tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-50680129955412821902024-03-24T16:33:33.631-07:00Two Wheels move the SoulV Strom motorcycle travel. Vancouver Island travel, European, Africa and Asia travel, The Smith's V Strom Adventureshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12791666275519971736noreply@blogger.comBlogger181125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5068012995541282190.post-1824331300511534032023-09-27T01:10:00.001-07:002024-03-23T14:07:12.766-07:00Switzerland - Sept. 21-23 - Lukmanier Pass and Disentis<h4 style="text-align: left;"> <span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Lukmanier Pass and Disentis</span></h4><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Our last morning in Menaggio and we wake up to threatening skies. We knew they were forecast but we hoped we'd luck out like the rest of our trip and have great weather.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">It was not to be. After our final breakfast at the Hotel Merloni we load the bike and head towards Lugano, Switzerland. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">This is a memorable highway for us that dates back to mid May 2006 when we rode from Colmar, France to Menaggio on a day that got colder and colder and began to snow on the Gotthard Pass. So much so, that we were turned back and had to take the Oberpal pass to Disentis and the Lukmanier Pass to Lugano. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">I always characterized that ride which turned to pouring rain once you got over the Alps, <i>"as driving inside a firehose"</i>.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">We've been in contact with Heiko as he wanted to ride the pass and meet us 1/2 way and take us to his friends place in Disentis, CH. His last report was everything was cloudy but not raining there, and with it still dry when we prepared, we hoped we'd make it unscathed.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><b>It was not to be.</b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">The drive along Lago di Lugano is spectacular and intimate as you drive through tunnels and galleries that constantly give you enticing glances at the beauty of the lake and surroundings. But just as we enter Lugano city limits it starts to pour. Fortunately we had inserted our rain liners in anticipation of the rain.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Things have changed dramatically from '06 as well as we head north toward Biasca, CH where we are to meet Heiko. It is basically town joined to town all the way to Bellinzona, CH. From there a stretch of 16 kms allows us to meet almost right on time with Heiko.<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgodiW9OWgNoBsacA3QNr2qBAlk5CNwI8fMawG5L595Fnj6DEswW0einWZOTpUwBbzl12nQjWGktJ3HaSCqOdEqrhoN7KTjd8gItQXuZAcQ_oqEH7TtGhXjNYwESVbbIaCGcaeOqj-ApZ04k_nSF7Lw0ExXIQ_rG8P4ExlFUyCkSqF34foshO1C2TlrKqRi" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="809" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgodiW9OWgNoBsacA3QNr2qBAlk5CNwI8fMawG5L595Fnj6DEswW0einWZOTpUwBbzl12nQjWGktJ3HaSCqOdEqrhoN7KTjd8gItQXuZAcQ_oqEH7TtGhXjNYwESVbbIaCGcaeOqj-ApZ04k_nSF7Lw0ExXIQ_rG8P4ExlFUyCkSqF34foshO1C2TlrKqRi=w400-h268" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Dancing Script; font-size: large;">In Biasca, CH under threatening skies</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Looking to avoid the chance of rain we decide to keep on riding to Disentis with Heiko. We aren't aware of it at the time, but we are about to have to share the road with about 30 Bovine friends, large cows that have summered in the high Swiss Alps and with it being Sept 21st and with snow in the forecast the annual parade of them down to lower pastures and barns is happening. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">We start to see <i>'remnants'</i> of the cows before we actually meet up with the herd. We are ahead of some vehicles travelling in the same direction which prevents us from stopping to take our own pictures but the experience is <u>once in a lifetime</u>. The stock photo I've attached is just a small sample of the herd that was coming back to Disentis. There is a lead cow, and on this mountain pass road they are 2-3 across and about 30 total. They are all decorated with headresses, and the herders, 3 female and the rest men are dressed in festive costumes as well. As we pass by one cow gets out of alignment and nearly bodychecks us as we slowly pass by at 5 kph. Whew! The cacophony of the huge bells they wear especially for this parade down the mountain is what attracts the residents of the small villages as we descend the pass to Disentis.<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEga3EnqQSLbCcfPL9gwyLMbnVm76ltsWB2CNAiVTxXfF-nljA1q2O6rMhFvM6_Wc7C9KAz0XzizxcLKloreIqZil-hU7PvmXT8W4KeipYAaT9h7w57_LduOb7HVI_36jgNWhlbsggiSCMj7WQp9fwMILyhARN1bLSmuIMG8-fThhx9Rzo829S_zx7Jgb8pE" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1200" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEga3EnqQSLbCcfPL9gwyLMbnVm76ltsWB2CNAiVTxXfF-nljA1q2O6rMhFvM6_Wc7C9KAz0XzizxcLKloreIqZil-hU7PvmXT8W4KeipYAaT9h7w57_LduOb7HVI_36jgNWhlbsggiSCMj7WQp9fwMILyhARN1bLSmuIMG8-fThhx9Rzo829S_zx7Jgb8pE=w640-h480" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Dancing Script; font-size: large;">Cows descending the pass back to the village of Disentis, <br />It's an annual celebration!</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">The remainder of the ride is extremely scenic with many villagers along the way waiting for their parade.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">We arrive in Disentis at the friends 'cabin', which is actually a 2 level top floor apartment with this stunning view out our bedroom window.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj4Yhq6UmOb8Ft-aoT0YXy73BzmLoUUXr4-ush79jj-OkndXz4v9VZQM6ScWSc4UQZYPnmQGoDKcCvwQLLCUczFOLu2N8TX1wLF9gu4KhOlLRQAbQ3NCIHuWfcriNnC0O-6xHPWlvWtKCrMwwkXztEd4Jrnef88Fv1viP2jZ1dHcc33FMb9REXPh-aiY6Ir" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="619" data-original-width="825" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj4Yhq6UmOb8Ft-aoT0YXy73BzmLoUUXr4-ush79jj-OkndXz4v9VZQM6ScWSc4UQZYPnmQGoDKcCvwQLLCUczFOLu2N8TX1wLF9gu4KhOlLRQAbQ3NCIHuWfcriNnC0O-6xHPWlvWtKCrMwwkXztEd4Jrnef88Fv1viP2jZ1dHcc33FMb9REXPh-aiY6Ir=w640-h480" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Dancing Script; font-size: large;">View from our bedroom balcony looking NE in the swiss Alps</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br />After a quick lunch we head out as Heiko's friend wants to show us her town and specifically an antique train that will come in at 4:00pm. As we had come down into Disentis, what stands out is this huge Benedictine Monastery. In one form or another it has been there since the 6th century and is still active today. There is a chapel of huge dimensions for the townspeople with a stunning pipe organ and adornments.</span></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoHiC7BVUuhKWm1gGZBNw-ADUp8-n-ScGd11c79fVP_k4b5VAz_hCLt5ZqZPnvE0-SA6q5uFxtZEZ0fTbRqF4PwCgMaTlsMY7GcJT2DojeHJv4VdcWgMFSnJLuDqXDApmgewodURg_JJkuUFjqVR9vZ86Q5srwuumM_LQR5vZspGJxAkJoLSGgZXOiL8rP/s4032/PXL_20230921_143442847.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoHiC7BVUuhKWm1gGZBNw-ADUp8-n-ScGd11c79fVP_k4b5VAz_hCLt5ZqZPnvE0-SA6q5uFxtZEZ0fTbRqF4PwCgMaTlsMY7GcJT2DojeHJv4VdcWgMFSnJLuDqXDApmgewodURg_JJkuUFjqVR9vZ86Q5srwuumM_LQR5vZspGJxAkJoLSGgZXOiL8rP/w480-h640/PXL_20230921_143442847.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Dancing Script; font-size: large;">Benedictine Monastery in Disentis<br /> founded in 720 and restored in 1880</span></td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAPlwPLcKT5wpDIGUYs_2228jgN_qPyLxi1oc6l7qzWwiD4SlNkxtkW-27etHqSBs3GpMyegBTT3qFEe-BTdZBiUMsr0oUWOAxxpwaD6dBR7V7oTlb9eKD0quS2l0-g1UNH_tRfHdt-SRQdkzWrfsgAoQsNt7fsTFeq8tEOqll6n1DwN_kMZnMCD2yafm3/s4032/PXL_20230921_132433916.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAPlwPLcKT5wpDIGUYs_2228jgN_qPyLxi1oc6l7qzWwiD4SlNkxtkW-27etHqSBs3GpMyegBTT3qFEe-BTdZBiUMsr0oUWOAxxpwaD6dBR7V7oTlb9eKD0quS2l0-g1UNH_tRfHdt-SRQdkzWrfsgAoQsNt7fsTFeq8tEOqll6n1DwN_kMZnMCD2yafm3/w640-h480/PXL_20230921_132433916.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Dancing Script; font-size: large;">Spectacular interior very similar to another Swiss cathedral</span></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgArZJRnYZRcqQ6Hg8b79SZYz3KwquYyEddJt6Akcbic_KcjQwAOG1P68Ctxr_WVcPh4c_0ujwfciVDZWMlDRuQDNZodJucUv43hobmSRyOjTr-o9rM3oELfEj6PJ4tSKtq4Wz8sZkXTfNDTLqfChchHDAng8vemHSGndMv4OHBxjWvcgtyW_F8GBTB7MdE/s4032/PXL_20230921_132320505.NIGHT.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgArZJRnYZRcqQ6Hg8b79SZYz3KwquYyEddJt6Akcbic_KcjQwAOG1P68Ctxr_WVcPh4c_0ujwfciVDZWMlDRuQDNZodJucUv43hobmSRyOjTr-o9rM3oELfEj6PJ4tSKtq4Wz8sZkXTfNDTLqfChchHDAng8vemHSGndMv4OHBxjWvcgtyW_F8GBTB7MdE/w400-h300/PXL_20230921_132320505.NIGHT.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">The monastery also is part of the route of St James or the Camino de Santiago as it connects to it in France. Monks actively run a <a href="https://shop.disentis-sedrun.ch/DisentisSedrun/ukv/house/TDS00020011181723930?lang=en&tt=5ieal6jgjlmhnlpp26dbou8nu0">hostel</a> as part of the monastery.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Our walk through the village leads us to the train station just as the antique train arrives. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhyo6Tj01LxJc01LlU0jHaX-PhrG0vHczrGUrSWyI3PUcBMohPDWMsSoBviypC6_pD6Q3afkAj1S_n-8R9ipe4m_b0VfbC3NkmJjX1ptw7G9eSkW1AvIxH_mj61fjcnVGknPagE3XjIDXcSavppj35hsqLuCna4mYxKkisPWaT6wzfmH9FOLJO7UdDphKhT" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="619" data-original-width="825" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhyo6Tj01LxJc01LlU0jHaX-PhrG0vHczrGUrSWyI3PUcBMohPDWMsSoBviypC6_pD6Q3afkAj1S_n-8R9ipe4m_b0VfbC3NkmJjX1ptw7G9eSkW1AvIxH_mj61fjcnVGknPagE3XjIDXcSavppj35hsqLuCna4mYxKkisPWaT6wzfmH9FOLJO7UdDphKhT" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWAyhwC2VsBKy1PSBr9iKfSULHjSqIsbnvLL1ihsXhjTEfcxOt0m0xTIu-oO_jHHbDa5ou4e680daHOHEUsla5eiIFSh5lQD-9XyqDatU1Xav5JJf7Y8T630RVjTiUQ_HoDl8yDesULEtbQHSbXYDrTU3O8HPuD2hn2qFkM1j17Ernq-w0dP21SdFHdL0o/s4032/PXL_20230921_140231692.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWAyhwC2VsBKy1PSBr9iKfSULHjSqIsbnvLL1ihsXhjTEfcxOt0m0xTIu-oO_jHHbDa5ou4e680daHOHEUsla5eiIFSh5lQD-9XyqDatU1Xav5JJf7Y8T630RVjTiUQ_HoDl8yDesULEtbQHSbXYDrTU3O8HPuD2hn2qFkM1j17Ernq-w0dP21SdFHdL0o/s320/PXL_20230921_140231692.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">That evening we dine out at a fantastic venison based restaurant with great food. Unfortunately the next day, which was intended to be a loop tour of 4 high mountain passes was cancelled given the fogged in conditions, rain and then some light snow so we decide to have a quiet meal in the apartment.</span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAyqdiYYPRaRo9peY5qJh-SAlUP99mTSAaE8BCVwGmc0sfu1IyQPStM85R_HYLJM8mK1OZx6uE4BC9J9iqeQWvznmiZSpQgh7I9mn_hpp-1fDZgwA0CBsSPjJTFvSPAH09LWcUiM8uSbMDTbwd0-k8U8CdNnOl71dOwfNx0fmJeXd5EpiDp8plm6WQnPsN/s4608/Disentis%20meal.JPG" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="4608" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAyqdiYYPRaRo9peY5qJh-SAlUP99mTSAaE8BCVwGmc0sfu1IyQPStM85R_HYLJM8mK1OZx6uE4BC9J9iqeQWvznmiZSpQgh7I9mn_hpp-1fDZgwA0CBsSPjJTFvSPAH09LWcUiM8uSbMDTbwd0-k8U8CdNnOl71dOwfNx0fmJeXd5EpiDp8plm6WQnPsN/w400-h300/Disentis%20meal.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">On Saturday, conditions are quite cold at 0 Celsius when we are about to leave <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHciyGL0k6ULV3XGvmzoaTajYy3wgecF15SZOH9LJdXV4quyhtxU8dcl6esOwkse7bM6S1C1Kn5vSQC7oEW0SakQWhEqO-KYua9XefpnI7Usxrxt6B5sdrMQ_aT7Pd2N5OTcqkVw8DQp2mJJVqXgI5WHLpbXb-RpzXXbEH5C-Xfj1VUXh-wpSUbY5SENeX/s1600/IMG-20230924-WA0006.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHciyGL0k6ULV3XGvmzoaTajYy3wgecF15SZOH9LJdXV4quyhtxU8dcl6esOwkse7bM6S1C1Kn5vSQC7oEW0SakQWhEqO-KYua9XefpnI7Usxrxt6B5sdrMQ_aT7Pd2N5OTcqkVw8DQp2mJJVqXgI5WHLpbXb-RpzXXbEH5C-Xfj1VUXh-wpSUbY5SENeX/w300-h400/IMG-20230924-WA0006.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Dancing Script; font-size: large;">3 Muskateers</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br />for Andermatt and in the direction of Zurich. There is snow in the air as we head over the Oberalp pass and stays cold until we dropped to about 1400 meters where some warmth begins to make its way into the air.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">The remainder of the drive across Switzerland is scenic and we are in much better spirits as we cross Lake Zurich on a bridge and arrive in Singen, Germany for a night there.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Our ride back to Frankfurt and Oberursel for the most part is uneventful in much better weather with only some slow traffic areas near congested on/off ramps on the A5 autobahn.<br /><br /></span></div>The Smith's V Strom Adventureshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12791666275519971736noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5068012995541282190.post-57959389717952282412023-09-20T07:23:00.001-07:002023-09-20T07:23:12.909-07:00Menaggio - Lake Como Sept 18-20<h4 style="text-align: left;"> <span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Menaggio - Lake Como Sept 18-20</span></h4><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">The ride between Levanto and Menaggio on Lake Como is challenging to do other than by autostrada. I remember my first thoughts in 2011 after getting off the ferry from Morocco that we'd take a leisurely drive off the autostrada and find a place to stay for the night.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">After it taking 1/2 hr to exit the Genova terminal and drive a normal road to Rapalla, I realized the best bet in either direction is the A12 autostrada. With speeds of 130 kph and roughly 35 tunnels you could do this route in the rain and not get wet.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">So we resigned ourselves to taking the A12 to Genova, the A7 to Milan, and the A9 to Lake Como and then the west side road to Menaggio. Even at that there were road construction delays on both the A7 and A9 which made the 300 km drive a 4 hour ordeal in heavy traffic.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">But once you get to Menaggio and see the lake it makes it more worthwhile.</span></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKFHA-w17Pi-_2TPcDQ1YHvgU6938boDCjBJYJ3yhSPehKWxGrwoklWXZ3yvn62-sLWXM5y21FL5chizD2Kg_LoTqrMqPa5I2OW3fE9LCuVO9DsazLec1RekLTcvk8U9LVaYPPUmhOqiLc9vnYuy3g8kxjnl7bitDPld4u0gacfVn3rCSJNAs2wS1kytNA/s4032/PXL_20230919_100741532.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKFHA-w17Pi-_2TPcDQ1YHvgU6938boDCjBJYJ3yhSPehKWxGrwoklWXZ3yvn62-sLWXM5y21FL5chizD2Kg_LoTqrMqPa5I2OW3fE9LCuVO9DsazLec1RekLTcvk8U9LVaYPPUmhOqiLc9vnYuy3g8kxjnl7bitDPld4u0gacfVn3rCSJNAs2wS1kytNA/w640-h480/PXL_20230919_100741532.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Lake Como looking south to the town of L. Como</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">We have stayed at the Hotel Merloni a few times over the years, in '06 on a dark and stormy night, '16 while headed to the Matterhorn, last year for 3 days while celebrating our 50th and now this time. With the food always of such great quality we decided this time to book 1/2 board and the meals have been excellent.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Last year we hiked to Le Croce overlooking the village<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhTXQVgXD7CsFEa9WcAqF6Bq4MwjRUn4Nj4McrR-plvWMXntgMad_UfNRLPUnhguj1o6daArI911bHFBHo-wsAyioI-MFEKmOk-9_ShhEA0rZOUAowOvxO9C3Neh1bFQvYHx0IVd_Y1S_Ps5IKWCaw9hytjd6JVvW5-EUIRojZWHUuWugecmhgNujC19Tao" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1773" data-original-width="2364" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhTXQVgXD7CsFEa9WcAqF6Bq4MwjRUn4Nj4McrR-plvWMXntgMad_UfNRLPUnhguj1o6daArI911bHFBHo-wsAyioI-MFEKmOk-9_ShhEA0rZOUAowOvxO9C3Neh1bFQvYHx0IVd_Y1S_Ps5IKWCaw9hytjd6JVvW5-EUIRojZWHUuWugecmhgNujC19Tao" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Menaggio</td></tr></tbody></table><br /> and lake and enjoyed the pool. Yesterday we hiked all the way down into Menaggio and back and rewarded ourselves with a great afternoon at the pool again.