Wednesday 15 June 2016

Sublime Serenity Surrenders to Storm

Two Contrasting Days

After a  long day yesterday and a long and late dinner I wasn't up to blogging so this is a mega effort covering the past two very interesting days.

Serenity

Why the unusual heading?
Perhaps once you get into the post
you'll understand my need to dress up this entry ...

For a change the day dawned still and clear and the promise from the Norwegian weather boffins was a fine day throughout. This video will illustrate the scene as we were readying to leave our hotel better than any words from me ever could ...



And here are a few stills to illustrate our lovely relaxed start to the morning ...




... and another of Dylan giving us all the instructions for travelling down island and meeting at our first ferry of the day ...


I couldn't resist taking a couple of other photos that I thought typifies the cycling culture in this part of the world ...




This next video shows us cruising towards Lido Centro at a leisurely pace ...


I paused once we got the where the vaporettos come into the centre of Lido to get a photo of some of the bikes parked there ...


Please note that this is but a fraction of the two-wheeled transport that had been left by commuters travelling to the mainland. On the other side of the street was a mass of motorbikes - mostly scooters - and further along there was another parking bay filled with an equally large array of bicycles. You can see a few cars parked here, but that is about the extent of the four-wheeled transport.

South past the central business district of Lido we cruised, where life seems to be lived at a lovely slow pace. I paused to photograph this gentleman fishing ...


Did you notice that he had two fishing rods on the go? And that it looks like he arrived by bike? Wouldn't it be good if we saw more folks at home in Australia getting about in bikes?

As we neared the ferry I sat up to shoot this video which I hope will show the serenity of the place ...


We arrived at the ferry to discover that it was forty minutes behind schedule (this is, after all, Italy) so there was nothing for it but to kick back and relax in the sunshine. Here is a photo to illustrate the scene ...


... and another to show the arrival of a ferry that wasn't ours ...


Eventually our ferry did arrive and we piled on ...


 There were no cars, just us cyclists and a couple of buses ...


A few of our group ventured to the upper decks for the view ...



As you can see the superb weather conditions at the start of the day continued through this part of our journey. Before we knew it were landing at the northern end of Pellestrina and found ourselves cycling southward along the western edge of the island. It was wonderful, although a couple of our troupe found the gravel towards the southern end a bit unsettling. But before that there was a long section where we wended our way along a narrow passage  on the waterfront between fishing boats on one side and shops and houses on the other. This video might give you a bit of an idea of what it was like ...






I paused at one place to photograph a platform in the water that looked like its purpose was for the storing and drying of nets ...



Near the end of our ride on Pellestrina there was a small square with a church at the back of it. A group of cyclists heading north had stopped here ...




A few minutes later we were at the spot where the charter ferries for the gorgeous town of Chioggia depart. While we waited in the sunshine and still conditions I took a few photos of the stylish gear some of our fellow cyclists were wearing ...












It was a wonderful sojourn, sitting quietly on the water's edge awaiting a ferry especially summoned for our travelling pleasure. And what a lovely outlook, with clouds roiling up in the Dolomites to the north but sublime stillness surrounding us ...




On the ferry Team Wagga were having a light-hearted strategy meeting ...




... while our capitano had a race of sorts with another charter ferry ...






Coming into Chioggia was lovely ...






It was clear from this sign that there is a lot of bike traffic between the islands and the mainland, with ferries catering specifically for cyclists ...




Landing in Chioggia and having a coffee on the plaza adjacent to the waterfront capped one of the easiest but most enjoyable and memorable bits of cycling I've ever done. It is a journey that I'd recommend to anyone who likes exploring places by bike.

The rest of the day's ride involved flat riding along the coast. Quite pleasant, mostly on quiet back roads, but more of a transition than a highlight in its own right. With about twenty kilometres to go, Di and I arrived at our third and last ferry for the day and waited while it came across from the other bank of the river to pick us up ...



A reasonably quick and traffic-free ride brought us into Ravenna and straight to our hotel. We knew we were in a good place when we passed these murals on our way to parking our bikes for the night ...














Inside the hotel Di and Jo were showing true Sisterhood of the Chain with their greasy right legs ...




My final photo of this marvellous day of cycling is one of a young girl describing the technical merits of her bike to her dad and a couple of his friends ...



We had just enough time in Ravenna to get a hint of what a lovely city it is, and decide we'd like to come back someday so we can potter about on our bikes and enjoy the delights of the place over a more extended period of time.


