Saturday morning I loaded up olde ChiChi for a long day in the saddle.
All in all it turned out to be about 85 miles.
I left the farm and was headed for a place called Ferrara, a pretty big town that had a Buskers festival going on. What I saw was akin to street performers, a lot of dreddie kids, and music, TONS of music. Most of the bands overlapped so as you walked around the town you faded from one style to another without any silence. It was a really cool experience. But as usual..the RIDE was the best part!
I headed out from the farm at 9am and got back around 11.30! through the towns of Faenza, Lugo, Conselice, Spazzate, Argenta, Bando, and Portomaggiore before heading into Ferrara. Check the google map here.
Like most small farming villages in the middle of the day I was unable to find food to support my journey, luckily I brought a sandwich, pear and peanuts with me. I was also unable to find a working water spicket at one point and right as I was starting to bonk, get a little dehydrated, and talk to myself on the open road I spied this....
...found a shady spot...
...and DEVOURED that thing like a ravaged and crazed vegan cave man, with shirt off in the shade squatting over my precious kill, even squeezing juice into my water-bottle for the rest of the ride.
I kept eating through the tree lined streets that lead to Ferrara...
and at one point was happy to trade the guard-rail lined streets, for a bike path.
No sooner than I got on the bike path though I heard a smash up ahead and happened upon the freshest accident I have ever seen. Girls still freaking out crying, neighbors running to see if everyone was ok, and me thinking maybe the bike path is no safer than the open roads.
A couple more castles...
And a road sign that made me miss American road trips a bit...
And I was in Ferrara...
In Ferrara, I quickly found a cafe, had a beer and promptly fell asleep in the grassy shade outside an old church.
It was lunch time so the streets were quiet, and I used the time to find and plot my train ride back to Faenze.
Back in town I crept around the street fair, listened to music, watched jugglers, and fire eaters, and gypsies hustling for cash. A pretty cool European scene.
Finally saw a proper castle with a MOAT and everything!
I completely destroyed a Falafel and engaged in some pretty heavy people watching. If any of you out there are interested in finding that dark haired light eyed gypsy to make all your own, they are probably in Ferrara on the Busker weekend! Bellisimo! The winds picked up a little and the sky looked like storms a comin so I headed back to the train station for an earlier than expected departure. Walked in the door to the station and it absolutely HAMMERED rain!
Which left some amazing photo opps on the train ride home...
...in which I had an entire bike car to myself...
replete with a small desk and chair so I could write about all that I had seen.
A quick transfer at Bologna Centrale...
...and I had a car to myself AGAIN, which mean I could put my tired feet up a bit...
Got back to Faenza, had a drink and a snack at the bar by the train station and took the long way home to round out the day with an impressive 134.39 Kilometers. Exhausted I grubbed a big salad and crashed out.
Sunday I had deliveries and after making a map and gps free trip to Cortona...
Having another slice of my favorite hot-dog pizza...
and spying some cool porta-poty art on the way...
I picked up clients at the train station and shuttled them to their villa. I decided to head north and try to meet up with the Venice to Pisa tour that was having a "free day" in Florence, just a few km north of where I was. On the way I drove past a field I took pictures of in the spring. It was a cool feeling to know that I have been here for almost a whole harvest season, and to see the picture I labeled as "Tuscan green" back in may show its "harvest brown" shade as well... check the before and after...
may
AugFlorence was on the way home...sort of, and if nothing else I wanted to see the sunset from Piazzale Michelangelo, where tourists hang out to watch the sun dip behind the city...
Scooped up some rested tour leaders and one rouge client, a young lady named Debbie who at the age of 19 was experiencing more of the world than I ever could have imagined at that age. A brave soul to be sure.
Sara (a bordo), Enrico, e Debbie
Yorgos the Greek
We ended up going to a Festa d'Unita - a kind of county fair the communist party hosts, eating some awesome Argentinian food...
having a drink or two...
and then cruising around Florence in the dark by bike.
They had a busy day the next day so I bid them farewell and made the long twisty trip over the Alpines back home. Without a gps or even a map I was a little nervous but figured it out just fine. Another mark for my navigational abilities, and the rush you get when in the woods of Italy and pop out in towns near home after a 2 hour drive. A long and awesome day, and a good night sleep.
Tomorrow I leave for Germany to go with my boss Igor to the European Bike Expo. Should be a good time, we are delivering tour bikes and camping out as well so a busy week still. But a busy week on the road and with the added pleasure of German biergartens!
Ill let you know what went down,
S.
