Enchanted Apr.

Another delayed blog post - this one should have been posted in May 2019.

As we started our bike tour through Italy in April, I kept thinking about one of my favorite films of all time - which takes place in Tuscany - and how the title would be perfect for this blog post. Yes, that's one thing I do while we're riding....try to come up with amusing  blog post titles.   But as our trip got cut short, the title took on a new meaning.  Although Tuscany was beautiful, I am beginning to think it is indeed enchanted (i.e., cursed) as this was our third time trying to complete a trip there and we couldn't do it. Two years ago: bike fail. Last year: Matthias' was sick.  This year:  Although we did get a bit further, we were tripped up by a few problems along the way.

Matthias and our bikes on the train to Munich

We left on April 1st (that should have been a clue) and had a nice train ride down to Munich where we got our usual hotel with secure bike parking in the garage and had a fun night at our favorite Bierkeller. The next morning, we took the beautiful train ride over the Alps to Bologna.  After a night at the campsite in Bologna we set off on our bikes through the city center (which had pretty good bikeways) to the hills of Emiglio Romano toward Tuscany.  After some big climbs, we arrived at a campsite on Lake Suviana which was closed, but luckily there was another just down the road.  The lake was nice, but pretty much in the middle of nowhere (no supermarket) so we ate at the campsite restaurant, which was delicious (pasta!!) and cheap.  The next day, it rained like hell, so we left the tent up, stayed put and checked out the area - a little biking, some wandering around the lake on foot, some wine at the local bar and dinner (again) at the campsite restaurant.  There was a lot of rain and it was quite cold, so I was concerned that the next day's ride, which included an ascent to about 1,000 meters, might involve ice on the roadway.  Fortunately, it didn't.  We made the climb, crossing the border into Tuscany, and then the long descent to Florence.  Unfortunately, when we reached our planned destination in Florence - a campsite/hostel combo - the campsite portion was closed (for some unforeseen and unadvertised reason).  And because we had used most of our battery power to get over the mountain (and we didn't know that there was another campsite just a few kms away), we got a private room at the onsite hostel.  Then we went to dinner - another yummy pasta meal.  But we were quickly blowing through our budget - and calorie - limits.

First rest stop after Bologna

Riding over the hills to Lake Suviana

View of Lake Suviana 

Entering Tuscany!

Above the clouds on the way to Florence

Our Hostel in Florence

yummy pasta!

Once I found the other campsite in Florence, we decided to head there the next morning, set up camp and spend the day touring the city, as we had planned on spending two nights there anyway.  The campsite was nice, and convenient to town but seriously expensive (34 Euros!!)   We took the bus to the historic center and had a nice walk around amid the throngs of tourists.  After so much eating out, we enjoyed a picnic in a park and dinner back at the campsite.  The next day, we were heading into the heart of Tuscany.  I noticed that the next campsite was run by the same company as the one in Florence, and since I wasn't able to glean too much information from its website, I checked with staff in Florence to make sure the campsite was open - they assured me it was.  So the next day we enjoyed a pretty ride along the river Arno and then over the hills to our next destination: Figline Valdarno.  Camping Girasole was located up a huge hill (of course) but the large signs pointing the way assured us that it was there.  But then when we got there, we found that it was CLOSED - a sign on the door suggested visiting their "sister campsite" in Florence.  AAAARGH!  I did find another campsite on the map - back toward where we came from and up another huge hill (our batteries were quite low).  And then it started to rain, HARD.  Somehow we made it up to the campsite, soaking wet and in dismal moods.  We couldn't fathom putting up the tent so we opted for a cute cabin.  We stayed there for two nights as I made sure to contact all of the campsites on my list (some were closed) and alter our route accordingly.  Ok, so why didn't I know all this in advance, one might ask (as Matthias did)? Well, as part of my thorough planning, I do check all the campsites and their opening dates, but the information is often based on the previous year.  And in 2018, Easter was at the beginning of April, so the campsites opened a few days before Easter (i.e., April 1st).  This year, Easter fell on April 21st, so many of the seasonal sites decided to wait until a few days before (like the 15th).  Scheiẞe!

Florence!

Yep, Florence!

Picnic lunch in Florence

Our pretty cabin in Tuscany - after the downpour

So after finding (and confirming) open campsites, the revised plan entailed heading back toward Florence (on a different route) and then on toward Siena, Pisa and the coast.  The ride toward Florence was the most beautiful so far, and included the gorgeous narrow winding roads, castles and vineyards I had envisioned.  Unfortunately, it also included one extremely steep climb where I had to help Matthias push the bike and trailer, AND THEN my bike GPS sent us onto a busy highway and into a TUNNEL! After that white-knuckle adventure, we found the campsite (located over the tunnel, which I suppose my GPS recognized as being in the tunnel) which wasn't all that nice.  The next morning, Matthias woke up feeling pretty crappy - his stomach pains had returned - and so we decided to throw in the towel and make our way back home.  That involved a regional train to Bologna and a few nights there to work out the way home - not so easy because we needed bike reservations for the train, which could not be made online.  So we ended up getting some fairly expensive tickets, and spent double for the same hotel in Munich as we usually do (there was a  convention in town), but did have a nice few days in Bologna, with a side trip to Parma, and more good meals.  In all, our trip lasted just over two weeks instead of the month we originally planned on (and budgeted for - so that worked out about right.)

Tuscan scenery!

Big Hill!

Quick break in a pretty village

Back in Bologna

Parma

Eating in Parma

The weather in Germany during the second half of April was pretty nice.  Matthias went back to the doctor for some medication adjustment and has been feeling better ever since.  We took a few trips up to the house in the Harz Mountains and dealt with domestic issues (tax drama - will get into that another time when it's all settled - as of July 1, it's not!)  At the end of May we set off on another bike trip - a resounding success this time.  More on that in the next post.

Pretty scene from our kitchen window back home - full moon (still daylight) and flowers in bloom!