Storm Warning

Our start for the next day looked good but there was a strong likelihood of thunderstorms in the afternoon. After a wonderful but long day from Venice Lido to Ravenna, Di, who was feeling a bit under the weather decided that she would give the ride from Ravenna to Bagno di Romagna a miss. I was loath to get a soaking on the bike myself, but decided to ride the morning section and see what transpired as far as the weather went.

My favourite steed was ready and waiting to get underway ...


Our trusty guide Mark led us out of town as the route had been changed slightly from what was laid down on our Garmins ...



We rolled through flat, Po Valley countryside up until the morning coffee stop without a lot to grab one's interest for photographing, passing through the occasional small but unremarkable town. 

The one remarkable point of the morning occurred just as we entered the town designated as our morning coffee stop, where we crossed the Rubicon. Apparently there is a statue of Caesar here, but I missed it as I rolled past. 

Next up was lunch at the lovely town of Verucchio. Aaron and Harold had passed me leading into coffee, but they kindly turned down the speed and allowed me to tail them towards the climb leading to lunch ...



Di riding in the van this morning allowed her to get some good photos in Verucchio from up on top of the castle ramparts. 





Here is one of some of the rooftops in the town ...



... and another of the twisty road leading up into the town ...



She managed to snag a photo looking down on me on the last little stretch before reaching the town square ...




At this point the roads had large damp patches on them and thunder was echoing around the hills. Even though the sun was shining, as I pulled into lunch I made the decision to get off the bike and into the van for the afternoon. With my cold still in ascendency and four great looking days of riding still ahead before our ceremonial march into Rome, I had no desire to get drenched yet again. Dylan seemed rather surprised when I informed him of my decision, but what followed during the course of lunch soon changed his outlook.

Initially however, things didn't look too bad. Our lunch stop was in a lovely place, tucked in under an arched verandah looking out onto the square ...




There were a couple of nice mosaic panels that caught my eye ...



Here's Harold and Aaron tucking into lunch ...




More riders arrived and we were having a convivial repast ...




Di captured another example of sartorial elegance in the form of José's socks ...



However, as is often with the case with thunderstorms, things changed rather suddenly from sunshine and shirtsleeves to soddenness and rain jackets...



While the rest of us had waited to see what would transpire with the weather, the indefatigable Aaron, our Lone Ranger as he normally finishes well ahead of the rest of us,  had set off, trailed by his own trusty Tonto in the form of Harold. They would both get wet, but to differing degrees. Aaron, as per usual, had dropped Harold on the first hill and was out in the open when the downpour hit him. Harold happened to be just by a bus stop when the heavens opened, apparently strategically situated across from a gelateria.

Meanwhile, back in Verucchio, the picture had changed considerably. Here are a couple of videos Di shot to illustrate ...







Even the matriarch of the piazza was getting a runny nose ...




By this time Dylan had made the executive decision that he didn't want clients setting off with another three hours plus of riding to go. He started getting bikes up on the van and trailer and called a taxi to take riders who wouldn't fit into the van and car.

We kept warm with coffee and some of the best hot chocolate I've ever had. It was incredibly thick and rich and, unlike almost every other cup of hot chocolate I've had on this trip (with the weather we've had there have been many!) it was really good and HOT!

It was so good I took a photo for posterity ...



Don didn't get a hot chocolate but maybe he should have ...




Meanwhile, one member of our party - who shall remain nameless - had another way of get keeping warm ...






After about forty minutes the taxi - which was ten minutes away when called - arrived and we all piled into our various conveyances. 

It was pouring when we got underway, but gradually eased off during the course of our journey. Still, I managed to get a short video showing the rain coming down ...



Bear in mind that this is only a hint of what we'd had shortly beforehand. After about 15 minutes we came across Harold stopped by the roadside checking his Garmin. To his credit - and his stalwartness - he chose to stay out on the road. He would arrive about an hour after the rest of us but would escape further drenching. In fact, the roads here in Bagno di Romagna were dry when we arrived. (Interestingly, I think Harold is the only one of our group who has not contracted the cold that Aaron chose to share with us at the start of our epic journey.) 

Meanwhile, Aaron arrived at the hotel before we did. He did get drenched, but with the wonderful facilities here at our hotel, was in very good spirits - both literally and figuratively, I believe. And, apart from a good meal, that concludes yet another memorable day on our epic journey from London to Rome with Ride and Seek.

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