<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6msQGMO3XzvaoQqnfJKdrikMAPPNoEGfK0JJDG0DFxC8ki8EQlrw8FtT-S5t9OOSXvZEtRmb_uujwZz-56BxkiGlvvkqftLyYCtn_arUINmvE0umOjZ5llAiqveudJq_PKSss-RBoSko94Vsuifqe5wq6wsOCXfy7oNGrnVRaTdZuPBMvM9sHuS66_oG-/s4032/PXL_20220625_142255643.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6msQGMO3XzvaoQqnfJKdrikMAPPNoEGfK0JJDG0DFxC8ki8EQlrw8FtT-S5t9OOSXvZEtRmb_uujwZz-56BxkiGlvvkqftLyYCtn_arUINmvE0umOjZ5llAiqveudJq_PKSss-RBoSko94Vsuifqe5wq6wsOCXfy7oNGrnVRaTdZuPBMvM9sHuS66_oG-/s320/PXL_20220625_142255643.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Merloni Pool</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC3t1pvgy67Qw0VUveAzPbGQalSRAGWGp-F1sKvnCpzzj09Qc_ZfgdHU7Ghev9lA1s-q_OyJNXUIFEr87cM0fQTb0T09_LCRzo2MtZz_SwuEv3PbA-t8Qv_tc_cXBCJ1cGaJTPG1v7Z9elEs5AoXJ5Hwo4vSFGYhJwogzqKTfC2cLTitpTbhAVbBczPeEG/s4032/PXL_20230919_101041069.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC3t1pvgy67Qw0VUveAzPbGQalSRAGWGp-F1sKvnCpzzj09Qc_ZfgdHU7Ghev9lA1s-q_OyJNXUIFEr87cM0fQTb0T09_LCRzo2MtZz_SwuEv3PbA-t8Qv_tc_cXBCJ1cGaJTPG1v7Z9elEs5AoXJ5Hwo4vSFGYhJwogzqKTfC2cLTitpTbhAVbBczPeEG/w400-h300/PXL_20230919_101041069.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Enjoying the Lake and the Beauty of Menaggio</td></tr></tbody></table><br />Tomorrow we'll be on to Switzerland for a new adventure there as we meet up with Heiko for our last few days in Europe.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><br /><br /></span><br /><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div>The Smith's V Strom Adventureshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12791666275519971736noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5068012995541282190.post-18824735624807126002023-09-20T07:00:00.002-07:002024-03-23T15:43:36.407-07:00Cinque Terre - Levanto Sept. 13- - 18<h4 style="text-align: left;"> <span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Cinque Terre - Levanto </span></h4><div><span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="font-family: arial; font-size: large; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJFcrFNbH6kOAoa7WAMi1l3fxxR2ct7P6rBTQ4vXCS9ynxTJ390hPJbQXd032R0BmsWDrtycloRTN3i5WO8DaytM7C3wfnsEZb2iGAY2hOBRUjve4ad2VxgvsRVpWM2UKuMGpBELuSL126G1lRJwc0Jwk_X0trcEhpbaq5V_NjsNQLW4FkmNdvK3519i4-/s4032/PXL_20230915_182755875.NIGHT.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJFcrFNbH6kOAoa7WAMi1l3fxxR2ct7P6rBTQ4vXCS9ynxTJ390hPJbQXd032R0BmsWDrtycloRTN3i5WO8DaytM7C3wfnsEZb2iGAY2hOBRUjve4ad2VxgvsRVpWM2UKuMGpBELuSL126G1lRJwc0Jwk_X0trcEhpbaq5V_NjsNQLW4FkmNdvK3519i4-/w640-h480/PXL_20230915_182755875.NIGHT.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Dancing Script; font-size: large;">The Levanto Promenade after dark!</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Levanto and the Cinque Terre are surprisingly busy when we arrive this mid-September. We see the crowds during the day fill the streets and the ristorantes, pizzerias and cafes more than ever before. </span></span></div><div><span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Our first night there we head to the Le Palme ristorante near the promenade and order up some very delicious Lasagne and a 1/2 L of red wine. After we wander the promenade and get a nice lights picture while eating our 1st Levanto gelato 'Cremino'. We're reminded that we are normally here in early summer when it doesn't get dark until close to 9:30 pm.</span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: arial; font-size: large; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: arial; font-size: large; text-align: left;">One of the things we love about staying in a small B&B is the opportunity to interact with other guests and with Sara as host she engages each guest every day with the simple question "What's your plan for the day?". </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: arial; font-size: large; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: arial; font-size: large; text-align: left;">With that she always is able to offer great advice about how to accomplish what they set out to do.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: arial; font-size: large; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: arial; font-size: large; text-align: left;">Our first morning is a couple from Cologne where she is working on her PhD with a Thetis focusing on the airline Lufthansa and what accounting path it needs to take to gain trust with it's clients when it comes to charging more money to buy carbon offsets for flying with them. Between that morning and the next we have quite a dialog about what companies as well as countries will have to work at doing better to gain the trust of clients and taxpayers as we enter the next phase of climate change. She is one bright cookie and it will be very interesting to read the outcome of her work. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: arial; font-size: large; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: arial; font-size: large; text-align: left;">Our 4th morning a couple from Austin Texas that arrived after 1030pm the evening before join in the breakfast discussion after 830 am. He' a mechanical Engineer working on a PhD but together they are rushing through their breakfast so they can catch a train to Vernazza to see 1 village before heading further south to Pisa. It's unfortunate they didn't have time for Levanto or the great B&B they had booked into on their quest to see "Italy". </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: arial; font-size: large; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">We've taken an easy approach this time round with mornings at the beach and a nice hike through the rail tunnels to Bonnasola.</span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="font-family: arial; font-size: large; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKHNj5EDxcGxbdcuQSYRxbPqhWJGM0IlQDjv5mJF5P3C-EzRuJ7KOHOdpDrAkTVvnXq3TWOZ6Y_TZMDdxY0Svv_Fg6LmZK1UmDmmNYKKso2pMQCWLcwtYI5aEk9W7eA1qhdJ5tAt6DgY7g1oRT7orhzgtXPZahOL8i8mC-GF5MfyjhA-Ai3w1_FWKmzZhp/s4032/PXL_20230917_103058479.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKHNj5EDxcGxbdcuQSYRxbPqhWJGM0IlQDjv5mJF5P3C-EzRuJ7KOHOdpDrAkTVvnXq3TWOZ6Y_TZMDdxY0Svv_Fg6LmZK1UmDmmNYKKso2pMQCWLcwtYI5aEk9W7eA1qhdJ5tAt6DgY7g1oRT7orhzgtXPZahOL8i8mC-GF5MfyjhA-Ai3w1_FWKmzZhp/w400-h300/PXL_20230917_103058479.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Dancing Script; font-size: large;">A view from above Bonnasola</span><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="font-family: arial; font-size: large; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYouciE-8DmQOhb6RCIGsIsVGnC4RIDxDAxXUgVlGWjxW6GAMwSorIABA5HVSAxVmOdeyNacWMuImF3352VGLjgrmfsMlCOJ3Yjg62c0Vgnh3hNbOTp9ChQyN3lztsqBMcu-39joRj04krwOV31AwRXQXT1H05KaQ23ylGk_zCLDWccGk9EOej4am8WRcn/s4032/PXL_20230917_093035682.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYouciE-8DmQOhb6RCIGsIsVGnC4RIDxDAxXUgVlGWjxW6GAMwSorIABA5HVSAxVmOdeyNacWMuImF3352VGLjgrmfsMlCOJ3Yjg62c0Vgnh3hNbOTp9ChQyN3lztsqBMcu-39joRj04krwOV31AwRXQXT1H05KaQ23ylGk_zCLDWccGk9EOej4am8WRcn/s320/PXL_20230917_093035682.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Dancing Script; font-size: large;">There are even Dog beaches now!</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Our time in Levanto is much appreciated with good food and such a nice village centre, and as always Gelato each evening. Sara and Corrado at the Amandola B&B are amazing hosts while raising two children. Between them and our previous hosts, Christian & Sebrina, at Fattore B&B we are so pleased we have found Levanto and them over the past 20 years of travel. Fernando and Leah, who served as our 1st ever hosts have since retired.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: arial; font-size: large; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: arial; font-size: large; text-align: left;">On the morning we are about to leave Sara asked if I can pack one more thing and gives me a ravioli cutter. We have talked so much over the years about the quality of Italian food and in particular ravioli that I had looked through the shops at the different gadgets/ forms etc. for creating ravioli. Sara's culinary skills are exceptional, which in itself makes the B&B stand out so I had asked what she used.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: arial; font-size: large; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: arial; font-size: large; text-align: left;">This final gesture was heartwarming and so typical of the people we have met over the years here in Levanto from Fernando and Leah, to Chris/Sebrina and their olive oil, and nutmeg , to Sara and Corrado and how they take you in as family when you're there.<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFqiLoSw_0yM1R3kYp0PPJ640tdo4WvlZrafOK7H5MWdy8X2f0Gvd9h_QuXZecN7tmeUUs1PDdpjbbz0Sg7AH3Uw5W7_nMpT72RevyjhvKCEG70gb6ufBhW2c0gTJFVwrt_c9dN0riatW8PdEMAkGWLJPSJuZ9O3WoYZsd6Z6eoWsvt9YFL4k06FDXPU3r/s4032/PXL_20230918_064731202.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFqiLoSw_0yM1R3kYp0PPJ640tdo4WvlZrafOK7H5MWdy8X2f0Gvd9h_QuXZecN7tmeUUs1PDdpjbbz0Sg7AH3Uw5W7_nMpT72RevyjhvKCEG70gb6ufBhW2c0gTJFVwrt_c9dN0riatW8PdEMAkGWLJPSJuZ9O3WoYZsd6Z6eoWsvt9YFL4k06FDXPU3r/s320/PXL_20230918_064731202.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Dancing Script; font-size: large;">Sara gifting her ravioli maker <br />wrapped in red ribbon</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: arial; font-size: large; text-align: left;">Here's another <a href="https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/she-went-skinny-dipping-then-133029253.html">terrific story</a> about the Cinque Terre. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: arial; font-size: large; text-align: left;"><br /><br /></div><br /><br /></span></div>The Smith's V Strom Adventureshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12791666275519971736noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5068012995541282190.post-2853768962041507462023-09-17T07:20:00.001-07:002023-09-17T07:20:40.697-07:00Castigliano del Lago -September 12th, 2023<h4 style="text-align: left;"> <span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Castigliano del Lago</span></h4><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">With the tourism pressure on Montepulciano we hadn't found a suitable B&B to stay in, but I had found a good one in Castigliano del Lago. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjhwpXq43wdKoXwNTRUVAOY-1_FSOx7dD5lNvfzyEDgLFxJk8J6dimGwxmTNV8IayIRPVadsX8vpVeZQvzcinnkdu61MtBrenAqtu8wHZpOnI-bRDrZL5_ZPLoxbJSOXE9BjbIjm-ZAfD6wHc1966JuxJjhm8mwvOuMU8ZYlTBOHOWiRrN_KmMoAe2GR-TV" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="619" data-original-width="825" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjhwpXq43wdKoXwNTRUVAOY-1_FSOx7dD5lNvfzyEDgLFxJk8J6dimGwxmTNV8IayIRPVadsX8vpVeZQvzcinnkdu61MtBrenAqtu8wHZpOnI-bRDrZL5_ZPLoxbJSOXE9BjbIjm-ZAfD6wHc1966JuxJjhm8mwvOuMU8ZYlTBOHOWiRrN_KmMoAe2GR-TV=w640-h480" width="640" /></a></div><br />Unfortunately on arrival we found it was also in demand and was <i>'complete'.</i> Fortunately the front desk recommended another place close by called Albergo Macerine and we were fortunate to get the last room there, which was perfect to the point we extended for a second night</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Again Del Lago indicates a lake, and this is a very large lake in central Italy. Like the others it has a walled central town component and is situated right on the lake.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhCEmVkw07jPS97mLu_F6UphLxc9NHrsgDnNltQXtH69sntSbyzI0TepgSw8OczqgsiyR7dDfek7uijTDXAMkVbHbAwXSo0JDKDn36TjOugyrHqh0JqLtGohGqWOBha3IW_kZn6yGRcm0XbGkd3B1XxELjKavhirrBbU3fcCDGnw6hwKGluNZQWo0E2cv-3" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="619" data-original-width="825" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhCEmVkw07jPS97mLu_F6UphLxc9NHrsgDnNltQXtH69sntSbyzI0TepgSw8OczqgsiyR7dDfek7uijTDXAMkVbHbAwXSo0JDKDn36TjOugyrHqh0JqLtGohGqWOBha3IW_kZn6yGRcm0XbGkd3B1XxELjKavhirrBbU3fcCDGnw6hwKGluNZQWo0E2cv-3=w400-h300" width="400" /></a></div><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;">That afternoon when we first checked in it was very hot and we decided to enjoy the pool first. And while there noticed a very large number of purple </span><span style="font-family: arial;">Martins, a small bird that feeds on insects, particularly mosquitoes. They seemed to be doing a great job as well.</span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: medium;">That evening we walked into the Old Town and found a nice ristorante to eat at where we ordered Montepulciano wine of course, to complement the Picce pasta Carbonara. Picce is a homemade slightly thicker pasta and it was very good. </span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: medium;">As the seating is fairly close together we heard a German couple speak English to the waitress to order their meal and we began to have a conversation with them. He was a rather grumpy fellow who didn't really like his EU neighboring countries that well.</span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Then at one point another voice could be heard and a lady from a 2nd table behind us began to ask where we were from. Once that was established we determined she was from Amersfoort NL and she had her husband and father with her.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">For the next 1/2 hr. our tables engaged in a very funny conversation on a number of stories we each told. The rest of the restaurant looked on at the animated conversation where I had pulled back my chair so I could face the other two tables.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">It was a very fun evening.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">The next day since the weather was so great we decided to stay and did a walk around the whole town.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Italy has had a drought this summer like we have had at home, and we found out why there was a prevalence of mosquitoes. It seems larvae from mosquitoes has been buried in the lake bed, and as the lake has dried out the larvae have now hatched and are airborne again.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">This is how dry it is! You can see where the grass was the waters edge before and now the waters edge is easily 150 feet away.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjvsJOEqvElWTmnBjw1BCERQgCDHN5WXFPe1MYUo2IdHToU24PG8g9pjucWaEJDBFiffPlcfFBGHKRZMmqmtI2N5kH97vJnVmozg_EDqnhrlpVbMsERMVUv03DiS-SlwgpETyjEqUNq6uhC93sh2D6dc6MIJ3iJqhyTLR_siplX54qVXLpt5sHtG-0xA2On" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="619" data-original-width="825" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjvsJOEqvElWTmnBjw1BCERQgCDHN5WXFPe1MYUo2IdHToU24PG8g9pjucWaEJDBFiffPlcfFBGHKRZMmqmtI2N5kH97vJnVmozg_EDqnhrlpVbMsERMVUv03DiS-SlwgpETyjEqUNq6uhC93sh2D6dc6MIJ3iJqhyTLR_siplX54qVXLpt5sHtG-0xA2On=w640-h480" width="640" /></a></div><br /><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div>The Smith's V Strom Adventureshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12791666275519971736noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5068012995541282190.post-90109385206675777922023-09-17T06:49:00.003-07:002023-09-30T09:55:45.108-07:00Valle D' Orcia and Pienza -September 11, 2023<h4 style="text-align: left;"> <span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Valle D' Orcia and Pienza - Tuscany</span></h4><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Many people have heard of Tuscany from movies or books. It's a region (province) of Italy and located above Rome with Florence as it's major centre and just below Liguria and to the west of Umbria. We have passed through parts of Tuscany but decided with this central Italy tour we'd visit sights we wanted to see to include the better known wine centres such as Montepulciano.