We turned in for the night basically as soon as it was dark last night, in part because of my imposed “boar curfew” since dusk was when they showed up last time we free camped. It was a bit irrational since the brush was so thick we could barely move around and there were no […]
After a day of planning and making decisions regarding our route, I was ready to hit the road this morning. Bree, still a little sore from our alternate activity day, was a little less energetic. We began our long day on the bikes by climbing a massive hill in parts so steep that Bree had […]
With our second week on the road now under our belts, I finally feel like the overwhelming stress of cycle touring is wearing off a bit. Looking back to our first week, I can now see how jet lagged we must have been. We literally fell asleep every time we sat down and would nap […]
Ever since Bree and I began the planning stages for this trip last fall, we began coming up with things we wanted to do while in the various countries. On my bucket list was to get my hair cut by an Italian barber. Not just a guy who cuts hair, but a true barber (not […]
Bree: Having had a less than stellar day in Florence yesterday due to the sheets of rain, we were ready for another try today. We hopped on the bus mid-morning and headed back into the city center. Ben wasn’t feeling very well, so first thing upon our arrival we made it back to McDonalds to […]
We packed up camp today, relieved that today would bring only 25 miles into the artistic capital Florence (Firenze). As we were loading all of our possessions onto our overloaded bicycles, our camp-neighbor Edouard came over to talk to us. Eduoard, his wife, and his 2 children were spending some time in Italy when their […]
Ben: In our preparations for today’s ride into Tuscany, we failed to realize one very important thing – in order for us to get into Italy’s artistic heartland, we had to climb over a mountain, after which there were only “rolling hills”. We began our climb with the sounds of rifle shots and the pinging […]
Feeling majorly better this morning, we packed up early to get on the road. Our tent neighbors who had largely ignored us for the past two days finally got curious enough to come ask about our bikes and where on earth we were going with them. They were from Holland, on holiday in Italy for […]
Bree: I woke up just after dawn, as usual (since we usually go to bed by 9 or 10) and sat up to begin packing up camp for our ride toward Pisa. Instead, I was met with an overwhelming dizzy sensation. I put my head between my knees and when it didn’t fade, I laid […]
Bree: Today we packed up from our lovely Levanto camp to get back on the road. Our departure did not go unnoticed by our French neighbors who had been enthralled with our heavy bikes. For the last three nights we’ve shared ridiculous attempts at conversation, her speaking in French, and us in English with a […]
Finally, a rest day. A REAL rest day. We didn’t pedal anywhere except into town (3 times because we are disorganized). I noticed my sore legs from hiking before I even crawled out of my sleeping bag and instantly felt glad to be staying put one more day. Plus, we had some pressing things to […]
One week. We have been at this one week. In all honesty, it has been probably the toughest week of my life. The logistics of a trip like this are mind boggling and the limited access we have found to internet/power have been a huge hinderence. We have pedaled a few hundred miles at this […]