Rome. Day 1

November 24, 2014
Rome, Italy

I actually surprise myself with how comfortable I am riding through a large city. The hardest part is knowing where I should be going. Google Maps is a godsend, but in Italy it doesn't have a bike option. If I put in auto, it takes me to the nearest highway and if I put in walker, it takes me up steps and one-way streets the wrong way. Adds to the challenge for sure. And that was today because I had to use walking instructions. There I was pedaling past the Vatican on a 4 lane road, my side, and thinking this is feeding into a highway, I think. Trying to read the myriad of signs and my phone...and not get wiped out by all the cars coming in every direction. (I almost did get backed over first thing this morning...my greatest fear is seeing backup lights coming my way!). So I noticed a bunch of cops standing on the sidewalk staring and I cycled over. "How do I cross the river?" Great machine you have there! A Dutch guy handed me a map...how sweet. I got the info but it took me to a bridge that came towards me not the way I needed. But I managed to figure it out. I have to pull over often and figure out where I am and where I need to go. Did a couple of loops when roads didn't do what I thought they did. Lots of one-ways in this city!

But around every corner was this




And this




And this



And this



And this



This city is built around these ancient ruins. They pepper the city. Everywhere I looked today was a ruin of some sort or another. Pretty amazing.

Found the hostel. Third floor walk-up. Blaze is under the stairs by the front door. All my gear is strewn about the room. This weekend there'll be 6 women in here, but for now it's just us 2. Got laundry fine first thing. It's been weeks since it's gone through a machine! A clean now:)

I asked the girl at the desk here where I could find Christmas presents. "But it's not the season yet!" she replied. I love it! Wish we'd wait awhile in the States. That's one reason I don't like to be stateside during the holidays. Too much stress.

So I'm booked in for 6 nights. Ahh. I've been chillin' all afternoon after biking 15 miles in chaos and walking for an hour or so doing errands. Sightseeing (and Christmas shopping:)) can wait until tomorrow.

Did have some good pizza around the corner today.




And I don't know if I've mentioned how much I admire European drivers for their ability to parallel park...but they can squeeze in some tight spots. Loved seeing this way to park too.


Livin' the life,

BagLady

Facebook: Kathryn Mossbrook Zimmerman

Last Night Before Rome

November 23, 2014
La Storta, Italy

Where to start? Maybe I'll work backwards to cover the last few days. That'll be different:). Today I had to ride on a divided highway for about 5 miles. The good part was it had a wide shoulder. The bad part was that's where all the shit lands and I got a rear flat. Took me awhile to realize it. Ew! Not good for the tire. I was able to pull onto a side road to do the repair, thank goodness. It was easy to find:)


But not so easy to fix. I pulled the tube and patched it. Mounted it on the rim. Mounted it on the bike. Started pumping it up and it would only inflate so far. Dang pump! Don't break on me now. Again and again I try. I think the tube's not holding. Unmount everything again. There's a second hole next to the first. Use my last patch on it. Remount on the rim. Remount on the bike. Pump. Pump. Pump. Dang! Still not holding air. I give up. Replace the tube. I mount everything again. Remount everything again. I got it DOWN!! An hour later. We're off! I found a back roads route that was longer but a tad quieter, so the ride was fun. Lots of toots and pics of me. I make people smile. And that's fun. Since I knew I'd be on the outskirts of Rome tonight, I planned on a convent. Good thing. It's very congested in this area. Camping would not be an option.

Sweet convent. Lovely colors. Up on the hill away from the hubbub below.





Saw this saying on the wall here...how perfect for a place near the end.



Ok, now yesterday. I started the day at another "religious structure", Convento Cappuccini, and decided to see if I could find a bookstore for a replacement book. I wandered the streets of what felt like the oldest village I've wandered through. Can't really say why, but it felt amazing. And photos don't capture it.










Then when I stopped for coffee I asked the guy there about this back road I found that wound around but ended up where I wanted to be. No. Very steep. Take the main road to Rome. Buts it's a good road? Yes, but not for bike. Well, steep no longer worries me...that's my road! I can't handle biking on main roads with no shoulders and truck traffic. I'd rather deal with hills. And it was fun. Still no shoulder, but the cars are a bit slower. So that helps.

Met Florian, a French guy hurrying to get to Rome to meet up with a friend for the weekend. He's off to Istanbul (where I was suppose to be going but for visa limitations).


We both agreed that Italian road surfaces sucked for biking. I said I noticed it was only on my side of the road.



So challenging with 3 tracks to keep out of the holes.

(As I'm writing tonight I'm devouring everything that's left in my food pannier. I've eaten yogurt, leftover beans and rice from last night, leftover ham and bread from lunch today, potato chips, cookies, clementines, pomegranate from last night...and there's still tomato, cuke, pepper, onion, apple, orange, tuna...lots more to eat...I'll make antipasto!)





Livin' the life,

BagLady

Facebook: Kathryn Mossbrook Zimmerman

Another Day on the Via Francigena.

