group over supper.....at the Bar New York-
we're still smiling - road rash isn't visible....
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| Bill and Rita in their matching cycling shirts - our gift to them for all their hard work! |
Thursday, September 16, 2010
So long,farewell, it's time to say goodbye...adieu, adieu to you and you and you
Thursday night we met for the last time as a
group over supper.....at the Bar New York-
we're still smiling - road rash isn't visible....
tan lines are.....
We've said our goodbyes to each other......we will meet again somewhere, sometime.....
group over supper.....at the Bar New York-
we're still smiling - road rash isn't visible....
Trains and boats and planes take us away to where you are going...
We've done the boat trip - yesterday we were all on a ferry across Lago Maggiore - this Lake is beautiful and there's lots of summer homes/cottages around this body of water. Of course on a beautiful summer's day any lake looks good......
We're at Central Station Hotel here in Milano - right across from the Train Station. Getting here was something else yesterday in rush hour traffic. The district leaves a bit to be desired but once we were inside we were all very impressed by the interior. The building is over 100 years old, wonderful architecture downstairs, lots of marble floors, clean, spacious rooms, etc. The only drawback is the noise outside our windows during the night.....it's noisy....
Tomorrow trains will take some of our group away - some to Vienna, Austria and others to Amsterdam.....
Planes will take some more away on Friday - mostly to Amsterdam, others to Frankfurt....
Some are going straight home, others are visiting in Austria and Holland yet before heading back to Canada.
It's been an aweseome adventure....more memories were made......
Where to next?
We're at Central Station Hotel here in Milano - right across from the Train Station. Getting here was something else yesterday in rush hour traffic. The district leaves a bit to be desired but once we were inside we were all very impressed by the interior. The building is over 100 years old, wonderful architecture downstairs, lots of marble floors, clean, spacious rooms, etc. The only drawback is the noise outside our windows during the night.....it's noisy....
Tomorrow trains will take some of our group away - some to Vienna, Austria and others to Amsterdam.....
Planes will take some more away on Friday - mostly to Amsterdam, others to Frankfurt....
Some are going straight home, others are visiting in Austria and Holland yet before heading back to Canada.
It's been an aweseome adventure....more memories were made......
Where to next?
More photos......
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| Our wheels to take us places.... |
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| "Bad hair day or what?" |
Peter ordered soup - he got a man sized bowl of it....we all watched him eat.
Our photos will never do justice to the flowers we saw everywhere in Europe....every house and building had flower boxes filled to overflowing with bright coloured plants....
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
Day 22 - Locarno - Milano - Sept. 15
By 8:30 we were all on the road. Excitement was runnig high - it was the last day and the weather was perfect. the first part of the day was to cycle along the shores of Lago Maggiore - John says it was the most beautiful biking he had done with mountains on one side and the lake on the other. We, in the van, saw how
narrow the roads were and just prayed they would arrive safely at the ferry.
We are asked to buy some food for lunch today - loaf of bread, cheeses, salami, grapes, red wine, white wine - we see a street vendor at the side of the road - he has everything we need, how convenient.....
We get it set up right along the shores of Lago Maggiore just after our ferry ride across the lake.
"Breaking bread together - Italian Style"
Poor Bernie just couldn't win today - it was his day for flat tires - 3 even and this one happened just as the group of cyclists were ready to leave after lunch. His comment for the day was that he just couldn't win - bad things happen in threes and he has his 3 flats. Right near the end he landed up taking the back wheel off one of the bikes in the van and replaced his with it so he could finish the ride. From this point the van would not meet up with the cyclists until the end of the day.
At a certain point, the cyclists landed up on the freeway - no body knows for sure how this happened but it did. John K's comment about yesterday was that he was scared s.......... he did not enjoy the ride through the tunnel either with trucks passing.....and all kinds of debris on the side of the road. Dora says she never wants to repeat the last part of yesterday's ride. All she saw of Milano was the road, the cars and the wheel of the cyclist in front of her.
