then managed to make it back for lunch!!!! Wicked thunderstorms the first arvo here, but only lasted for 30mins. Then the subsequent 2 arvos have also showed a wee bit of rain - nothing to dampen the spirit though!

Lido di Tarquinia to Rome

All 115kms, but great scenery and once again some nice man bought me a coffee in Civitavecchia.

Lido di Tarquinia

So from swimming in Lago di Bolsena yesterday, I went swimming in the Tyrrhenian Sea today. Even met some random Aussie doing the same thing as me at the campground, but once again in the opposite direction!!!! And some local italians shared some of their dinner with me - again!!!

Casal to Bolsena

Up to 772m today, but awesome view of Lago di Bolsena.

Dinner in Castel del Piano

Matt (Tasmania), Erica (Italy), Max (Italy) and Sarah (Tasmania) and DINNER (I ate a whole pizza!!!)

To Castel del Piano

Oh my goodness, Princess and I have spent some quality time together while I pushed!!!! Left Sienna on a aeaut morning after finally seeing deer 50m from me even though I have seen deer signs since leaving Venice. Maxxive climb into Montalcino at 567m then up and down into Castel del Piano at 637m. Some random guy with no teeth and old bought me a cappucino 8km short of Castel del Piano, felt sorry for me!!! Meet a couple from Tasmaniz who are 3rd day into their cycling Italy tour. Once agian, their next day was the day I had just done and my next day was what they had come from!!! Also meet a great Italian couple from Bolzano region so we had dinner and vino!!!!!! It was a hard 80km with over 30 deg temp!!!!

Sienna Chinese

I have just had another wicked experience. I decided to shout myself dinner, and found a cheapish Chinese restaurant. So I sat down and ordered (very sparingly) and there was a Taiwanese lady behind me at another table. So we started talking, I asked her to join me but as she already had her food I joined her. Well, to cut it short, she was a tour guide for a group of 16 Taiwanese people. She had copious amounts of food, couldnàt eat it all, so I ate the majority of hers and mine - she had a buffet style dinner - I more or less was the garbage disposal!!! And I might even try and catch her in Rome, fingers crossed!!!

Siena Day Trip

60kms today, just an amble through the Siena countryside. Look at that Pork Roast!!!!! They let me try just the weeeniiieessst of bits!!!

This is the Ponte (bridge) I went to!!!!!!!!!!

The Ascensori

This is the lift I caught to get down to the main street from the quaint old town in Colle Di Val D'Elsa!!!

Siena

Really enjoying Siena. Got here yesterday after a short bike ride from San Gimignano. However, it was through two great little villages, even had to catch an ascensori (lift) down from one part to another part of the village, where I came across a local market (and may have purchased fried polenta!!!! One can see why one is putting weight on and not losing it!!!). Then the afternoon was spent walking arond Siena streets with another Aussie, Erin. We had dinner in the Campo II (right), sitting in the sun, really nice and relaxing (with some random lady yelling at us to put our food in the rubbish bin - she was CRAZY!!). Today, I have just beenfor a 55km bike ride through the countryside. Unfortunately, it appears I am too early for all the sunflowers, one of the main reasons I wanted to come to Tuscany!!! Oh well. There is alot of Cranola flowers (yellow weeds!!). I have finally met others cycling around here, however, they are all doing the 6 day cycles where their luggage is carried for them. I am the only crazy one!!!

San Gimignano Cycling Buddies

This here is Pam from Wollongong, Australia. Her and her husband and son were doing a 6 day cycle through Tuscany, but they were staying in hotels and getting their bags transported each day. They were doing about 40kms each day, think that would bore me, and for the cost!!!!!!!!! But they probably are staying in great beds, eating great food!!!!!

San Gimignano

Me up at the San Gimignano wine museum, with my friendly translator!!

Princess outside the Wine Museum!

Enroute to San Gimignano

Enroute Florence to San Gimignano, in a place called Barberino with the Chianti backdrop.

Florence

I enjoyed Florence, the hustle and bustle. Quite expensize, but thatàs the way with bigger cities I suppose.

The funniest thing was that I met two Americans on my first day, and then ran into them 4 times. Who would of guessed. Hope you managed to find the blog site Dan and Heidi.

Florence Piazzale Del Duomo

Florence Fiume Arno

Me and Florence

Will post more photos of Florence, but here I am taken from Piazzale Michelangelo!!!

Lucca to Pistoia (Train to Florence)

Well after saying that I am doing 80kms per day, I lied. Only 59kms today. Got to Pistoia and couldnàt get on the main raod as there were all those signs (Motorway eh Heidi!!). So how convenient, I trained from Pistoia to Florence.
Florence is vibrant, exhilirating, expensive. Pitched my tent and given myself a day off!!!

La Spezia Naval

Bit of Recce for 5 SQN

La Spezia to Lucca (via Pisa)

117 kms today.
Nice bike ride paspast the Italian Navy (arenàt I a geek).
Down the coast of the Ligurian Sea (huge boulevard of restaurants at Viareggio), random forest where I witnessed two older biggish ladies sitting beside the main road with their shirts undone and breasts exposed - WHAT THE!!!!!!



