Three Meals, Three Countries

Two maps today - it seems the phone app doesn't like me taking too many pictures whilst tracking, it stops and needs to be restarted. Just stick the lower map on the top bit of the upper one, correct the scale mentally, and job's a good 'un. 

Today started in the Italian Tyrol, lovely weather and great views.

Here's the view from the first stop, when the phone cut out. 

Another shot in that direction, across the road.

We didn't have too far to go today, maybe 150 miles, so it was good just rolling along. The road is pretty much a two laner the whole way, with loads of bends and hazards, so overtaking can be tricky anyway, so we didn't do very much. Why bother, when you only end up on the back of the next queue, 400 yards up the road?!

We eventually stopped for lunch, very late, at a nifty roadside stuber. It was pretty busy, location and Sunday I guess. 

The ceiling was interesting, made out of cunningly assembled pine. There were some pictures of a 1992 bobsled team and a wall full of prize cups, I'm not sure these were actually related.

I'm afraid there's no picture of lunch, we were very hungry and scoffed the Greek salads and bread before I had time to take one. Here's the evidence...

So, breakfast in Italy, lunch in Austria, and hopefully dinner in Germany, where we are currently relaxing, showering and considering the beer options.

Morning Glory in the Tyrol

This looks better from the hotel balcony! I just didn't want to miss it, so took a shot while doing some taiji outside on the grass.

A lovely morning, fresh, sunny. Great hotel, well patronised and busy last night. That's probably due to the continuous stream of 70s music played loudly in the bar... Which is fun, for a bit.

A couple of beers last night before dinner.

The bikes all snugged up in the garage with the other guests' hardware.

A classic Tyrolean gaff, with added rumble. It was really busy last night, the waiter was doing an incredible job juggling all the food, drink and even working on two floors! The boss seemed to be going him a hard time at one point, didn't really seem fair.

The party continues... It was pretty quiet in our room, the place is built like a bunker.

Up For Real

Today we headed across the flat, salt marshy bit north of Ravenna - looks pretty interesting for wildlife, but stopping wasn't really on the agenda. Roads were straight with reasonable traffic but somehow not boring in the cool air and bright sun.

We headed inland past Venice, across lots of plains growing veg and so on. Lunch was around Bassano del Grappa, at a roadside cafe with a couple of bikes parked up. It's Saturday of course, so there a lot more bikers around, all properly togged up and presumably with somewhere to go, at least before their mums expect them home for dinner.

We have a conversation with the Harley Fat Boy owner (well named, saves thinking of two names that mean basically the same thing), he's impressed with the ride to Greece and back thing, and passionately clenches our hands in the Secret Biker Grip (c. jDG 2017) as we prepare to leave.

A group of people, locals, arrive as we do, and immediately engage in heated banter which is fun to watch. They've stopped when I took the photo, man obviously contemplating post-pasta suicide at this point. 

Meal's good, meaty pasta, salad, bread, water, all food. Excellent value, and a very sweet lady keen to serve us what she had left.

There were various nice looking bottles of wine on the walls, but the camouflage brand caught my eye... Good for duck hunters enjoying a picnic I suppose.

And now we've really gone up - after lunch the Alps showed up, and the road twists and turns along the valley near Trento, with steep cliffs and hills looming either side. The road still rises, with tunnels to help keep it gradually ascending. At the last fuel stop Jim accidentally selects the diesel pump for his €10 shot - bummer, unattended, no "oi, I want my money back" button, so presumably someone gets a present! Another €10 required.

And we here in Laives, at the Steinmannwald, nice spot, good looking resto where we pre-booked dinner, and even a very nice garage for the bikes, beside the owner's twin Harleys.

A Great Day For Up!

A Rave in Ravenna

Tempting as the hotel menu was, it seemed churlish to miss the sights of ancient Ravenna. After all, it's not like we'll be back soon, and frankly, I was getting hotel cabin fever after yesterday's disaster and a lengthy ride with a cold!

So here's a church. It happens to be the Basilica Di San Francesco, right beside the tomb of Dante. Cool. 

We took a taxi to in centro del citta, and then walked for a bit. There were a few people out and about, some good-looking buildings in that great Italian style. The town hall is a bit of a mid-20th C box, but it is red, which is at least different. 

Of course, I'd forgotten the dratted map the nice lady at reception had given us, but we'd asked about restos, and the name Alexander had stuck in my mind. A quick Google and it was 300 yards from where we'd walked to - marv. 