In spite of all this, the cyclists all arrived safely by 6:00 p.m. The van had arrived at least an hour earlier and Anna had frustrations finding a parking spot. I've never seen such congestion - motor bikes and scooters just shoot in and out of the vehicles. Cars double park everywhere and then you wonder why there are accidents. Of course arriving in Milan during rush hour doesn't help either. We breathed a sigh of relief when we all met up again. Some even shed a few tears because it had been so tense.
Milan is a very interesting city - we've seen sights that made us do a double take - I won't mention them here but ask sometime.......pickpockets are alive and well....we have evidence. Officially the biking part of our trip is over.....18 days of cycling....just over 2,000 kilometres in total.
Distance travelled 131 km. Flats 4 Total Flats 24
The next day, September 16th, we played tourists in Milan - this shot shows the famous "Duomo" - a cathedral that took almost 5 centuries to finish.
It's a city with many fascinating buildings......art galleries, fashion houses and luxury stores. We also saw a not so desirable area of the city where poverty is very evident.
Our bikes needed to be packed for the trip home... here is Andy carrying the plastic wrap from mattresses that him and John retrieved from some delivery men....it came in very handy for the two of them to use to wrap their bikes.
narrow the roads were and just prayed they would arrive safely at the ferry.
We are asked to buy some food for lunch today - loaf of bread, cheeses, salami, grapes, red wine, white wine - we see a street vendor at the side of the road - he has everything we need, how convenient.....
We get it set up right along the shores of Lago Maggiore just after our ferry ride across the lake.
 |
| How many people does it take to change a flat? |
Poor Bernie just couldn't win today - it was his day for flat tires - 3 even and this one happened just as the group of cyclists were ready to leave after lunch. His comment for the day was that he just couldn't win - bad things happen in threes and he has his 3 flats. Right near the end he landed up taking the back wheel off one of the bikes in the van and replaced his with it so he could finish the ride. From this point the van would not meet up with the cyclists until the end of the day.
At a certain point, the cyclists landed up on the freeway - no body knows for sure how this happened but it did. John K's comment about yesterday was that he was scared s.......... he did not enjoy the ride through the tunnel either with trucks passing.....and all kinds of debris on the side of the road. Dora says she never wants to repeat the last part of yesterday's ride. All she saw of Milano was the road, the cars and the wheel of the cyclist in front of her.
In spite of all this, the cyclists all arrived safely by 6:00 p.m. The van had arrived at least an hour earlier and Anna had frustrations finding a parking spot. I've never seen such congestion - motor bikes and scooters just shoot in and out of the vehicles. Cars double park everywhere and then you wonder why there are accidents. Of course arriving in Milan during rush hour doesn't help either. We breathed a sigh of relief when we all met up again. Some even shed a few tears because it had been so tense.
Milan is a very interesting city - we've seen sights that made us do a double take - I won't mention them here but ask sometime.......pickpockets are alive and well....we have evidence. Officially the biking part of our trip is over.....18 days of cycling....just over 2,000 kilometres in total.
Distance travelled 131 km. Flats 4 Total Flats 24
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| "Toast to a good finish over dinner" |
It's a city with many fascinating buildings......art galleries, fashion houses and luxury stores. We also saw a not so desirable area of the city where poverty is very evident.
Our bikes needed to be packed for the trip home... here is Andy carrying the plastic wrap from mattresses that him and John retrieved from some delivery men....it came in very handy for the two of them to use to wrap their bikes. |
| Even though Milan is a city filled with many impressive buildings, there is still room for a huge park in the city limits. |
There's hisory in this city......
Day 21 Biasca - Locarno - Sept. 14
Breakfast was scheduled for 8:30 or whenever the first ones got down to the eating area. There are early birds in every group. It would be a late start time, 9:30 since we were only cycling 45 kilometers today. We were staying right in the middle of Biasca, a very old town. A tourist information office was right around the corner from where we were staying and there was a very unique hand in the cobblestones there. I asked the lady in the information office what that was all about and she explained it to us. Biasca is situated in a valley where three rivers come together. She gave us maps to show this to us – very interesting. There were mountains all around us – we figured the sun wouldn’t shine on the streets of Biasca until at least 10:00 in the morning. Fascinating churches just up the hill from where we were – one with the 12 stations of the cross that some of our group toured.
