[YEAR 7!] Quit our jobs, sold our home, gone riding...
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Neda, the friendly giant
Just stumbled upon this. Great write up and epic travel. How tall is Neda and yourself? I have seen the height difference in a few pics with people you have met along the way.
lightcycle
Nomad
Neda is 5'8" and I'm 5'7".
The people in Central and South America are short! It's a very strange feeling for me to tower over so many people!
Then I got to Europe and I'm a short focker all over again...
unkamonkey
Explorer
A friend of mine is 6'3". when he was in the Middle East, Hawaii and South America, he was a giant. One plane flight he was on with a NBA team, he became a dwarf.
On the other hand, a friends mother is 5'2". If she is in a downtown area she seems to have the ability to slither through the crowd with ease, he has a hard time keeping up with her. WTH, she's only 83 now. He has joked about strapping one of those bicycle flags to her so he can find her.
On the other hand, a friends mother is 5'2". If she is in a downtown area she seems to have the ability to slither through the crowd with ease, he has a hard time keeping up with her. WTH, she's only 83 now. He has joked about strapping one of those bicycle flags to her so he can find her.
lightcycle
Nomad
Updated from http://www.RideDOT.com/rtw/181.html
In South-Eastern Sicily, there are eight towns in the Val di Noto (Noto Valley) that were rebuilt after a huge earthquake in 1693. Considerable work was done to populate these towns with the popular Baroque architecture of the day. Noto itself was only 40 kms away from Siracusa, so we hopped on the bikes one afternoon and headed into town to see some cool architecture.
Through AirBnB, we found a tiny cave-like apartment dug out of the old buildings
Kind of small and dusty, but it was right in the historic centre
The infrastructure is not very good in the historic centre. Every afternoon after lunch, the town shut off all the water so all the buildings and businesses in the area had to rely on huge water tanks on-premise that were replenished when the water supply was turned on again in the morning. We had to make sure to turn on the pump every morning to re-fill our tank otherwise no shower, flushing toilets or washing dishes after lunch!
Despite all this, it was a cool experience, living for a couple of days in the centre of town.
We're going to do things a little bit different while we're here in the Val di Noto. Because all the towns look so empty during the middle of the day during the Italian riposo (siesta), we decided to take an afternoon nap ourselves and then do some sightseeing in the evening for a change. Living la vita Siciliana!
Porto Real arch leads to the famous cobblestoned walkway of Corso Vittorio Emanuele
Noto comes alive in the evening, tourists and locals hanging out in front of magnificent examples of Baroque architecture
So many people walking around! I really don't understand the whole riposo thing. I can see that maybe in the middle of the summer, you'd want to sleep off the afternoon heat indoors where it's nice and cool. But this late in the season the days are actually pleasant: mid-to-high 20s. Why keep the same schedule all year round?
Sitting on the steps of the Noto Cathedral
More expensive restaurants. Can't eat here or we'll go Baroque.
Just outside of the historic centre, we found a take-out pizzeria selling large pies for €5. Finally cheap food! We're finding food generally is cheaper in Sicily than the mainland, but the tourist traps in the middle of all the attractions still gouge the holiday crowd.
Why is the beach so empty?
We really wanted to hit at least one of the famous Sicilian beaches while we're down here. Calabernardo Beach is the closest to Noto, less than 10 kms away, so we hopped on the bikes to get some sun in. The place was entirely empty! We found out why... less than 5 minutes after we put down our beach towels, it started to rain.
Of course we checked the forecast before we came. 60% chance of showers means 40% chance of sun, doesn't it?
Back to our cave
In South-Eastern Sicily, there are eight towns in the Val di Noto (Noto Valley) that were rebuilt after a huge earthquake in 1693. Considerable work was done to populate these towns with the popular Baroque architecture of the day. Noto itself was only 40 kms away from Siracusa, so we hopped on the bikes one afternoon and headed into town to see some cool architecture.
