North to South in Europe

Stewart, Katherine, Cindy, Don, Kendy, Janice, Bill, Rick

It was fun sailing into Piazza San Marco on a boat after ditching our bikes in Punto Sabbione, drinking Prosecco supplied by Rudolph and eating fine soft cheese, bread, olives, peaches, prosciutto and tomatoes. Group photos all round, hugs and felicitations. A fine way to end a north to south bike ride on a hot Italian morning.

I was sorry to depart Slovenia with its hills, picturesque villages, cheap beers, friendly people, creamy cold ice cream and polite drivers. Well, most of them anyway. Should anyone wish to convince their city or town to adopt bicycle friendly conditions, a trip to Ljubljana would be recommended where at first hand, city officials can see how it is possible for the bike to coexist peacefully and seamlessly with cars and pedestrians. For a city of 250,000 they really have it together.

Crossing the border also meant we were reunited with the sea, so a dip in the Adriatic was called for. We left it a bit late to walk down to the beach so it had to be a paddle instead, but it was coolly refreshing. Miss Piggot, god bless her, immersed her entire body having had the good sense to don her bathers before the descent. An ice cream and a friendly bus driver who transported us back up the hill at no cost, completed a satisfying day.

Even though most of Italy is beautiful, TDA managed to select a route for our last two days that was so boring we all would have fallen asleep at the handlebars if it hadn't been for the ferocious traffic. Corn fields, soy beans, flat straight roads and green algae ridden canals. Didn't seem to accord with my recollections of Umbrian hills and gelato fragola.

Venezia proved hot, humid and crowded. I liked it very much but could understand that others found it suffocating and somewhat claustrophobic. We walked, hopped onto vaporettos and visited Murano to see lumps of molten silica transformed into horses and the like, and enjoy a 'Menu Turistica' that was so good, sitting by a breezy canal, that it should have been bottled. Allora.

Our hotel, the Villa Alberti, also did a grand farewell meal, albeit the unofficial one. The official dinner was held in a stuffy restaurant where the 50gm of fried chicken which most mistook for ...well, fish perhaps...tasted...well, like nothing...as did the tortellini. The wine was little more than dyed cat's piss but that did not stop me for a moment. Still, what more could we expect from good old TDA.

The awards however were funny, with much work having gone into them by George, Kris and Katherine. I was thrilled to receive the 'Miss Congeniality' award until someone mentioned that this award is always part of the Miss America Pageant and goes to the ugly one who raises the most money. Oh well...

I feel great after my six weeks on the bike. I have been to places I would never have otherwise travelled to and developed an interest that will linger. I have made friends whom I cherish and have plans for my next trip. I am relaxed, energised and ready for the next chapter.

And so, here is my last lot of riding data which in total amounted to 3,414kms on the bike.
Thursday 19 August to Sistiana: 106kms, 5hrs 55 mins, 17.8 average. Lots of hills, in fact we climbed four long passes through the mountains which is always better that climbing over them.
Friday 20 August to Caorle: 94km, 22.6 average, 4hrs 8 mins. Flat, straight, dull.
Saturday 21 August to Punto Sabbione: 42km, 22 average, 1hr 54mins