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Sandra's research found that the Valle D'Orcia named after the river that runs through there from Montalcino to Pienza was the heart of this 'golden' area of Tuscany. To this end as you drive through the region it appears that the place has been landscaped as a countryside.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">The Cypress tree lined driveways are the first clue to this special region. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhMtwpRu6XOTYBPN19nkW4zJXTrOclu7jIuu_o9l5EWDL2cY6YmSnhWRX2anKyWOURKHN567vLGKAUmVX82H-gTwc3qEACBvM83_cf1CizDIGmiCJ-6SgPA0e2uqbXqoje6IgcxOCsGI1Tc15nFJoeF86hJe8Jpf-GWOjH-bey_m6Gm5kj34_3O2jkz3Xy9" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="619" data-original-width="464" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhMtwpRu6XOTYBPN19nkW4zJXTrOclu7jIuu_o9l5EWDL2cY6YmSnhWRX2anKyWOURKHN567vLGKAUmVX82H-gTwc3qEACBvM83_cf1CizDIGmiCJ-6SgPA0e2uqbXqoje6IgcxOCsGI1Tc15nFJoeF86hJe8Jpf-GWOjH-bey_m6Gm5kj34_3O2jkz3Xy9=w480-h640" width="480" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">It wasn't long before we got to the base of Pienza, a walled hilltown at the east end of the valley and found a great parking spot. This is the equivalent of parking at the front door to the bank. haha!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgWe48ykX_46P9Y9_vWEaxYbli4dvJoQSh-Vp_e8pogSjDAtp4340e7We1gDGNly1ThVzzgVPWDqfD-iXvLIXVSOhUCjLN9FWlyMin1hvSYllGiisznwN63st1qVDvPq2uTzrC4FgbN2DPEwKO_ysPC92ATTb8wL_FOIH6axeU_SeA3GTcMm9mtRgpGkG0A" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="619" data-original-width="825" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgWe48ykX_46P9Y9_vWEaxYbli4dvJoQSh-Vp_e8pogSjDAtp4340e7We1gDGNly1ThVzzgVPWDqfD-iXvLIXVSOhUCjLN9FWlyMin1hvSYllGiisznwN63st1qVDvPq2uTzrC4FgbN2DPEwKO_ysPC92ATTb8wL_FOIH6axeU_SeA3GTcMm9mtRgpGkG0A=w400-h300" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>As we climbed up the steps to the walled city this is an example of the view that you can see anywhere in that valley. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh2oDzzBVmDItA6jokcocZw1ZoHO_lj6TV4ncPJyEbqTD0qk0Ppl-vCKUEi5LVvttZqqLuv3y0R6Wsr_mXU3XhhiKQW-EK9PrHt_EULXB5B44BqwrXBAJtGQy9iWme_ehfS-H92qEEjH962mjgonyf3-PEZx8Wa5b9XuQ08d_msZV6SZwILP_SsKuEO-Yth" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="619" data-original-width="825" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh2oDzzBVmDItA6jokcocZw1ZoHO_lj6TV4ncPJyEbqTD0qk0Ppl-vCKUEi5LVvttZqqLuv3y0R6Wsr_mXU3XhhiKQW-EK9PrHt_EULXB5B44BqwrXBAJtGQy9iWme_ehfS-H92qEEjH962mjgonyf3-PEZx8Wa5b9XuQ08d_msZV6SZwILP_SsKuEO-Yth=w640-h480" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">In the piazza we visited the amazing cathedral there, commissioned by Pope Pius II during the renaissance with large windows to encourage the 'enlightenment' of religious thinking and practice. It really stands apart from other churches.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEizDgGgc6ty0vtyIxno637D8X60eHkphvetHU1O5-vsCCFUK-js-YyUJKacD1GOfwLZe6hnBJjgAJdFWZPcLMv66D5EFV2uHjxVt8UJj1dHcy0kyBbB21HXDXmHrx5NHbrM_n1ZnhFhmtkvQBzwMROdT5HEA1i5Q2pKLevsZDZlrPo6Tw6KNS8fDjWnXN5D" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="619" data-original-width="464" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEizDgGgc6ty0vtyIxno637D8X60eHkphvetHU1O5-vsCCFUK-js-YyUJKacD1GOfwLZe6hnBJjgAJdFWZPcLMv66D5EFV2uHjxVt8UJj1dHcy0kyBbB21HXDXmHrx5NHbrM_n1ZnhFhmtkvQBzwMROdT5HEA1i5Q2pKLevsZDZlrPo6Tw6KNS8fDjWnXN5D=w480-h640" width="480" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Our walk through Pienza was beautiful and when we returned to the piazza when I was approached by a fellow (Peter) who asked if I could speak Italian and tell him what kind of stone the church was made of. I said I was from Canada and he said he was too, then quickly we learned that his parents lived in Parksville but now he and his wife and 3 kids were living in Switzerland for the past 20 yrs in Geneva. He was a bio-chemist working there and in Basel and his wife (Karen) was a Dulla and worked for a Swiss agency as well. Sandra visited with Karen for quite a while and I with Peter, until we were interrupted in our chats by the voice of a male opera singer who chose to entertain the crowds that were gathering near noon. In that environment the sound and his voice resonated so perfectly you could tell it is how opera should be heard.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I took a picture of him, <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiicjVT59IXayB8aRLoc6wIDlv29ieuiw6HwBaHA9cz6WP8TbF2MQMNv9-ugsVF8Ns6p-7D1G78dQ7lZZDUn1CU7F6sxltKLpXpeeeufAN49nTed21LmF8D88XtlK1wxSopGfPaPPdH_0PhQh8VQuNeE40R97GRqrN-Z1o8A4_g_3OkIMnsmYYy2LO61Yiw" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="619" data-original-width="464" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiicjVT59IXayB8aRLoc6wIDlv29ieuiw6HwBaHA9cz6WP8TbF2MQMNv9-ugsVF8Ns6p-7D1G78dQ7lZZDUn1CU7F6sxltKLpXpeeeufAN49nTed21LmF8D88XtlK1wxSopGfPaPPdH_0PhQh8VQuNeE40R97GRqrN-Z1o8A4_g_3OkIMnsmYYy2LO61Yiw=w300-h400" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Opera Singer in the Piazza</td></tr></tbody></table><br />and then decided to shoot a video, which is <a href="https://youtube.com/shorts/DWKkJFYTzWE?si=nUpuifajoHfe_yKg" target="_blank">here</a>. My recording didn't do it justice so I ended up finding a video shot a few weeks before with him singing.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">After Pienza we drove past Montepulciano on the way to our hotel for the evening. We decided we'd come back for wine tasting the next day. But Castelgliani del Lago had other plans. See our next post.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjYIZ3HAMmr4XDsU8mZm1ovgdbILtWkFBZl-z3CBCPw4O8Myp81W1siDIMD0LHeoKLSXZ-2u0D0GdVH2C2Sar8LTENiCzxmH2bKOi-FfKwyDJOfPbyg0IqQhdmt1Ta4S4zyANriAkblCpXL1DW5jxk2FbBQPkr1p8kstuE6r2J7BsoXswNoBJ9qIZ7xFgVy" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1065" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjYIZ3HAMmr4XDsU8mZm1ovgdbILtWkFBZl-z3CBCPw4O8Myp81W1siDIMD0LHeoKLSXZ-2u0D0GdVH2C2Sar8LTENiCzxmH2bKOi-FfKwyDJOfPbyg0IqQhdmt1Ta4S4zyANriAkblCpXL1DW5jxk2FbBQPkr1p8kstuE6r2J7BsoXswNoBJ9qIZ7xFgVy=w400-h266" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">stock photo</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /></div></div><br /></div><br /></span></div>The Smith's V Strom Adventureshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12791666275519971736noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5068012995541282190.post-458594701836305112023-09-17T06:01:00.002-07:002024-03-23T12:02:22.945-07:00Pitigliano -September 10th 2023<h4 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Pitigliano</span></h4><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEipq_Nt0gHgE6CAbX4I5YmE7dFpPjr_aQudWIKs0mM7ERO16WbZC0hOGheVRNXOR74sdnqUMbmEoP2RR21xUL9Dd3aFbtMzpl8mPpEahNDzbySFtJnaaw_hMFAotXKzbEnAAtvsRUsZR0ErOSqmkiIab9Rdw9Wg1my4iq64unAgcXVu2aA0PrBMc0joo-bh" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img alt="" data-original-height="619" data-original-width="464" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEipq_Nt0gHgE6CAbX4I5YmE7dFpPjr_aQudWIKs0mM7ERO16WbZC0hOGheVRNXOR74sdnqUMbmEoP2RR21xUL9Dd3aFbtMzpl8mPpEahNDzbySFtJnaaw_hMFAotXKzbEnAAtvsRUsZR0ErOSqmkiIab9Rdw9Wg1my4iq64unAgcXVu2aA0PrBMc0joo-bh=w480-h640" width="480" /></a></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">OK, when you turn a corner on your motorcycle and your pillion (passenger) exclaims " <b>Whoa</b> " you should stop.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiLa1HiadS_DBikbLrMBKyNWO1f45yPLXOGiKoEMW5Do2pfVsCgi5dLooQZrmf6qhdj91K-6DQ69fA0Dd_0Cu9WLPSceIa-RR2SUEy8gFikUX__IgHgQHS6rnYbw-kKdToN4ql1g-5KDEURin5Ejsr4vkNLi70TVAOR5IuwKLesLRM4xXN6MZjtn8_ffkPX" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><img alt="" data-original-height="619" data-original-width="825" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiLa1HiadS_DBikbLrMBKyNWO1f45yPLXOGiKoEMW5Do2pfVsCgi5dLooQZrmf6qhdj91K-6DQ69fA0Dd_0Cu9WLPSceIa-RR2SUEy8gFikUX__IgHgQHS6rnYbw-kKdToN4ql1g-5KDEURin5Ejsr4vkNLi70TVAOR5IuwKLesLRM4xXN6MZjtn8_ffkPX" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Marta</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Of course we were headed here for this very reason after leaving Spoleto earlier in the day. The drive took us back past Terni to Vitterbo and then up towards Lago di Bolsena fairly early on Sunday September 10th.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">As we came to a fork in the road it was about time for a break and we turned off into Marta a beautiful lake community where we stopped for a stretch and to see the lake. Of course like any other lake it will have a castle on it. <br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">And sailboats. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhVFlPk-Qg-ANIuwRBDSWft1QiIia3PZZeYb_1e7ny0dyoB5TedWRzaUaMiLWwUvjAsYRiLIN9qZSj-6D-8gP6SHQHoQxDvP28rSPuXE0NrvzWX69LADlBMfLdujPwPMQM6GkbX55AKg7EEMcVwTz_GXsHfL7ya-hMdciAURbVuSx8V4uLF6N2Vn_vwuRDn" style="clear: right; display: inline !important; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><img alt="" data-original-height="619" data-original-width="825" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhVFlPk-Qg-ANIuwRBDSWft1QiIia3PZZeYb_1e7ny0dyoB5TedWRzaUaMiLWwUvjAsYRiLIN9qZSj-6D-8gP6SHQHoQxDvP28rSPuXE0NrvzWX69LADlBMfLdujPwPMQM6GkbX55AKg7EEMcVwTz_GXsHfL7ya-hMdciAURbVuSx8V4uLF6N2Vn_vwuRDn=w400-h300" width="400" /></a><br /><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Since we were doing well in getting toward our end destination that day which was Montemerano I decided to instead of heading to our final destination and driving back to <u>Pitigliano</u> pronounced <i>"Pit" "ee" "Glee" "anno" </i>that we'd take a slightly different route to Pitigliano and see it first. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">The above photo is what we saw as we came around the corner, a walled city that just stands out like it was carved from the rock.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: medium;">We quickly found a bike parking spot and began to tour this impressive walled city.</span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjIh1VHBt5qQRvnVdf7irZrcw99wUo7X3XpgQv-a97aNo8rBNrhOSHn3_h0G71Wsiu0waRpa0gWJryS3V2zaFKQ9pDVFY_Koy9Bvm_S7a26klpqFxCMbkVMAJAKebVv1yUir_-eLE2oN86tK6uBftieTCiUxjXePh_634uywZ0tSA6lnQYuQ099JMC2IuUi" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><img alt="" data-original-height="619" data-original-width="464" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjIh1VHBt5qQRvnVdf7irZrcw99wUo7X3XpgQv-a97aNo8rBNrhOSHn3_h0G71Wsiu0waRpa0gWJryS3V2zaFKQ9pDVFY_Koy9Bvm_S7a26klpqFxCMbkVMAJAKebVv1yUir_-eLE2oN86tK6uBftieTCiUxjXePh_634uywZ0tSA6lnQYuQ099JMC2IuUi=w300-h400" width="300" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">And the spectacular gardens below the city itself. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhP9cdbt8tGrycOmR2CXFCAoWKfIFjuNN9jARt2S0oXI7IXI9ZMuESdBY3qFmI_8MMkZ5fmsc0Omufs5XVHNzmom_AFfxVESWwU4LZAGTQSqS8s3_hv35QATNjG5juuXLaId47uWRG5NU9rwahIUuVkqK1pc0LHfBJ8ap0RwX6O71PXrQ3L2wuoxjsLuVLK" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><img alt="" data-original-height="619" data-original-width="825" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhP9cdbt8tGrycOmR2CXFCAoWKfIFjuNN9jARt2S0oXI7IXI9ZMuESdBY3qFmI_8MMkZ5fmsc0Omufs5XVHNzmom_AFfxVESWwU4LZAGTQSqS8s3_hv35QATNjG5juuXLaId47uWRG5NU9rwahIUuVkqK1pc0LHfBJ8ap0RwX6O71PXrQ3L2wuoxjsLuVLK" width="320" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">And the requisite beautiful cathedral to visit.</span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjIT0ZW4yGoPTBni_LTYtGIp3-IcNFL4wChxPKp-PBhS0EY-IcTZnFbbEcXti0OCCYHYWjKQLLfwZQqLsG0foPb1Efmh7Y26dY6KvJpPETUjWLngTNORPfnG936J_jnixFlApVnb8dM05Q_v2G9HiVDc-43oCrxUfoK-RijtLZCg1h9yL6E284sjXbXXFw-" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><img alt="" data-original-height="619" data-original-width="464" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjIT0ZW4yGoPTBni_LTYtGIp3-IcNFL4wChxPKp-PBhS0EY-IcTZnFbbEcXti0OCCYHYWjKQLLfwZQqLsG0foPb1Efmh7Y26dY6KvJpPETUjWLngTNORPfnG936J_jnixFlApVnb8dM05Q_v2G9HiVDc-43oCrxUfoK-RijtLZCg1h9yL6E284sjXbXXFw-=w300-h400" width="300" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Our day ended in the countryside near Montemerano with that hilltown about 1 km. from our agritourisimo for the evening. Not a bad travel day into the Tuscany region.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgtMAdDIKbdImOMyrdzACta3tRP0L1cQvq5qBi9Jm-cfo4QWWkwPemLcjGpPeyC727bWB9wZQvwpU5op0ub_QfNAiTQa60navEs_JtfJ-CEYkIUSEi7dB4jdo7VKdQge4oCjL9TNzQvDBufPwcC2utTE3lrozOKjJTJ5ycgYQEYUEdM3Gf-2tuAEWtB85nQ" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><img alt="" data-original-height="619" data-original-width="825" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgtMAdDIKbdImOMyrdzACta3tRP0L1cQvq5qBi9Jm-cfo4QWWkwPemLcjGpPeyC727bWB9wZQvwpU5op0ub_QfNAiTQa60navEs_JtfJ-CEYkIUSEi7dB4jdo7VKdQge4oCjL9TNzQvDBufPwcC2utTE3lrozOKjJTJ5ycgYQEYUEdM3Gf-2tuAEWtB85nQ=w640-h480" width="640" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium; text-align: left;"><b>Montemerano</b></span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /><br /></span></div><br /></div><br /></div><br /></span></div>The Smith's V Strom Adventureshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12791666275519971736noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5068012995541282190.post-25679891643156766192023-09-08T10:51:00.000-07:002023-09-08T10:51:11.117-07:00Assisi 2023<h4 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"> Assisi, Umbria</span></h4><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Last time we were in Assisi was with our kids back in 1991, 32 years ago. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">We have the opportunity to stay here at our Agritourismo Valle Rosa through the Fri/Sat weekend period, so we decide to do another day trip up to see Assisi again.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUoaNrUABgMjF5X8mZror8JFhzHNEW-LxJkxHTReEAz7NPam6VLclN5HEW1aemI9ZfzABmxPJ3CDJWL3co-MwhMSf_QtCDWv__7DTEiP3AF9wJqBMc1Avwt10TzoMD0wrVOltt9Tr2PbkcM2rVvm4I98i-GTa87dHnrqSbCTqNl1-X0TJeJGr23czLgGhV/s4608/View%20out%20to%20Spoleto.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="4608" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUoaNrUABgMjF5X8mZror8JFhzHNEW-LxJkxHTReEAz7NPam6VLclN5HEW1aemI9ZfzABmxPJ3CDJWL3co-MwhMSf_QtCDWv__7DTEiP3AF9wJqBMc1Avwt10TzoMD0wrVOltt9Tr2PbkcM2rVvm4I98i-GTa87dHnrqSbCTqNl1-X0TJeJGr23czLgGhV/w640-h480/View%20out%20to%20Spoleto.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">View to Spoleto from Breakfast room <br />of our Agritourismo<br /><i><span style="color: red;">Click Any picture to enlarge</span></i></span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">The weather has been beautiful here with highs between 28-31C sunny with overnights pleasantly cool, likely 14-16C because of the mountain elevations we continue to enjoy the Italian breakfast buffet available here, the view out to Spoleto<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsP40l8wvUMZeAoAvGjmX9poU2watSRj0QLhHB9QVqw7hN0cxWEJdbBUVSxmCpd6E_ZzkwW4hum64wywAlBP4UdwzFEitdNFZ6nKGBJDqU9NTsmFf9CJvHA2GOjAPhvLyGBQ26sPTdw-xMTH7rRZ_zA7lJIT_OkTspFZbpY0-pZVMXk-pBHpmEUy0_IfLV/s4608/vallerosa%20pool.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="4608" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsP40l8wvUMZeAoAvGjmX9poU2watSRj0QLhHB9QVqw7hN0cxWEJdbBUVSxmCpd6E_ZzkwW4hum64wywAlBP4UdwzFEitdNFZ6nKGBJDqU9NTsmFf9CJvHA2GOjAPhvLyGBQ26sPTdw-xMTH7rRZ_zA7lJIT_OkTspFZbpY0-pZVMXk-pBHpmEUy0_IfLV/w320-h240/vallerosa%20pool.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Most afternoons we have the pool to ourselves</td></tr></tbody></table> and the pool in the afternoon when the heat builds. This view is looking back toward Terni. It is so serene.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">The drive is beautiful and in 30 mins. we take the turn-off for Assisi and head up. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Assisi is truly a hilltown, with a castle ruins at the top, the city walled from the early 10th century and it became particularly noteworthy with the canonization of St Francis. He had converted to Christianity/Roman Catholic church along with St Claire and he became the patron saint for lost causes. The relics that are on display in the Basilica in her name are amazing and authenticated.