from thunderous skies to thunderous guitars

Been pretty busy round these parts, but the bike shop is WAY ahead of schedule thanks to Igor getting us the rosters early. In other words...all the bikes for the tour that starts in two weeks are already done and awaiting american tourist butts to pedal them around Italy. Its made for a more relaxing pace around the shop, and has allowed me a little time outside the farm.



Made it to a big ceramics festival last weekend. This area is known in the art world for its ceramic production, clay manufacturing, and firing (cooking the finished pieces) techniques. I got to see a group of dudes unveil a public kiln that housed a huge replica of the town tower. Pretty impressive to watch them open essentially a 12 foot high oven. There was also this cool kiln (the oven ceramics are cooked in) made of old wine bottles that melt on the inside while its going.





LOADS of artists and ceramics of every kind. And some GREAT people watching, but my camera died so this is all I got...



I also made time last nite to join some friends at a show in Modena. It made a good beak for my weary and dirty hands...



The skies were a little more than ominous though, and it had rained most of the day, dark and spooky skies coming from the northwest blowing cold air and hammering rain...





But the skies parted long enough to get to Sara's house and join the kids on the way to a Festa in Modena, where the epic Antwerp rock band DEUS was to play for free. Italy loves a free concert and most of my friends at the record store are pretty jealous I made it as they were bidding a fond farewell to one of their own, off to Brussels for a few month.











Enrico, Sara, and yet another Michele made it just in time for a quick bite and a beer before the show.





Good times.

Going to get busy here in the next few days, but you can expect any one or more of the following from your Olde Pal Scott;

A big bike ride, maybe as early as this sunday...



Loads of deliveries all over the Tuscan country side next friday - monday....



Drama from the bike shop as the season and moods begin to wear down....



That sunset picture I have been wanting all year, from Piazza Michelangelo in Florence...



Stories about customers who rent tandems on vacation and stay at the top of a hill....



And me missing a little bit of 'merica as I get closer and closer to being able to see you all again.

Ciao till then
S

Zeppelins, bikes, hops, and cholesterol levels skyrocketing

Here's the highlights...

LOADS of driving...sometimes on very very tiny streets with bikes stacked on the roof of the monstervan. A campsite that was flooded from heavy rains, a big big bike show, zeppelins, brats, sleeping in tiny beds, views of the Alps, coffee with Gary Fisher, crazy pastries, heavy breads, hops growing in massive quantities, real bacon, bikes of every size, shape, use, configuration, and price you could imagine, a massive lake with nautical themed bars, cheap camping, an old dude in lederhosen, running into friends from the US and A, cathedrals, stashing 24,000 euros worth of bikes in a hotel dungeon, a German version of chicken fried steak that almost killed me, and more than a few good cheap beers. Check out the photos....





on our way through the Alps



cold at the top too, kinda rainy and Igor and I reached for pants and socks...



Makes you want chocolate doesn't it?



and BEER! This is how hops grow.



On to Regensburg to drop bikes for a tour that started a couple days later.



A cool town, with TINY streets, and meat smothered in kecthup dusted with curry powder, weird but good.








Stashed the bikes in a real dungeon.



The campsite we wanted to stay at, the only campsite in town was more than cold though, it was under water...so we got a hotel room and shared another tiny bed...how romantic huh?





Left Regensburg and made it to the campsite for the weekend.







Can you tell this dude is wearing a lederhosen?







End of the first day felt like we had been in a plane all day, fake sunlight and fake air. We headed in to check out town and had a brew at a nautical themed bar, then some "traditional" German food at the German version of Chili's, a lame atmosphere but good food, and REAL smokey thin bacon.











The next day, found some pastries and coffee



And saw some more bikes...



and some dudes getting RAD...







I was feeling a bit overwhelmed with all of it so took a nap in the press booth, woke up to the sound of a zeppelin flying over...pretty cool scene, I had to just laugh to myself. Then I found out the press gets free beverages...



Met up with Igor and headed into town for the most MASSIVE plates of food I have ever seen. Note the German side salads...not much on roughage the Germans...





It was kill or be killed...



And I had to kill it. Seriously, those plates and 4 beers was less than 20 euros! Germany is good on the wallet for sure. Went to bed stuffed and happy to be on the road, crashed out as soon as I hit the sleeping bag and thankfully it was a bit warmer.



Woke in the morning, to town for pastries (that thing was GOOOOD!) and found a cool farmers market. Sat by the waterfront and ran into Gary Fisher, of GaryFisher Bicycles. Crazy dude looked lost but remembered meeting me a few years ago at a barley wine festival, and is close to my buddy Nat Ross. We talked a bit and then hit the fair for one last day. Stopped at a factory outlet, almost got busted for picking hops, and hit the road again. Another long drive, through Switzerland in the dark, and back home to the good road side coffee and fast driving Italians. I'm really starting to feel at home here.



Igor is not the tallest dude I know but the hops grow super tall!



Into the Alps at sunset



Back into Italy in the dark again...



Gratuitous parting shot...

S.