Friday 24th May

In the morning we leave our camp via a back gate directly onto a cycle path alongside the river. Immediately behind our van the river has a slalom run. There is a group practicing with their coach on the side timing and blowing his whistle. It’s impressive to watch.

A few minutes cycling down river we get to a small ferry which is free to cross over to the City Park. From there we skirt around the park, though a few suburbs to Prague Castle. 9am in the morning and it’s already packed. We go though the security screening into the first courtyard. The queue to purchase tickets to enter the buildings isn’t that long but the queue to actually enter winds halfway round the Cathedral. We flag that and just wander the inner courtyards and lanes looking at the different architecture, gargoyles and designs. Sit in a cafe patio drinking coffee and people watch. There are the groups moving in close formation following a scarf held aloft, listening intently to their earpieces. Three Asian girls in Serving Maid costumes pose for selfies. A bride and groom in wedding finery with professional photographers gaze lovingly into each other’s eyes for long moments while assistants throw her 10 foot train in the air. A lady puts on ballet pointe shoes and attempts to do an arabesque, while a large tour group files past her, ruining her shot. Hundreds of cellphones capturing the same pic.

We watch the ceremonial changing of the guard and after they’ve matched off in perfect step with shiny swords and polished shoes the real guards in camouflage with automatic guns do a quiet shift change and leave in the same direction.

We then walk down to Charles Bridge and lock our bikes up on the town side. We meander the old streets in daylight. The large square now full with entertainers and stalls. We have lunch at a small table on a crossroads. This is what I’m enjoying about our holiday; the lack of deadline or pressure to see everything. To just sit and soak it all in. I don’t need to visit museums or art galleries, troop though castles or cathedrals to get a sense of a place. It’s the interaction with waiters and other local people. The sitting in a very old place looking at very old streetscapes with the knowledge that people have been sitting and looking at that same view for hundreds of years. Greg comments he’s jealous of the photographers selling photos on the bridge. They have photos of the same scene in all seasons, differing lights and moods.

We walk off lunch be heading up to the Legii bridge which crosses to a small mid river island. The island is grassy with shady trees. We sit on the bank and watch the young teens in peddle boats. Some peddle boats are shaped like racing cars, some are more traditional but with deck chairs. Young women are floating around hardly peddling while the young men are racing and crashing, showing off. On shore ducks are behaving in a similar manner.

Somehow it’s now after 5pm so we make our way back to our bikes via the town again for some Tyrdelnik, this time with gelato filling and cycle back to the van via a different route but still using the little ferry.

Overall we both liked Prague. It is pretty full of tourists but there is room for the all (the castle excluded). The tourists generally seem to young so bring a fun enthusiasm to the spaces. There are Lime scooters and cycling bars, horse drawn carriages and ‘old Prague cars’ doing circuits. Lots of live music either buskers or in bars and restaurants. The music ranging from classical, jazz to modern. It all adds to an atmosphere respectful of the history but is a fun now environment. And there is something very compelling about rivers and bridges.

Tomorrow we move on………

Tuesday 21st May

We cross into Czech Republic on a quiet mountain pass. Stop to get some Kronen and a vignette to drive on their roads. No English but we muddle through.

It’s different, wide open land. No people, no houses, just the occasional car. The signage is foreign, no common element to the words that I can guess at a meaning.

We eventually get to the planned campsite in a place called Kajov, on the outskirts of a place called Cesky Krumlov which has a castle. It’s a farm, a solar farm, We park up in front massive banks of panels, plug in, connect to the wifi and cook dinner. The app told us the office is only manned from 9-10am so we’ll pay then. We’re the only ones here. Seems strange. After dinner we go for a walk into the local settlement. Nothing is open, no one is around. There is a petrol station recognisable from the drawing of pumps but the gate is shut. There is another building with signage on the roof. No idea what it is or says but it’s shut up too. Back to the van and hit the computers.

…….

22nd May

New day and it’s not raining, just cloudy. 9am and we bowl up to the office and pay. Young guy speaks German and has a spattering of English. Complete our morning check out routine, phone my Mum, then hit the road.

6 minutes up the road it the UNESCO recognised town of Cesky Krumlov. We park up, thinking we’ll spend an hour or two – old town, castle…. Haha. We get out of the van, walk 10 metres and both go ‘wow’. In front of us is a huge ancient 3 tiered archway with a covered walkway on top, clearly newer but still really old, it’s linking a huge unadorned castle with a small castle with a tower that’s painted unbelievably.

We walk through the archway and in front of us is a wooden bridge crossing a river to an intriguing looking town. To the right of the bridge there is a weir with a water race to one side. There is some people in inflatable kayaks who have obviously just gone down it. Wow!

It looks like it’s an island but there is actually a land connection almost directly opposite from where we’re standing. There are actually three weirs and an island in the loop around the town.

Everywhere we look it is just a feast to the eyes. We wander the old lanes. The buildings are plastered/painted with 3D like effects. They look like old stone blocks or alcoves with statues or pillars. It’s all totally amazing. Renaissance and baroque architecture.

Lonely planet says it’s like Prague but on a smaller scale. Guess we’re better prepared for Prague now.

Instead of spending a couple of hours, we’re there for over six! Luckily we have no deadlines but our own. There are tourist groups passing through, mostly Chinese interestingly.

We pay and go though the ‘Small Castle and Tower’ The castle is as expected but the tower is worth it. It’s been added to a couple of times so you climb wooden stairs the stone then wooden then stone. Different angles, directions and inclines. You pass old bells that don’t look like they are used anymore and end up on an outside walkway below more bells. There is a great view over the old town and the newer suburbs.

We lunch at a lovely Vegetarian Restaurant with a terrace on the rivers edge. Everything on the menu is tempting. Including the blueberry dumplings for desert. Watch the kayakers and rafters pass by. Drink local red wine. A small Intrepid group come in, Aussies and Kiwis. Our ears always prick up when we hear those accents.

After lunch we meander some more, check out all the bridges and go up to the large castle through the archway we’d first entered under. We don’t pay to go in but admire the courtyards (4) and the covered archways between them. Greg flattens a battery taking photos. I buy a dress.

Eventually we drag ourselves away. The app Park4night finds us a free spot 1/2 an hour north so program the GPS and finally move on. Our spot for the night is a large gravel car park between football and baseball fields. Parents arrive to collect their kids as we’re eating dinner. Car park conversations all seem familiar. Same routines going on all over the world. They slowly all depart as night falls and it’s just us. Don’t even get teens turning up in cars or scooters like we have elsewhere. A very quiet night.

…….

23rd May

A morning call with our daughter before we even got out of bed. So nice to hear voices from back home, yesterday mum and today, Chelsea. Internet is really great for this.

We eventually move off and head north. We are driving through picturesque countryside, down narrow roads lined with oak trees. Fields of iridescent yellow (rapeseed) and fields of olive green (some type of grain). Small villages with attached houses mostly single story, the steep roofs double the height of the walls making them appear low and grounded. Everything is very clean. No rubbish in the gutters or anywhere like we’d seen in Italy.