</span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHLenMVnsw8pjhvV_Fg57t5wOJdB1C4ktanHkSO72NuC0I5mjkG0SR_oYedmpztaO1JPyoukCyammja6xYeL5BM1KPFF2HCV8hWg4W_YMx7M53mukGhS84upYs6mzlkLo3nWpY9-oUQPKVTPVhR-eh78ZcJEXmjGoMK5JtLhmhs025wjrG463g4cxBWcmZ/s4032/PXL_20230908_091000206.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHLenMVnsw8pjhvV_Fg57t5wOJdB1C4ktanHkSO72NuC0I5mjkG0SR_oYedmpztaO1JPyoukCyammja6xYeL5BM1KPFF2HCV8hWg4W_YMx7M53mukGhS84upYs6mzlkLo3nWpY9-oUQPKVTPVhR-eh78ZcJEXmjGoMK5JtLhmhs025wjrG463g4cxBWcmZ/s320/PXL_20230908_091000206.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcTBNgH1yCYsla2mzTb8t6CgaRSNXGjOja0LND3fHJDFJFEwUXOYe5PnkKF2Z1jYZXDgVcvS9dDVu7AjqFcsKDRdxuU0a1tAHD4I7iyNCK-nYMDqpQaXG23J6AlWVBADcEsQ-akgpCLbZF2w_CWFN6O5jm6B1HSyDgEMFt8Av6gDfcQVJjar7K9S_GqThc/s4032/PXL_20230908_090914630.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcTBNgH1yCYsla2mzTb8t6CgaRSNXGjOja0LND3fHJDFJFEwUXOYe5PnkKF2Z1jYZXDgVcvS9dDVu7AjqFcsKDRdxuU0a1tAHD4I7iyNCK-nYMDqpQaXG23J6AlWVBADcEsQ-akgpCLbZF2w_CWFN6O5jm6B1HSyDgEMFt8Av6gDfcQVJjar7K9S_GqThc/s320/PXL_20230908_090914630.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbPQ_yQl8w03vj1YfstWI7msRqVvMH1FR5Ws5jCPI_ox7A8T9_w4R_6DkQW5QYDYUtS5Vw-JyYtcFvN7_SCf6phmYjTCoYiVtjvhQpoI37q3X-B90OHACf7Xge8v5bbAaz3zXJSijRHU5uBlH52O14k5gl08blUeBaeTqvA6De2eZz9rQ-QxyvYrCXQeXX/s4032/PXL_20230908_090647948.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbPQ_yQl8w03vj1YfstWI7msRqVvMH1FR5Ws5jCPI_ox7A8T9_w4R_6DkQW5QYDYUtS5Vw-JyYtcFvN7_SCf6phmYjTCoYiVtjvhQpoI37q3X-B90OHACf7Xge8v5bbAaz3zXJSijRHU5uBlH52O14k5gl08blUeBaeTqvA6De2eZz9rQ-QxyvYrCXQeXX/s320/PXL_20230908_090647948.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjawTTsFa9EvBySOO9ilhZlbN7gWqAg5EJMOGWH6rtMsIehXFcqaA4BwNr_P0RdkIFaVeN4Yo-fhdr4UiAuAxR1R4DSBHyA5wVNzEo-GjvfIJa3MVrdKzw5_IZ7bY1lLMGrBObveH4bQw-FmEmm4PMzxZVwOOCaqDV3KM1-SwNKzxNjzXZpnXNOj_88SZOL/s4032/PXL_20230908_092349515.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjawTTsFa9EvBySOO9ilhZlbN7gWqAg5EJMOGWH6rtMsIehXFcqaA4BwNr_P0RdkIFaVeN4Yo-fhdr4UiAuAxR1R4DSBHyA5wVNzEo-GjvfIJa3MVrdKzw5_IZ7bY1lLMGrBObveH4bQw-FmEmm4PMzxZVwOOCaqDV3KM1-SwNKzxNjzXZpnXNOj_88SZOL/s320/PXL_20230908_092349515.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Sandra and I enjoyed sitting in the plaza outside of the cathedral to people watch. One activity that caught our eye was an Italian teacher with a group on 30 teen students having a lesson in the plaza.</span></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; font-family: arial; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2Ec_pMM6V3MI_dr4PNvxk5yW4NRaSkf-wlySjnDyR7Q1gkIgivCUaTN6VjaQ_MF3FYy85Do5m_dNyA0xJ8lBSse8Jdi74L7PJpPnOL0ZLchtBQ3cQfK6GF_dDH_Ax_QK8BChfwkAmijpi9CC_e-mzrkpJOPfGZmkm4YtrY1YjkvV9cHOwJeD2acE3w8mX/s4032/PXL_20230908_095533806.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; display: inline !important; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2Ec_pMM6V3MI_dr4PNvxk5yW4NRaSkf-wlySjnDyR7Q1gkIgivCUaTN6VjaQ_MF3FYy85Do5m_dNyA0xJ8lBSse8Jdi74L7PJpPnOL0ZLchtBQ3cQfK6GF_dDH_Ax_QK8BChfwkAmijpi9CC_e-mzrkpJOPfGZmkm4YtrY1YjkvV9cHOwJeD2acE3w8mX/s320/PXL_20230908_095533806.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">One of the most ornate<br />churches on the path to the top.</span></td></tr></tbody></table></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /><div style="text-align: center;">We later found them further up on the walk to the top of the castle.</div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMSz7xPTdgzB7jm4K2GJKRmpuBiHjJ_MKhzLi5KA6EjhI88uxY884VIC1joyYLufrmPxoEUyfvok1f0IJ_Jj1WOCRpEtPKd_RILMCw_lcqIIg7wfB3h9KJ1URdllxN2C7wq8XzFAKoq_vSB1UKacVP91iI9AFhCO9Er5HQEOO7Ngm86LLPMCGGI7KsHsBU/s4032/PXL_20230908_090149884.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMSz7xPTdgzB7jm4K2GJKRmpuBiHjJ_MKhzLi5KA6EjhI88uxY884VIC1joyYLufrmPxoEUyfvok1f0IJ_Jj1WOCRpEtPKd_RILMCw_lcqIIg7wfB3h9KJ1URdllxN2C7wq8XzFAKoq_vSB1UKacVP91iI9AFhCO9Er5HQEOO7Ngm86LLPMCGGI7KsHsBU/w640-h480/PXL_20230908_090149884.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Rocca - of Assisi</td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: center;">We decided to walk all the way to the top ourselves, partially because we had been able to drive within 100 Mt. of the basilica itself, and park, so we had already saved some steps.</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeiP5NHKSyOMJ2KBpekzim5bXusyGBHRN8NEssdwRq-Cob7e0OjdqMUIFmceUVLSdBSFD98NNb9VPP9iMi4-om-27qIFHmDwI3JklMxnK8zGqEM50ukHYof6MYe-Hw3B_C3aMvaDA88I6o7gKEryQH7pkaYF3fulOH_zWsoqOWiuXUG_sswaV_FtMw1BK7/s4032/PXL_20230908_102435443.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeiP5NHKSyOMJ2KBpekzim5bXusyGBHRN8NEssdwRq-Cob7e0OjdqMUIFmceUVLSdBSFD98NNb9VPP9iMi4-om-27qIFHmDwI3JklMxnK8zGqEM50ukHYof6MYe-Hw3B_C3aMvaDA88I6o7gKEryQH7pkaYF3fulOH_zWsoqOWiuXUG_sswaV_FtMw1BK7/s320/PXL_20230908_102435443.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A town with many churches</td></tr></tbody></table>As we walked back down we decided to have lunch at a cafe. The surroundings were absolutely tranquil and the meal very good. <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9jtG2IFWhnj091TcOOeYFpUEKiyhSwOezvMUpY418Vzch-nwqTqnF1FvtMncq6heE61kjHp9czRm7Nc9zypSc6wZlKq75vEPb8A_U4LlCnaeklH18QJxS7O0UWaCEuFE1GD3FevC9ZDNXknaPkvaQXNjJHPVvfRzBkGvoKqPe2THXjzzYZXmVjq5oL6pu/s4032/PXL_20230908_104821582.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9jtG2IFWhnj091TcOOeYFpUEKiyhSwOezvMUpY418Vzch-nwqTqnF1FvtMncq6heE61kjHp9czRm7Nc9zypSc6wZlKq75vEPb8A_U4LlCnaeklH18QJxS7O0UWaCEuFE1GD3FevC9ZDNXknaPkvaQXNjJHPVvfRzBkGvoKqPe2THXjzzYZXmVjq5oL6pu/s320/PXL_20230908_104821582.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A view from our table</td></tr></tbody></table>And the narrow streets decorated with hanging baskets.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiY90zRQrLSvjls4HhEvQZYl5reud1aburCO39n2iRyQq_rAdiPL9IfERU6V7cgpYZZOROEgGRbzfQt7U90U3IjNunv-hnqtOynPSwQyNCapZ8n0mwJbZVBEVhqaIh44zfakMb6Lz2QFInNQ4I4yoL1MAr3YQXE7CVhBg2e9S-lv44zFjLk8GpH-DDQr0yI/s4032/PXL_20230908_111215011.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiY90zRQrLSvjls4HhEvQZYl5reud1aburCO39n2iRyQq_rAdiPL9IfERU6V7cgpYZZOROEgGRbzfQt7U90U3IjNunv-hnqtOynPSwQyNCapZ8n0mwJbZVBEVhqaIh44zfakMb6Lz2QFInNQ4I4yoL1MAr3YQXE7CVhBg2e9S-lv44zFjLk8GpH-DDQr0yI/w300-h400/PXL_20230908_111215011.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">It's going to be tough leaving this area for our next visit to the Tuscan countryside.</div><br /><br /><br /><br /></span></div>The Smith's V Strom Adventureshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12791666275519971736noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5068012995541282190.post-15954117285776329822023-09-07T02:52:00.000-07:002024-03-23T11:48:01.510-07:00Spoleto<h4 style="text-align: left;"> <span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Spoleto </span></h4><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="font-family: arial; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtiCtMc-zpi6xLht5yX70UrJ9kUnDHjUFuPlKfyl80YATgsCo86eqOzSApf5z9UxouLds4AuYDyt7q_xeuyVr1oizOsN4BMRTK8-jfE-a0CqcM1S7CDsVlvzwEleYJL524QasHM7PlrMla3VsBc2kmA00cWVvQhjUEDdsnrQHTK707WmiIV5XufwH65Ieb/s357/spoleto.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="143" data-original-width="357" height="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtiCtMc-zpi6xLht5yX70UrJ9kUnDHjUFuPlKfyl80YATgsCo86eqOzSApf5z9UxouLds4AuYDyt7q_xeuyVr1oizOsN4BMRTK8-jfE-a0CqcM1S7CDsVlvzwEleYJL524QasHM7PlrMla3VsBc2kmA00cWVvQhjUEDdsnrQHTK707WmiIV5XufwH65Ieb/w640-h256/spoleto.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Dancing Script; font-size: large;">Spoleto's Rocca was a Castle<br /> and then prison for the Red Brigade</span></td></tr></tbody></table><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Spoleto is nestled in a very beautiful region of Italy in the province of Umbria. We hear much more about the province of Tuscany which is only a few kms. away but Umbria has all it's own charms as well. In 1991 with our children we visited Assisi and the Cathedral dedicated to St. Francis of Assisi but never came these few kms. south to visit Spoleto.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Spoleto is only about 30 kms away from Marmore Falls (Terni) and the Agritourismo we have booked into is well positioned between both Spoleto and Terni. Last evening as we walked back from an excellent supper out at Ristorante Zengoni I got this beautiful shot of our Agri hotel.<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgx7yOj3r_w992ARh3oZvke9jSm8PehzBzPElS-7f1B0GnHTD720vYdYDo12fUe-Kp_HQeyR_7jiUlp1-cyWVRFFmtWNnBKKFayzm1TnK5uJFLQUVzd28JiDGMGJioxuPwsiNEjIj2v02LYNeNShFg1jd6zrfkl21FJ13Nu4LcUKWtFfjGepw3mJuIrCDc6/s4032/PXL_20230906_181906237.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgx7yOj3r_w992ARh3oZvke9jSm8PehzBzPElS-7f1B0GnHTD720vYdYDo12fUe-Kp_HQeyR_7jiUlp1-cyWVRFFmtWNnBKKFayzm1TnK5uJFLQUVzd28JiDGMGJioxuPwsiNEjIj2v02LYNeNShFg1jd6zrfkl21FJ13Nu4LcUKWtFfjGepw3mJuIrCDc6/w400-h300/PXL_20230906_181906237.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Dancing Script; font-size: large;">Valle Rosa Agritourismo</span></td></tr></tbody></table>After our tour of Marmore Falls we wanted to walk the Old town of Spoleto. The Rocca, or old Castle is the high point in Spoleto and it's a beacon to draw your eye to at night.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /><div style="text-align: left;">The town itself is set high in a valley overlooking Terni to the Southwest and the fertile valleys towards Assis to the northeast.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">As with most Italian towns the Cathedral takes a very important position in the old town. Spoleto is no exception with the Santa Maria Assunta cathedral being the centre for many festivals in the village. A unique feature are the eight rose shaped windows strategically placed to offer beautiful light into the cathedral in the afternoon.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGF4SpzQlVveA2hNWk7sL9ieMjym4OOrAI85vThjXXgD379PhhLKTfwueES1QTEWsv0SD9OKb21UxJ96kadb2n4DgnsyLcNvY562ROkOsiPbj5wEC7GKQDAA2-n2dSoUPRlCMiKDxuAjYohmJzRpGECMu5XPDBzavOmRsnPo46gIGCZVmvY65TniuOogVg/s4032/PXL_20230906_140544332.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGF4SpzQlVveA2hNWk7sL9ieMjym4OOrAI85vThjXXgD379PhhLKTfwueES1QTEWsv0SD9OKb21UxJ96kadb2n4DgnsyLcNvY562ROkOsiPbj5wEC7GKQDAA2-n2dSoUPRlCMiKDxuAjYohmJzRpGECMu5XPDBzavOmRsnPo46gIGCZVmvY65TniuOogVg/w300-h400/PXL_20230906_140544332.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjViJuWw2HagefE503JJarSt56uZqOR2xhfy85u-YCZon-AiYDdxMUcAesWt1uplhWu1ie4jKnFIJkqoQqoxrYV8wH2vpCDIydwF9Zi9sXobXGLauQX-u5Ca1FFnmhh9_SHCrai0XNX2BNdxBZ0M-UK18X-6YMCLd1_Nz7HNK5LEkNQZFOMSbOmeAxQxCqL/s4032/PXL_20230906_135941465.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjViJuWw2HagefE503JJarSt56uZqOR2xhfy85u-YCZon-AiYDdxMUcAesWt1uplhWu1ie4jKnFIJkqoQqoxrYV8wH2vpCDIydwF9Zi9sXobXGLauQX-u5Ca1FFnmhh9_SHCrai0XNX2BNdxBZ0M-UK18X-6YMCLd1_Nz7HNK5LEkNQZFOMSbOmeAxQxCqL/s320/PXL_20230906_135941465.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXEIaP_SkT5KIPSnpQYXYqHBpzL-291oXU2oX-Jil9s7x9TcIIIDmB51DZOr9khNCN9htHHVwJHKV3JelSmS8OTzx9gJ1l-B3tDiMCQxKeWuKUPgVesvz2b0In0G29xdtrcwA0wdkh0YrwH83RIvnHflJNoyxm7__USYStjItLE4FrgDFyh-1sGLhuesPf/s4032/PXL_20230906_135021049.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXEIaP_SkT5KIPSnpQYXYqHBpzL-291oXU2oX-Jil9s7x9TcIIIDmB51DZOr9khNCN9htHHVwJHKV3JelSmS8OTzx9gJ1l-B3tDiMCQxKeWuKUPgVesvz2b0In0G29xdtrcwA0wdkh0YrwH83RIvnHflJNoyxm7__USYStjItLE4FrgDFyh-1sGLhuesPf/s320/PXL_20230906_135021049.jpg" width="240" /></a><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPV1_MhSEdVjmJ-fF-hHH5QjhtrcryAF_6GvAlv43_07LLmGZzL2Ak6IpdL27tzphi2lJDA2DzVeoj6ZfL1VOvaQO2-0HYLUL4jOiGM6AFns5NzzN04ckmwJ3AV0mNvfGOo7EaUfhYvpAjHNgOL3sZ0tu8SguvhQIo3aLWTvydxGEV_x0LQhJTozezu_Fk/s4032/PXL_20230906_132425000.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPV1_MhSEdVjmJ-fF-hHH5QjhtrcryAF_6GvAlv43_07LLmGZzL2Ak6IpdL27tzphi2lJDA2DzVeoj6ZfL1VOvaQO2-0HYLUL4jOiGM6AFns5NzzN04ckmwJ3AV0mNvfGOo7EaUfhYvpAjHNgOL3sZ0tu8SguvhQIo3aLWTvydxGEV_x0LQhJTozezu_Fk/s320/PXL_20230906_132425000.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Dancing Script; font-size: large;">Barrier between Rocca wall and <br />the countryside</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /> </div><br /><br /><br /></span></div>The Smith's V Strom Adventureshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12791666275519971736noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5068012995541282190.post-91410248687014810632023-09-07T01:59:00.002-07:002024-03-23T12:10:09.451-07:00Marmore Falls<h4 style="text-align: left;"> <span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Marmore Falls</span></h4><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcjkrwkIHLxUXtKw5qrVxaeIpAX3wadUsmdjjZPMAsHz46cq_oRW3EK5m0669PkQm-XztG5xSZU2wAZquesDfIAMH64AyC2GWaxmBzNtvxAq4qooMAc3DRiD9Mr-92thpqrc_iWpSmIjEDdb3ZQeLJdfoI3PRkKYb2PuHJaZY5ENtGmTVlfwXQmbimWPgR/s4032/PXL_20230906_085825477.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcjkrwkIHLxUXtKw5qrVxaeIpAX3wadUsmdjjZPMAsHz46cq_oRW3EK5m0669PkQm-XztG5xSZU2wAZquesDfIAMH64AyC2GWaxmBzNtvxAq4qooMAc3DRiD9Mr-92thpqrc_iWpSmIjEDdb3ZQeLJdfoI3PRkKYb2PuHJaZY5ENtGmTVlfwXQmbimWPgR/w640-h480/PXL_20230906_085825477.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Dancing Script; font-size: large;">Marmore Falls</span></td></tr></tbody></table><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">We have a day of travel up to Terni and Spoleto, Italy from Caserta which takes us from a very arid climate in Caserta into some high alpine regions close to Avezzano very near the tree line. The wind from the start of the day off the Bay of Napoli is very strong and traffic up to Capua is dreadfully slow. As we get further from Caserta traffic diminishes to a point where riding our bike is more fun even though road maintenance isn't that great.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7ySDyHixnV21G7t4GKFu9xq_BQWLzo3K3YA4KfKIXrwWCEpTsLpf7QSwJwKdULLs3BAPIMGyWXeLtP1IGVNJ6tSPgIbu9gxwFMOvSFehN33VIKY-biH3Agp2Yx7xOpRF5MCr6nfTt_7VYqqk5AGFeysya8xNv5tXCWsrCWAHs_SNq0qDeMwIYw4BO4UqT/s4032/PXL_20230906_093025539.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7ySDyHixnV21G7t4GKFu9xq_BQWLzo3K3YA4KfKIXrwWCEpTsLpf7QSwJwKdULLs3BAPIMGyWXeLtP1IGVNJ6tSPgIbu9gxwFMOvSFehN33VIKY-biH3Agp2Yx7xOpRF5MCr6nfTt_7VYqqk5AGFeysya8xNv5tXCWsrCWAHs_SNq0qDeMwIYw4BO4UqT/w265-h298/PXL_20230906_093025539.jpg" width="265" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Dancing Script; font-size: large;">Explanation</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Once we are on the road to Reiti from Avezzano the roads improve dramatically. As we weave over a back road near Marmore I get a first glimpse the release of water over the Falls on Tuesday afternoon. There is a lot of info regarding the water release, when it's scheduled and why, some tourism based now, but much of it dates back into BC times. On Wednesday we take the tour of the Falls and visit a museum that is utterly fantastic. We weren't supposed to get entrance with our ticket but the Italian lady took pity on us and we were so impressed by the engineering information provided. <br />We wish Kaden, our grandson could have been there as well.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Just before the 11 am release the waterfall looks like the above photo.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">As they gradually release the water from the dam it builds to this.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/reIlO1YRfLk" width="320" youtube-src-id="reIlO1YRfLk"></iframe></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">It was great to see Europe's tallest waterfall and learn all about the engineering over centuries to deal with different issues associated to the water.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjneVYQzmlWK1sjTLpKgKDBzB00jo0ks9gnwRxcGLJV1spMSCFJJTlFS0hjPvH3eN7daX29DxocSWT6anAoU6Y2No33CxKweSTyeWNNDz-xnNisx5aGJCo7U_vvNGA1SHoLxsXRLUNi3A_a6xzKOdkfKOl0gidf947yXkHKqe82rfEnD1auiRfKb4RQKyO/s3264/PXL_20230906_092459291.