Through AirBnB, we found a tiny cave-like apartment dug out of the old buildings
Kind of small and dusty, but it was right in the historic centre
The infrastructure is not very good in the historic centre. Every afternoon after lunch, the town shut off all the water so all the buildings and businesses in the area had to rely on huge water tanks on-premise that were replenished when the water supply was turned on again in the morning. We had to make sure to turn on the pump every morning to re-fill our tank otherwise no shower, flushing toilets or washing dishes after lunch!
Despite all this, it was a cool experience, living for a couple of days in the centre of town.
We're going to do things a little bit different while we're here in the Val di Noto. Because all the towns look so empty during the middle of the day during the Italian riposo (siesta), we decided to take an afternoon nap ourselves and then do some sightseeing in the evening for a change. Living la vita Siciliana!
Porto Real arch leads to the famous cobblestoned walkway of Corso Vittorio Emanuele
Noto comes alive in the evening, tourists and locals hanging out in front of magnificent examples of Baroque architecture
So many people walking around! I really don't understand the whole riposo thing. I can see that maybe in the middle of the summer, you'd want to sleep off the afternoon heat indoors where it's nice and cool. But this late in the season the days are actually pleasant: mid-to-high 20s. Why keep the same schedule all year round?
Sitting on the steps of the Noto Cathedral
More expensive restaurants. Can't eat here or we'll go Baroque.
Just outside of the historic centre, we found a take-out pizzeria selling large pies for €5. Finally cheap food! We're finding food generally is cheaper in Sicily than the mainland, but the tourist traps in the middle of all the attractions still gouge the holiday crowd.
Why is the beach so empty?
We really wanted to hit at least one of the famous Sicilian beaches while we're down here. Calabernardo Beach is the closest to Noto, less than 10 kms away, so we hopped on the bikes to get some sun in. The place was entirely empty! We found out why... less than 5 minutes after we put down our beach towels, it started to rain.
Of course we checked the forecast before we came. 60% chance of showers means 40% chance of sun, doesn't it?
Back to our cave
lightcycle
Nomad
Our next stop is another Val di Noto city called Modica. It's less than an hour away from Noto, so we take the backroads through what's known as the Iblean Plateau. It's the same kind of limestone geography that we saw at Pantalica. We've booked another place through AirBnB, a farm about 15 kms outside of Modica, and we ride for a while through very narrow laneways lined on both sides low stone walls that Neda says reminds her of Pula.
Our home for the next few days
We really like our AirBnB stays, mainly because of the price point, but also because most of the owners are really cool people to talk to. The owner of this farm was originally from Bologna, but her family moved here recently. She told us all about the good and bad about Sicily. Apparently the Mafia is very real and very present down here. As a tourist you don't really see it, but if you try to start any kind of business, they get involved very quickly.
I've always wondered why Sicily seems to be the very poorest part of Italy, given that it's got such nice weather, it should really be raking in the Euros due to all the tourist activity. However it was explained to us that companies are hesitant to start up businesses here because of the mafia and the government corruption, so there's very little investment in Sicily.
As usual, Neda finds a four-legged friend on the farm
We're continuing our night-time tours of Val di Noto. We hop on the bikes after sunset and head into Modica where our first priority is to find a chocolate store. Modica chocolate is well-known for it's particular dry, grainy texture, they say once you have it, you can't go back to regular milk chocolate. I don't know about that, but we did enjoy it a lot that we bought several bars for the trip, but they all magically disappeared before we even left the farm.
Where did they all go, Neda...?
Neda on the hunt for chocolate in Modica
Historic centre of Modica
Cool night-time architecture
We climbed up to one of the highest points in the city to get a view of the narrow, labyrinthine corridors of the old city
Night-time wedding photos in the old town
Modica was really beautiful at night
*Everyone* comes out in the evenings!
RainDOT.com in Sicily. Can't we just have one week of solid, uninterrupted dry weather?