November 17, 2014
Radicofani, Italy

Last night was interesting. Got near this town (on a hill, they all are!) and called to see if anyone would be around at the "religious structure". Several numbers provided. Finally someone answers. Broken English. Closed for repairs. Will book me into B&B for 20 €. High, but what the heck...new experience. Then she texts me that the B&B is full. Try the Aubergue at the square or the parish, she says. This is a larger town. I have no clue where she's talking about. Get to the aubergue after asking many people. Closed with phone number. Voicemail in Italian. Call original woman back. She tells me where Parish is. Find that. A Father answers. Broken English. He takes me to a Pilligrini sign on a door and points to a phone number. Arrgghhh. I call. Think I've talked to this woman before. A guy comes on. He wants to give me another number. It's getting late. Rain is beginning. I'm feeling lost and frustrated. I gotta go out up my tent I tell him and hang up. My faithful tent:). I find a picnic spot just out of town and set up in the early sprinkles getting inside before the skies open...for the next 4 hours! Eat something cold: bread, cheese, salami. And to sleep at 6 pm. Slept 13 hours!

It rained so heavy last night off and on, but my tent held up well. I slung a line to dry my pants during the night without much luck. So this morning I put them on over my long johns and hopped back in my bag to dry them. 45 min later, voila! Now they were just damp to begin with, but I love these pants because they dry so fast. No rain pants for me...just these. The rain stops and my pants dry quickly. So fast it surprises me. And I appreciated that this morning when it rained early during my ride. Rain and cold. Not fun. But then the skies cleared and it was a gorgeous day for cycling.









I was going to go to another town tonight, but during the last 5 kms I changed my mind. I found a picnic spot on the side of the road and set up.

The road noise will quiet in a while and it's easier to tolerate than bells. The first cop of my whole journey stopped while I was cooking in the dark, just to see if I was all right. How sweet is that?

There's some great heat lightning going on out there tonight. Great clouds earlier today too.




I'm trying to eat up all the odds and ends in my food bag...kinda like cleaning the fridge before going away. Not buying much, so making do. Tonight was sautéed eggplant and mushroom soup. I got the soup in France:). I carry something's as emergency food for when I can't find a grocery store. But lately the meal emergencies have been being unable to cook because of the rain. Then it's a real scramble to see how I'll feed myself. Of course sitting in my tent from 4 pm onward means there's lots of time to be munching. Not so good if there's nothing to munch on! That's why I go to sleep early. To turn off the mouth:)

Just 5 or 6 more days until Roma!!!


Livin' the life,

BagLady

Facebook: Kathryn Mossbrook Zimmerman

Under the Tuscan Sun...some days

November 14, 2014
Siena, Italy

I can't remember where I left off. Have I mentioned how terrible my memory is. I scare myself sometimes because 5 minutes after I've put my phone some place special (that I seriously contemplated) I'll panic because it's not in it's usual place nor the the first other place I thought of putting it. A terrible sinking feeling that I've lost one of the most valuable pieces of gear I'm carrying. Sick. And then I notice where it's stashed in the bike seat pocket (2nd most common place I put it) and then I remember the entire inner dialogue I had about putting in there and not in my pocket where it could fall out (which was exactly what I thought had happened). 5 minutes? Really? I can't connect 5 minutes? I'm dangerous!

So I'm cycling the Via Francigena, an Italian pilgrim route that actually starts in Canterbury, England, travels through France to Italy and Rome. I'm just doing the last 400 kms. And it's been delightful to have a trail to follow. Well, I'm actually doing the driving route, but it's pretty well signed. Nothing's perfect. And it's taking me through the center of Tuscany and all these medieval walled villages.


















The colors of autumn have really popped especially in the vineyards.

Have had quite a bit of rain in Italy this month...more than usual. I've spent some long hours in my tent. (See videos posted on Facebook.) And there's more coming tomorrow. I gotta keep moving south because my flight to New Zealand is out of Rome on the 30th.

When I'd had enough battling the rain, I checked into a convent that was on my list. This wing where the house and feed pilgrims was all new. I had a 5 bunk room all to myself and used very inch drying out my gear.

I also met a mom and son ( Carolyn and Ned) hiking from Lucca (the town where I started) who are from New Zealand. Ahh! English speaking!






Ya, Ned loved the trike!

The next day we decided to meet up again because my route was twice as long as theirs. And a monastery awaited us for cheap.

Met some Italian hikers doing a section that day.




The monastery was great. But we had a tiny room with 3 beds. Ahh, hiker life!













So today after touring San Gimignano this morning, I sadly said goodbye and cycled on. It was fun having a couple of days connection, hearing their story. They're moving to Italy, Tuscany, to an old house they've bought and are remodeling. Talk about an adventure!! Looking forward to staying in touch! An amazing woman and mother! And Ned, loved your attitude! You rock, Carolyn and Ned!!!

Tonight I'm camped at a little park I found off the beaten path. Who knows why I headed down here, but this is perfect for tonight.