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2448" data-original-width="3264" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjneVYQzmlWK1sjTLpKgKDBzB00jo0ks9gnwRxcGLJV1spMSCFJJTlFS0hjPvH3eN7daX29DxocSWT6anAoU6Y2No33CxKweSTyeWNNDz-xnNisx5aGJCo7U_vvNGA1SHoLxsXRLUNi3A_a6xzKOdkfKOl0gidf947yXkHKqe82rfEnD1auiRfKb4RQKyO/s320/PXL_20230906_092459291.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"> As we find out later the area around Spoleto with these falls, Assisi and now the Tibetan bridge at Sellano we have again missed a must see destination. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b>Sellano</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Hidden in the mountain range to the NE of Spoleto, only 34 twisty kms away, is this Tibetan foot bridge which connects Sellano to Montesanto Castle. A 50 min. walk 175 meters above the gorge, this is the tallest 'bridge' in Europe. People who walk it are provided with a helmet, and harness. It looks like we missed a great attraction. Not sure I could have crossed it, but it would have been nice to see. And Spoleto and our Agritourismo Rosa would have been the perfect location for another day trip. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">You can see a youtube video on it here. https://youtu.be/KzQNhZ99Tlg?si=mIHtD3F0iYvXi65e</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg99b5ToI5INhfr1gIFWg7JlcsK83Oddd_QYRnqaOU9LTobNQZ1fUKK7O9lxQFbkCiFDrjWAWU4EQD_s670TM30rj7rZn1LBec6kRH1zbxsgvFxyEFbHRTpJU1qVvpXbtqIhGPgmjiAj60MuHn8pmw62dKT_GvyvMTPFRBq50tyaC6DCC-ovwuC7u3ArYYd" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="788" data-original-width="940" height="537" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg99b5ToI5INhfr1gIFWg7JlcsK83Oddd_QYRnqaOU9LTobNQZ1fUKK7O9lxQFbkCiFDrjWAWU4EQD_s670TM30rj7rZn1LBec6kRH1zbxsgvFxyEFbHRTpJU1qVvpXbtqIhGPgmjiAj60MuHn8pmw62dKT_GvyvMTPFRBq50tyaC6DCC-ovwuC7u3ArYYd=w640-h537" width="640" /></a></div><br /><br /></div></div><br /></span></div>The Smith's V Strom Adventureshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12791666275519971736noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5068012995541282190.post-4638609032211292762023-09-03T10:45:00.004-07:002024-03-23T12:17:58.942-07:00The Tyrrhenian Sea Gulf of Maratea and Policastro<h4 style="text-align: left;"> <span style="font-family: arial;">The Tyrrhenian Sea Gulf of Maratea and Policastro</span></h4><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlwXyNYfqtuFuddrbdNMmM2BpWzM1Ds27L3siqh0jO3cXmZSG8IuwPtapQao9WnCRMrOFRK5UE8p-Zt2iyT2WZZdbggp_6zs3zbk8JS9Tg-whk6_RJrXisYJg4vK4tYyoTfQg8d2HOW3ba61NaNmfknSOnyE0MZm8kil9Nc9XRcSGV_lKs9sjQBc1hBZrj/s1351/Maratea%20path%20up.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1351" data-original-width="1080" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlwXyNYfqtuFuddrbdNMmM2BpWzM1Ds27L3siqh0jO3cXmZSG8IuwPtapQao9WnCRMrOFRK5UE8p-Zt2iyT2WZZdbggp_6zs3zbk8JS9Tg-whk6_RJrXisYJg4vK4tYyoTfQg8d2HOW3ba61NaNmfknSOnyE0MZm8kil9Nc9XRcSGV_lKs9sjQBc1hBZrj/w512-h640/Maratea%20path%20up.jpg" width="512" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Our stay in Amantea grew by a day and we had wanted 1 more to cover the weekend but unfortunately we couldn't make it happen. So we got one final day of beach only weather and then on Saturday Sept.2nd we headed north to Maratea.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgf2DPIn4zVrBiGP9ilVmONSr5l79-aPuNnXINpPjDiYSO_2MbeaFjPe0Hn7pFd-K9UdaWMHFCfiuWe0M92mYrUHsfOQqsIpbfy4puF5zvgj5FIx5IP_EvFFTThaaEKAbpCSMNBRFh1hVx3ABAj4P6no0hFhk4M-cjNFk9EZeQfvqq0lppUt7FJaWroidaJ/w480-h640/PXL_20230902_102308806.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="480" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><h3 class="LC20lb MBeuO DKV0Md" style="display: inline-block; font-weight: 400; line-height: 1.3; margin: 18px 0px 3px; padding: 5px 0px 0px;"><span style="font-family: Dancing Script; font-size: large;">Cristo Redentore</span></h3></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: medium;"></span></span></div></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Now Maratea's claim to fame as we reported in our Hidden Italy segment in 2014 is the 5th largest statue of Christ the Redeemer and since we wanted to take our time heading back up the coast we wanted to see it again. The drive up was super busy with tons of line ups of vehicles on the roads so the going was a bit slower. But our quest felt great to arrive and exchange photo taking with an Italian couple. We are always blown away with the video drone footage and music out to it. You can watch <i><b>Bartolo's</b></i> drone video <a href="https://youtu.be/kCtroUN55X8">here.</a> Enjoy!</span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgf2DPIn4zVrBiGP9ilVmONSr5l79-aPuNnXINpPjDiYSO_2MbeaFjPe0Hn7pFd-K9UdaWMHFCfiuWe0M92mYrUHsfOQqsIpbfy4puF5zvgj5FIx5IP_EvFFTThaaEKAbpCSMNBRFh1hVx3ABAj4P6no0hFhk4M-cjNFk9EZeQfvqq0lppUt7FJaWroidaJ/s4032/PXL_20230902_102308806.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcqQ9NxjVPvcdsqs2OxBF7qaW4g7N5cLA5LBYuLooabGf1RaE1-qopfTjPto4Fn_wwTWyTBpl273ZYOczHOQs8JrLKypfnCdHKiEVGFBwc3PAFd4Bs3bBynP9jBzT1Xdql2Umk8x_q8ODROCr7QsL9dg7zoiJGS1agblsjT03O598JdoG5rI7CbBUkKyy4/s3449/PXL_20230902_105039152.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1893" data-original-width="3449" height="176" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcqQ9NxjVPvcdsqs2OxBF7qaW4g7N5cLA5LBYuLooabGf1RaE1-qopfTjPto4Fn_wwTWyTBpl273ZYOczHOQs8JrLKypfnCdHKiEVGFBwc3PAFd4Bs3bBynP9jBzT1Xdql2Umk8x_q8ODROCr7QsL9dg7zoiJGS1agblsjT03O598JdoG5rI7CbBUkKyy4/s320/PXL_20230902_105039152.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAbclCxKrALGV6bpcTbqUFSaq8OoJyqOUXX6gbrCEYYgVlLRj2Y3x-44ym9mEZJV2bfWmmO4awIxFz147qyPs18Ib4IgAq7SKPOEma5e-8l1mt9LyT0pjjgw8BOJUZ-CveB8bg_gIV4e_duzsNeMWw4A4vrPeXdkhQ0nCPyM4OOznC6Fcs9lcmsGuFnxfz/s4032/PXL_20230902_102034000.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAbclCxKrALGV6bpcTbqUFSaq8OoJyqOUXX6gbrCEYYgVlLRj2Y3x-44ym9mEZJV2bfWmmO4awIxFz147qyPs18Ib4IgAq7SKPOEma5e-8l1mt9LyT0pjjgw8BOJUZ-CveB8bg_gIV4e_duzsNeMWw4A4vrPeXdkhQ0nCPyM4OOznC6Fcs9lcmsGuFnxfz/s320/PXL_20230902_102034000.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaoIZOgQ4GCYaiVy0leP6Nidv3I67SzQe-jzK8Ab3aDiy_XGT9VJTVcVHE2CSkYZXpjKjZ-sypu9e0FTerql3BaDnuucjUyNsHmMtY7DHqtuelcmMa-QyT1xlpkroFeOGYrh1PaHZEB8fPaZk2OUq1Yg7R0l9y9nEg1jRrloU2ggKy0ZkMjlI32v32l6a0/s4032/PXL_20230902_101944677.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaoIZOgQ4GCYaiVy0leP6Nidv3I67SzQe-jzK8Ab3aDiy_XGT9VJTVcVHE2CSkYZXpjKjZ-sypu9e0FTerql3BaDnuucjUyNsHmMtY7DHqtuelcmMa-QyT1xlpkroFeOGYrh1PaHZEB8fPaZk2OUq1Yg7R0l9y9nEg1jRrloU2ggKy0ZkMjlI32v32l6a0/s320/PXL_20230902_101944677.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Later that afternoon we arrived in Policastro and found the last room for the night in the small village, right across the road from the Old town walls </span><span style="font-size: large;">and Cathedral.</span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpxLD8E-VZ_-8W-ip8Cd1PjnAx1xK18FloPYdtjxyV7sJNUXB1IML9yXThkkUh4Fok1MMvRtfuJLhgFOs77fa5P-Ff_qEz9EPUJvHNxT-Ykpf_dJBVbCZx-SfX3VGpugx81f0XHlNHdV5zaHQ3ar9KRa5WHvEthNirDBGveBiBj_oQT0ulnYKm92hnPKFQ/s4032/PXL_20230902_161918423.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfXSSoa4mpojuLcKu7sSa62cOLzdyf1xgcQ-NQOcgXigR0d3MN8Cr-Io3NnqWRZP6dO0BgrwXmVJ-PPPTLffnPFvoT1_cjONRbd6Phzc5i-UujNISu_oUNkxG1v1HWgCDt69EzwSMMhDeNZALddk3mQMGzWKOxkTzfJpeGzNXDC8YW_ptDowWFguG1nl8j/s4032/PXL_20230902_161659709.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfXSSoa4mpojuLcKu7sSa62cOLzdyf1xgcQ-NQOcgXigR0d3MN8Cr-Io3NnqWRZP6dO0BgrwXmVJ-PPPTLffnPFvoT1_cjONRbd6Phzc5i-UujNISu_oUNkxG1v1HWgCDt69EzwSMMhDeNZALddk3mQMGzWKOxkTzfJpeGzNXDC8YW_ptDowWFguG1nl8j/s320/PXL_20230902_161659709.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /> When visiting the cathedral we were really amazed at the detail in the artwork on the ceiling made of wood from the mid 1600's.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJRlVz1vjhW231o6D3ATXzqumWDyFyDAvTonb6ScQzM_Cz6MhakcYi1Z7X468Ht_kIT7sHGPC-mDW6y6lBVGy7d20sIfK2sjrZX1SKOZqDtTxb2KEEkFvwhdYgH1IPs4JjnMpAul_GWAKKujAZZc4MpVB1cwkwA0VE2LVq7D6mXxYzyopma46G4mDcU9ch/s4032/PXL_20230902_163628189.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJRlVz1vjhW231o6D3ATXzqumWDyFyDAvTonb6ScQzM_Cz6MhakcYi1Z7X468Ht_kIT7sHGPC-mDW6y6lBVGy7d20sIfK2sjrZX1SKOZqDtTxb2KEEkFvwhdYgH1IPs4JjnMpAul_GWAKKujAZZc4MpVB1cwkwA0VE2LVq7D6mXxYzyopma46G4mDcU9ch/w300-h400/PXL_20230902_163628189.jpg" width="300" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">We are really glad we were able to make this happen!</span></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /> </span></div>The Smith's V Strom Adventureshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12791666275519971736noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5068012995541282190.post-79736773704287876362023-09-03T10:20:00.001-07:002024-03-23T12:46:15.132-07:00The South West Med Coast of Italy<h4 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> The South West Med Coast of Italy</span></h4><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUXd6aOboKZXwozHxHTT29A9BHoDkd26O1Id2wrknEMd3OLx5iRFZpbm2EeYFbJz_rZfyGNr13X7a-9GUX8WnBFWhfT6JKqqcY3pFJ3NfQEdKUaLHoj6czA_l94W9OMIQBDviV51LV5q1hKA4Wb07fSbq2KVtf0bad3aiv9P7HmKtEOOxBR04uOoVunzYr/s4032/tropea.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUXd6aOboKZXwozHxHTT29A9BHoDkd26O1Id2wrknEMd3OLx5iRFZpbm2EeYFbJz_rZfyGNr13X7a-9GUX8WnBFWhfT6JKqqcY3pFJ3NfQEdKUaLHoj6czA_l94W9OMIQBDviV51LV5q1hKA4Wb07fSbq2KVtf0bad3aiv9P7HmKtEOOxBR04uOoVunzYr/w480-h640/tropea.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Dancing Script; font-size: x-large;">Tropea</span></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Our two day stay in Caserta was good but now we are pushing south. Given the high winds and rainy weather that's been off & on I look at the 4-5 day forecast and decide to outrun the weather by heading to the south end of our travels and then work back, rather than have the weather follow us down.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Out of Caserta we head down towards Salerno and the Reggio-Calabria Autostrada that would take us all the way to the ferry to Sicily. Our destination is Amantea, a Mediterranean coastal town about 150 kms off the southern tip. We've been here before on our 2014 trip and enjoyed the weather, accommodation and people we met. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">What we missed is taking in Tropea, a Banff like tourist town, so we decided we'd stay in Amantea at the same hotel we stayed in before, and do a day ride down to Tropea.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">The ride down was as expected interspersed a bit with a few sprinkles of rain, but as we headed south and climbed the weather got really quite cool, reminiscent of the Columbia Ice Fields. At one point we stopped put our jacket liners in and at a rest area/ gas stop had a nice chat with two riders from Malta doing the same thing trying to outrun the weather and head home from their Swiss Alps adventure. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwOVCfJhlRlFyux77__czT-auvJ30xmN_ZXbS6WhbyS0B6pYaiwLr-ETQEf0OT7tqUs3lEKkg56rPWgJw1f6ELOuq53YY8KIyaDa-wgDCb3erpQYA7itqhoJrins2TQJrBWHFZtVxTAh9PkdN1csVcz6qn1gALRjnY25oJIib_qrYCzwfEE0EpqBZsprw1/s4032/PXL_20230901_071458090.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwOVCfJhlRlFyux77__czT-auvJ30xmN_ZXbS6WhbyS0B6pYaiwLr-ETQEf0OT7tqUs3lEKkg56rPWgJw1f6ELOuq53YY8KIyaDa-wgDCb3erpQYA7itqhoJrins2TQJrBWHFZtVxTAh9PkdN1csVcz6qn1gALRjnY25oJIib_qrYCzwfEE0EpqBZsprw1/s320/PXL_20230901_071458090.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>As we exited the autostrada at Cosenza toward Paola we finally saw the weather start to break in our favor and we arrived in Amantea about 45 mins later sweating from now being overdressed. A funny but weird thing happened. We had stayed at the La Tonnara in 2014, and had booked it again for this trip. On arrival we walked in only to see the front desk empty ad in a few minutes someone came over and asked if they could help. We advised we were checking in and they said we're full, maybe you booked with La Tonnara Grande Hotel, next door. So we walked over and sure enough we had. The mistake was in our favor over the extended time we decided to stay as the place was definitely an improvement to the other hotel, which appeared a bit tired now. We were treated so well and the place was just so classy with a pool that I've never seen so clean. It was really well decorated and Sandra wanted me to take a photo of a divider in the breakfast room with the chairs and table set-up to illustrate what we were experiencing.<br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><h4 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><b>Tropea</b></span></h4><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">As we were heading out the next morning for our day trip down to Tropea and family came running over to us and asked if we really were from Canada. They were from Hamilton, saw the Cdn flag stickers on the bike and wanted to inquire. We chatted for a few minutes as they were waiting to be driven to the airport to fly home. Their children were a bit younger than Shannon and Blair were when we had taken them in '91 but we remarked about how it impacted their development and they said they hoped for the same impact.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">As I said at the outset Tropea<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQROWbeCWXngArAirDkB1USN_TENMC_7kQw1S9Cqpr7UcyR0TZeHtIHmNoxC6lSXFK3vXmec1HE2BGPW67XRk1l92hmqRxP6QomXk_431i4pItjN2giICyKiAAyiN3fPvQ_r-LCUu4E0C5ZXVL9T8ed3HtnyyF5n-9s-KWqPzJapz9UD5IuHD3yApj63mv/s4032/PXL_20230831_101228240.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQROWbeCWXngArAirDkB1USN_TENMC_7kQw1S9Cqpr7UcyR0TZeHtIHmNoxC6lSXFK3vXmec1HE2BGPW67XRk1l92hmqRxP6QomXk_431i4pItjN2giICyKiAAyiN3fPvQ_r-LCUu4E0C5ZXVL9T8ed3HtnyyF5n-9s-KWqPzJapz9UD5IuHD3yApj63mv/s320/PXL_20230831_101228240.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>is a Banff like setting only in a south Med coastal environment. The weather and scenery were equally spectacular and we spent a few hours checking out a Cathedral devoted to Santa Maria from Romania, and the monastery run by the Benedictine monks who brought education to the masses of children. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8IponJf0x3uy-54yGtim20jDpb5YoDdIrnggffrOzd2LGjwxckKJ72GnTS7DkeRtJ7M6vfwikuMkRGksJ82O8MUK1ba9bOh3aOVlgmi3muaU5i8AnGDbysvBAwGqQs_ayjtvtgFNKxr6LDHFUZkY4sgUu3Kf_tNH1Sipj6ZAokNL9RK0sxj0QPx5Zw1tt/s4032/PXL_20230831_102019071.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8IponJf0x3uy-54yGtim20jDpb5YoDdIrnggffrOzd2LGjwxckKJ72GnTS7DkeRtJ7M6vfwikuMkRGksJ82O8MUK1ba9bOh3aOVlgmi3muaU5i8AnGDbysvBAwGqQs_ayjtvtgFNKxr6LDHFUZkY4sgUu3Kf_tNH1Sipj6ZAokNL9RK0sxj0QPx5Zw1tt/s320/PXL_20230831_102019071.jpg" width="240" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWxTgpA3p4oLOcIYVwou4-VtLgRwJWy-BXpg4U4Avr42nbzmCyV2ScBeY-uV43UQwdNEsyx6h9XTdtxDtidydV7_bA7wOt_k1sGChw57SrB7mPCUA6zue394bCTQrg-eXhj72GtE6EKj-u8YOV3q2EC3-stsmyctkM5H8fi0cr1Lp3XsHpm-i5WJL8Kb-7/s4032/PXL_20230831_101250206.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWxTgpA3p4oLOcIYVwou4-VtLgRwJWy-BXpg4U4Avr42nbzmCyV2ScBeY-uV43UQwdNEsyx6h9XTdtxDtidydV7_bA7wOt_k1sGChw57SrB7mPCUA6zue394bCTQrg-eXhj72GtE6EKj-u8YOV3q2EC3-stsmyctkM5H8fi0cr1Lp3XsHpm-i5WJL8Kb-7/s320/PXL_20230831_101250206.jpg" width="240" /></span></a></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;">We ended our day their in the early afternoon, drove back to Amantea and enjoyed a very relaxing</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">afternoon at the pool.</span></span></div>The Smith's V Strom Adventureshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12791666275519971736noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5068012995541282190.post-75609593646240638822023-08-29T09:15:00.000-07:002023-08-29T09:15:03.660-07:00Spectacular - Etruscan Civilization of 900-500 BC<h3 style="text-align: left;"> <span style="font-family: arial;">Neat = <i>Spectacular</i></span></h3><div><span style="font-family: arial;">O<span style="font-size: medium;">ur second day in Caserta and Sandra's research has hit another homerun!