Stop for coffee and it’s like stepping back 40 years. Dim lights, wood veneer walls, gaudy tablecloths, men eating large plates of white and brown food with handles of beer watching us. The coffee wasn’t great but was cheap. Greg’s cappuccino looks like a multi layered sundae. My espresso had good crema but was weak and bitter.

We carry on to Kutna Hora and more specifically the Sedlec Ossuary.

Quick history lesson. In 1278 the Abbot of this monastery went for a visit to the holy land and returned with a handful of dirt which he sprinkled over the cemetery. It then became a desirable burial site throughout Central Europe. About 1400, a gothic church was built in the middle of the cemetery with a lower chapel to be used a an ossuary for the mass graves unearthed during the construction. A half blind monk was given the job of stacking the bones. He was a bit creative in his work. Apparently then his blindness was cured. In 1870, a woodcarver was employed to put bones back in order, from years of neglect and he got extra creative. Even using the bones to put his signature at the front entrance and a massive coat arms of the House of Schwartzenberg. There are bones from between 40,000 to 70,000 people arranged into pyramids and candelabras and garlands. In the middle is an enormous chandelier, it contains at least of every bone in the human body.

Needless to say, it’s a gobsmacking sight. Greg’s tasteful photos will do a much better job of conveying the atmosphere than my words. And much more respectful than some of the people taking selfies.

Greg’s still hanging out for some decent coffee so we go to a cafe next door. The menu says Flat White! Really! Of course he ordered one. It wasn’t bad, better than some of the coffee he’s been getting. But not quite right.

We then swung by the gothic Cathedral of St Barbara just because. Haha. It’s huge and just what you expect from gothic place. We were planning on staying the night in the area but Prague is only an hours drive away. So we hit the road again. Greg can get some cool evening photos in Prague.

Hit rush hour traffic made worse because of a car accident but eventually get to the campground. Check in, set up, have a quick dinner then catch the tram into the centre. We get off just by the Charles Bridge. It’s pretty impressive and there are a lot of people walking over it. We go up the tower and admire the views. Watch the dinner cruise boats slowly float past. The sun is sinking behind the Prague Castle, there is music on the air. After a while we descended the stone staircase and kept going to the basement where there is a display of things collected from the river bed in February 2016. It ranges from ancient stones and mosaic pieces to credit cards, Nokia cellphones and condom packets. One of the more unusual displays I’ve seen. We watch a video telling the fable of the bridges construction involving a magic sword, river imps and a deal with the devil. His image is on the bridge in two places as agreed in the deal. We cross the bridge very slowly, Greg taking photos, me soaking up the atmosphere and the views. Then we cross back and head towards the town square. Pausing to buy a blueberry Trdelnik. Yummy. It’s a donut mixture wound around a cylinder then cooked. You can get them filled with all sorts of toppings from ice cream to fruits. It’s warm and tastes divine. We eat and follow the crowds along the lanes until,we get to the huge square. Every side amazing buildings, just starting to be lit up as darkness falls. We meander, taking it all in. Then we sit down for a drink by the Astronomical Clock. At 10pm it goes off with bells and ringing.

After that performance we decide to head back to camp. Catch the number 17 tram and initially it’s going in the correct direction, then it turns off. Hang on, this is the number we came in on, this is the number we were told to catch back… We get off and with help from google maps walk 10 minutes back to camp. Nice bit of exercise to finish off the day.

Now for a good nights sleep ready to spend tomorrow exploring Prague in depth.

Another rambling rabble.

Sunday 19th May

We wake to rain and it’s cold. Recheck the weather forecast and it’s not going to stop until Thursday. Haha today’s Monday. Not sure if we want to go visit the Schloss Neuschenwanstein in the rain and cold. It’s a 20-40 minute steep climb on foot just to reach the gate. More if you want to go to the bridge with the famous viewpoint. And if the clouds around the mountains here are any indication, photos won’t be any good. This is the castle Walt Disney used as inspiration for Sleeping Beauty’s castle. It was built by King Ludwig with the help of a stage set designer rather than an architect. It is his vision of Germanic fairy tales and ‘a temple of friendship’ to his friend, Richard Wagner. It was still unfinished when he died but 6 weeks later it was opened to the paying public. Some rooms were completed just for this purpose.

So we change our loose plans. We might get back here later on, or maybe not. On our travels we know we are not going to see everything, we just need to appreciate what we do see. Head north instead. It’s still pretty driving along the country roads past green fields and moody lakes. Over hillsides full of trees. At least from the comfort of a warm van. We skirt around Munich and stop in a cafe to have a hot lunch for a change. Wifi too.

Move on and do some grocery shopping. At least it’s warm and dry inside. We buy a pack of cards. That’ll be our evening entertainment lol. The free camp spot at Dachau is a parking lot beside a railway line. It is edged with trees and bushes so not totally unattractive. There are 3 other vans here when we arrive, blinds drawn so no idea if anyone is home.

I’m writing this stuff not sure if anyone is interested. The high points are great and interesting for everyone to read about but that’s not life’s reality. Life is highs and lows and lots of middle of the road plodding. It’s the daily routines and the wet, can’t be bothered days. The grumpy mood, nothings going right days and the content just to blob days. But I think we need all those days, we simply could not live on a high all the time. We’d burn out. So I write the overall days movements on these kind of days but not the details; the ‘This Cafe doesn’t have anything someone wants to eat but there is nowhere else around’ stuff. The constant frustration with my iPhone battery life (know what I want for my birthday) and constant monitoring of water and wastewater levels. Nor the routine cooking, cleaning, refillings etc. The challenges of 2 people living in 14 square metres.

I’m totally grateful that we both live with each other so well. Obviously there is love and affection (and passion) but there is also tolerance and understanding. It’s a mental as well as a physical intimacy. And if you have this, don’t ever take it for granted. If you don’t, find it. Look at your partner and see them for themselves not just as you see them through your eyes but how they see themselves.

Enough emotional stuff.

Planning session after dinner to set course for the next week or three. Cards can wait for another time. Think we’ll go to Czech Republic tomorrow after the visit to Dachau Concentration Camp. Bleak destination for a bleak morning so will likely need a change of mood after that. Bohemia may be just the place. I’m reminded of our middle child’s Bohemian themed 21st. That was one of the best parties held in our backyard. Even with the stoned, drunk, gate-crashing neighbour.

Devastating Dachau.

21st May

Dachau. It’s cold, raining and bleak. Seems appropriate for visiting this place. Parking is €5 but entry to the memorial is free. Past the visitors centre where you can hire auto guides or book walking guides, you come to the gate which is through the guard house. This is how all the prisoners entered. The wrought iron gate has the words ‘Arbeit macht frei – Work sets you free’.