Back on the farm next day, a huge storm hits the area. We watched from our bedroom window as the water pounded our bikes parked outside. The owners told us that a mini-twister touched down a few kms away! So glad we decided not to camp!
From inside, I could hear Neda chomping down on some dry Modica chocolate to console herself against the bad weather...
Our home for the next few days
We really like our AirBnB stays, mainly because of the price point, but also because most of the owners are really cool people to talk to. The owner of this farm was originally from Bologna, but her family moved here recently. She told us all about the good and bad about Sicily. Apparently the Mafia is very real and very present down here. As a tourist you don't really see it, but if you try to start any kind of business, they get involved very quickly.
I've always wondered why Sicily seems to be the very poorest part of Italy, given that it's got such nice weather, it should really be raking in the Euros due to all the tourist activity. However it was explained to us that companies are hesitant to start up businesses here because of the mafia and the government corruption, so there's very little investment in Sicily.
As usual, Neda finds a four-legged friend on the farm
We're continuing our night-time tours of Val di Noto. We hop on the bikes after sunset and head into Modica where our first priority is to find a chocolate store. Modica chocolate is well-known for it's particular dry, grainy texture, they say once you have it, you can't go back to regular milk chocolate. I don't know about that, but we did enjoy it a lot that we bought several bars for the trip, but they all magically disappeared before we even left the farm.
Where did they all go, Neda...?
Neda on the hunt for chocolate in Modica
Historic centre of Modica
Cool night-time architecture
We climbed up to one of the highest points in the city to get a view of the narrow, labyrinthine corridors of the old city
Night-time wedding photos in the old town
Modica was really beautiful at night
*Everyone* comes out in the evenings!
RainDOT.com in Sicily. Can't we just have one week of solid, uninterrupted dry weather?
Back on the farm next day, a huge storm hits the area. We watched from our bedroom window as the water pounded our bikes parked outside. The owners told us that a mini-twister touched down a few kms away! So glad we decided not to camp!
From inside, I could hear Neda chomping down on some dry Modica chocolate to console herself against the bad weather...
Salty Dawg
New member
Beautiful !!
Did anyone named Vinnie make you any offers that you couldn't refuse ?
Did anyone named Vinnie make you any offers that you couldn't refuse ?
lightcycle
Nomad
Updated from http://www.RideDOT.com/rtw/182.html on October 7th, 2014
As we leave the Val di Noto, we visit another one of the Baroque towns on our way out. Scicli (pronounced Chick-Lee) is only a few kms away from the farm that we were staying at.
Tan brown buildings of Scicli greet us
The church of St. Bartholomew is the centerpiece of the town
Our AirBnB hosts told us that although not as well-known or as popular as Noto or Modica, Scicli is perhaps more picturesque and accurately reflects what Mediterranean life might have looked like on the Sicilian coast 150 years ago. Lots of Italian TV program and movies are filmed here for just that reason.
I liked the towns in Val di Noto because they didn't need to slap on pastel paint
on all the buildings to make them look appealing to tourists
Because Scicli is built in the V of two different valleys, there are many places you can walk up to get some nice views of the town
Another point of interest are the Chiarafura Caves, which are carved out of the rocks of the hills overlooking the town. I don't know when they were actually built, but they say that the poor people in the area inhabited these dwellings as recently as the 1950s. We tried to visit a few as they are part of an archaeological exhibit, but the entrance looked like it had been closed for a while, probably a victim of budget cuts?
Close-up of the cave dwellings above the Baroque buildings of Scicli
View of Scicli as we were riding away
From Scicli, we rode down to the southern shore of Sicily and tried to hug the coastline as much as possible as we headed westwards. Neda, being a flora and fauna buff, pointed out all the olive tree orchards we passed by. In a lot of areas, the roads were narrow and in poor condition, reflecting the neglected nature of the island. Once again, waves of deja vu rushed over me, as if we were riding back in Latin America.
Agrigento, outside the Valley of Temples. Our free parking spree in Europe continues!
