We left Siena this morning and drove through some amazing Tuscan countryside towards Pisa, where we parked the car and walked 20 minutes in the wrong direction looking for the tower. Eventually we found our way and spent all of 5 minutes in the park by the leaning tower and cathedral watching everyone set up their shots pushing against the tower, hands resting on the tower etc etc. We can also confirm that yes, it is definitely leaning. We had to get back to the car though before the meter ran out so that was it for the leaning tower and us! Off to Lucca where we cycled the 4km around the fortified town walls and saw glimpses of the renaissance-era monuments and churches. Lucca has played an important part in Italian history and I'll definitely try to learn more about it once we get back! For now though, the ocean calls and we will be arriving in Portofino in half an hour to unpack then head to the beach!
Sent from my BlackBerry® wireless device
Friday 30 July 2010
Thursday 29 July 2010
Siena
Yesterday once we had arrived at the campsite we cycled into Siena and walked around in awe of the streets and houses which have remained unchanged throughout the centuries. Il Campo, the main square, is the scene of the annual palio horserace, which sounds rather cruel but must be fascinating to watch. We visited the Duomo and were amazed at the detail in every corner - it is an incredible place to behold. The library, tucked away in a corner, holds manuscripts from the 14th century which are painted with amazing skill and in great detail. I was also given my birthday present from Eli 6 weeks early, a gorgeous Italian leather handbag! Back at the campsite we had a swim in the best campsite pool so far, it was 4m deep and 25m long! As for today, right now I am lying in a hammock tied on one side to the Landy and on the other to a tree, with two bungee cords stretched above me with wet washing on them. Today has been incredibly chilled, its been a bit windy and threatening to rain all day so we didn't go back into Siena itself but to a tiny medieval village, Monteriggioni, just north of it which is a fortified town and set amongst the scene of many battles between Siena and Florence in days gone by - some of the buildings date back to the 11th century. We then found a little off-road track, actually an 11th century pilgrimage route which stretches from Canterbury to Rome, where we did a little greenlaning and where we stopped to eat our smoked-salmon and ciabatta lunch and watched the ominous clouds blow past us (thankfully). Dinnertime now and an early morning for the drive to Pisa, Lecco and towards the Cinque Terre tomorrow!
Sent from my BlackBerry® wireless device
Sent from my BlackBerry® wireless device
Photos from the last 10 days
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=467776&id=686290149&l=637dccbf9c
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=467779&id=686290149&l=55d660efd0
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=467784&id=686290149&l=f3b952b0aa
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=467786&id=686290149&l=f8d6389a55
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=467789&id=686290149&l=e60d9b55bd
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=467791&id=686290149&l=692da255e8
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=467779&id=686290149&l=55d660efd0
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=467784&id=686290149&l=f3b952b0aa
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=467786&id=686290149&l=f8d6389a55
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=467789&id=686290149&l=e60d9b55bd
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=467791&id=686290149&l=692da255e8
Wednesday 28 July 2010
Florence to Siena
We are on the road for the 100km or so to Siena, the last two nights were spent camping atop a hillside 5km from Florence. We rode our bikes into town yesterday and it seems we are suffering from cultural overload as well as summer-tourist-rip-off syndrome, as we were quite exhausted at the prospect of all the sights one has to see. So we didn't see the real David, but numerous copies served well enough I think; the Duomo is breathtaking, and there are so many old churches and palazzo's scattered around that we could have stayed a week (and spent a fortune). After the hike up to the Piazalle Michelangelo and having a last look at the gorgeous city however, we headed back to the camp with a quick stop at a deli for some parma ham and bread, which was so good we cycled back down to it later for more ham and some well-deserved beers! It has been nice and cool up on the hill until this morning- it mustve been 35 degrees by 10am - so we are hoping that the Landy handles it ok! So far so good apart from a few warning jerks a few minutes ago and we can see Siena already so we should be ok! Eeek!
Sent from my BlackBerry® wireless device
Sent from my BlackBerry® wireless device
Monday 26 July 2010
On the road to Florence
We spent a few hours today walking around Bologne, ate the requisite Ragu with tagliettelli- it didn't blow my mind but it was good...granted my expectations were pretty high! We had been reading the lonely planet guide which recommended a gelateria as one of the best in Italy, and after an hour of walking to find it, it tasted pretty amazing! I don't know whether Ill ever be happy with normal old ice cream again after this trip. Aside from food, Bologne has beautiful arcades down all the main roads and I imagine that being a university town, during term-time it must have a great vibe too. We didn't get to check out any of the bars though as we are now en route to Florence and about to start the search for a campsite. In case anyone wants to know, Eli and I have one swollen foot each from vicious Venetian mosquitoes!