On to Pisa to do the touristy photo of the leaning tower and then thru to Lucca. Real pretty city with its walls still surrounding the place and intact.

Pisa above
Lucca sunset below with the wall that you could cycle around

La Spezia and Cinque Terre

Well this was a true day off. I didnàt see Princess at all.
So I invited myself to walk the 5 villages of Cinque Terre with Michelle, Leigh and Chelsea from Melbourne and Renee (my room mate) from America.
Awesome day, beaut weather. At Manarola, the Aussies left us, and Renee and I had a siesta on the rocks for a couple of hours and more or less chilled. Saw kids diving off the rocks into the water - pretty chilly. Guess what nationality the were!!! KIWIS!!!!

Cinque Terre Again

Little break for a spot to eat, and Renee (from America) feeling the ocean after the 'Siesta'

Cinque Terre Shots

Manarolo left (siesta time)
Verazza (below)

Biassa (Cinque Terre - La Spezia)

Biassa Hostel and dinner with Chelsea, Michelle and Leigh from Aussie!!!!

Cinque Terre

Cinque Terre before the 9km walk between the five villages.

Genova to Sestri Levante to La Spezia

A great day, massive hills, WHAT THE!!!!!! So I trained from Sestri LEvante to La Spezia to find the hostel was 10km out of town up a hill - 1 hour to get there, 5 mins to bike down, GO FIGURE!!!!
However on the way to Sestri Levante, I went via Santa Margherita and Portofino - awesome places, great scenery (another 3.6km hill that took 30-35mins to bike up and 2.5mins to bike down!!!). Plus I found friends who bought me a coffee in S Margherita. Check out the Ferrari bike that one of them had!!!

Cycling Buddies Enroute to Sestri Levante

These were my cycling buddies enroute to Sestri Levante from Genova. One of them even decided to help me up the hellish hills by pushing me while cycling.
They then bought me a coffee in Santa Margherita, beautiful place. The second photo is the background of Portofino

Me and Genova Bigo

Genova

I liked Genova, gave myself a day off and just walked around the old city, new city, porto and lanterna (huge Genova land mark!!!). Bit cloudy but not too bad, and didnàt see Princess all day.
Met two great sisters from Switzerland in the Hostel, and chilled the second evening with them until they went out to dinner. Sorry we didnàt get to the drink the vino!! Another time!

Genova Shots

Genova from Porto
Genova Piazza de Ferrari
Genova Lanterna from Porto

Mantua to Casalmaggiore to Picenza (via Cremona) to Genoa (via Pavia)

This has been a great three days.
Day one: Tuesday 10 April 115kms
It all started with a train trip from Modena to Mantua. A lovely quaint town on the shores of three lakes. Then I hit the cycle, found an awesome cheese factory and milking farm before finding a cycle path heading up the Po River.
AND my first encounter with other idiots doing the same thing as me. Unfortunately, they (independent of each other) where going in the other direction and I met them both within 15mins of each other.
I was going to stay overnight in Casalmaggiore, however, there wasn't really anywhere to stay and so on I carried to a place called Salarolo Monasterolo. After asking two lots of people if I could camp on their lawn, I encountered the BEST, the pot of gold!!!! I asked this 'nono' (grandfather) and after much deliberating with his daughter and wife, all in italian, they pointed me to their monastery just around the corner. See photos!!!!!!! AND THEN, they went and bought me a panini and 'acqua' for dinner!!!!!
Day two: Wednesday 11 April 100kms
So after being given dinner last night, the next thing, this girl comes along to make sure I was all okay in my little tent, and then asks me if she can interview me for the 'Cremona local chronicle' that she is a reporter for!!!! So at 9am, she turns up, takes my photo and is going to send me the article (in italian unfortunately). So off I trundle at 0930, got horribly lost and poor Princess did abit of off roading!!!! Went into Cremona for an hour or so, lovely place, huge flower market happening, then stopped at a place called Maccastorna for a breather. Well the lady at the shop, gave me an acqua, panini and apple!!!!!!!
I cannot get over the generosity of these people.
Day three: Thursday 12 April 72kms
On the road again, just can't wait to get back on the road again.
And onto Pavia I made it. Shorter day, one hour to look around Pavia (nice bustling place) before getting on the train to Genova. A nice italian spoke to me the whole way, he helped me get on and off the train and pointed out good places to go. However, what I didn't realise was that the Hostel was 5kms directly up hill on the arrival at the train station. Needless to say, great views of Genova, and a 45min walk.
Enjoy the photos.
Princess has been a 'trooper' - even with her slightly off-road work.
Temperatures have been about 10-13 deg at 8am to about 25 deg at 3pm - I'm a little tomato!!!

Piacenza to Pavia

I can't wait for the Tuscany scenery, this was only on the way Piacenza to Pavia!!!!