They were then taken to the maintenance building for processing. This building was built by the prisoners themselves in the early years. It is now as it was then structurally but is a museum with information boards containing photos and information about how each room was used. There are hanging boards with information and personal accounts of the people themselves. As you move through the rooms you also move through the years. It’s harrowing. The words of one account really got to me;

On June 22 1938, the Gestapo came to our village to carry out some arrests. Around 300 gypies lived in Stegersbach at the time. One of them entered on a list was not at home. So they just took me instead as a “substitute” …. I was first of all sent to Eisenstaedt and from there to Dachau. I could never have imagined that human brains could think up such harassments. We had to do all our work at running pace. Whenever it was hot, we had to put on our coats, it it was cold, we had to stand naked outside. When it was hot, we had to do knee-bends in our coats. Whoever couldn’t keep up had to undress and roll around naked in stinging nettles. At night we had to jump out of bed on command and crawl under the beds. On command we had to bark like dogs and snore – Adolf Gussak (1938/39 in Dachau Camp)

I just don’t understand how one human can do these things to other humans. When we got to the accounts of human medical experimentation, I was struggling to read them. And the later years when the camp was overcrowded, diseases were rampant and people were starving but forced to work harder….. words fail me. I guess here is a reason for war. But seriously how did it get to that point. How many people turned a blind eye to early signs. And I guess, why was a country put in such a position, that another war was an attractive option.

Only two of the accommodation blocks have been rebuilt. Inside one they show how they looked in the early years, the middle years and the later years. The later years the bunks are like long 3 tiered crates. The prisoners topping and tailing crammed in like sardines. Of the rest of the blocks only the foundations remain.

The other challenging factor for the prisoners was when they were finally liberated, they weren’t allowed to leave. Effectively they were then quarantined, treated for all their ailments but still not able to walk away. Gradually they were repatriated but the Jews had nowhere to go so the camp then became their home for up to a couple of years.

The crematorium is such a pretty building and is surrounded with trees and gardens. But inside it’s a different story. Not only is there multiple burners, there is a gas chamber made to look like a shower room. The sign says a capacity of 150 people at a time. It also says there is no information that it was actually used for mass murder but smaller numbers were gassed here.

A board tells us that the US army made all the local residents walk through the crematorium immediately after the liberation and view all the bodies stacked up. They had run out of coal to run the burners two months before. All those local people were likely running businesses serving the guards, using the cheap forced labour and sleeping in their beds every night in deliberate ignorance about what was happening in their neighbourhood.

War brings out the extreme traits in people. I read an account of a prisoner who was granted work in the camp who helped insure the poorer prisoners could purchase extra rations by swindling the accounts. He was narked on and spent a year in penal. Another prisoner was allowed to perform operations on healthy people without any medical knowledge or qualification.

We spent longer than we’d thought there. Finally left, had a quick lunch in the car park, then hit the Autobahn for Czech Republic. It’s a long drive.

Saturday 18th May

After a domestic morning we now have a van full of drying laundry. The Austrian dryer took 45 minutes and didn’t do much drying. We finally left camp after a painful check out with an older lady with absolutely no English who couldn’t get the computer to do what she wanted. Eventually a younger lady waiting to check in leaned over and told her to click the top box. Crossed in to Germany partway through a tunnel.

We jumped off the expressway to get coffee in Mittenwald and were really impressed. Greg in particular. It’s the most gorgeous little village. Painted houses, a channeled stream running though the centre with lovely eating and drinking places all around. High high mountains all around, snow capped with dark rock faces. Lots of people with Nordic walking sticks. Shops selling walking sticks and other hiking gear. There is a cable car running to a mountain top but I think it’s not going today.

So we decide to stay the night. The car park is €5 for 1 to 24 hours. We missed the sign when we parked and went for coffee lol. So we have a quick lunch, pay the €5 and then go off for a hike to some lakes. 40 minute walk to the first lake and there is a beer garden on the lake front. Ummm. We carry on to the second lake, 50 minutes. It’s so picturesque. Greg wants to go for a swim. We have a planning discussion about the lack of togs or towel. He decides he’ll skinny dip and use his singlet as a towel. That is until he takes his shoes off and stands in the water. It’s freezing, haha, we both just wade in very short bursts. 10 seconds and your lower legs start tingling like pins and needles.

We walk back to the first lake via a different track and go to the beer garden. Local beer (Spritz for me) and try the local pretzel-like bread with the local Bavarian cheese. Order a second round of drinks. We are sitting beside an alpine lake in sunshine with towering snowy mountains! Pinch me! Somehow it’s 7pm, we hike back down via a different track. Lol, google maps helps.

As we descend we hear the clang of cow bells, and beyond that the tolling of an iron bell calling the faithful to their knees to hear the softly spoken magic spells.

…….

19th May

Sunday morning. We cycle to the start of the Leutasch gorge. There is just over 4.5 k of trails and over a third of it is along a steel cantilevered walkway up the actual gorge. You wouldn’t be allowed there build something like this in New Zealand. It a beautiful steep narrow gorge. The chalky water thundering below your feet. Literally. We do a different track first. It goes 200 metres up the lower gorge to a 27 feet waterfall. The spray is tremendous and keeps the lower gorge icy cold. This track is a wooden cantilevered path crisscrossing the gorge walls. Then on to the main feature, we ignore the arrows to do the gorge section first, getting there about 9.30am. By the time we got to the other end of it, there are lots of people coming in ( the track is accessible from both ends). At that end, half way for us, we stop for coffee and Apfelstrudel. Remote but with comforts. This has struck us quite a bit. In New Zealand a place like this would be remote, challenging and without any services including cellphone coverage. Here in Europe, with the denser population and much longer human occupation nowhere is unexplored or under utilised. It’s not better or worse, just different.

Greg takes a photo off a bridge and drops his camera filter. It bounces down the rocks and stops just before the raging water We clambered down and retrieved it. Amazingly it isn’t even scratched! I’m thrilled we don’t have to make an insurance claim. I’m sure our son is too, else I’d be trying to get him to find the purchase receipt.

We hike back to our bikes via the forest track. So serene. Mixed pine and birch trees, no undergrowth and the looming mountains all around. Occasional open meadows with yellow and purple wild flowers.

The rain clouds are creeping down the mountains as we leave Mittenwald. Good timing but not so good for our next camp. It’s beside a lake called Walchensee, with coin operated power. We connect up under umbrellas and decide we’ll look at the lake tomorrow morning. The rain is meant to clear for a few hours then. Bonus with the coin operated power, we checked the 5 unused plugs and there is 1.85kw left on one so free power for a few hours. It’s €1 for 1.25kw.

The rain really set in now. We spend a couple of hours going through the photos from the Millie Miglia and using the program type the car details into the info for future reference. There are car types even Greg hasn’t heard of. Pasta and red wine for dinner.