</span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><u><b>Santa Maria Capua Vetere,Caserta (</b></u></span><u style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><b>Campanian amphitheatre)</b></u></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><u><b><br /></b></u></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Alot of people, us included, have heard of the Roman Colosseum, and many of us have been there. Matter of fact we are fortunate enough to have been to many such World Heritage Sites (WHS).</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Well the Colosseum in Rome is apparently a nickname for the<span style="background-color: #ead1dc;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: #ead1dc; font-family: arial;">Flavian Amphitheatre. Now we all know. So this amphitheater predates the Roman one by centuries and is attributed to the Etruscan civilization of 900-500 BC. It is thought by many to be the model for Rome's amphitheater.</span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: #ead1dc; font-family: arial;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="background-color: #ead1dc; font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Our weather forecasting skills allow us to see it early enough in the day to avoid some of the thundershowers that are rolling through western Italy right now. The big difference between this and the one in Rome, is that it is in Hidden Italy and away from alot of tourism. But the artifacts and access are as Sandra said, "Neat" which I suggest is spectacular. Regardless, our tour of the site today was amazing.</span></div><div><span style="background-color: #ead1dc; font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: #ead1dc;">There may have been another 15-20 people on site at the time of our visit and they all were Italian. The site is more 'natural' in its state, meaning you are seeing it not reconstructed in the manner of the famed</span><span style="background-color: white;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">Colosseum, but rather with almost worn out seating due to the age and exposure to the elements. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">Here in a series of photos is the story of what we saw.</span></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigUq3HOItdkdOWLbmb2U-xByicnOCZo0-Dx_Tgrxp5PymbANiU4pRpqRf-GnC_gVRn2hz-Es1VmHBxF-DQYqKg4cAxfOyqnnhC8gRL2k6UxC1w2yKYA0o80V80C7l_TQ0ZUFZR1YdJVX40SHReFiCdHvh3YfP0wn7K8jo7PQIiseI-0CWuNMlA4_El2CR7/s4032/PXL_20230829_091301507.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigUq3HOItdkdOWLbmb2U-xByicnOCZo0-Dx_Tgrxp5PymbANiU4pRpqRf-GnC_gVRn2hz-Es1VmHBxF-DQYqKg4cAxfOyqnnhC8gRL2k6UxC1w2yKYA0o80V80C7l_TQ0ZUFZR1YdJVX40SHReFiCdHvh3YfP0wn7K8jo7PQIiseI-0CWuNMlA4_El2CR7/w640-h480/PXL_20230829_091301507.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u style="font-family: arial; font-size: large; text-align: left;"><b>Campanian amphitheatre <span style="color: red;">(Click on any pic to enlarge)</span></b></u></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhIBxIrHZbiIb34mN4B17ygZmIVwDrXs8WSCI2oHAyCj9mSrIUH_CWMQXk4kq8TROU9ZL0VkaMB8bKsp9OKoV9JpOLyV75C2waqAPQ_RSOI8FDeb8zSpV0mUrU0IrN3h0P-VdyrSCQS7PeFgxMguoPizIoOdenyfkIVwNcryiXfplJVJxQOPrmrLQ_mTau/s4032/PXL_20230829_092201217.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhIBxIrHZbiIb34mN4B17ygZmIVwDrXs8WSCI2oHAyCj9mSrIUH_CWMQXk4kq8TROU9ZL0VkaMB8bKsp9OKoV9JpOLyV75C2waqAPQ_RSOI8FDeb8zSpV0mUrU0IrN3h0P-VdyrSCQS7PeFgxMguoPizIoOdenyfkIVwNcryiXfplJVJxQOPrmrLQ_mTau/w400-h300/PXL_20230829_092201217.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgweZuXd2hNAZDzlKQD7fmYLrvt6FjxyqeUuJwD2CGKVbBFQ8tHscBUgVwRx9gjE0mxu2r1XOAajXVbOVDlfZUKVGrlRF5B1JivpGY7K9pZldZIgXWQwQz3eKUlU_UX3CNw2WYLzXUiuGykD8pJYMFGB8hQJx8zgHD2ylkDB6eHvufi-v7wuG5TpPafG-DJ/s4032/PXL_20230829_092209636.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgweZuXd2hNAZDzlKQD7fmYLrvt6FjxyqeUuJwD2CGKVbBFQ8tHscBUgVwRx9gjE0mxu2r1XOAajXVbOVDlfZUKVGrlRF5B1JivpGY7K9pZldZIgXWQwQz3eKUlU_UX3CNw2WYLzXUiuGykD8pJYMFGB8hQJx8zgHD2ylkDB6eHvufi-v7wuG5TpPafG-DJ/w300-h400/PXL_20230829_092209636.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3t86Iavv7x0RM4BcXLXekDEE34w60HOyzWMgh5PQ9Tsk5DK1_zLgKTMJhg_hEk10Z-_pmjtPSlpUTnDJ7xVq27tzyGVWyok4YTcyyY5A63D4tJu_CJnG3Sh6vBlddDWBZQkk7VQ8psNmaMF3enjtGF41BTireE90HWUyi20jGFq9LfzLTYgO0fuiT8JMR/s4032/PXL_20230829_094032750.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3t86Iavv7x0RM4BcXLXekDEE34w60HOyzWMgh5PQ9Tsk5DK1_zLgKTMJhg_hEk10Z-_pmjtPSlpUTnDJ7xVq27tzyGVWyok4YTcyyY5A63D4tJu_CJnG3Sh6vBlddDWBZQkk7VQ8psNmaMF3enjtGF41BTireE90HWUyi20jGFq9LfzLTYgO0fuiT8JMR/w400-h300/PXL_20230829_094032750.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Inside the main seating area</span></td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXKxptkzxred2SrzQHixRAL9NbdiHAbhlDZkRxsH2jwPiH1jUfENKeGNgDC5UwDade7n0uCzX-3aGzCmFE7ZOEAFU5OCMBcCcMfYfgigBUQavrcpxDR9i7mBWtycwggStI8yE-Jlaz_YCF2yqiO41g4PvLef1nFbJC7RkPk0r6QrgYOkTnD-JxJ2hFxQI4/s4032/PXL_20230829_094345581.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXKxptkzxred2SrzQHixRAL9NbdiHAbhlDZkRxsH2jwPiH1jUfENKeGNgDC5UwDade7n0uCzX-3aGzCmFE7ZOEAFU5OCMBcCcMfYfgigBUQavrcpxDR9i7mBWtycwggStI8yE-Jlaz_YCF2yqiO41g4PvLef1nFbJC7RkPk0r6QrgYOkTnD-JxJ2hFxQI4/s320/PXL_20230829_094345581.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Amazing walk through the staging area <br />for the beast fights</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOg_dAt3zO_E57EYdGHNYEtNRJNI2hwdPl5H2hS4HFsXu-0taFuMEk7pmGv11FGqzQkIYtDP-mNJAVPM3kagd7QXmnTrc15ZhdcX_pNiR0A6tFu_lAFWzpGHmYQgUQXlncC4T5HkSt8X6ndmU7BIPXUdP8H-_kjg2HHwmkEeQJVo1l9cRxJMLeAExUkvQD/s4032/PXL_20230829_094410542.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOg_dAt3zO_E57EYdGHNYEtNRJNI2hwdPl5H2hS4HFsXu-0taFuMEk7pmGv11FGqzQkIYtDP-mNJAVPM3kagd7QXmnTrc15ZhdcX_pNiR0A6tFu_lAFWzpGHmYQgUQXlncC4T5HkSt8X6ndmU7BIPXUdP8H-_kjg2HHwmkEeQJVo1l9cRxJMLeAExUkvQD/s320/PXL_20230829_094410542.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">The Cages for the animals <br />below ground</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5Jxk6FD4xUCR9bNKRb9HHUBdguc71z0aFbm2IeVSgbuZ1KEJWGCRyNXQnCGyTLLxQpJtrLpZAziVmfwRVhWqgAYCN28qno4zEyoj1nWSDF2pRD2QX86hdHYohn0MYCKs_LaSlixXB4-cufomNT1cABj6erxm07WZICCX53iMQYXdqjr56hk9rWZ4Xq1J1/s4032/PXL_20230829_094432618.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5Jxk6FD4xUCR9bNKRb9HHUBdguc71z0aFbm2IeVSgbuZ1KEJWGCRyNXQnCGyTLLxQpJtrLpZAziVmfwRVhWqgAYCN28qno4zEyoj1nWSDF2pRD2QX86hdHYohn0MYCKs_LaSlixXB4-cufomNT1cABj6erxm07WZICCX53iMQYXdqjr56hk9rWZ4Xq1J1/s320/PXL_20230829_094432618.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsWyNvmr4GjiukAjOHkfmHGFbX8-smBAv7q5G_ZB2__k8lRQGfXsf1HZtmqn_l3tw95iR9lcbNLQXRbiC81oBvDKVtHAsKPM95-goo0XeTwVPaA_YTEGIH71vURQNpLNOq8EQddQX_QZNPM1Wc6TsZi4manWdeH_9U0EOgjYH0-eSblAZzUGUWgo9YtEcm/s4032/PXL_20230829_094455726.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsWyNvmr4GjiukAjOHkfmHGFbX8-smBAv7q5G_ZB2__k8lRQGfXsf1HZtmqn_l3tw95iR9lcbNLQXRbiC81oBvDKVtHAsKPM95-goo0XeTwVPaA_YTEGIH71vURQNpLNOq8EQddQX_QZNPM1Wc6TsZi4manWdeH_9U0EOgjYH0-eSblAZzUGUWgo9YtEcm/s320/PXL_20230829_094455726.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">The Main corridor leading to steps<br /> that would have the combatant <br />animals or people enter the arena.</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitz0FQFA7ijnRxQn4gej5xbiwohK4NhBdPpQTwUGhKqqllws8EQ-XCiHKRJu2zfpsqZwJc4M07QS-clsVEyuE_BLKY-gdxiK_7Da7JltgBUoF5YAmYmvdur1xJwy0izhBJNgaRakZHuIf05j5y_a_91S7keo8AWX6eT5kA8OrcxnblD--4plQizvaMB4eK/s4032/PXL_20230829_095909245.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitz0FQFA7ijnRxQn4gej5xbiwohK4NhBdPpQTwUGhKqqllws8EQ-XCiHKRJu2zfpsqZwJc4M07QS-clsVEyuE_BLKY-gdxiK_7Da7JltgBUoF5YAmYmvdur1xJwy0izhBJNgaRakZHuIf05j5y_a_91S7keo8AWX6eT5kA8OrcxnblD--4plQizvaMB4eK/s320/PXL_20230829_095909245.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Artifacts in natural patina</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br />The Smith's V Strom Adventureshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12791666275519971736noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5068012995541282190.post-19797507252547600362023-08-29T00:58:00.000-07:002023-08-29T00:58:33.575-07:00Old and New - Perspectives<h4 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> Old and New - Perspectives</span></h4><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipH2895NthJKFoUFOACYf0HLFs9T83ArRTx8WdFX67qk_q5dqGSjz0DRpKecmaAmYGRjUd1I4TpWHFvoLcJf7I9Qgyw6yuLSCHVu1iH3laSARWDoH8pcUwz7lnWuG3POotIQ7dog3HVO6cZHO3m79tCCel-9Het8PYbQsjtTd-1f3XIe02PXZPzA_v2ED0/s4032/PXL_20230829_045048385.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipH2895NthJKFoUFOACYf0HLFs9T83ArRTx8WdFX67qk_q5dqGSjz0DRpKecmaAmYGRjUd1I4TpWHFvoLcJf7I9Qgyw6yuLSCHVu1iH3laSARWDoH8pcUwz7lnWuG3POotIQ7dog3HVO6cZHO3m79tCCel-9Het8PYbQsjtTd-1f3XIe02PXZPzA_v2ED0/w480-h640/PXL_20230829_045048385.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Mount Vesuvius - Tale of 2 Cities? <b><span style="color: red;">(Click any picture for a larger view)</span></b></span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Our ride south from Ostia via Roma started with a blustery morning in Ostia and an observation that'll have to be explained offline.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">We left the B&B at 10:30am having checked weather forecasts and knowing we'd have to adapt to what came next. We already felt the winds which were bringing in the weather systems we'll experience over the next couple of days. The 220 kms is covered in less than 2 hrs. and we had decided to use the Autostrada to allow us to move through the weather quicker., try to outrun, or take cover at a rest area. We had a brief shower catch us for a few minutes but because of the hot conditions we dried up within a couple of minutes. No harm no foul!</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">For those not familiar with Italy, in 2014 we had titled that area south of Rome as <a href="https://vstromadventures.blogspot.com/2014/06/hidden-italy.html">Hidden Italy</a>. It's still true today. As we arrive in the Caserta area it's still much more a day to day city than a tourist centre even though it has some interesting sites to see.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">For one, it's on the north side of Mt. Vesuvius where Pompei was on the south side. Different perspective, different outcomes. With the rain squalls coming off the Bay of Naples it was visible and invisible in a matter of minutes. We walked to a Mercato close by, got some fruit, buns, and a bottle of Montepulciano Abruzzo and made lunch after checking into our Novotel hotel. Our sightseeing today was decided by timing between the rain. This saw us both have a nap (still getting over J/lag) to awake to nicer conditions and we made our way around 5:30 pm to Casertavecchia, the old town, which is actually high up on another mountain looking toward Vesuvius.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9Ymi2fBVZeg3EH5Cel-bDO4bxIXhVyDoM4xRU9qa2SDSuuCa-OJwjzrf-vK0DLKH_BPZyvsIheoyGXsQQgnmvdnNVE96InL932nBp4a_C50xG3Buz00jv0CKvNa9GGiFDNM6nwvAB3nkYwmqu1CCSZ3_ZpkA048nTlYKxy-mQPNLYg3rsulaIaT84RZUs/s4032/PXL_20230828_170058701.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9Ymi2fBVZeg3EH5Cel-bDO4bxIXhVyDoM4xRU9qa2SDSuuCa-OJwjzrf-vK0DLKH_BPZyvsIheoyGXsQQgnmvdnNVE96InL932nBp4a_C50xG3Buz00jv0CKvNa9GGiFDNM6nwvAB3nkYwmqu1CCSZ3_ZpkA048nTlYKxy-mQPNLYg3rsulaIaT84RZUs/s4032/PXL_20230828_170058701.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; display: inline !important; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9Ymi2fBVZeg3EH5Cel-bDO4bxIXhVyDoM4xRU9qa2SDSuuCa-OJwjzrf-vK0DLKH_BPZyvsIheoyGXsQQgnmvdnNVE96InL932nBp4a_C50xG3Buz00jv0CKvNa9GGiFDNM6nwvAB3nkYwmqu1CCSZ3_ZpkA048nTlYKxy-mQPNLYg3rsulaIaT84RZUs/s320/PXL_20230828_170058701.jpg" width="240" /></a><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">We were glad for the cooler conditions and fresher air as we wound our way to the mountain top and walked the old town. Parking was at a premium and again the bike found a premium spot with a view of a slightly obscured Mt. V.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg06-RLHEi5Ot2tA3hUt7UsEyJZ_eiXp5U-lgDYPubM19XJJS0rF--jfdxFBwtI63xxt-VhOkaVCW_KQwP2JAKPbDSTmYGVqa9CLv37j011R8OnoUnJySN-ZjDDxVRzdTE9jCQyi6tNDxyp86t0kHVU-f6lr3lOWl1pJEClJEGx6gmaDnYAPvd3CBxgYAhp/s4032/PXL_20230828_165748694.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg06-RLHEi5Ot2tA3hUt7UsEyJZ_eiXp5U-lgDYPubM19XJJS0rF--jfdxFBwtI63xxt-VhOkaVCW_KQwP2JAKPbDSTmYGVqa9CLv37j011R8OnoUnJySN-ZjDDxVRzdTE9jCQyi6tNDxyp86t0kHVU-f6lr3lOWl1pJEClJEGx6gmaDnYAPvd3CBxgYAhp/w400-h300/PXL_20230828_165748694.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Royal Palace far below (center)</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>Another spectacular view overlooking Caserta itself revealed the Palace and it's grounds. The old town itself has a cathedral from the 8th century with brick work reminiscent of the orthodox churches we saw in Bulgaria from that same time period.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcYmmTxRIpgIY41Nlw0Y1Js3UuJF7zvbGZmSwklxE5RLZSP7ElqVNdee0arCOg_g5Q4JHLkdvVe0SDFwXOc6XcqTDfkZA6J6CwScWwaG1DuIcPO6C-Mb6099z-NCWuQFQeBvUWztHJybQsddGvm2lt1q9qVQMjdIjIMINe9hfCxWvbVaZOMs5iJZI-tV6b/s4032/PXL_20230828_165450880.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcYmmTxRIpgIY41Nlw0Y1Js3UuJF7zvbGZmSwklxE5RLZSP7ElqVNdee0arCOg_g5Q4JHLkdvVe0SDFwXOc6XcqTDfkZA6J6CwScWwaG1DuIcPO6C-Mb6099z-NCWuQFQeBvUWztHJybQsddGvm2lt1q9qVQMjdIjIMINe9hfCxWvbVaZOMs5iJZI-tV6b/s320/PXL_20230828_165450880.jpg" width="240" /></a></div></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /><br /><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">But it was the relic art work inside that revealed just how old this church really is.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8lMixGy5SO8_elKIFeSXo83uY5G4Y7QiiiuTtpuLZHlTrBR6ulmKXLCO9mR3h9kq06rh9--VaGPgHb36Fw9Xxq1rK0VMBR-JB8ecZAmaC3SqQfaQE9kAK_jB4pyfJ9iOHC-E-3UCpfMDSphZtng1AIHIwQsLT4T9fZel7fk6JnHoinf-gA_h5Pwu_2GZn/s4032/PXL_20230828_165010230.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8lMixGy5SO8_elKIFeSXo83uY5G4Y7QiiiuTtpuLZHlTrBR6ulmKXLCO9mR3h9kq06rh9--VaGPgHb36Fw9Xxq1rK0VMBR-JB8ecZAmaC3SqQfaQE9kAK_jB4pyfJ9iOHC-E-3UCpfMDSphZtng1AIHIwQsLT4T9fZel7fk6JnHoinf-gA_h5Pwu_2GZn/s320/PXL_20230828_165010230.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4XyVHrqdyTfQUQz_ctXv-Px8mmeUxqz_Yc9n3GBhyYbtULWZKchgk0dA3Sbq167eeF7FFyK4d_jwK72x5tk_oXlIpo3qMikLmkpWeyuQlZGXVbUjhef9Q8P_bXkqRDcfRvt3EDOvo5Hbz4DkdeChrpQP8nrEFb0Mnt0cm3QYF2aLnV-ffPCEQE5Ye5Pgg/s4032/PXL_20230828_165224978.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4XyVHrqdyTfQUQz_ctXv-Px8mmeUxqz_Yc9n3GBhyYbtULWZKchgk0dA3Sbq167eeF7FFyK4d_jwK72x5tk_oXlIpo3qMikLmkpWeyuQlZGXVbUjhef9Q8P_bXkqRDcfRvt3EDOvo5Hbz4DkdeChrpQP8nrEFb0Mnt0cm3QYF2aLnV-ffPCEQE5Ye5Pgg/s320/PXL_20230828_165224978.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">As we walked the old town streets we are struck by the beauty/luxury of being able to step back in time. One interesting conversation occurred as we returned to our bike, where a gaggle of Italian visitors were using the viewpoint to take pictures. They had seen the Cdn.flag stickers on the bike before we returned and on our approach noticed our riding jackets bare the same ones stitched on. With a hand motion of applause one woman replies <b style="font-style: italic;">"Complimenti!"</b> and they ask where we are from in Canada. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbD58KXEVxb_HX6bvBtuwI2rFnwMY5YZf08TIBBKD19B0XcpHLHOI0BGL-_cOutsdHE1JJ9TAMXWodJEX2Cu6iz4vu6ekWmu8iftizhiWDA2oWlbEdBGu2DQPqNbQwrLSqSrf9g7NTehbsSZOyqjBondvlSoPzUaSrjWpW_HUX1vLItskWXpUtNxzHd06K/s4032/PXL_20230828_165323232.NIGHT.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbD58KXEVxb_HX6bvBtuwI2rFnwMY5YZf08TIBBKD19B0XcpHLHOI0BGL-_cOutsdHE1JJ9TAMXWodJEX2Cu6iz4vu6ekWmu8iftizhiWDA2oWlbEdBGu2DQPqNbQwrLSqSrf9g7NTehbsSZOyqjBondvlSoPzUaSrjWpW_HUX1vLItskWXpUtNxzHd06K/w300-h400/PXL_20230828_165323232.NIGHT.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">In Hidden Italy, away from the demands of tourism, you encounter some inconveniences as well. We were heading back into modern day Caserta on a Monday, to discover many of the Trattoria's near our hotel were closed. The Palace is closed Tuesdays. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I'm reluctant to head to a fast-food restaurant but we start walking in that direction only to find a great little pizzeria/gelateria that was doing 'land-office' business selling pizza's out the door faster than you could shake a stick. We lined up got a couple of huge pieces of pizza boxed for E3 and headed back across the street to our room with a view to enjoy some of that wine, and great pizza - Napolean style.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">What a beautiful end to an ever changing day!</div><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><br /></span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div>The Smith's V Strom Adventureshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12791666275519971736noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5068012995541282190.post-69392624962377305382023-08-27T06:37:00.003-07:002023-10-04T06:55:15.337-07:00Ostia Antica and Ostia Lido<h4 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"> Ostia Antica and Ostia Lido</span></h4><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">After a nice hot humid afternoon getting repacked after recovering our riding gear from panniers etc. we enjoyed a nice pizza at our B&B suite hotel. They run an extremely successful B&B, pizzeria near Ostia Antica, which was the birthplace of Rome before Rome. We had been here passing through in 2006 and stayed in 2014 while visiting the ruins of Ostia Antica itself. Our neighbor Jeff who has a degree in Archeology remarked about how impressed he was with OA and it is impressive. Our 2014 Ostia experience is <a href="https://vstromadventures.blogspot.com/2014/06/ostia-antica.html">here</a>. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">This morning, Sunday, we reset and were just going to go for a walk when I suggested we head close to the Lido and then take our walk there. It was a good plan.<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjo5e-D3FfoZPrqBovw9R-kvShEFax89ccezTcXuvleVP75KNZ9AqE5j3ML7HnOUEbhSFlPk2AhfAAxLQugsrDy8OcU9pLLUU7X9XOweGW_408M-bwiLToW341vQCnoxZNHXDJHOclpvRpus8LghWrNp7abo1CfeG4CvSUX2mQaRZnxTYsWs-AqrNvKg_Xj/s4032/PXL_20230827_090638570.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjo5e-D3FfoZPrqBovw9R-kvShEFax89ccezTcXuvleVP75KNZ9AqE5j3ML7HnOUEbhSFlPk2AhfAAxLQugsrDy8OcU9pLLUU7X9XOweGW_408M-bwiLToW341vQCnoxZNHXDJHOclpvRpus8LghWrNp7abo1CfeG4CvSUX2mQaRZnxTYsWs-AqrNvKg_Xj/w400-h300/PXL_20230827_090638570.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Neptune and Friend to the left</td></tr></tbody></table><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">The Lido was busy when we got there around 10:30 am as it was super sunny, 33C humid and real beach weather. As we walked the Lido we got to see Neptune with a guy fishing beside him, and jam packed beaches.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeoZ5dl5WMFycCueTz3m41bqTJXQDd8UNkw-zyoONsKoxnJTE1EZ9yIIYLe2zCoZc2clJ2HLMaZSZJMbKY5HdC4QKOkU6cz6bUJncmFQYiHCHHZxmahBWubJnAmsC4KZPL3lGN67aW8s6h5oxGS2egEziEoE9EzAxvMsTNLB69BFrNzacgUDi3nYLdpUc3/s4032/PXL_20230827_090720800.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeoZ5dl5WMFycCueTz3m41bqTJXQDd8UNkw-zyoONsKoxnJTE1EZ9yIIYLe2zCoZc2clJ2HLMaZSZJMbKY5HdC4QKOkU6cz6bUJncmFQYiHCHHZxmahBWubJnAmsC4KZPL3lGN67aW8s6h5oxGS2egEziEoE9EzAxvMsTNLB69BFrNzacgUDi3nYLdpUc3/w400-h300/PXL_20230827_090720800.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Beaches crowded</td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">The architecture there is very clearly 17th-19th century and beautiful with many restorations in place and ongoing.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTFRGHVpdqu7mPLUxAIq2CTwLJk2gG2PmcFxrzasp7Dax9pQpCOrW1_udiwnRDeddu2zM8i_nkeYGxAD5KFuAtsiuPnir7AZEJFd2wwElwArNco36ZITKlDVa9ZTTlVvfLQCM1uMPZCty0jZ8aLfDrzrRHOrSLyKN9UdMcq2H673zN7AcQauxvNC9pjpyv/s4032/PXL_20230827_100046365.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTFRGHVpdqu7mPLUxAIq2CTwLJk2gG2PmcFxrzasp7Dax9pQpCOrW1_udiwnRDeddu2zM8i_nkeYGxAD5KFuAtsiuPnir7AZEJFd2wwElwArNco36ZITKlDVa9ZTTlVvfLQCM1uMPZCty0jZ8aLfDrzrRHOrSLyKN9UdMcq2H673zN7AcQauxvNC9pjpyv/w400-h300/PXL_20230827_100046365.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br />After a nice 1 1/2 hr walk in the heat we found a gelato place and had our 1st gelato. The owner a woman came out when I was getting mine and offered a taste of an almond gelato she had just made. It was excellent and added to my cone with the cheesecake gelato I had ordered.</span><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">As we sat out front in the shade a bus sounded it's horn to get cars to move that were double parked because of the busy beaches. <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdNrssHOe2rZhEOXLlpzg5cgt1zCxSoau1ED_mZK90eNrawc1Pg23wCV7fUHfKGu6-9TFUqGaBBq1k-E_T3Zfcm4C0WknAlCZAZTgTKB5OdL811kDL0Gyz-H23NbfGIkBB41-ksg-Z0CDkR6qJua6dvW0jPsK7A0KYzDYwj7PYY1I3dO05lURBuODpvkah/s4032/PXL_20230827_100705064.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdNrssHOe2rZhEOXLlpzg5cgt1zCxSoau1ED_mZK90eNrawc1Pg23wCV7fUHfKGu6-9TFUqGaBBq1k-E_T3Zfcm4C0WknAlCZAZTgTKB5OdL811kDL0Gyz-H23NbfGIkBB41-ksg-Z0CDkR6qJua6dvW0jPsK7A0KYzDYwj7PYY1I3dO05lURBuODpvkah/s320/PXL_20230827_100705064.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Double parking common on streets</td></tr></tbody></table><br />Glad we have our bike!</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">We later found a mercato and bought buns, mortadella, and beer for a quick bite lunch back at the hotel. Nice way to spend a day resting up for our next destination Caserta. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Psst.. don't tell Customs it wasn't til Monday.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><h4 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Supper under the Stars</span></h4><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Ok, so have you ever gone to a restaurant where you were "stunned' by a meal?" I was in 2014 with Al Bajniero in Ostia Antica about a 2 block walk from our B&B. In an earlier year 2006 we had a similar experience at a ristorante just off Christof Columbo.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRHGN2TSE5Jp8doDvVbYRYSk_Em7lQJmUvRGjZ5i9qpzL06S-OyFA2S_ul3zmz-EvAJ_ogbqMzrRCa-PPwv5d0dbp_hCjAckTbxGoGaqPvRPH0PxbdAkSf6pSZIGFD10LnIM4LxySwQWLy9isqbC5MHqlCgh9bsLFclbYIeW73Jkte1ZJWqDVbPMLLEu8g/s426/Al%20Banjniero.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="164" data-original-width="426" height="123" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRHGN2TSE5Jp8doDvVbYRYSk_Em7lQJmUvRGjZ5i9qpzL06S-OyFA2S_ul3zmz-EvAJ_ogbqMzrRCa-PPwv5d0dbp_hCjAckTbxGoGaqPvRPH0PxbdAkSf6pSZIGFD10LnIM4LxySwQWLy9isqbC5MHqlCgh9bsLFclbYIeW73Jkte1ZJWqDVbPMLLEu8g/s320/Al%20Banjniero.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">One of the risks of such a memorable experience is creating a legacy memory of a meal that raises expectations beyond a reasonable level. That's what we feared here. The ristorante is still there and this evening we went there wondering what it would be like. Well it exceeded the high expectations we had because it exceeded in every category, taste, prep, <u>value</u>, setting. Sandra ordered a spinach stuffed Ravioli with a Bruschetta starter and the red house wine. I a fish stuffed ravioli with 5 large shrimp. It was superb with a 1/2L of house red wine. You just can't get high quality food delivered in such a special setting for more than twice the price of here in Canada.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">There's a reason Sandra is smiling and the place is special for family special meals.<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipF2g0mZpcWyjgd_HrJOju4ebERbGQCuPFpkDe5Ki-NXnePa7ruZNhL6YVL7Vvz919tB1PWssRRJFdfoaaA4A2xWbB-vkCjXqII9tcgbc5ujIeDTzmsN6TTIM7EL1px0Y5XNqGfYAf2zQu-LxkTwgVjJifUIidUMG6wL4WFynZdpQ93IvIq5ZNPVByQ8eZ/s4032/PXL_20230827_180150850.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipF2g0mZpcWyjgd_HrJOju4ebERbGQCuPFpkDe5Ki-NXnePa7ruZNhL6YVL7Vvz919tB1PWssRRJFdfoaaA4A2xWbB-vkCjXqII9tcgbc5ujIeDTzmsN6TTIM7EL1px0Y5XNqGfYAf2zQu-LxkTwgVjJifUIidUMG6wL4WFynZdpQ93IvIq5ZNPVByQ8eZ/s320/PXL_20230827_180150850.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Amazing Food and Company</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkdQIPgTl5tebOze1n9ei28ygzdF3JBST_kfCSd74S0RjP05DF8yKzm71QKy3a8hU_x3Ic3RE1xFNroQLmdBtYHBPiL3trz_UHQ-_3HHxwD6n5-EVqAQ9r75pbG5W7V0g28-ADBexKxEYPJ_q2wFvS2DCtySXrfGu_shLo1t3W3OLJWVrXeTpnbpYWk0ML/s4032/PXL_20230827_180118778.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkdQIPgTl5tebOze1n9ei28ygzdF3JBST_kfCSd74S0RjP05DF8yKzm71QKy3a8hU_x3Ic3RE1xFNroQLmdBtYHBPiL3trz_UHQ-_3HHxwD6n5-EVqAQ9r75pbG5W7V0g28-ADBexKxEYPJ_q2wFvS2DCtySXrfGu_shLo1t3W3OLJWVrXeTpnbpYWk0ML/s320/PXL_20230827_180118778.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Special celebration this evening<br /><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /></span></div>The Smith's V Strom Adventureshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12791666275519971736noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5068012995541282190.post-35976011046808234002023-08-27T06:10:00.000-07:002024-03-23T12:50:37.762-07:00Hope for the Best, plan for the worst!<h4 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"> Hope for the Best, plan for the worst!</span></h4><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVIIxKDF0ftPuQH7zBRtUaveRdaFym939PSZ0oZKf-zcbduXbkRpPg2gsN5GAA0__InHW_fszCRuMJ5dSDxusQ8hMYL8D_hmWsHwHIQs-BDX7PuwSWONZ4tBZB3wbTI29WpNazxW_O9NdFjHYEcUu2b4aVBdfcyEDd5fQUT0LC49MLTifZfXHvTVCjcPMP/s640/image0.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVIIxKDF0ftPuQH7zBRtUaveRdaFym939PSZ0oZKf-zcbduXbkRpPg2gsN5GAA0__InHW_fszCRuMJ5dSDxusQ8hMYL8D_hmWsHwHIQs-BDX7PuwSWONZ4tBZB3wbTI29WpNazxW_O9NdFjHYEcUu2b4aVBdfcyEDd5fQUT0LC49MLTifZfXHvTVCjcPMP/w400-h300/image0.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Dancing Script; font-size: large;">Ready to Ship</span></td></tr></tbody></table></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">This year we re-committed ourselves to travelling back through parts of Europe on our bike. Westjet's BikeAir program was not well founded at the beginning but in June seemed to have found it's feet. We found reasonably priced premium Economy seats, chose Rome as the destination as Barcelona/Spain doesn't honour the EU temporary permit for moto's for leisure purposes. We wanted to avoid as much of the high tourist season and high heat temperatures. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><u>Plan for the Worst</u></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">We knew that Westjet would fly the bike from Vancouver as well as Calgary with a small surcharge but since we had family to visit we decided to truck the bike to Calgary and visit family in advance. That worked great and a benefit was my son-in-law came to the cargo drop-off and I got a picture with the bike after the customs clearance was given for it. <br /><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Next day, was flight day, our premium economy seats came with priority boarding passes and we were through Calgary security in record time and seated at the gate. There on the tarmac was our bike,<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH53GO_1544-7TceEkNHMZycO-dCo_6HKBFRYxwskiKJ-UJN6-yNAfOCFLY5oDQdAZFjqAcAtpVTjSmuV9_O7kc7YaHslSn1wAYssLI9SvWMqWQ4c6xp1tmspPsARBSo0JKTYlfaeJxt001-Sx7N5k8ycZhaOQN_Vrl8GOJ9x2dfG7oqDIrkwPbnM9mYB3/s4032/PXL_20230824_221957772.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH53GO_1544-7TceEkNHMZycO-dCo_6HKBFRYxwskiKJ-UJN6-yNAfOCFLY5oDQdAZFjqAcAtpVTjSmuV9_O7kc7YaHslSn1wAYssLI9SvWMqWQ4c6xp1tmspPsARBSo0JKTYlfaeJxt001-Sx7N5k8ycZhaOQN_Vrl8GOJ9x2dfG7oqDIrkwPbnM9mYB3/s320/PXL_20230824_221957772.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">On the tarmac</td></tr></tbody></table><br /> now strapped to a handling platform and we actually saw it being loaded. Every other time we've shipped that all happened in the background. Wish I could have seen in in 2011 go through the Panama canal.<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNTpoMLkxmmoqrO72OJo_XlIunjKWhLKc-9PV6Wr4UUpNC-sP3GH0Fp2cIsyODzM4yBJ-m7GDpjiwtqlIhLsk2u6o3cat9XYnu1kfDvz3d4NaxBvpRI8P9UNzSAMpb8FgXjusWywnduTqUiMDoKa-QMBepUa5h_Qj4R9iCVsolEUKY-LA-kZviKhlXUy-L/s4032/PXL_20230824_225758723.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNTpoMLkxmmoqrO72OJo_XlIunjKWhLKc-9PV6Wr4UUpNC-sP3GH0Fp2cIsyODzM4yBJ-m7GDpjiwtqlIhLsk2u6o3cat9XYnu1kfDvz3d4NaxBvpRI8P9UNzSAMpb8FgXjusWywnduTqUiMDoKa-QMBepUa5h_Qj4R9iCVsolEUKY-LA-kZviKhlXUy-L/s320/PXL_20230824_225758723.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">loading into the Hold</td></tr></tbody></table><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Boarding was efficient and we sat down to be greeted by Heather who offered us a wine spritzer. After last year with Air Canada we thought we must be sitting in Business class. The remaining service for the flight duration continued to be a business class experience. and an on time arrival. Yeah! Westjet.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Part of planning means to consider the range of outcomes that could happen versus the best case scenario. We felt we needed to address Italian inefficiency by planning for something going sideways. That meant we wanted to address Jetlag, and customs clearance or damage to the bike in some capacity. Our own customs clearance was the fastest yet and we had changed our 1st night hotel to be closer and serviced by a shuttle just in case something happened. Everything went to plan and we checked in were in our room and received our verification call from World Flight Services (WFS) that the bike was now at Cargo City ready for pick up. Now AMC had cautioned it could take 4-6 hrs. to be ready for customs clearance. Expecting a chance of late arrival and a 6 hr window would have put it at customs closing of 6 pm on Friday. Now I wanted to make sure Customs for cargo was open Saturday and both WFS and the ADM (Customs website said it was open Saturday 8 am to 1pm.. So I confirmed with WFS that I would be in at 9 am Saturday. He said "Perfect", and I thought I can't believe this working out as best case. Because of the variables we had purchased our motorcycle insurance to start on the Saturday so even if we could have got there Friday Customs wouldn't have cleared the bike without an insurance policy in force.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><u><br /></u></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><u>Saturday the worst not first of August</u></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><u><br /></u></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Knowing our experience with jetlag we expected to be up early and ready for breakfast and to catch the 8:20 am shuttle back to the airport. Instead we woke up at 7:55 am got sort of ready, ran down, changed the shuttle until 9:00 am, had a quick breakfast and headed off. Fortunately an Australian/Sardinian lady sat beside me as I showed the driver the address I needed to go to. He told her he would show me where to catch that shuttle but he couldn't go there. When I disembarked his shuttle he saw the airport shuttle that travelled to Cargo City, some 5kms from the terminals, and stopped it and told the driver where I needed to go. I was there in record time. I thought well, the sleep in and early rush wasn't a problem as I'm on track. Boy was I wrong.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Cargo Customs security was helpful and the WFS info got them pointing me in the right direction, unfortunately WFS while giving me Ingresso 4 Room 25, for the paper work failed in their email info to mention they were on the 2nd flr. In the EU, grd floors are 0 our 1, our 2nd floor is their 1, and our 3rd is their 2nd. <i> </i>I knew that and since the grd floor didn't have rooms it had cargo bay #'s I thought perhaps that what he meant. In any event I did get directed to the 1st floor where a helpful fellow told me they were in Rm 25 down the hall called BCUBE. I went down there and no one was in as most of the offices were closed being a Saturday. I found him again, and in the interim he found out that the AWB # reflected WFS instead of BCUBE and he walked me to the 2nd floor Rm 25 where WFS was located. Quickly I got my paperwork stamped, paid and they directed me to go the ADM for the Customs clearance done and then return to Xpress to get the crate brought out with the bike.