The ruins of the Valley of the Temples stand high atop a hill overlooking the city of Agrigento. This is one of the things I really wanted to see in Sicily, so we gladly paid the €10 entrance fee and ran into the park like little kids rushing into Disneyland.
Valley of the Temples is kind of a misnomer - the ruins are situated on a ridge overlooking Agrigento
When I was a kid, three things scared the crap out of me: 1) Poltergeist, the movie, 2) Pet Sematary, the novel by Stephen King, and 3) Medusa, the snake-haired Gorgon who turned men to stone with her gaze. Despite the latter, I devoured all the books I could find about Greek mythology, read all the stories about the jealous and philandering gods and their heroic half-mortal offspring. Images of Ancient Greece filled my child-hood fantasies as I pictured myself slaying three-headed dogs and one-eyed giants.
Temple of Concord
As we leave the Val di Noto, we visit another one of the Baroque towns on our way out. Scicli (pronounced Chick-Lee) is only a few kms away from the farm that we were staying at.
Tan brown buildings of Scicli greet us
The church of St. Bartholomew is the centerpiece of the town
Our AirBnB hosts told us that although not as well-known or as popular as Noto or Modica, Scicli is perhaps more picturesque and accurately reflects what Mediterranean life might have looked like on the Sicilian coast 150 years ago. Lots of Italian TV program and movies are filmed here for just that reason.
I liked the towns in Val di Noto because they didn't need to slap on pastel paint
on all the buildings to make them look appealing to tourists
Because Scicli is built in the V of two different valleys, there are many places you can walk up to get some nice views of the town
Another point of interest are the Chiarafura Caves, which are carved out of the rocks of the hills overlooking the town. I don't know when they were actually built, but they say that the poor people in the area inhabited these dwellings as recently as the 1950s. We tried to visit a few as they are part of an archaeological exhibit, but the entrance looked like it had been closed for a while, probably a victim of budget cuts?
Close-up of the cave dwellings above the Baroque buildings of Scicli
View of Scicli as we were riding away
From Scicli, we rode down to the southern shore of Sicily and tried to hug the coastline as much as possible as we headed westwards. Neda, being a flora and fauna buff, pointed out all the olive tree orchards we passed by. In a lot of areas, the roads were narrow and in poor condition, reflecting the neglected nature of the island. Once again, waves of deja vu rushed over me, as if we were riding back in Latin America.
Agrigento, outside the Valley of Temples. Our free parking spree in Europe continues!
The ruins of the Valley of the Temples stand high atop a hill overlooking the city of Agrigento. This is one of the things I really wanted to see in Sicily, so we gladly paid the €10 entrance fee and ran into the park like little kids rushing into Disneyland.
Valley of the Temples is kind of a misnomer - the ruins are situated on a ridge overlooking Agrigento
When I was a kid, three things scared the crap out of me: 1) Poltergeist, the movie, 2) Pet Sematary, the novel by Stephen King, and 3) Medusa, the snake-haired Gorgon who turned men to stone with her gaze. Despite the latter, I devoured all the books I could find about Greek mythology, read all the stories about the jealous and philandering gods and their heroic half-mortal offspring. Images of Ancient Greece filled my child-hood fantasies as I pictured myself slaying three-headed dogs and one-eyed giants.
Temple of Concord
lightcycle
Nomad
There are seven temples in the area all in differing states of preservation. Most were built around the 5th century BC. The Temple of Concord is the most-well preserved and is considered one of the best examples of Greek architecture even though it's in Italy. This really brought home the fact that the geopolitical lines on today's maps are just a current snapshot and territorial disputes (Ukraine, anyone?) constantly move and blur the borders over time.
Sitting in front of the Temple of Hera
Temple of Juno. I always pictured Greek temples as being made of white marble!
Temple of Hercules
Greece has always been on our bucket-list of places to visit, so it was the highlight of our visit in Sicily and a bit of an advanced screening to see these Greek ruins here in Italy. This whole trip has been about making my inner kid jump up and down with glee!
