So we did it. We left on a jet plane, vacated the US and headed to Europe. Our departure morning isn’t much to write home about, seeing as how we missed our ferry, Bart’s elevator systems didn’t work with an unfortunate 70+lbs worth of gear, and the weather was not the best. Basically there was liberal usage of the words fuck and shit. Prepping the bikes for their flights went fine, albeit, slow going. Virgin Atlantic is great for traveling with bicycles, but British provided some damage to our two wheel steeds. Both our seats were marred, the head post scuffed, and my front wheel needed to be trued, but overall, nothing detrimental.
A 23-hour layover at Heathrow could’ve been haggard, but thankfully we met the most wonderful couple (I wrote about the kindness of Warmshowers on a previous post), which put us up in their ‘modest’ home for the night and showed us some amazing hospitality. It seriously makes me wonder why we raise our children to fear and be cynical.
Venice. It is beautiful, true, but very expensive and touristy. Those Italians love their Diesel brand jeans and Persol sunglasses. Also, they don’t pick up after their dogs much, so there are lots of poo land mines to step in. I wish I had more interesting things to say about it, but alas, it felt like a blur and we mostly just walked around. Greg will do a mega-picture post soon from Venice and our island/ferry hopping down to Chioggia. The island of Lido is stunning, mellow, and quite bike friendly. Actually, I’m surprised George Clooney doesn’t own a villa here. I could see him wooing the wee young lassies proper here.
We’re now resting in Ferrara after two solid days of riding. We went from Venice on day one to Adria and day two took us from there to Ferrara. Combined, we’ve traveled about 130km or 78 miles in that span. Adria is STUNNING and I fancied it more than Venice. It’s old, beautiful, and not a tourist trap. The hostel, if you could call it that, was massive, and the caretaker was incredibly friendly. We’re getting quite good at charades, and I imagine we’ll get the hang of common phrases just in time for us to leave.
Our postings are slow, as we’re having troubles with finding decent Internet. That’s the excuse I’m using anyway. Truth be told, I’m out of shape and riding is kicking my ass, as is the saddle to my undercarriage. By the time we stop for the day, we’re starving and wiped out. Well, except for Dan. He’s a freak of nature who does push ups and crunches and goes jogging after our rides. I’ve threatened to punch him in the ear. He laughs like I’m being cute. Just wait Dan…
You guys kick ass. We are incredibly jealous and in awe. You two are our heroes. For great (free) tours all over Europe, check out http://www.neweuropetours.eu/. We have done a few of them and never had a bad experience. Some are free, some aren't, but they are ALL fun!! Stay safe and tell Italy we miss it! Ciao!
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