Training Log Archive: Bash

We met our first Trump supporters at dinner in Venice tonight. It has seemed - not surprisingly - that America's xenophobes prefer to stay home. I was fascinated and horrified by their inconsistent logic. The most talkative woman was an immigrant to the U.S. at a time when her country (Germany) was probably viewed with suspicion - but that didn't register. They don't really like Trump but they hate Hillary. Scary.

Happy Canada Day! 'Bent and I rented very basic hybrid bikes for our last full day in Lucca, where everyone owns a bike. The square in front of the main cathedral was our starting point; it was one of the views from our little apartment.



A typical female cyclist in Lucca wears a nice dress with a floppy sunhat. The only cyclists who wore helmets were people (almost always men 40+) on expensive road bikes dressed in full Spandex kit in team colours. So we were bucking a trend in our tourist gear wearing our trail running packs with hydration bladders.



We planned to ride to Pisa for lunch, a day trip offered by local cycling tour companies. The bike shop gave us a bad map that didn't go all the way to Pisa. I've read too many books so I imagined a relaxing bike ride across Tuscany on sleepy, perfectly paved roads with cars every 10 minutes and friendly farmers offering us tastes of olive oil and ripe tomatoes. Some of this was accurate; most of it was not.

In fact, I barely got beyond Lucca's town walls before I panicked! I've read many wonderful stories of the Carbons and Revys riding around Europe so I knew cyclists would get more respect here. It still didn't make me feel any better about riding in 4 lanes of busses, trucks and cars as we left the city. We found a short bike trail, then rode on the sidewalk when we could but sometimes it was unavoidable. I almost turned back but kept giving it "a few more minutes just to see".

It is true that Italians will give a cyclist adequate space - but only if they don't have oncoming traffic on the narrow roads. Also, it's a tourist area so not every driver is cyclist-friendly. Mostly we were given space but not always, and we rarely had a shoulder. The "quiet road" we were promised toward Pisa wasn't too bad since there was a faster alternative that attracted most of the traffic. Still, we were passed frequently, and oncoming vehicles loved to cut corners when the road twisted. When I relaxed enough to look at the view, it was nice though.



The final 6 km into Pisa was terrifying - cars whizzing past in both directions on a narrow road with no shoulder and the feeling of air rushing through the narrow space between a passing car's mirror and my arm. There are no photos from that section; I was terrified of hitting a pothole or manhole cover and lurching in front of a transport truck.

I am a mountain biker.

But it was really pretty. If there weren't cars on roads, I would love road biking too. 'Bent enjoyed it a lot.



Obviously, I had to drink with lunch. We found a quiet square in Pisa and were spoiled by a server who gave 'Bent a little free wine so I wouldn't have to raise my toast for Canada Day alone. :)



Then we went to the Leaning Tower, which both of us had visited in our university days. Not surprisingly, it was a zoo! You can't walk on the grass anymore, which makes it seem even more crowded. We didn't stay long.



Everyone is standing in funny poses trying to get the same shot of themselves holding up the tower.



As we've seen in many tourist areas, there were soldiers with machine guns. There was a metal detector for anyone climbing the Tower, something we saw in Florence too. This was the first trip when I've thought much about potential terrorist attacks at places like this - well-known tourist sites or popular train stations or airports that would make big headlines. Ugh. Cortina was quiet but we saw soldiers and machine guns regularly in Tuscany. Even when we arrived back in Canada, we were met by a team of serious looking officers who checked everyone's passport before we were allowed off the airplane!



We had to celebrate Canada Day with our own silly poses.





We took the train home with our bikes so we could clean up for a Puccini opera recital. When in Lucca...

Cycling from lunch to the Leaning Tower

Relaxing, civilized ride around the town walls of Lucca after our train ride home from Pisa. We were the only ones in helmets.

Happy Canada Day!

Some tips on how to be a Canadian:

Firenze

Spectacular views in Cinque Terre

Art and architecture from the past couple of millennia in Lucca, Tuscany

Cortina to Venice to Florence to Lucca

While in transit from Cortina to Venice to Florence to Lucca, we did a lot of walking with heavy backpacks and carry-ons (probably 40 kg for me), including a bunch of stairs. It was a serious workout, especially after an ultra, so I'm logging it.