Town of Grotto
Accommodations in Agrigento were a bit too expensive for us, since the Valley of the Temples is one of the most visited sites in Sicily. We found a cheap place, again via AirBnB, about 20 kms to the north in the sleepy town of Grotte.
Old Sicilian men gathering in the square in Grotte
Paolo and Lucie were our AirBnB hosts, and they took us out for drinks when we first arrived in Grotte. We thought that was really nice of them, so we invited them over for a home-cooked meal. As Neda was preparing dinner, I told her she was very brave to attempt making pasta for an Italian. Her eyes widened. The pressure was on her now!
Thankfully, the meal passed muster. Paolo told us that the most difficult part of perfecting pasta dishes was not the sauce but the consistency of the pasta. Most people overcook the pasta and that it should be slightly al dente.
Paolo and Lucie over for dinner
It was really nice getting to know them over dinner, and the conversation was very interesting because Paolo doesn't speak English, just Italian and Spanish. Obviously, I only speak English and a little Spanish. Lucie is from the Czech Republic and only speaks Czech, English and Italian. So between us, Neda was the only one to speak all the languages. It was like a UN conference, all of us switching languages and translating to communicate with one another. It was all made easier as the night wore on and the bottle of home-made red wine that Paolo brought with him disappeared.
Lucie was very interested in trying her Czech with Neda to see the similarities with Croatian. It seemed she missed speaking her mother tongue.
I know now that there are many different dialects of Italian, and some regions are so different that someone from another part of the country wouldn't even be able to understand the regional differences in speech. Since my Italian is not so good, the only thing I picked up was that Sicilians pronounce spaghetti: "Schpagetti".
A very entertaining evening!
Scala dei Turchi (Stairs of the Turks)
On Paolo's recommendation, we rode back down to Agrigento the next day to check out the Scala dei Turchi, a rock formation right on the coast. It draws a lot of attention because of it's made of a white rock called Marl. From a distance, it looks like it's made out of marble! This is what they should have built the temples with!
We found a nice spot right on the edge overlooking the Mediterranean Sea
Here we were, sitting on the southern shores of Sicily, having traveled the entire length of Italy. Bare feet on the warm rocks of the Scala, and looking out towards Africa only two hundred kms away, it was nice time to reflect on our journey while soaking up some UV light while it lasted!
The striations in the white rock made of limestone and mud were very photogenic
Did you know it's against the law to take any the Marl rock away from the Scala? Thieves face a €500 fine!
The white is so dazzling in the afternoon sun, you need sunglasses to protect your eyes from the glare
A great spot for wedding photos!
Greetings from the south of Sicily! Where to now, Neda?
Sitting in front of the Temple of Hera
Temple of Juno. I always pictured Greek temples as being made of white marble!
Temple of Hercules
Greece has always been on our bucket-list of places to visit, so it was the highlight of our visit in Sicily and a bit of an advanced screening to see these Greek ruins here in Italy. This whole trip has been about making my inner kid jump up and down with glee!
Town of Grotto
Accommodations in Agrigento were a bit too expensive for us, since the Valley of the Temples is one of the most visited sites in Sicily. We found a cheap place, again via AirBnB, about 20 kms to the north in the sleepy town of Grotte.
Old Sicilian men gathering in the square in Grotte
Paolo and Lucie were our AirBnB hosts, and they took us out for drinks when we first arrived in Grotte. We thought that was really nice of them, so we invited them over for a home-cooked meal. As Neda was preparing dinner, I told her she was very brave to attempt making pasta for an Italian. Her eyes widened. The pressure was on her now!
Thankfully, the meal passed muster. Paolo told us that the most difficult part of perfecting pasta dishes was not the sauce but the consistency of the pasta. Most people overcook the pasta and that it should be slightly al dente.