Looks interesting... It's a converted cinema, which explains the architecture and detailing.

Jim coquettishly sampling the home made bread sticks and sourdough.

And the decor is pretty far out in a good kind of way...

But the food and wine were great, we decided this is our fine dining meal of the trip, so more food pictures. Local wine, scallop, mackerel starters, brilliant buckwheat spaghetti with sardines, and cod, skate for mains. And pud. Hic! 

Starters.

And I got the hotel room window open, so it's cooled down enough to sleep - air conditioning, but I can't work it!!

The Crow Flies - Where?

Today was going to be an easy pootle up the coast road, SS16, maybe 180 miles. However, it was incredibly slow going - lots of traffic, traffic lights and random old gits in Fiat Pandas, backing into the road or driving into it then not actually speeding up. My satnav suggested a route some 35 minutes faster, which was interesting because we were already on a 17.00 finish with no stops or delays. So we thought we might try it. In fact we stopped for lunch at a services just after the critical turn to Foligno - it had taken more than 3 hours to go 60 miles!! 

So onto the highway, no tolls - interesting !! Basically, we were heading inland, through the mountains, and ended up on SS77var, which is a brand new road that is pretty much nothing but a sectional tunnel with short stretches of open road between the sections. For miles!! Popping out into the sun, we could see the old wiggly SS77 - maybe next time we'll plan better and take that! Beautiful hills and mountains, and we burst through into classic Umbria. The unexpected bonus was passing Assisti, with the Basilica distinctively extending from the hilltop. 

So we made it in 7 hours, maybe 250 miles. Ridiculous! And my head is still buzzing despite earplugs. Was it quicker? Who knows, but at least we were moving along.

Now to decide if it's hotel resto or town resto - last night's hotel meal was pretty average, so some debate to be had here.

We're in the Grand Hotel Mattei, which is lovely but a bit soulless, as wel as having rooms which are too far off the ground for Jim's taste.

Sunny side - Up

Well, that's a good start!

Ups and Downs

One of the things about touring is the emotional, as well as physical, Ups and Downs.

We left Patra last night, the boat pulled out about 18.00, and stopped at Igoumenitsa on the way to pick up more lorries. That happened about midnight, and woke me up, so I took a picture...

We sailed? chugged? rumbled - what does a diesel boat do? - into Bari on time, about 9.30 Italian time. We just got an hour back in the switch...

A beautiful clear day, with a great view of Bari which these pictures don't really do justice. An Up, I'd say.

The bikes were on the entry deck, two floors below, so there was a bit of shuffling to get the gear there safely. The boat has escalators!! Madness.

Jim waiting somewhat disconsolately for the crew to let us into the car deck. It was packed with lorries, some reversing out, so it was a bit hairy getting organised. After that it was an easy get off the boat, then a lap of the exit roads while we work out where we're going.

Rather than stick to motorways and tolls, we select the "no motorways, no tolls" route. This is a good plan - eventually we make it to the Adriatic Highway SS16, and although there are lorries and things, it's not too crowded and gives us a great rolling view. It's also pretty straight, but hey, you can't have everything. A good temperature and cool air, lovely - Up.

This place, Bari and on is poor, an has gone seriously broke. Roads are very holey, lots of closed shops, warehouses and so on, and... Lots of sad looking young ladies sitting on chairs beside the highway selling their bodies. Usually alone, they have a chair, some water, cigarettes and are often in the phone - it's a lonely job. And in case there's a suspicion of cultural confusion on our part, they were wiggling their asses and showing lots of leg above the thigh high boots below the micro skirts. lots to think about, and a Down.

But the good thing about normal roads is normal places, and lunch was at La Fantine. Seafood risotto for Jim and a plate of assorted grilled fish for me. With excellent crusty bread and salad, this was marvellous. Definitely an Up.

Then there were a few ups and downs and bends along the coast, which were pretty nice. We had a great view of the Adriatic on our right, switching places with the railway and autostrada all the way.

The atmosphere of many of these seaside towns is a bit like Morecambe - closed up, shut down, nobody here. A bit boggy and sad! Then it started to rain, just as we pulled away from a long road works hold up - big splashy drops, wet in moments! Down...

And so it stayed through rush hour Pescara - solid slow traffic. But the emotional sun comes out - the hotel came along, it has parking, and room is enormous and the beds marvellous! 

Beer time. Up.