Sent from my BlackBerry® wireless device
Sent from my BlackBerry® wireless device
Sunday 25 July 2010
July 24
July 24
We took our time driving to Venice, (well, a campsite 7km from Venice itself) and once unpacked got a bus into the town after being quite disappointed that bicycles aren't allowed. I can definitely see why though, some of the streets are only about a metre wide, and most of the others are packed with tourists so any cyclists would be a serious hazard. Im sure everyone has seen all the pictures of the canals and gondolas so Ill refrain from describing it, except to say that it is gorgeous and romantic, as well as expensive and very full of people! We spent yesterday afternoon and a few hours today wandering around, had a good pizza and some very good gelato, took a water-bus thing (we certainly weren't going to fork out 100euro for a gondola ride!) and are now back the campsite, getting ready to cook some garlicky spinach on our funny little stove, and head off to Bologna tomorrow. Fun times!
Sent from my BlackBerry® wireless device
We took our time driving to Venice, (well, a campsite 7km from Venice itself) and once unpacked got a bus into the town after being quite disappointed that bicycles aren't allowed. I can definitely see why though, some of the streets are only about a metre wide, and most of the others are packed with tourists so any cyclists would be a serious hazard. Im sure everyone has seen all the pictures of the canals and gondolas so Ill refrain from describing it, except to say that it is gorgeous and romantic, as well as expensive and very full of people! We spent yesterday afternoon and a few hours today wandering around, had a good pizza and some very good gelato, took a water-bus thing (we certainly weren't going to fork out 100euro for a gondola ride!) and are now back the campsite, getting ready to cook some garlicky spinach on our funny little stove, and head off to Bologna tomorrow. Fun times!
Sent from my BlackBerry® wireless device
July 23
July 23
We set off early and headed for another lake close to Como from where we planned to go on to Venice. Lake Garda is surrounded by more gorgeous villas and bursting with colour, and it was great driving through with the roof off the Landy (The 'roof' we have is called a bikini, and only sortof covers the two front seats – so we don't have windows or anything covering our backs even when it's on). After another quick business meeting at a hotel, we were on our way when it started raining quite softly, and then got quickly heavier and we were getting soaked. We pulled over and put the bikini back on and a tarp over all our stuff in the back just in time because it turned into quite a crazy downpour, which isn't easy or fun to drive in in that car. You have to hope the tiny little motors on the windscreen wipers don't give up on you, while frantically wiping the spray from the back of the car off the inside of the windscreen. We had been warned that Lake Garda had a microclimate, and we were happily soon out of the monsoon and back to moaning about the heat. We decided to stop over in Verona for the night and found the only campsite close by, with less than friendly staff but it would have to do. We cycled back down the hill into the old town of Verona and it was absolutely stunning and quite fun to roll through all the tiny streets – but we were starving and FINALLY found a nice looking restaurant, had barely put the last bite into our mouths when a massive gust of wind started knocking the tables over and slamming all the pretty little shutters in the square. We looked at what was coming over the hill, then thought of the steep winding hill we still had to cycle back up to the campsite and thought it best done very quickly before the approaching storm arrived…we were exhausted when we reached the top but dry and lightning-strike free. It was an impressive storm though!