Paolo and Lucie over for dinner
It was really nice getting to know them over dinner, and the conversation was very interesting because Paolo doesn't speak English, just Italian and Spanish. Obviously, I only speak English and a little Spanish. Lucie is from the Czech Republic and only speaks Czech, English and Italian. So between us, Neda was the only one to speak all the languages. It was like a UN conference, all of us switching languages and translating to communicate with one another. It was all made easier as the night wore on and the bottle of home-made red wine that Paolo brought with him disappeared.
Lucie was very interested in trying her Czech with Neda to see the similarities with Croatian. It seemed she missed speaking her mother tongue.
I know now that there are many different dialects of Italian, and some regions are so different that someone from another part of the country wouldn't even be able to understand the regional differences in speech. Since my Italian is not so good, the only thing I picked up was that Sicilians pronounce spaghetti: "Schpagetti".
A very entertaining evening!
Scala dei Turchi (Stairs of the Turks)
On Paolo's recommendation, we rode back down to Agrigento the next day to check out the Scala dei Turchi, a rock formation right on the coast. It draws a lot of attention because of it's made of a white rock called Marl. From a distance, it looks like it's made out of marble! This is what they should have built the temples with!
We found a nice spot right on the edge overlooking the Mediterranean Sea
Here we were, sitting on the southern shores of Sicily, having traveled the entire length of Italy. Bare feet on the warm rocks of the Scala, and looking out towards Africa only two hundred kms away, it was nice time to reflect on our journey while soaking up some UV light while it lasted!
The striations in the white rock made of limestone and mud were very photogenic
Did you know it's against the law to take any the Marl rock away from the Scala? Thieves face a €500 fine!
The white is so dazzling in the afternoon sun, you need sunglasses to protect your eyes from the glare
A great spot for wedding photos!
Greetings from the south of Sicily! Where to now, Neda?
lightcycle
Nomad
Updated from http://www.RideDOT.com/rtw/183.html
After a week and a half of soaking up the warm weather (and a bit of rain), we're leaving Sicily! The plan is to ride straight through the middle of the island to Palermo for a change of scenery from the coast.
Riding through some of the back roads around Grotte
So glad that it's both sunny and hot!
Riding through the middle of Sicily reminds me a little of the arid terrain of the South-West United States
This isn't a very large island and it only takes us a couple of hours to reach the outskirts of Palermo, the capital of Sicily. Lots of speed traps along the way - haven't seen that in a while. We don't spend too much time in the big city, but instead make our way towards a suburb in the north-west to find cheap accommodations. We end up setting up our tent in an RV park in the coastal town of Sferracavallo.
The sleepy community where we are staying just outside of Palermo, Capo Gallo in the background
On the hunt for some cheap food while taking in the views of the northern shore of Sicily
After researching the costs involved in getting back to mainland Italy, we've decided to take the ferry from Palermo to Civitavecchia, the port town just north of Rome. They've priced the tickets so that it's exactly the same price as the gas it would take to ride there, so we're saving all the time and travel costs (food and lodging). Good deal!
Waiting to board the ferry
The only wrinkle is that the ferry leaves at 1AM! When I booked this, I knew Neda would have a tough time staying up. For that reason, we left our campgrounds just before sunset. The docking port is in Terminal Imarese about 45 minutes south-east of Palermo, so we spent the last half hour of our ride in darkness. The sun is starting to set much earlier in the day, signalling an impending autumn. We've not had to run away from winter for over a year and a half now. Not sure what we're going to do in Europe.
As I suspected, Neda has trouble keeping awake. The shot of Limoncello at the terminal bar didn't help...
Neda and I share a lot of the same qualities, hobbies and beliefs in the important things in life. However, with the smaller things, like the approach *to* life - we could not be more different. For instance, Neda is very much a morning person. I think mornings are the best. The best for sleeping...
The physical pain I feel when I'm forced to wake up early is the same kind that Neda experiences when she has to stay up late. We like to joke that she turns into a pumpkin (like Cinderella's coach) at midnight. Tonight, she doesn't even make it that late. The picture above was taken at 10PM, three hours before departure!
