Amsterdam -- Friday, July 26, 2019

After a nice breakfast in the hotel, I set off for the VanGogh museum (having bought my ticket on line last night). I got to the museum using public transport. I had purchased a 24 hour pass last evening. The system is very efficient, and easy to navigate. I started at the Central Rail Station, a couple of blocks from my hotel, and used one of the kiosks to get specific routing instructions to the museum. The kiosk even printed them out for me. I took the subway and then switched to a tram, and there I was.

My ticket was for 9:45 am, but there was no problem entering earlier as the museum was not yet very crowded. I chose this museum (over, for example, the Rembrandt museum) because Van Gogh has always been one of my favorite painters. Unfortunately, my very favorite, Starry Night is in a different museum. But his famous Sunflowers is here on special exhibition, and hundreds of his other works. It was a very worthwhile morning.

The sculpture has nothing to do with the Van Gogh museum behind it, but it seemed to make a more interesting photo. The building behind is the special exhibit hall (Sunflowers), while the main museum is in a separate four story building off to the right.

The Van Gogh museum is behind me; the Rembrandt museum is across the pool.

This afternoon we had our first meeting, a safety briefing, followed by bike fitting and a (very) short test ride. It was still hot enough to work up a sweat. I am trying something new this year -- incorporating very short videos (prepared with an app called Relive) to each day's blog. Here is the video of today's ride. https://www.relive.cc/view/g38005294381.  With the possible exception of Copenhagen, I don't think I have ever ridden amidst so many cyclists. You really have to have greatly heightened awareness. Even though there are dedicated bike paths, you have to watch for crossing bicycle and motor vehicle traffic and lots of cyclists in front of and behind you.

We will get together this evening for more formally introducing ourselves and then having a group dinner. I think that there are sixteen of us on the first part of the tour (maybe even a couple of last minute additions -- I will have to check tonight.

Amsterdam -- July 25, 2019

I had a really good trip over, flying on KLM airlines. As I check my bag in San Francisco, I asked the gate agent why I did not have TSA pre-check on my boarding pass. She was able to do her magic, and get me a new boarding pass with pre-check. That turned out to be a great move because the regular security line was very long, and there was only one person ahead of me in the pre-check line.

After a short delay on the taxiway because of a "technical issue" we were underway and had a smooth flight and I managed to get a few hours of sleep.  I breezed through passport control and grabbed a taxi. The driver was very pleasant, but I noticed that as soon as we left the airport and got on the motorway, he took off his seat belt. Strange, but he got me to the hotel quickly and safely.

My Hotel

Not surprisingly, my room was not ready at 10AM, so I checked my bags and set off on a walking tour using the Rick Steves audio guide for the "Amsterdam City Walk" that I had previously downloaded to my iPhone. Since the audio on my phone streams directly to my hearing aids, this worked perfectly. I walked as far as the famous flower market. There were lots of tulip bulbs for sale, but the only tulips at this time of year are plastic -- and there were plenty of those. 

The temperature was already in the nineties (and I had long pants and a long-sleeved shirt on), so I stopped for some hydration and people-watching.

Along the way back I had my "lunch" of the very popular pommes frites with mayonnaise. 

Two years ago when I was in Copenhagen, I learned that that city had overtaken Amsterdam as the most bicycle friendly city in the world. That may be true, but there are still cyclists everywhere in 

Amsterdam, with lots of bicycle parking and dedicated bike lanes everywhere. Below is a picture of one of several bike parking facilities near the Central train station. It is not obvious to me how you get the bikes up to the top tier.

Tomorrow afternoon I meet up with the rest of the group and we will have a very short test bike ride here in the City. The heat wave (96 degrees right now, heading to 99) is supposed to continue through tomorrow, but should then ease up as we begin our tour.

Sept 19 -- Pisa, and the end of the tour

Today was a proper finale to a wonderful eleven days in Italy. We went to Pisa in absolutely gorgeous weather. Along the way, Alain and I stopped at the Nozzano Castle, most recently renovated in 1395! While walking around the small hilltop town, we ran into a villager who invited us to join him for the view from his back yard and small garden. He then opened his garage and showed us his sculptures, the wine that he was making, and finally, a "family tree" like representation of Mussolini's top military officers in 1942, among whom was his father. He also had a photo of his father, dressed in the gear of the alpine command in which he served. Only with Alain's help translating would this visit have been possible.