Sent from my BlackBerry® wireless device
We set off early and headed for another lake close to Como from where we planned to go on to Venice. Lake Garda is surrounded by more gorgeous villas and bursting with colour, and it was great driving through with the roof off the Landy (The 'roof' we have is called a bikini, and only sortof covers the two front seats – so we don't have windows or anything covering our backs even when it's on). After another quick business meeting at a hotel, we were on our way when it started raining quite softly, and then got quickly heavier and we were getting soaked. We pulled over and put the bikini back on and a tarp over all our stuff in the back just in time because it turned into quite a crazy downpour, which isn't easy or fun to drive in in that car. You have to hope the tiny little motors on the windscreen wipers don't give up on you, while frantically wiping the spray from the back of the car off the inside of the windscreen. We had been warned that Lake Garda had a microclimate, and we were happily soon out of the monsoon and back to moaning about the heat. We decided to stop over in Verona for the night and found the only campsite close by, with less than friendly staff but it would have to do. We cycled back down the hill into the old town of Verona and it was absolutely stunning and quite fun to roll through all the tiny streets – but we were starving and FINALLY found a nice looking restaurant, had barely put the last bite into our mouths when a massive gust of wind started knocking the tables over and slamming all the pretty little shutters in the square. We looked at what was coming over the hill, then thought of the steep winding hill we still had to cycle back up to the campsite and thought it best done very quickly before the approaching storm arrived…we were exhausted when we reached the top but dry and lightning-strike free. It was an impressive storm though!
Sent from my BlackBerry® wireless device
July 22
July 22
A long, fast downhill cycle took us from the campsite to Como Lago (lake), where we arrived already very sweaty. Apparently the thing to do in Italy is drink Café's wherever and whenever, which I can't fathom in this heat, so I stick to Coke or water. Anyway Eli is getting his Italy on, so he has the coffee. After that we headed up one of the hills bordering the lake in the funicular, a funny kind of slanty train. The view of the lake was obviously stunning, but the houses in the village were like little fairytales to me. All stones and hydrangeas and lizards flitting about, and dense forest as we headed higher up the hill, it was all so pretty! Back at the bottom, we took a ride around the lake and since I had my heart set on having a swim in lake Como, we carried on and on looking for somewhere it was allowed. Eli asked a few old Italian men where we could go, and the pointed us further along saying it was another 3km to go. Turns out it was a very steep 3km (although incredibly beautiful!), and by the time got there I had a splitting headache (probably from sweating out twice as much liquid as I was drinking), and they wanted us to pay 5 euros for the pleasure of taking a dip. We thought we would rather go find water to drink and trekked up the longest , steepest cobblestone pathway I have ever seen until we arrived at a little drinking fountain in a tiny piazza, where we downed about a litre of water each and lay down to recover. Luckily the journey back was mostly downhill back to Como, after which we wisely took the train back to the campsite.
Sent from my BlackBerry® wireless device
A long, fast downhill cycle took us from the campsite to Como Lago (lake), where we arrived already very sweaty. Apparently the thing to do in Italy is drink Café's wherever and whenever, which I can't fathom in this heat, so I stick to Coke or water. Anyway Eli is getting his Italy on, so he has the coffee. After that we headed up one of the hills bordering the lake in the funicular, a funny kind of slanty train. The view of the lake was obviously stunning, but the houses in the village were like little fairytales to me. All stones and hydrangeas and lizards flitting about, and dense forest as we headed higher up the hill, it was all so pretty! Back at the bottom, we took a ride around the lake and since I had my heart set on having a swim in lake Como, we carried on and on looking for somewhere it was allowed. Eli asked a few old Italian men where we could go, and the pointed us further along saying it was another 3km to go. Turns out it was a very steep 3km (although incredibly beautiful!), and by the time got there I had a splitting headache (probably from sweating out twice as much liquid as I was drinking), and they wanted us to pay 5 euros for the pleasure of taking a dip. We thought we would rather go find water to drink and trekked up the longest , steepest cobblestone pathway I have ever seen until we arrived at a little drinking fountain in a tiny piazza, where we downed about a litre of water each and lay down to recover. Luckily the journey back was mostly downhill back to Como, after which we wisely took the train back to the campsite.
Sent from my BlackBerry® wireless device
July 21
July 21
We packed up early and heading into the dreaded Alps to get to Italy. Poor Landy was tyres all a-shiver at the thought of it, but she certainly manned up and did the job, and showed us some incredible scenery. It must've been 35 degrees most of the way, but there were snow-capped mountains all around us. It was such an awesome sight, and not nearly as scary as I had expected, although Eli was driving and might not agree. Once over the mountains – (2100m high at some points) – we headed for Como, through some landscapes that reminded me of Fourways (only Joburg people will understand). Finally we got to the campsite and realised that it will be a long time before we see another proper bed. Italy is incredibly hot in July, but Im sure everyone knows this already.