Wednesday 15th May

We wake to another wet cold morning. Seriously Italy! Whats the story? It’s summer in a couple of weeks! Anyhow we get up and explore Boghetti, technically it’s where we are staying. It is gorgeous and if it wasn’t raining and really cold, it would be absolutely amazing. We find a cute friendly cafe/bistro with good wifi for coffee and croissants. Totally yummy and we do some mad uploading of photos and blogs.

We then explore the castle on the hill and the upper town of Valeggio. Castle had good views and an interesting story. Valeggio has some gardens that apparently are award winning but would cost €28 to enter and it’s still cold and raining so no. We go back to the great bistro we had coffee at and have lunch. Local tortellini and local wine. Yummy. Our waitress introduces her mum who is working in the kitchen. Italian Trattorias are family owned and run.

Decide we’ll go back to the van for coffee and get ready for the Milie Miglia cars to come past. Lol, we’re part way back when the Ferrari group come through. Both Ferrari and Mercedes have like companion rallies with open class entries. Greg’s like, I’m just going to go up there and take photos. I reply, ok, I’ll go back and make the coffee. Actually win win. I prefer watching the old cars and from the van I can see and hear the Ferraris coming down, braking, then turning to go over the causeway. I make coffee and take Greg’s up to him. Aren’t I a good wife.

Greg decides to go further up the road where the trees are casting dappled light over the road and then the old cars start coming. And coming and coming and coming. After a while Greg wants to go further up the road to the open area with vineyards. I decide to go back down to the bridge/causeway. I get in position just as the Mercedes start coming through. After the 10th or 12th Oh My God! It’s a Mercedes 300SL Gullwing! I’m starting to get a little more restrained and only photographing them when they’re in pairs lol. My phone battery alerts me it’s under 20% and my watch tells me it’s 6.30 (the coffee was at 3) so I head back to the van for a drink and cook dinner. I can still see the cars coming down the hill. Eventually Greg turns up happy with lots and lots of photos.

…….

16th May

It’s amazing how the weather affects your mood. A sunny day today and everything is more positive. We leave Borghetto/Valeggio and head north. Head for the hills. We’re aiming for the Brenner pass.

Intense vertical rock faces. Wide fast-running River. Fertile valleys with mile after mile of grape vines. Some espaliered low like New Zealand, some high, some single runner, some double in a vee. I’m assuming it’s different grape varieties.

Greg really wanted to go over the Stelvio Pass but it doesn’t open until the 1st of June. Top Gear ranked it the greatest driving road in the world. Not sure how disappointed I am not to be driving the 48 hairpins up to 9045 ft (2757m). The Brenner Pass is the lowest altitude pass in the area and is one of the most important transit routes between North & South Europe. Anyhow that’s tomorrow’s adventure.

We come to a narrow valley with a parking area. We’ve been along side a cycle path for ages so we stop for lunch. It goes Rock face, vines, road, parking area, bike path, river, rail line, toll road, rock face. After lunch we go for a bike ride. We’ve started seeing lots of cycle tourists, yesterday but particularly today on this trail. Some in pairs, some in guided groups and some groups that are let loose in the morning with maps and scooped up at a set spot every evening. Most are on e-bikes. Seems a pretty cool way to experience an area. Yesterday I was chatting with a group at lunchtime. Most of them were going to give up riding the afternoon leg and just ride in the accompanying van. Good to have that option when it’s cold and raining. Today is much nicer although the restaurants and vineyards we pass have quite a few bikes parked up so clearly not everyone is hard out riding.

We cycle for 45/50 minutes down river with a head wind. That’s enough exercise, we turn back and go to a vineyard. Try 8 different wines and buy 2. Plus a wine stopper. It always corks over here! Just before we turned back I could see a lady and girl picking something in the field below. The cycleway is atop a stopbank. Greg takes some photos in the field which is full of wild flowers. A bit later we passed the lady and girl and they are carrying handfuls of Asparagus. Seriously, you go for a walk and pick wild asparagus! Bike back to the van and decide we might just stay the night here. The proposed site is basically just a car park in an industrial area of Bolzano, 30 minutes drive away. Despite the proximity to the road this is probably much nicer. No signs saying we can’t overnight here.

We go for an after dinner walk up river on the cycleway and I keep my eyes peeled for asparagus. Only find half a dozen, local knowledge obviously needed here. But it’s better than none. The cycle tourists have given way to serious cyclists on evening training rides, including young kids on scaled down bikes. All the kit though. The mountains have a blue haze to them. Possibly diesel fumes since it is a main freight route. We stood at one point watching the A22 (toll road) and it was truck after truck after truck, non stop. Even the lesser road we’re parked by has its share of freight trucks. As the sun sets one pulls in and parks up. There is another camper here too. They also went for a cycle this afternoon. Greg starts editing the 900 plus photos he took yesterday. There is a quick first cull of those that missed all of a car, are blurred or have a modern car in it as well. Then it’s a more serious checking of composure and individuality. Regular checking of the program to see what a car actually is. There is some obscure makes and models.

………..

17th May

Morning comes and we move on, up into the hills. We both comment at the same time that it suddenly feels like Austria. The architecture, the place names, the signs, Gasthof for example. We’re still well over an hours drive from the border. I figure at one stage this was Austria but the border moved. It makes me think about the people. We changed cities without moving house when Mt Albert City was amalgamated with Auckland City. What most it be like to change country in that way? Change your language, your currency, your laws, local authority, utility provides. Your nationality! Do you get dual citizenship?

We cross over into Austria properly. The river we’re following is flowing the other way now. Green grass! It’s amazing how different it is from a few kilometres back. We’re now camping in Hall in Tirol. Place has a washing machine and we’re due for a big clean. But we put that off for today and cycle along side the river to Innsbrook. It’s very pretty. The river has that chalky, off a glacier colour and is wide and flowing fast. The mountains on either side have pine trees up to the snow line then white white snow against the blue sky. It’s a great bike lane too.

Half an hour brings us to Innsbrook central and we come in right beside the hotel we stayed in last time we were here. Ironically there is a Trafalgar bus outside, not our driver though. Wonder if Graham is still leading tours for them? We meander around Innsbrook. There is some sort of political rally going on so protesters and a very intense police presence.

Innsbrook is very beautiful. Slightly wider lanes with arched porticos on either side sheltering the shops. Bright coloured buildings with elaborate paintings. Every street end framing the snow topped mountains. It’s immaculately maintained and spotlessly clean. But both Greg and I are ‘been here, seen that, got the photo’ and unlike Rome or Venice there isn’t other areas to explore. Never mind, it’s a nice day in a lovely area. Bonus of this visit is I didn’t have to put Greg to bed after he got rip roaring drunk at Tyrolean Evening. Seen that, got the photo.

We chill in a bar with wifi and Greg uploads some photos. I download some, having agreed to continue doing the social media stuff for the Ellerslie Concours d’Elegance and Classic Car Show. Classic Car Magazine have sent a whole lot of photos I can use.