Livin' the life,

BagLady

Facebook: Kathryn Mossbrook Zimmerman

Moving On South

November 8, 2014
Near Lucca, Italy

Weather can be a powerful factor when living on a bike. After my planned 3 nights in Cinque Terre, I checked the weather forecast and it was heavy rains and thunderstorms. Dire warnings about possible flooding. I was warm and dry in my hostel so I decided to stay put and see how the weather played out. The next day, nothing. Not a drop of rain all day. WTF! I'm sitting around and it's not raining? After midnight there was heavy rain and T storms for about 15 min. Next day. Still bad forecast. I decide there's a bad storm out there somewhere. Maybe it's stalled. Sit tight another day. Dry morning. Rain, but not bad in the afternoon. I'm the only guest in the hostel. Stay another night. The next morning I'm beginning to pack. It's raining lightly but suppose to stop. Then a hostel person shows me the news. Bad flooding from torrential rains last night up in the mountains have caused a state of emergency on the exact road I would have been on if I'd left. Guess it was a good thing I didn't leave that week. What a vegetable I became that week. Talk about doing NOTHING. I did hike to nearby towns and eat.












And captured some of the old photos around town.









But I love the best the boat parking along the main street.




Then Friday, a week after arriving, I finally cycled up the hill...the very steep hill..and got out of town.

And when I got to the beach where the rains had caused such devastation by washing tons if timber down the river, flooding it's banks, this is what I saw.



The beach for a good kilometer was piled high and deep with wood washed ashore. I've never seen anything like it! People were scavenging the lumber, the good big straight stuff. What a mess to clean up before next summer. That sure made me glad I wasn't out on that road during the storm.

Continuing south, I thought I could find a campground open or a piece of land to camp on for the night. The area became the Myrtle Beach of Italy. Lots of beachy businesses. Any land, even parks and playgrounds were fenced and locked. It's after the season. As the day got later, I was getting a bit worried about where I could camp. I was stopped outside a fenced playground/park where the gate was ajar, contemplating about whether I might get locked in if I camped there, when Valter comes over to me and starts asking me about my tour. After answering a few questions, I pipe in that I'm looking for a place to camp tonight. He asks if I know about Warmshowers. He's a host. Can I camp in your yard tonight? Yes. Are you serious? Yes. I live just up the street. OMG! I'm always amazed by these miracle moments even as frequently as they happen on the road.



He and his partner, Maria, I think, fixed me a delicious supper. The conversation was of course about bike touring. He was translating for her because she didn't feel comfortable with her English. And then they told me about Via Francigena, a pilgrim route to Rome. And there are cheap albergues along the way, too. It's like the Camino. I'm going to follow it by bike. What fun! Thanks, you guys, for everything! Truly Trail Angels!!



Then, the last thing to share was coming across the Guiness Book of Records Longest Pink Ribbon in support of breast cancer research.




I didn't hear the exact length but it went 6 times around a park monument with folks holding bunches in their hands. It took my asking a few people before someone could speak English and explain it to me.

So tonight I'm camped in woods , sorta. A muddy, leafy trail with litter scattered about. But out of the way. Should be a quiet night. Long one too with the sun setting at 5:30. I'll be ready for the longer days by the time I get to NZ.

Oh yes, and the thing I most notice while cycling through Italy is the smell of food! Wonderful scents of garlic and olive oil and sauces fill the air. Truly an aromatic sensation.


Livin' the life,

BagLady

Facebook: Kathryn Mossbrook Zimmerman

Cinque Terre, Italy

November 1, 2014
Manarola, Cinque Terre, Italy











I knew the terrain along this coast would be steep but I wasn't really sure what I would find road-wise getting here or exactly what route to take. Back mountain roads can get me into trouble. Too steep. Too challenging. This is one unknown I do fear. But I managed to analyze the routes on Google Maps after turning up one steep narrow road and riding up it a ways. Let's think about this again. Yes. I see what looks like a better route on "wider" roads...maybe less steep...maybe.

Found a wonderful wild camping spot night before last down by a river. Woke up at 3 am to what sounded like someone pushing a wheelbarrow with metal wheels and then the sound stopped suddenly. What was that? No more noise. Maybe I was dreaming. Back to sleep. In the morning I put the pieces of the puzzle together. It was a car driving over the narrow wooden bridge that I biked over to get to this great spot. That never entered my mind last night:)

The ride into the Cinque Terre area (a national park and 5 remote carless villages built on the steep mountainside coast) was great once I got to the coast. That's the views you see above. Stunning! Breathtaking.

I decided to stay in Manarola because there was a hostel here. Cycling down the steep slope into town left me wondering how the heck I'm going to get back out. Yikes! But worry about that later. This, like all the villages is built in a holler with the houses and gardens and vineyards terraced steeply upward.







In order to see more villages from many angles, I ferried up to Monterosso.










And hiked back through Vernazza to Corniglia.









And met a fellow from my hostel who joined me for the sunset.






A train ride back to our village finished off a great day. Chan was a charming companion for hiking, dinner, and breakfast before he headed back to his home in
Paris. Thanks for the stimulating conversations!




Livin' the life,

BagLady

Facebook: Kathryn Mossbrook Zimmerman