Nozzano Castle

Pat and Natalie at Nozzano Castle

View from Nozzano Castle

Very slow WiFi ton Wednesday, so I am adding the pictures and posting this on Thursday from Pisa Airport.

Following the visit to Nozzano Castle, we went on to Pisa. My first surprise was that there were huge throngs of people from the cruise ships that visit the port of Livorno and then bus the people to Pisa. I did climb to the top of the Leaning Tower of Pisa which afforded magnificent views from the top. One more item off the bucket list. I also had time for brief visits to the Cathedral and the Cemetary (Camposanto).

We had a great farewell dinner at a restaurant in Lucca. For starters we had three different types of bruschetta -- eggplant, bell peppers and tomato. The latter two were excellent; I skipped the eggplant. Then we had a surprise -- a zucchini flan. I am not normally a fan of zucchini, but with the rich parmesan sauce, it was not to be missed. The pasta course consisted of faro (a grain) in a rich sauce, so that it was almost like a stew. The main course was a mixed plate of fried seafood -- shrimp, calimari, etc. , with a few vegetable thrown in. Delicately fried like tempura, they were delicious. All this was followed by a choice of desserts -- I had creme caramel.

I awoke this morning (Thursday) to see a message from my driver that he will pick me up at 11 am this morning. That will make him 12 hours early. I hope that he sees my message with the correct time.

Getting to the airport this morning was a piece of cake since I had my own personal guide in the person of Lisa who had a plane shortly before me to take her to the next tour that she will be guiding.
I am all checked in a heading for home via London and Los Angeles (there is no direct flight to San Francisco in the afternoon).

I close this year's cycling blog with a sign that I saw in the shop in Pisa where I had lunch yesterday. Several years ago, Thomas and I cycled in Italy with a group whose motto was "Pedale forte, mangia bene." [Pedal Hard, Eat Well.]  Here is a variation on the theme.

Ciao!

September 18 -- Vinci to Lucca

Getting near the end of this journey. We are in Lucca now, for the last two nights.

Don takes the uphill start in stride

First stop today was the Medici villa in Cerrito Guidi, with a great view. The "stairway" up to the villa is not really a stairway, but a sloped and terraced incline designed to let the horses ascend to the villa. Inside was an interesting arms museum. Only a short visit, but very worthwhile.

Next stop was Montecarlo (of Tuscany, not Monaco). This was another pleasant small town with lots of restaurants and shops and some good views. Some had lunch here. Others waited until the arrival in Lucca.

Lucca is a fascinating town, surrounded by an intact defensive wall that is centuries old. We saw most of it from the outside as the van made its way around to the entry portal that would get us to the hotel with the least amount of traffic inside the city center. After settling in, I had a delicious zuppa di pesce for lunch and then explored the city center on foot. Of particular note is the Piazza dell'Anfitetro, site of an ancient Roman amphitheater, hence its shape. It was turned into public housing in the 1830s, but today is the most expensive real estate in the city.

Tomorrow is the last day of cycling, and those still riding will do an out and back ride to Pisa. I will get there in the van, but I will get there, and I have a ticket to climb to the top.

September 17th -- Florince to Vinci

Happy Birthday, Kathleen

We motored out of Florence this morning and drove through more beautiful Tuscan countryside. Along the way we picked up three members of our group as it started to rain, and they opted for the van ride up the long climb of the day. By the time we reached the summit, the roads were dry and they got back on the bikes. Peter and I remain van-bound.

The drive up the climb with the van was quite taxing for poor Alain

We gathered outside the hotel Monna Lisa before checking in. This is a delightful small hotel in the town of Vinci, birthplace of Leonardo.

Once checked in, we were on our own to explore the town, especially the museum, on our own. First, however, was lunch. I had a very nice lunch with sauteed clams and mussels followed by a tagliatelle with wild boar ragu.  Excellent. Just what I need to provide the stamina for walking to the museum and then climbing the tower. The museum, devoted to Leonardo's inventions and anatomical studies had some English signage, but much of it was in Italian only. However there is an app that you can download to your phone that provides a complete English guide. This was a great tool.