Monday 13th May

Verona. Both Greg and I are getting a bit over Italian old towns but Verona surprised us. It’s great. Firstly it’s in good condition and clean. Secondly it’s lived in for reasons other than tourism. Thirdly it offered unexpected sights. We’re free camping at the football arena. Allowed any time there isn’t a game on. Biked into the centre.

Firstly to the beautiful Roman Amphitheater. It was built 1st century and unlike lots of others wasn’t destroyed or built over in the Middle Ages, rather they used it first for justice ie burning those condemned for heresy then in the late 13th century the prostitutes were ordered to live and work there. In the Renaissance they cleaned it up, restored it and started holding performances there. This has continued up until now. In the summer months they have opera there. I would love to see one here, I’m sure it would be totally amazing.

From there we explored the old town, immediately getting off the main drag with the designer stores. Dante lived and wrote here and we stumbled upon a square with a statue to him. Actually just about every square here is awesome, the buildings are all very picturesque.

I spotted a very ornate rooftop and on investigating found it was an ornate tomb outside a small church. Apparently there were 2 important families either side and one of them started using the church as their own private church and cemetery to annoy the other family. The bigger the tomb, the more powerful and rich the family. So even when this family was on the brink of ruin they built a very impressive ornate tomb for the master of the house.

We ended up on a river so I checked google maps and discovered ‘Romeo’s house’ was just around the corner. Shakespeare wrote the play here and was apparently inspired by these places. So from there we walked to ‘Juliet’s house’ and looked at the balcony. The outside brick wall of Romeo’s house is covered in hearts with names and initials. Juliet’s house has special walls just for that purpose. Venice, your title as city of love is under question.

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14th May

Tomorrow, Wednesday, is the start of the Mille Miglia in Brescia. The plan for today, Tuesday is to check out a good spot to watch them go past and for Greg to photograph. Looking at the route online, we’d thought Sirmione looked good. It’s a peninsula with one road so the cars go out and back. Checked it out and it’s gridlock cars and buses, there is a castle at the end. There’s nowhere to park, the few car parks are full and expensive. And this is just a normal day. Furthermore the backdrop to any photo would be hotels and modern houses. So we head off along the proposed rally route. Find a nice bit of road passing through fields of poppies. Could work. Then further on we come around a corner and the road passes through a fortress gate and drove along castle wall like embankments with parking on both sides. Ok this looks really promising. Then we pass through a second crumbling gate over a river and through a third gate. Down below is picturesque buildings, a restaurant and a weir flowing into the river. There is a castle on the hill with flag in front of us. We stop, take photos and decide this is the place. In 1387 the Duke of Milan built a series of defences around Verona. This was one of them. In the 17th century The Serene Republic of Venice blew up the middle bit to stop the Spanish. It was reopened in the 1930’s for cars. An interesting note, every year since 1993 the local restaurant association organises a huge feast on the bridge to celebrate the local culinary art: Valeggio’s Tortellini. Must stop traffic, lol.

Must comment at this point, buying, cooking and eating fresh pasta….. it’s so good. Don’t know how I’m going to go back to dried. Italians may be bad at lots of things, like roading and wifi but they do do food very well.

There is a campsite right before the bridge/wall too. We decide to have a quick lunch now then go to Brescia today to see the cars parked up, come back here for the night, explore the area in the morning and be set up to take photos in the afternoon when all the cars pass through. It’s a plan.

We park in Brescia and walk to the piazza that the cars are being checked at. Prior to today, I’d only ever seen two Classic Mercedes 300SL Gullwings, now I’ve seen seen seven and after tomorrow that number will have increased again. Greg is taking photos left, right and centre, cursing amateur photographers getting in his way lol. Wishing he had a media pass. The program tells me there are 32 Mercedes entered. 1 SSK, 2 220’s, 1 170S cabriolet A, 5 190SL’s and 23 300SL’s. 23!!!!!! And they’re obviously run of the mill. The program is all in Italian but there are articles about special cars and not a single one is Mercedes. Greg’s more of a car nut and oohs and ahhs over lots of different makes.

Now back at Valeggio. Interesting campsite. You enter through a barrier and take a plastic card from the machine, €10 per 24 hours. You then swipe to access the electricity, €2 per 24 hours and the showers, €1 for 5 & 1/2 minutes and the services €3 for refilling and emptying water & waste. Pay at the automatic machine before you leave.

The castle on the hill is lit up as the sun goes down. There are a lot more castles in the north than we’ve seen in the south. I guess it’s a reflection on those easy land borders.

Italian wifi….. the Venice camp stated it had free wifi but when you get there it says it’s only by the office. So stand outside the office and it still doesn’t connect. The manager says join through Facebook. Doesn’t matter what I try, it still says no internet connection. Verona has free wifi for tourists. Download the app, set up a profile and get the code by email. Two days later still haven’t got the code. Have deleted the app. Valeggio camp says free wifi by the building, just scan the q code. Do so and get a message; ‘This connection is offline’. And it’s been like this pretty much everywhere here. Getting behind in uploading the blogs and Greg’s definitely behind with his photos. And we’re both hoeing through our data. Couple more days and we’ll be back in Austria.

Saturday 11th May

We’re staying in a campsite in San Giuliano. Yes I know we aren’t actually on Venice, but it’s €22 a night and it’s only 1 tram stop away (or bus or train, whichever arrives first) which costs €1.50. These is also a boat option for €10. Anyhow, we plug in and catch a tram over. It’s cool approaching from the land side. You’re in residential areas first. The lanes getting busier and busier as you get closer to the hot spots. Venice is so amazing. It’s so packed with buildings, the lanes are tiny and the canals are just suddenly there as you round a bend. There is hardly anywhere you can walk alongside the canals, the lanes crisscross between them. The buildings bulge, lean and sag, not a single wall seems straight. Painted plaster still on some but faded, others just bare stone. Signs of water damage on all. Ornate wooden doors, paint faded shutters, wrought iron plant boxes.

I pick up a red rose that has been left on a window ledge. The hawkers stop trying to hand me one now……. By the time we get back to the van, it’s starting to brown on the edges. In the morning Greg comments it’s like Venice, past it’s peak. Actually all of Italy, long gone are the glory days of the empire or the days when they were the pinnacle of art, design and fashion. Now all just just faded elegance…….

We’re just following our eyes and then unexpectedly in front of us is the Academy Bridge, the wooden bridge that crosses the grand canal. We cross and continue meandering. Eventually we head to Piazza San Marco, rimmed by the Palazzo Ducale and the Basilica. This is still awe inspiring. The Basilica with its mismatched pillars is so cool when you know it was made with bits and pieces brought back from the Crusades as payment to the Venetians. We paid to go up the bell tower to get a different perspective. Looking down you really appreciate how crowded with buildings the islands are. Also how low to the sea level they are. The cruise ships are starting to depart and they tower over everything.