This vending machine was in front of the Bike Shop in Biasca - here you could buy tire tubes when the store was closed. This was not the only type of vending machine we saw - cigarette vending machines were very plentiful in all of Europe - they were at street corners just begging for minors to come buy and smoke.....how sad.
This vending machine was in front of the Bike Shop in Biasca - here you could buy tire tubes when the store was closed. This was not the only type of vending machine we saw - cigarette vending machines were very plentiful in all of Europe - they were at street corners just begging for minors to come buy and smoke.....how sad. |
| Was still the season for sunflowers |
Bellinzona from all different viewpoints - fascinating city
What we weren’t aware of was that Bill had planned a two hour tour of a city 20 kilometers away in Bellinzona. Bill had been here before and knew what there was to see. We all meet up at 11:00 and off the cyclists go looking the part in their spandex and cycling jerseys and their cycling shoes…those who thought of it had their walking shoes readily available. The brochures tell us you will be surrounded by testaments to thousands of years of history. It’s hard to put into words all the info that I have in a few words. The town is known as the key to the Alps and the gateway to Lombardy and the name Bellinzona can be traced back to 590 BC. The towers in Bellinzona stood guard over the ancient route to the Alpine passes. The city is protected by three castles and is still encircled by solid walls today and proudly displays the characteristic style of medieval Lombard towns. The old patrician residences lining the narrow streets, testify of its noble past along with the traces of past military might. The towers, town walls and castles have enjoyed UNESCO World Heritage status since the year 2000 in recognition of the fortification’s unique role in controlling transit between the north and south of the Alps.
We toured the Castelgrande – climbed up as high as we could go and could see the city below us from all sides. We could see across to the other castles and see how they had all been connected at one point in time. Unfortunately we couldn’t stay here forever, there are a few more kilometers to go and these will be around the lake by way of bike paths. Too bad the van can’t travel the same route… Warmer temperatures are here to stay as well – it’s in the high 20’s – we’re in the valley, palm trees are all around us and lots and lots of vineyards. We don’t see any grapes being harvested yet, must be too early. It was a very scenic bike ride today with no hills to climb except for one in town to get to the hostel. Most enjoyable ride!
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| Waterfront in Locarno... |
The cyclists arrive at the youth hostel by 3:00 – a very early day – happy hour starts as soon as the bikes are put away. It’s great to be outside enjoying the sunshine before we’re expected for supper at 6:30. A great way to end the second last day of the tour……tomorrow is a long day of cycling yet – we leave Switzerland some time in the afternoon and go into Italy. This part of Switzerland is very Italian already so it should not be more of a culture shock for us tomorrow.
Distance cycled 45 kilometers Flat tires 2 Total Flats 20
Monday, September 13, 2010
Day 20 - Andermatt - Biasca - Sept. 13
It’s a 9:30 start today – good thing because it’s wet and cold out first thing this morning. Breakfast is delicious and we lingered over the hot coffee to warm our hands because we knew we would need that for later. Bill told us that today we would cross the Great Continental Divide – the water now flows into the Mediterranean instead of the North Sea. We would also be entering a new culture – from the Germanic into the Italian.
We gathered for prayer before setting off – it was to be a 12 kilometer uphill before it would become a 40 kilometer downhill – this downhill, we had been told, would be fast and furious on switchbacks and on cobblestone surface. John prayed for safety and for good weather…..
Right out of town the long climb started and this did warm up the cyclists a bit but the fog kept rolling in and out for the next 12 kilometers. We reached the absolute top of the Gotthardpass – stats for here are 2091 m or 6860 ft. It’s a photo spot – everyone stopped to get out of the cold – the wind is howling and the temperature is in single digits. Fog is still rolling in and out…..it’s just before noon. Here bike path #3 meets Highway 2 again and the cyclists get ready to take off….and you know what, the fog lifts and the sun comes out – answered prayer….
We’ve noticed a definite change between the German and Italian culture even in the architecture of the houses we’ve passed. Flowers in window boxes have dwindled to just a few – road signs are not recognizable as no one knows Italian.