There is an exhibit showing "Leonardo's bicycle" based on fairly recently discovered drawings. There is debate as to whether it was done by Leonardo, by one of his assistants, or is a forgery. Nevertheless, here it is.

After visiting the museum proper and the church where Leonardo was baptized, I climbed the tower which offers magnificent vistas of the town of Vinci and the surroundingTuscan countryside.

It is just about time to head out for our group dinner. (By the way, we are a much smaller group now since nine riders ended their tour in Florence, leaving only nine of us.)

Sunday September 16 -- Exploring Florence

I woke up still feeling the effects of my minor mishap of a few days ago. Not sure how soon I will hop on the bike again, but I am determined to enjoy Italy while I am here. We have had lots of hot weather (today was 88) but no rain.

Santa Croce, around the corner from the hotel

This morning we had a three hour guided walk of the major sights in Florence with a local guide, Francesca. She did an outstanding job of providing a historical context to all of the buildings that we saw -- from the outside only. She left it to us to decide which ones to go back to and explore in further detail. We finished at noon with a gelato stop and then walked back to the hotel.

Cathedral and Il Duomo

Ponte Vecchiod 

Another view of Il Duomo

That left me just enough time to grab my prearranged reservation for the Uffizi gallery and get back there for my 1 pm admission. I had been there many years ago, but had forgotten the immense breadth of the collection.

After that I went back to the hotel to shower and rest my weary feet before setting out again for some final exploration of Florence before we leave tomorrow for Vinci (birthplace of Leonardo). After all of the heavy eating we (I) have been doing, I was glad to settle for a simple "antipasto toscana" and a glass of wine. Then back to the hotel to finish this post and rest my feet some more.

Fridy and Saturday, Faenza to Ronta to Florence

As mentioned in the previous post, Friday was the day to cross the Apennines. Alas, it was not meant to be for me. Shortly before Marradi where the steeper part of the climb began, I hit some gravel, went off the road and hit knee, elbow and shoulder. I have minor road rash on the knee and elbow and some discomfort in the shoulder and ribs. Nothing serious, but it was enough to keep me off the bike for the rest of Friday and all of Saturday. This is my twelfth bike tour, and the first time that I have lost any cycling due to a fall, so I can't complain. Hopefully I will be in shape to ride on Monday. (Sunday is a day off, in Florence.)

I did manage to do 21 miles and almost 1400 feet of climbing before the mishap, so I did get to cycle into Tuscany.

Fortunately the van was not far behind me when I fell. I got up, and pedaled about a mile when the van caught up and stopped. Alain gave me excellent first aid and I rode the van to join the others for lunch in Marradi.

Alain (front) and Lorenzo (rear)

We stayed at a pleasant hotel in Ronta, where we had an enjoyable happy hour on the balcony and then another huge dinner for the entire group. Unlike the three hour chef's tasting of the previous night which four of us enjoyed, this meal was served rapid fire -- lots of good food and many courses, but we got through it in somewhat less time.  Given the sore shoulder, however, I postponed blogging until this afternoon in Florence.

Being sidelined and riding in the van has one advantage. I had more opportunity to take photos of other cyclists on the tour. I don't have room for all of them in the blog, but here are a few:

We stopped for lunch in the town of Fiesole. It is fairly high so that if affords an excellent view of Florence in the distance. Several of us had paninis that we bought from a truck which is a mobil cheese and meat market that will make sandwiches for you. Mine was excellent and cost only two Euro.

While we came into Florence, the remaining cyclists rode into the city en masse. Usually we are each on our own, following chalk arrows laid down by one of our guides. The route into Florence, however, is so congested and difficult to navigate that the group divided into to smaller groups, one led by Alain and one by Lisa to make their way into the city.

Since we will be at this hotel for two nights, I had hoped to get laundry done tomorrow. No such luck, as tomorrow is Sunday. [Side note -- the fisherman don't go out on Sunday either, so you won't get fresh fish on Monday in Italy.] So, I did  my own in the bathroom sink. With only three days cycling left, this should be the last time!

We have another group dinner tonight, and a guided walk of Florence tomorrow. In the afternoon, I have a ticket for the Uffizi at 1:30 pm.