Coming back down we decide to find a place for dinner. We end up snuggled beside the Rialto bridge. We watch rush hour traffic passing up on the Grand Canal. They drive their boats like they drive their cars. Tooting, gesturing, near misses. We eat way too much. But take our time. It’s Saturday and there is more than a few Stag parties and Bridal Parties going past. The prospective groom wearing an embarrassing outfit, the prospective brides in veils and plastic tiaras. Eventually we head back to the bus/tram terminal but not in a straight line, haha, so easy to get lost. There are signs but not on every intersection.

We get back to our van a few minutes before the forecast thunderstorm. Yahoo has tomorrow with 100% rain all day, Accuweather has 70% chance of heavy showers on and off throughout the day. Accuweather were more accurate today, hopefully they are tomorrow too.

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12th May

It thunders and pours all night, still raining heavily when we wake. We just snuggle back under the covers. About 9 Greg gets up and makes tea & breakfast, brings it back to bed.

Midday, the rain eases back a bit so we get up and go back into Venice. This time we go by boat. There is a small boat business opposite the camp that runs regularly across the water. It’s a lot dearer than the tram but it’s an interesting way to approach the island. The channel is 2 metres deep and on either side it’s less than 1. We’re dropped off at the start of a canal that has no tourist shops, the boats parked up are the locals own, beaten up and practical, rather than pretty.

It’s still raining over here, hardly any people about. Or at least until we reach the Grand Canal. Escorted tour parties all wearing plastic ponchos and matching knee high plastic booties. I actually laugh out loud at the first group I see walking in procession down the Rialto Bridge. We counted 4 Cruise ships so that’s a lot of people experiencing a wet cold visit. Paninis and coffee for lunch, we wander some more. I check out a couple of second hand clothing shops, one cheap charity the other pricy vintage. Don’t find anything that appeals though.

By 4 pm we’re in an English pub. It’s the final round of the Premier League, either Liverpool or Man City could win the competition so it’s a nail biting time. All the games are played at exactly the same time. The TV coverage flicks between all the games but mostly the 2 critical games. The pub is packed. Liverpool need Man City to lose or draw for them to win. Unfortunately they don’t. Greg’s not in the best of moods. Really good wifi though so I suggest we stay for another drink and update our pages. Lol, that didn’t happen. Well the drinks and some potato fries (yum) did but we ended up chatting to some Aussie’s off a cruise boat instead of working. Haha, there’s always another day. It’s just rare to get decent wifi in Italy.

Wednesday 8th May

A leisurely wake up this morning. Then we leave Florence and head north into the hills. Beautiful countryside, rolling hills with lush trees. Tuscan villas dotting the landscape.

Bonus for Greg, we stop in the small village of Futa, coffee and crumbling buildings to photograph. We then climb higher, back to snow for a while.

Coming around a roundabout we spot the top of an interesting structure then see a big car park so pull in. It’s a German War Cemetery so we follow the path. A stark monument atop a wind swept hill. Surrounding it, thousands of graves. Quite a different feeling to the British one at Sangro. I still feel sad. All these young men, their dreams and desires buried with them in foreign soil. Were they fighting for personal ideals or employment? Mothers everywhere shedding tears with the loss of their babies.

Our camp tonight is called The Oaks and we are parked in a grove of them. It is green and picturesque. Electricity to charge up all our devices. Normally a couple of hours driving every day is enough to keep us going but the engine wasn’t turned on at all yesterday. There’s also great free wifi, we have the router in our van so the signal is top notch. Plus the pleasure of lovely long hot showers with more room than onboard. All in all, a chilled, relaxing day.

We go for a pre dinner walk up the valley. The bush is familiar but different. Some trees and plants I recognise, others I feel I should know and some are completely foreign to me. Even the grasses and weeds are slightly different. There is a tree with leaves like wisteria, thorns too but it’s not a vine. The oxalis is pink not white. We blow dandelion heads but they’re 3 times as big as we get back home. There is a giant snail crossing the road, it’s the size of my palm. Later on there is a large furry caterpillar crossing the other way. I feel like Alice, especially when we come to an overgrown iron fence with spear shaped tips painted red. Curiouser and curiouser. No, I haven’t been nibbling on mushrooms……. just feeling whimsical.

We decide to go back by a different route and our stroll becomes a 7km hike. Guess we’re working off yesterday’s excesses.

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9th May

Next morning after the rain eased we headed into Bologna. This place is awesome. It’s a university town so lots of young adults around. It’s not a tourist destination so no souvenir shops and everyone is speaking Italian. It is a foodie spot. Obviously, birth place to Bolognese sauce, tortellini, lasagne and Bologna sausages. So there is lots of food places. The architecture is, like Florence, medieval with Renaissance towers and there are 40kms of cradled porticoes. But these buildings aren’t ‘presented’ they are just there and being used for normal city life. Like Pisa, it has a leaning tower, two in fact. They aren’t ornate marble but they are on more of a lean. Crazy lean on one. Everywhere you look there is something to catch your eye and make you go wow. Seems crazy to have uni classes in some of these buildings, pillared courtyards with renaissance statues in alcoves. All looking worse for wear. Graffiti artists making their own stamp on the ancient plaster.

We had asked the campground owner last night about how Italian infrastructure works, she had great English. Areas like here, Emilia-Romagna, hass a large land area but small population so less income. And no money comes down from central government. We spent longer than we intended wandering around which meant when we did hit the road again we also hit the traffic. Oh well, time is our own.

We then crossed over to Ravenna on the Adriatic coast. Recommended to us by Teena, who has travelled in Italy by motorhome a bit. Our route takes us though extensive flat plains. Hard to believe that this morning we were in hills and now we can’t even see any on the horizon. There is field after field of spinach. Stretching each side as far as you can see. Interspersed with fields of some type of grain. Occasionally there is an area with espaliered plum trees. The GPS says we’re -6m elevation at one point but I must confess I’d never even looked at that gauge before. We had a couple of mishaps on the drive. Once our fault as we missed a turn and ended up on a toll road. Thankfully not too long or too expensive. It did save us a bit of time but we then lost it again with the second misdirection. Have now programmed the GPS to avoid ferries. Haha. We finally reached the Marina di Ravenna where we are parked up in a line of other campers in a Sosta without services. Getting the hang of Italy’s free camping.

We go for an after dinner walk out along a breakwater. It’s one of two either side of the port entrance. It’s longer than we expected. We don’t get to the end because there is a gate blocking access but google maps tells me the beach is 1.5km from the spot I’m standing on. There are shrimp fishermen with complicated nets systems, battery operated, on the calm side and huge commercial rigs on the other. The sea birds swooping and diving, enjoying an easy feed. The sun sets with intense colours.

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10th May

Spent a few hours exploring Ravenna. Another pretty town. It has a few sights recognised by UNESCO for their early Christian mosaics. We viewed one, the Battistero Neoniano. It’s a round dome, 2 metres below the modern ground level and features the baptism of Christ on the ceiling. Very detailed tiling, capturing the shades and texture of the clothing.