After a week and a half of soaking up the warm weather (and a bit of rain), we're leaving Sicily! The plan is to ride straight through the middle of the island to Palermo for a change of scenery from the coast.
Riding through some of the back roads around Grotte
So glad that it's both sunny and hot!
Riding through the middle of Sicily reminds me a little of the arid terrain of the South-West United States
This isn't a very large island and it only takes us a couple of hours to reach the outskirts of Palermo, the capital of Sicily. Lots of speed traps along the way - haven't seen that in a while. We don't spend too much time in the big city, but instead make our way towards a suburb in the north-west to find cheap accommodations. We end up setting up our tent in an RV park in the coastal town of Sferracavallo.
The sleepy community where we are staying just outside of Palermo, Capo Gallo in the background
On the hunt for some cheap food while taking in the views of the northern shore of Sicily
After researching the costs involved in getting back to mainland Italy, we've decided to take the ferry from Palermo to Civitavecchia, the port town just north of Rome. They've priced the tickets so that it's exactly the same price as the gas it would take to ride there, so we're saving all the time and travel costs (food and lodging). Good deal!
Waiting to board the ferry
The only wrinkle is that the ferry leaves at 1AM! When I booked this, I knew Neda would have a tough time staying up. For that reason, we left our campgrounds just before sunset. The docking port is in Terminal Imarese about 45 minutes south-east of Palermo, so we spent the last half hour of our ride in darkness. The sun is starting to set much earlier in the day, signalling an impending autumn. We've not had to run away from winter for over a year and a half now. Not sure what we're going to do in Europe.
As I suspected, Neda has trouble keeping awake. The shot of Limoncello at the terminal bar didn't help...
Neda and I share a lot of the same qualities, hobbies and beliefs in the important things in life. However, with the smaller things, like the approach *to* life - we could not be more different. For instance, Neda is very much a morning person. I think mornings are the best. The best for sleeping...
The physical pain I feel when I'm forced to wake up early is the same kind that Neda experiences when she has to stay up late. We like to joke that she turns into a pumpkin (like Cinderella's coach) at midnight. Tonight, she doesn't even make it that late. The picture above was taken at 10PM, three hours before departure!
lightcycle
Nomad
We decide to try boarding a bit earlier. We're the only vehicle in the dock.
It's a 15-hour ferry ride to the mainland. I remembered the ferry we took to Newfoundland and how it was impossible to sleep in those chairs they provided to the general admission tickets, so I made sure we booked a cabin. After the last few days of camping, farms and rustic Sicilian caves, our cramped ferry cabin felt like pure luxury!
oooh, everything's so shiny and modern!
We got let out into the early afternoon sun of Civitavecchia. Fifteen days of riding down and only fifteen hours of ferrying back up! Surprisingly it wasn't raining! Since we had already covered this region, we hopped on the Autostrada and headed north to the province of Livorno. Right into some storm clouds. No luck.
We are staying in a campsite in Montopoli, very pretty town in Northern Italy
And since it's the afternoon, nobody is around. We have the town all to ourselves!
We set up our tent hurriedly, with the threat of rain looming over our heads. I was constantly checking the approach of the storm on my iPhone. The rains actually didn't start until we were safe inside our tent later on that night. It was a bad one, frequent lightning illuminating the outside so that it looked like daylight for a split second. Wind and rain pelting the sides of the tent so hard it that we were wondering if our staking job would hold.
Nothing puts a smug smile on your face faster than getting into your tent before it starts to rain.
Nothing wipes that smug smile off your face faster than having to go pee in the middle of the night while a storm still rages outside.
Thankfully the next morning, the blue skies returned. Took forever to dry our waterlogged tent though
Neda: "Tell us how you *really* feel about mosquitos, Gene..."
