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

Italian Riviera

October 29, 2014
Riva Trigoso, Italy

It's been 3 days I've been pedaling down the Italian Riviera from Savona to Sestri Levante. I've seen beautiful architecture in the ornate pastel buildings.


I've seen art in the gardens and the tiles of the boardwalks.




I've met some wonderful people eager to try and connect with me across our languages.



I've cycled the most delightful pathways along the cliff edge through a town and sometimes all the way to the next one.






I've seen bumper to bumper traffic. I've pedaled up and whizzed down steep hills. I've panicked about where I'll sleep at night because there is not an inch of unoccupied space anywhere and most of the campgrounds have closed for the season. I've seen as many motorcycles and scooters here as in Malaysia.

And I'm glad to have the Italian Riviera behind me. Not a good place to cycle but pretty to see. And oh the views!










And I also got my first proposition:) This old guy on a scooter pulls up along side and with one hand suggests we shag. No I don't think so! I reply. And he says Ciao and scooters away. I must be in Italy!!!

Tonight up the mountainside on a switchback pulloff I found my first camping spot in days. It's far from idyllic but I cycled further up and nothing but steep rock walls on one side and drop off on the other. Came back. Even though I'm only 15 ft from the road, the view out the back is pretty.





Livin' the life,

BagLady

Facebook: Kathryn Mossbrook Zimmerman