Our next stop is Airolo – the cyclists come into town one after the other – it had been a very tense ride over cobblestone roads that snaked back and forth for 12 kilometers. This was enough to shake everyone up – one cyclist even took air out of his tire to make it easier or so he thought. Anna chose not to take this road because she had seen what it looked like on Bill’s computer. Thankfully no one needed assistance to get down to Airolo. They warmed themselves with cups of coffee and hot chocolate and are on their way again.
This is what the cobble stone paths look like. The cyclists even saw the locals repairing the paths by hand - very tedious work.
This is not the real thing - couldn't get close enough for that. One of the cyclists did manage to cycle down a cobble stone path with cows and cow patties that he had to try to miss...
We next meet up in Giornico – by now the temperature has risen 15 degrees – enough to make a significant difference to the cyclists and even those not cycling. Here we spot the ruins of the ancient Sta. Maria del Castello - it’s located among the vineyards – some of the cyclists even get up close enough to ring the bells. There’s palm trees growing along with grapevines so it’s got to be moderate climate here – we stop to sample the grapes – they are ripe….
St. Nicholas appears to be important here as well – there’s a statute of him on the edge of town as well as a church by that name….beautiful old town….lots of photos were taken. From here it’s only another 9 kilometers into town and most of the cyclists arrive just after 3:00. At the Gotthard Pass two cyclists get ahead of the pack and they are in town already by 1:30 today so they have cased the town out for us. It’s beautiful weather and all the cyclists arrived safely so more answered prayer. We are in a hotel in the heart of the city and everyone is out for a walking tour before our supper at 7:00.
Distance cycled 65 kilometers Flats 1 Total Flats 18
We gathered for prayer before setting off – it was to be a 12 kilometer uphill before it would become a 40 kilometer downhill – this downhill, we had been told, would be fast and furious on switchbacks and on cobblestone surface. John prayed for safety and for good weather…..
Right out of town the long climb started and this did warm up the cyclists a bit but the fog kept rolling in and out for the next 12 kilometers. We reached the absolute top of the Gotthardpass – stats for here are 2091 m or 6860 ft. It’s a photo spot – everyone stopped to get out of the cold – the wind is howling and the temperature is in single digits. Fog is still rolling in and out…..it’s just before noon. Here bike path #3 meets Highway 2 again and the cyclists get ready to take off….and you know what, the fog lifts and the sun comes out – answered prayer….
We’ve noticed a definite change between the German and Italian culture even in the architecture of the houses we’ve passed. Flowers in window boxes have dwindled to just a few – road signs are not recognizable as no one knows Italian.
Our next stop is Airolo – the cyclists come into town one after the other – it had been a very tense ride over cobblestone roads that snaked back and forth for 12 kilometers. This was enough to shake everyone up – one cyclist even took air out of his tire to make it easier or so he thought. Anna chose not to take this road because she had seen what it looked like on Bill’s computer. Thankfully no one needed assistance to get down to Airolo. They warmed themselves with cups of coffee and hot chocolate and are on their way again.
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This is not the real thing - couldn't get close enough for that. One of the cyclists did manage to cycle down a cobble stone path with cows and cow patties that he had to try to miss...
 |
| This gives a little idea of what the swithch backs looked like |
We next meet up in Giornico – by now the temperature has risen 15 degrees – enough to make a significant difference to the cyclists and even those not cycling. Here we spot the ruins of the ancient Sta. Maria del Castello - it’s located among the vineyards – some of the cyclists even get up close enough to ring the bells. There’s palm trees growing along with grapevines so it’s got to be moderate climate here – we stop to sample the grapes – they are ripe….
St. Nicholas appears to be important here as well – there’s a statute of him on the edge of town as well as a church by that name….beautiful old town….lots of photos were taken. From here it’s only another 9 kilometers into town and most of the cyclists arrive just after 3:00. At the Gotthard Pass two cyclists get ahead of the pack and they are in town already by 1:30 today so they have cased the town out for us. It’s beautiful weather and all the cyclists arrived safely so more answered prayer. We are in a hotel in the heart of the city and everyone is out for a walking tour before our supper at 7:00.
Distance cycled 65 kilometers Flats 1 Total Flats 18
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