It's a 15-hour ferry ride to the mainland. I remembered the ferry we took to Newfoundland and how it was impossible to sleep in those chairs they provided to the general admission tickets, so I made sure we booked a cabin. After the last few days of camping, farms and rustic Sicilian caves, our cramped ferry cabin felt like pure luxury!
oooh, everything's so shiny and modern!
We got let out into the early afternoon sun of Civitavecchia. Fifteen days of riding down and only fifteen hours of ferrying back up! Surprisingly it wasn't raining! Since we had already covered this region, we hopped on the Autostrada and headed north to the province of Livorno. Right into some storm clouds. No luck.
We are staying in a campsite in Montopoli, very pretty town in Northern Italy
And since it's the afternoon, nobody is around. We have the town all to ourselves!
We set up our tent hurriedly, with the threat of rain looming over our heads. I was constantly checking the approach of the storm on my iPhone. The rains actually didn't start until we were safe inside our tent later on that night. It was a bad one, frequent lightning illuminating the outside so that it looked like daylight for a split second. Wind and rain pelting the sides of the tent so hard it that we were wondering if our staking job would hold.
Nothing puts a smug smile on your face faster than getting into your tent before it starts to rain.
Nothing wipes that smug smile off your face faster than having to go pee in the middle of the night while a storm still rages outside.
Thankfully the next morning, the blue skies returned. Took forever to dry our waterlogged tent though
Neda: "Tell us how you *really* feel about mosquitos, Gene..."
lightcycle
Nomad
For the day, we double-backed westwards towards the coast to check out another pretty town that is supposed to have some interesting architecture. When we arrived, we were greeted with a strange sight: hundreds of people milling around the area, all pantomiming for each other. It looked like a Marcel Marceau convention but without the clown makeup. It was so bizarre-looking, so I had to take some pictures.
The ever-popular "You're Trapped In An Invisible Box" pantomime
Some of the participants showed a bit more creativity in a bid to impress the judges:
Neda asked: "I don't understand. Isn't Marcel Marceau French?
Why are they holding the mime convention in Italy?"
Normally to spice up the blog entry I'd insert a mime joke here, but I've never heard one.
Exploring the rest of Pisa
Almost everything in Pisa is related to the leaning tower, since that is only reason tourists come to this small city. There are so many stalls selling Leaning Tower trinkets and souvenirs.
But there are other interesting buildings here besides the tower
Stan Lee riding a bike in Pisa!?!
After having ridden the length of Italy, it's apparent now how different the north is to the south. Everything is more orderly and clean up here. We've been told that there are three major influences, the Greek southern part of Sicily, the German part to the north and there is still a French part to the north-east that we haven't seen yet.
Goodbye Pisa, mime convention capital of the world!
The ever-popular "You're Trapped In An Invisible Box" pantomime
Some of the participants showed a bit more creativity in a bid to impress the judges:
Neda asked: "I don't understand. Isn't Marcel Marceau French?
Why are they holding the mime convention in Italy?"
Normally to spice up the blog entry I'd insert a mime joke here, but I've never heard one.
Exploring the rest of Pisa
Almost everything in Pisa is related to the leaning tower, since that is only reason tourists come to this small city. There are so many stalls selling Leaning Tower trinkets and souvenirs.
But there are other interesting buildings here besides the tower
Stan Lee riding a bike in Pisa!?!
After having ridden the length of Italy, it's apparent now how different the north is to the south. Everything is more orderly and clean up here. We've been told that there are three major influences, the Greek southern part of Sicily, the German part to the north and there is still a French part to the north-east that we haven't seen yet.
Goodbye Pisa, mime convention capital of the world!
PlethoraOfGuns
Adventurer
Spent the last few weeks reading through your journey. Just awesome. What a rollercoaster ride through life. Wasted a lot of time at work looking through everything, maybe I'll get fired and then I'll have an excuse to go my own journey! I liked the Galapagos video you made. Keep up the positive attitude and the good humor. Ride on!
lightcycle
Nomad
Thanks for the encouragement, appreciate it!