Sent from my BlackBerry® wireless device
We packed up early and heading into the dreaded Alps to get to Italy. Poor Landy was tyres all a-shiver at the thought of it, but she certainly manned up and did the job, and showed us some incredible scenery. It must've been 35 degrees most of the way, but there were snow-capped mountains all around us. It was such an awesome sight, and not nearly as scary as I had expected, although Eli was driving and might not agree. Once over the mountains – (2100m high at some points) – we headed for Como, through some landscapes that reminded me of Fourways (only Joburg people will understand). Finally we got to the campsite and realised that it will be a long time before we see another proper bed. Italy is incredibly hot in July, but Im sure everyone knows this already.
Sent from my BlackBerry® wireless device
July 20
July 20
We drove a few hours until we reached Grenoble, back in France once again, where we had a quick drink with Eli's friend from university and then over to Bridgette's flat where we were going to stay the night. It was really great to see Bridgette after about 8 years and catch up and talk about Joburg and all things South African. Her dad had visited her recently and brought vuvuzelas for her and her boyfriend Fabio, and she was definitely the better woman when it came to playing it! She also brought out some droewors and amarula cream, and reminded me why I can't wait to get home, even though the European adventures (and surely the Landy trip of a lifetime) have just begun.
Sent from my BlackBerry® wireless device
We drove a few hours until we reached Grenoble, back in France once again, where we had a quick drink with Eli's friend from university and then over to Bridgette's flat where we were going to stay the night. It was really great to see Bridgette after about 8 years and catch up and talk about Joburg and all things South African. Her dad had visited her recently and brought vuvuzelas for her and her boyfriend Fabio, and she was definitely the better woman when it came to playing it! She also brought out some droewors and amarula cream, and reminded me why I can't wait to get home, even though the European adventures (and surely the Landy trip of a lifetime) have just begun.
Sent from my BlackBerry® wireless device
July 19
July 19
AK had gone off to work, it being Monday in the real world, and Deniz had to pack for a wedding in Turkey (where they both are from, and where they have known eachother their whole lives), so Eli and I rambled down to lake Geneva on our bikes. We found a little swimming spot on the lake, complete with Northern Englishmen with bad tans, where we swam and sat around on the rocks for a bit, to try and fix up our own bad tans. Eli had a client to see at a fancy hotel on the lake, so I sat by the pool and waited while he talked jam, after which we cycled back around the lake to a very full 'beach', where the swimming was great until I spotted something that looked slightly dodgy in the water, and I didn't feel quite right swimming after that.
Sent from my BlackBerry® wireless device
AK had gone off to work, it being Monday in the real world, and Deniz had to pack for a wedding in Turkey (where they both are from, and where they have known eachother their whole lives), so Eli and I rambled down to lake Geneva on our bikes. We found a little swimming spot on the lake, complete with Northern Englishmen with bad tans, where we swam and sat around on the rocks for a bit, to try and fix up our own bad tans. Eli had a client to see at a fancy hotel on the lake, so I sat by the pool and waited while he talked jam, after which we cycled back around the lake to a very full 'beach', where the swimming was great until I spotted something that looked slightly dodgy in the water, and I didn't feel quite right swimming after that.
Sent from my BlackBerry® wireless device
July 18
July 18
We decided to catch a ride with AK & Deniz on one of the big boats that cruise around Lake Geneva. After a 2 hour cruise of lovely sun and looking out at the distant Alps and Mont Blanc we reached Yvoire, an incredibly beautiful Medieval village on the lake (and in France, not Switzerland). Tiny steep cobbled streets are lined with stone buildings and flowerbeds bursting with brilliant colours. We wandered around for an hour or two and ate a bit too much ice-cream and then caught the boat back to Geneva. It was less sunny this time, and cold in the wind, but we made up for that by sneaking up onto the first class decks and made like we were hanging with the rich folk. Geneva is not known for its nightlife but there was a small section of tents pumping out cheesy disco tunes complete with flashing laser lights when we got back. We decided that we'd had enough after about half an hour though and stomped back up to the flat.