Just outside the town centre there is a city park within the walls of an Ostrogothic castle. It delights the inner child who believed in fairy tales. Both the castle and the outer area were moated, together and between them, dry now of course. It’s very pretty and serene and we enjoy a coffee under the trees.

……

We head south and leave Italy to enter San Marino. Oh my god, everyone should visit San Marino. No, scrap that! Everyone who follows my blog should visit, no one else! Let this place stay authentic.

It is amazing, spectacular, dreamy. Even the backstory is great – google it. It’s the 5th smallest country in the world. It’s the oldest extant sovereign state and the oldest republic and has the oldest written governing documents still in effect. It’s the wealthiest per GDP, lowest unemployment and highest car ownership. Only country in the world with more cars than people lol.

So we’re free camping, with some services, at the base of San Marino old town/castle/fortress. We then catch a cable car to the top. Jaw dropping. The place is gorgeous and amazing. It built on the top of a high mountain top, right to the very cliff edges! Castle walls, narrow lanes, towers…..

The third tower makes me think of Rapunzel. The ‘door’ is halfway up the wall, maybe 15 to 20 metres high. Obviously you can’t get in without someone lowering a rope or ladder, or their hair.

The second tower overhangs the cliff face and had totally amazing views right down to the coast and back into the hills. It’s also a museum with lots of gut wrenching spears, literally. Plus crossbows, cannons, early guns, shields, helmets, chest plates. It interested Greg but I preferred all the lookout points overhanging the cliffs and guard towers with holes looking straight down, as well as out over the countryside.

The first tower has a terrace with a bar, haha, just have to indulge. Our waiter tells us there are 7 dialects here, points out over the edge and tells us oranges are called this here, and that there, and that over there. Yeah, maybe I’ve had a bit much local San Marino wine.

But seriously , this place is just totally amazing. There is an oak tree growing out of a chunk of rock over a 100 metre (or so) drop. I’m not expressing myself very well. I’m sitting here going OMG and how do I describe this, then I’m like, look at that tree, how on earth is it growing there? It’s on a rock and from where I’m sitting I can’t see soil below it at all. The rock curves back and drops straight down to the valley that is out of sight.

I’m pinching myself. This is so different to home. This is exactly what we’re traveling for. This is also why we are traveling as we are. To experience these off the beaten track places. To see the history of humankind in actuality.

……..

We need to understand the past to understand the present, and we need to appreciate the present to look to the future.

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11th May

Next morning we backtrack. First time we’ve driven the same road twice, albeit in the opposite direction. We then skirt around Ravenna and head north to Venice. It’s boring roads. We stop for coffee on the seaside. Starting to dislike Italian beaches. They are being prepared for the season. Regimented umbrellas and loungers, groomed sand with laid out pathways, waiter service from the bar and swimming pools if you actually intend swimming. Not what we’re used to at all. You even have to pay to park your vehicle. As well as your butt. And they build all these bars etc on the sand.

Tuesday 7th May

A very early start this morning. Up, wash, dress, breakfast, bikes off and ready to go at 6am. A brisk ride into the bus terminal, lock the bikes up and join the queue. It’s a double decker bus. Full, 80 people. The commentary is being given in English then Spanish so I’m assuming that that reflects the people on board. There is a Canadian couple behind us, half way through their Italian holiday.

It’s a 2 hour drive to the coast and the guides point out areas on the way and give us some information about the Cinque Terre. It’s a change to be on a smooth toll road and to both relax, no driving, no navigation.

The bus delivers us above the second village, Manarola, and with one guide in front and one behind we walk down down down to the centre. We are showed the meeting place by the train station then we have an hour to explore. We meander down the main ‘street’ to the harbour and around to the headland to a view point then backtrack and have coffee and croissants by the harbour. There are lots of tourists but it’s nice to chat in English and compare holidays.

After meeting up at the train station we catch the train to the forth village, Vernazza. Same story, we have an hour to explore. We climb to the tower for a view down over the roof tops and out to sea. The tower is perfectly round and flat roofed. There is a castle on the headland, not looking imposing from this angle. The church dome peeking up over rooftops.

We then go down to the harbour and check out the church. I actually like this one, it’s unassuming, no rich artefacts. The pillars are rock, as as the walls and the vaulted ceiling is plain dark timber. Then it’s back uphill to the train station.

It is pretty, all the villages. Painted houses with steep stairs climbing up the valley sides in between. The stone road uneven as it follows the contour of the land. Baskets lining the sides, full of soaps, scarves and Limonchino. Small tables and chairs enticing you to sit and drink coffee or wine or eat pizza, the aroma of which wafts everywhere. Gelato freezers in shop windows with their array of colours and flavours. Brick arches holding houses apart as some lean in together. Some with harbour areas still high above the water with winches to lift the boats up out of the water. A few boats, covered up. No fishermen or nets today. The sea, dark blue and heaving.

While we are waiting to catch the next train a freight train passes. I have never experienced a freight train move so fast! A Christchurch lady I was talking to had her puffer jacket sucked off her shoulders by the draught. She grabbed one sleeve and I got a hand on it and we held on tight until the train had passed. An American man saved her hat. Our train was next and we moved on to Monterosso al Mare, the fifth and largest of the villages. We had 2 & a 1/2 hours here. We found a small pizzeria off the main drag and enjoyed a very pleasant lunch with a bottle of the local Cinque Terre white wine. After that we found a bottle shop and bought a bottle to take away. It’s a very nice drop.

Eventually we met up with the rest of the group and caught a boat to the first village, Riomaggiore. We only viewed the third village from the sea as it’s not on the waters edge, or the train line but is further up a hill. The boat stopped in at all the other villages and we could see exactly where we’d been.

I was impressed with the captains skill. The swell was quite high, the berths just small areas of concrete below rocky cliffs. He would head in and two hands would throw out ropes to the guy on land, who would hook them over a couple of bollards a few metres apart, they would roll out the gang plant and the captain would back off pulling against the ropes. The gang plank needed holding as it moved up and down and side to side a lot with the sea movement. Eventually it was our turn to disembark.

The last village of the day, we have 45 minutes this time. Greg wanted another coffee and I wanted Gelato. Yummy. We sat and relaxed. All too soon it was back to the train station for our last ride out to La Spezia where our bus waited. We drove past the massive Cruise Ships and on the motorway for the 2 hour drive back to Florence. Half the bus going to sleep, Greg included. I sit here and write.

My lasting opinion of the Cinque Terre is I wish I could have experienced it 10,20 years ago before it was ‘discovered’. There was no authenticity left, other than the buildings, the surroundings. Like Dubrovnik, it’s a tourist attraction. But it was a great day out and I did enjoy myself. I could easily see what it had been and what a challenging life it must have been for the fishermen and their families making a life here. I guess I can appreciate the ‘tourist trade’ must be an easier and a more reliable income.