Sent from my BlackBerry® wireless device
We decided to catch a ride with AK & Deniz on one of the big boats that cruise around Lake Geneva. After a 2 hour cruise of lovely sun and looking out at the distant Alps and Mont Blanc we reached Yvoire, an incredibly beautiful Medieval village on the lake (and in France, not Switzerland). Tiny steep cobbled streets are lined with stone buildings and flowerbeds bursting with brilliant colours. We wandered around for an hour or two and ate a bit too much ice-cream and then caught the boat back to Geneva. It was less sunny this time, and cold in the wind, but we made up for that by sneaking up onto the first class decks and made like we were hanging with the rich folk. Geneva is not known for its nightlife but there was a small section of tents pumping out cheesy disco tunes complete with flashing laser lights when we got back. We decided that we'd had enough after about half an hour though and stomped back up to the flat.
Sent from my BlackBerry® wireless device
July 17
July 17
Troyes is in the champagne region of France and we thought we should pick up a bottle of two for our hosts in Geneva, AK and Deniz. We soon realised that this was unlikely on a Saturday morning during the summer holidays as everything was closed and I had a big sulk when I realised that my fantasy of sipping Moet & Chandon amongst its parent plants was not to be. Soon after the vineyards faded into the distance though, I cheered up as we were heading into the mountains, with steep winding roads and little French villages every few kilometres. The Jura mountain range took us up about 630m, which we thought was quite an achievement for the Landy at the time. Coming down the other side was pretty scary. The GPS looked like a big red scribble, and Eli's face looked more terrified with every steep slope and sharp turn as we crawled down, being overtaken by some seriously crazy Swiss drivers. After the scary descent, we had another half an hour until we were in Geneva, at AK & Deniz's flat, where we gave AK's brand new braai a go and went to bed happy and full.
Sent from my BlackBerry® wireless device
Troyes is in the champagne region of France and we thought we should pick up a bottle of two for our hosts in Geneva, AK and Deniz. We soon realised that this was unlikely on a Saturday morning during the summer holidays as everything was closed and I had a big sulk when I realised that my fantasy of sipping Moet & Chandon amongst its parent plants was not to be. Soon after the vineyards faded into the distance though, I cheered up as we were heading into the mountains, with steep winding roads and little French villages every few kilometres. The Jura mountain range took us up about 630m, which we thought was quite an achievement for the Landy at the time. Coming down the other side was pretty scary. The GPS looked like a big red scribble, and Eli's face looked more terrified with every steep slope and sharp turn as we crawled down, being overtaken by some seriously crazy Swiss drivers. After the scary descent, we had another half an hour until we were in Geneva, at AK & Deniz's flat, where we gave AK's brand new braai a go and went to bed happy and full.
Sent from my BlackBerry® wireless device
July 16
July 16
Eli, the Landy and I set off from a cloudy St Remy au Bois at about 10am and trundled through northern France farmlands most of the day (except for a brief breakdown after 160kms!) The landscape is much like that in St Remy, fields and cows and the occasional bad smell, but very pretty all the same. After 8 hours (and only 350km!) we arrived at our campsite in Troyes (pronounced Trwah). We set up our tent – a very cool readymade thing that you throw at the ground and which lands ready to inhabit – and set off on our bicycles into town. Troyes is beautiful, the houses mainly have wooden frameworks which are visible with plastered sections in between. I'm sure there's a name for that but I don't know it – similar to Tudor houses but a bit more wonky. A very good pizza and pint later, we went off back to the campsite for the first night in the tent!
Sent from my BlackBerry® wireless device
Eli, the Landy and I set off from a cloudy St Remy au Bois at about 10am and trundled through northern France farmlands most of the day (except for a brief breakdown after 160kms!) The landscape is much like that in St Remy, fields and cows and the occasional bad smell, but very pretty all the same. After 8 hours (and only 350km!) we arrived at our campsite in Troyes (pronounced Trwah). We set up our tent – a very cool readymade thing that you throw at the ground and which lands ready to inhabit – and set off on our bicycles into town. Troyes is beautiful, the houses mainly have wooden frameworks which are visible with plastered sections in between. I'm sure there's a name for that but I don't know it – similar to Tudor houses but a bit more wonky. A very good pizza and pint later, we went off back to the campsite for the first night in the tent!
Sent from my BlackBerry® wireless device
Blog's up!
Well. We have been on the road for 8 days now and I am finally writing down some of what has been done in that time. Apologies to those who have been waiting for some updates; we have now set up a better system so that I can email updates to post here , so I will try to do that while we're on the road instead of trying to find WiFi at campsites!
Sent from my BlackBerry® wireless device
Sent from my BlackBerry® wireless device
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)