…….

Arrive back at the bus terminal and yes, our bikes are still there. No one would want to steal them anyway. Cycle back to the van and as we approach we can see a white slip of paper under the wiper. Oh no! Haha ‘Vote Communist’. Sign of relief. Yeah and no, we won’t be voting for communism. Slight worry that this is being promoted. Didn’t they learn anything last time.

……..

The van’s warm so Greg opens both the skylights. Doesn’t close the screens though. Half an hour later we hear the buzz of a mosquito and lol we have a van full of them. The evening is then punctured with the game of ‘bash the buzzer’ and Citronella is added to the shopping list.

……..

For anyone who doesn’t know, Greg is a big Liverpool fan and he’s been saying for days we have to be somewhere near a Sports bar that’s playing the game on Wednesday. It’s the return leg again Barcelona, arguably the best team in the world and Liverpool have a 3 goal handicap from the first leg. So we’re eating dinner and trying to find a camp site with power & showers (we’ve been off grid for 4 days) for Wednesday night with a sports bar within walking distance. Think we’ve found one, then Greg slaps his forehead and groans. the game is Wednesday in NZ but Tuesday here. The game has already started and about halfway through the first half. We instantly try to find a sports bar here in Florence we can get to but the nearest is an hour away and no guarantee it’s showing the game. So Greg just had to follow it online with live scores and watching the goals afterwards. Our son is sending Viber videos from The Paddington pub in Parnell which was just going nuts. It was an unbelievable result. Greg is gutted he didn’t get to watch it so we’ll have to make doublely sure to get some place to watch the final.

Friday 3rd May

Contrasting to Rome, we move north. Umbria and Tuscany. Wide open spaces. Very green with fields of wild flowers, mostly poppies and dandelions. The crops giving the landscape a velour texture. Distant hillsides with clusters of stone houses. Plenty of castles. Conifers lined up like sentinels. Not many people. Not many cars. Quiet.

We spend a night in a pretty camp lakeside of Bolsena. Do some chores – laundry, cleaning. Relaxing, walk the lake edge into town. It’s cloudy and the wind is blowing off the water. Good night to have a curry and as we’re eating, Greg comments we haven’t seen any Indian food places in Italy. In fact I think I’ve seen one Chinese and one Mexican, a couple of McDonalds and a few places advertising burgers but on the whole the eating places are all Italian.

4th May

Second night, free camping in the hilltop village of San Gimignano. Unfortunately the weather isn’t playing ball. Raining, chilly but the forecast says it will clear in the evening and it does. We walk into the hilltop walled old town. This place is ‘f’ing fantastic! It is exactly what you’d picture a hilltop medieval town to look like. Before you even enter, you look through the gates and there is stone buildings 3 stories high against the inner walls. The cobbled street climbing and curling out of sight. It has 14 towers which you see for several kilometres away, but up close they loom over the city walls like Medieval skyscrapers. There are shops selling leather ware, wines, salamis, cheeses, cycle tops rather than magnets and t shirts, though there are a couple like that. Lots of Restaurants, bars and Gelato shops. And when you get up high, the views over the Tuscan countryside…. stunning. The sun sets in a blaze of colour and the street lamps add more character to the delightful lanes and squares. Pity the rain is forecast again for tomorrow else we’d be tempted to stay longer.

San Gimignano is also where we discover Italy eft-pos machines don’t accept international bank cards. Bugger. Bloody Italy! They also don’t fill or exchange gas bottles that aren’t Italian. Apparently you can buy an adapter which you can use at the self service gas stations. Unfortunately Italy don’t sell them or even acknowledge they exist. So,we’re already being frugal on gas, now we’ll have to be frugal on cash. We do have a travel MasterCard preloaded with Euro but most places do like cash.

We wake up to a thunderstorm. Lightning flashing through the skylight, immediately followed by huge claps of thunder. Pouring rain. It’s cold.

5th May

Third night we stay in Pisa. We had been thinking of going to Florence first but as the weather is crap and there’s less to see here so we’ll view the tower then go to Florence tomorrow. The drive was through more picturesque Tuscan countryside. The trees hanging heavy with rain, the wet making the green leaves more vibrant. Low cloud or mist softening the hilltop and pushing wisps through the valleys. The walled hilltop towns darker and more foreboding. Potholes filled with water making the roads look better than they actually were.

The leaning tower of Pisa is so much more than I was expecting. It’s obviously a tourist attraction because it’s on a lean but architecturally it is an very impressive structure. Not just because it’s holding together under the strain of the lean but the height and the columns, it’s pleases the eye. Looking at it and the Duomo and the baptistery, it’s like one church deconstructed. The architecture of all three buildings have common elements but instead of being connected, they are all separated by grass. There is some unusual gargoyles too. I wasn’t going too but when I was standing there I just had to do the classic pose.

We were approached (again) by a hawker and thought Greg waved him away, I asked him about himself. He’s from Senegal, has been in Italy for 10 years but goes back home every two years. He ends up giving me an Elephant carving. Probably wants me to shut up so he can carry on selling.

Probably going to book a day tour to the Cinque Terre for Tuesday. They run some from Florence that cover all 5 villages by a mix of bus, train & boat. You get free time in each place and the weather forecast for Tuesday is looking ok. And obviously you can’t drive it.

6th May

Day four and we’re in Florence. Funny how much I remember from last time, 7 years ago and I still knew the way to go to get to the Duomo and the Uffizi gallery. Last time we didn’t go in either and so thought we would this time. Haha, the next available time slot for the Duomo is Wednesday afternoon. Today is Monday. Then even with time slot tickets, you need to queue an hour beforehand at each area. Then when we get to the Uffizi gallery, it’s closed on Mondays. Oh well, whatever will be, will be. We went into a different church. Amazing ornate ceilings. Unusual because the alter is off set since the building started its life as a grain store. Love the association back to the guilds. Climbed up narrow winding stairs and got a great view. We do our usual and meander the streets. This time around it isn’t overwhelming me like last time. We’ve seen better old towns now and Florence is FULL of tourists. Greg didn’t even take many photos because he took lots last time we were here, and that had been with gorgeous evening light. We did have more time and could see a wider area. The heart we had already seen was still the best bit. We had coffee and it was €10.50! Yesterday’s coffee was €2.50 and it was nicer, stronger and hotter. Tourist town ripoff. On the plus side I found an eftpos machine that accepted my MasterCard (bugger about those extra fees) so we now have cash again.

We are free camping at the back of the concert hall, can hear the music. I would have preferred the security of a paid camp for the 2 nights but the nearest was over an hours walk to the bus terminal to do the Cinque Terre tour tomorrow and we have to be there by 6.40am. This place is a lot closer, will only take us about 15 minutes on our bikes. Bonus is there is free wifi so I can finally update the blog.

Cinque Terre tomorrow. I’m excited.