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">When I got to ADM 2nd floor I walked down until an office dr was open but the agent there was on the phone and he motioned me to the 2nd office door open. I went in there and in broken English after looking at papers he happened back saying 'not possible' Monday return. I questioned this and he said "Feesh (fish) fresh vebgitables' and waved the Italian 'fini; hand sign. He motioned me off.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">So back to WFS to question this and Yuri said he would come with me.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">We went back to ADM and talked to the 1st guy who waved me off earlier. He gave the same answer, "Feesh. vegbtables". Now Yuri was clearly invested in not accepting this as they are familiar with ADM policy for Saturday mornings. So after a lot of back and forth and the agent saying he could do it if a supervisor was there to approve it , but one wasn't he said Monday. That's when I said "no transport" no hotel, must be in Caserta", he finally looked around the room and finally agreed. Since I knew from dealing with Stefan Knopf before to be prepared with document copies the moment he wanted something I had a copy for him and then fed him a copy of each document I knew was needed. Yuri said after that being prepared and making it simpler for him, was what stopped him from being lazy.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Anyway another 1/2 hr ensued in getting paper cleared by the Xpress Box and my bike was brought out. What should have been 1 to 1 1/4 hrs became over 3hrs. but I had the bike, started up and drove back to the hotel to load up and check out. Then put the GPS in place and apparently going though security at the airports it had reset all the GPS settings. I had to drive to our 2nd hotel which we preferred by memory and then finally got it working correctly. Whew what a day's work which just shouldn't have been that difficult. Now I know what Stefan says when he says "they think they are 2nd to God". referring to customs agents.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Anyway, it confirmed the need to anticipate what could go wrong and plan for it.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div>The Smith's V Strom Adventureshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12791666275519971736noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5068012995541282190.post-4750197557056427682023-08-12T10:49:00.001-07:002024-01-23T08:18:15.620-08:00Do K&N Air Filters Work?<h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> Do K&N Air Filters Work?</span></h3><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">I rarely do service tips or 'how to's' but with so much dis-information out there about this specific product I feel the need to share my experiences. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">I've had a K&N air filter on this motorcycle since 2012 and we've ridden in a huge number of difficult conditions. This year I am re-shipping the bike to Europe for a couple more trips and wanted to do all the needed service work to ensure the bike is well maintained for the duration.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">As you know the K&N air filters are a 'reusable' filter. I've used them for 20 some years in the Porsche we had, previous and current trucks, and our cars. The engineering concept is simple but technical. You can read about it from K&N directly.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">This year I wanted to refresh my re-oiling technique and thought I'd check Youtube to see what was out there. Like everything else there are good and bad videos and information. One that struck me was a guy that claimed he did a deep technical analysis of the contamination of oil in a Ford truck and associated it to a K&N filter. Since I'm an evidence based guy, comparison analysis' needs to be done in a controlled environment. <u>This test was anything but that</u>. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">His conclusions were based on what he found in his oil, </span></div><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">based on using two different types and brands of oil </span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">driving in an uncontrolled field environment without clarifying them</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">(two different service intervals, one using a K&N filter and the other an after market single use paper filter that reputed to be of better quality, pleats and fabric, than your normal replaceable filter. </span></li></ul></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">That introduced too many variables to be linked to a single product, the K&N air filter or conversely a replaceable paper filter.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">So I took the time to write this from a single service cycle experience with my K&N air filter and our motorcycle. So the service cycle was 8764 kms. When the air filter was removed the exposed side had bugs, fluff and a dark brown 'dust' colored appearance on the tops and down the sides of each exposed pleat. The unfiltered air side of the top housing on both the exterior and interior were dusty as you would expect.<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifUUlqLPgtd7VvXSWbPawJkGkjEFBZpKFHCDp-nuuPWfBEXp45WjWBYBSUXUBZ5QQGgJS2tmwDLv8NZ04v9kzSRPvZZfj6JGiZ3crBLmChML5ZygloYbOoGIxXHyLFkBR1io7DIfS3-blmYBLAefa6KTwOdIYAJ4Tv7Io8XSHpGGfR1JqxjcQTQ94-1z0N/s4608/IMG_5787.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="4608" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifUUlqLPgtd7VvXSWbPawJkGkjEFBZpKFHCDp-nuuPWfBEXp45WjWBYBSUXUBZ5QQGgJS2tmwDLv8NZ04v9kzSRPvZZfj6JGiZ3crBLmChML5ZygloYbOoGIxXHyLFkBR1io7DIfS3-blmYBLAefa6KTwOdIYAJ4Tv7Io8XSHpGGfR1JqxjcQTQ94-1z0N/s320/IMG_5787.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Exterior of the Air box top showing dust</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7bnaYqXlpzn9aa9zLjOmvHfDTvQL6j3E2LgO8yiBqxke7_3Vz070DB211jtVEaLZqIujAG1DwKubXzEmv4rUhgAO-XM0VDd54QGfVImiCQcSr8hQG4yx4sV-80Q0Z5Sr4A-tc2rUP5TIJpkO2IGJ1vGxtPMPu3QBYukjMH5dbQZvVxdvtCA537wnHAnBv/s4608/IMG_5788.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="4608" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7bnaYqXlpzn9aa9zLjOmvHfDTvQL6j3E2LgO8yiBqxke7_3Vz070DB211jtVEaLZqIujAG1DwKubXzEmv4rUhgAO-XM0VDd54QGfVImiCQcSr8hQG4yx4sV-80Q0Z5Sr4A-tc2rUP5TIJpkO2IGJ1vGxtPMPu3QBYukjMH5dbQZvVxdvtCA537wnHAnBv/s320/IMG_5788.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Interior of the air box top on the under side<br /> above the filter element</td></tr></tbody></table><br /></div><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">But when I lifted the filter out to do the service work this is exactly what I saw. The two fuel injection throats and secondary butterflies were perfectly clean as was the whole of the internal casing. No trace of dust existed inside.<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmPX17phmPFAyzF2ogrm7zkhuXqvw5mRH6QvO5NTDv7lRbyKs2XHhooqYg1KKD0BG7PjxDgOljl35TqjHlXw9iayGbeo0AFb1lfiILodd24MOqUUz-iP_lg63C-vPXjIAYM0JBNwPiiflMm88riU8Subm393WHjDntNwkGKAahBqfzPpOYf0uG1Qh6tlTN/s4608/IMG_5786.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="4608" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmPX17phmPFAyzF2ogrm7zkhuXqvw5mRH6QvO5NTDv7lRbyKs2XHhooqYg1KKD0BG7PjxDgOljl35TqjHlXw9iayGbeo0AFb1lfiILodd24MOqUUz-iP_lg63C-vPXjIAYM0JBNwPiiflMm88riU8Subm393WHjDntNwkGKAahBqfzPpOYf0uG1Qh6tlTN/s320/IMG_5786.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Untouched when K&N filter removed<br />perfectly clean</td></tr></tbody></table><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">So this example shows that no perceptible airborne particulate dust penetrated the filter element material. I'll let that be a testament to the performance of the product and the ease of correctly servicing the filter by an owner. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><br /></div>The Smith's V Strom Adventureshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12791666275519971736noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5068012995541282190.post-53019461350303972242022-07-13T09:02:00.003-07:002024-03-23T12:55:22.432-07:00The Tour De France Getting there and the Experience<h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Events and Links- Route De Grand Alps and the TDF Updated July 20</span></h3><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiSjsuWO7jbMcQUOLbwvWsHLxfS-8PxY2--XAtZEz7Bv0_a45LPYo_OqF6VBqkV6CUqdIDNlVZ6pVYYodrwsQHMzy0iI_0cSCPs_-Md_T9ZxIONulpq5Bh1z0ELKIUPD_-6gQTdQsKPXXgi7KLCitXt_zn962MwdEILbYTzyLkgSCNNVUGpdNdjm4TYcCS-" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1254" data-original-width="1672" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiSjsuWO7jbMcQUOLbwvWsHLxfS-8PxY2--XAtZEz7Bv0_a45LPYo_OqF6VBqkV6CUqdIDNlVZ6pVYYodrwsQHMzy0iI_0cSCPs_-Md_T9ZxIONulpq5Bh1z0ELKIUPD_-6gQTdQsKPXXgi7KLCitXt_zn962MwdEILbYTzyLkgSCNNVUGpdNdjm4TYcCS-=w640-h480" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Dancing Script; font-size: large;">Peleton just before the start</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivwX7zzeC9ZzzFRuw3oD7pskPU2_ARd41JOYrAliis-9ZfH310eEfAMJDGPgwxJNkK_VbqZai0fian9T7DDR7bbOvL_OhWE5a_xXcBzbXbHllSfsSuSaoFfxdrMAjmgzZLsplgPhVlkKrMR5ecfJktNg4GwlYTWn2RZta8qxaJMKN6fXwotA-jsR_cvw/s1672/TDF%20Krys%20big%20guy.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1254" data-original-width="1672" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivwX7zzeC9ZzzFRuw3oD7pskPU2_ARd41JOYrAliis-9ZfH310eEfAMJDGPgwxJNkK_VbqZai0fian9T7DDR7bbOvL_OhWE5a_xXcBzbXbHllSfsSuSaoFfxdrMAjmgzZLsplgPhVlkKrMR5ecfJktNg4GwlYTWn2RZta8qxaJMKN6fXwotA-jsR_cvw/w400-h300/TDF%20Krys%20big%20guy.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Dancing Script; font-size: large;">KRY'S BIG GUY at 0730 riding strong</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">Sandra and I since we started our motorcycle travels have always stitched together events and World Heritage Sites (WHS) with super scenic motorcycle or sports car routes to get from one event to another. Some of the most important maps we have used are a series from ADAC in Germany and they are the Route des Grandes Alpes (RDGA) series.</span></div><p><span style="font-family: arial;">So as we quickly planned this 50th anniversary trip, Aostatal and Rhone-Alpen were the two maps to understand how the Tour De France (TDF) was leveraging these spectacular routes in their stages. The Schweiz series was used for the 1st part of our trip from Lindau, thru Chur to Splugen and beyond. You can search if you like our blog posts for other great rides. Here's a grouping we did in 2011. Go <a href="https://vstromadventures.blogspot.com/2011/09/routes-of-grande-alpes.html">here</a>.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">On leaving Levanto we hit the autostrada A12 to Genoa and then NW on A7, and A21 to get us back into the scenic Italian and French Alps. We exited near Susa on SS25 and headed over Frances' Col du Mt. Cenis and immediately we were struck by the beauty of this incredible road and plenty of motorcycles plying their way in either direction. It was hot at 35C so the waterfalls were plentiful. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">On the French side of the Alps we then headed to Modane on a route we had previously done but in the other direction in 2011. The scenery just kept feeding us 'Oh wow" moments as we saw cliff jumping para gliders take off from stunning peaks. As we neared the Lacets we began recording the TDF route closure times as we strategized how to see the most we could see of Stage 11 on Wed. July 13th. https://youtu.be/Vf9znx-N990</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqEQRyQsEW_vGJdm9U2S9tiN_nK11L_p9JMluSipUb07sucBEAS2DqUFvLUpY5aevUzxTCS2HEmEKwHGyNRRbGm-G2N3ANdM2iGotPT6snWtePj5BcUROBOcVD3mmd5DbTrjgbhiNfhhICCgN_sTT1zkJnpbJQOujKpKuoXLFg0gEz_5dEAnQZIHF3zw/s625/TDF%20initial%20supprt.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="625" data-original-width="469" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqEQRyQsEW_vGJdm9U2S9tiN_nK11L_p9JMluSipUb07sucBEAS2DqUFvLUpY5aevUzxTCS2HEmEKwHGyNRRbGm-G2N3ANdM2iGotPT6snWtePj5BcUROBOcVD3mmd5DbTrjgbhiNfhhICCgN_sTT1zkJnpbJQOujKpKuoXLFg0gEz_5dEAnQZIHF3zw/w150-h200/TDF%20initial%20supprt.jpg" width="150" /></a></div><span style="font-family: arial;">When we arrived at our Ibis Hotel in Chambery for the evening we were met with TDF support team vehicles in the parking lot and this morning we took the opportunity to have a 6 am breakfast with many of those same support teams as they headed to start the stage.<br /></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">We headed first to Albertville by back tracking on what we had researched would be the start route, from a little village called Aiton on D925, just off D1006. I spotted what ultimately would be our set-up location, a small farmers trail on an outside corner on 925, but first we wanted to see what the Stage 11 set-up location</span></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoI1j5CAo8rwHzf6deG_AVRzFtNnrxFUY7pgBeisDLg38JLWniEqsUiIIxqkQ1J_EQRAPTCxsAtHyCqS3Qf3FH9Og_4BR8O-q_yc70ZHfeuJboK7BGVifLuBxkUPZc-_z0I04KHvDdtd7BOoZZMlD-S4PFHsiOgMreyPpr17NJw_JhlUdhAvsO2E-Evw/s1672/TDF%20paddock.JPG" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1254" data-original-width="1672" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoI1j5CAo8rwHzf6deG_AVRzFtNnrxFUY7pgBeisDLg38JLWniEqsUiIIxqkQ1J_EQRAPTCxsAtHyCqS3Qf3FH9Og_4BR8O-q_yc70ZHfeuJboK7BGVifLuBxkUPZc-_z0I04KHvDdtd7BOoZZMlD-S4PFHsiOgMreyPpr17NJw_JhlUdhAvsO2E-Evw/s320/TDF%20paddock.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Dancing Script; font-size: large;">Paddock</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /> would look like. We arrived there by 0730, and actually drove into the paddock for the teams before being asked to leave. Yeah it was still early!</span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">We walked back into the staging area and took pictures of the Albertville Olympic plaza erected for the '92 Olympics</span></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_2t1pSKWvgN9_FNIZH4sGrcNdyO-upTCp_1ZpVjLLHcGG6y7CBJKsf4QPDwiB5JRURAphuBjpSIC0llnzOyLiTov2qXXC1AbutPl_l49Xscei4207PKp2a4HjbBMBseuGI-6GRlqI3FZUqa4c_80qsfYsdlgBL7EQnRsnvRFto1PGEz0-joGK2_OW_g/s1672/TDF%20oly%20jersey%20w%20military.JPG" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1254" data-original-width="1672" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_2t1pSKWvgN9_FNIZH4sGrcNdyO-upTCp_1ZpVjLLHcGG6y7CBJKsf4QPDwiB5JRURAphuBjpSIC0llnzOyLiTov2qXXC1AbutPl_l49Xscei4207PKp2a4HjbBMBseuGI-6GRlqI3FZUqa4c_80qsfYsdlgBL7EQnRsnvRFto1PGEz0-joGK2_OW_g/s320/TDF%20oly%20jersey%20w%20military.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Dancing Script; font-size: large;">Olympic Plaza</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: arial;"><br />. Side note, we had taken the kids there in '91 on the lead up to the 92 Olympics that Kurt Browning wouldn't make.</span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7KDReaOU8E-4cUOLlreYboY1JKzMhbmDmXDY7-Q0WcO-Z61i8R9z1nq_fxdwg1w5lY0PqChOck6geLB9pBK0Mk5WV8FY0X6KWMMfkFP0UUenaygDWzRVfdW6gEc-0eTc9wpFlb3BiXAdD52A8LjpkWn-tU9OBo0KCsR6dupPsfEEreDyXFnFOF8Kxgg/s1672/TDF%20ride%20marker.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1254" data-original-width="1672" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7KDReaOU8E-4cUOLlreYboY1JKzMhbmDmXDY7-Q0WcO-Z61i8R9z1nq_fxdwg1w5lY0PqChOck6geLB9pBK0Mk5WV8FY0X6KWMMfkFP0UUenaygDWzRVfdW6gEc-0eTc9wpFlb3BiXAdD52A8LjpkWn-tU9OBo0KCsR6dupPsfEEreDyXFnFOF8Kxgg/w400-h300/TDF%20ride%20marker.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Dancing Script; font-size: large;">Just a Short ride today!</span></td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCBSZThFYoJgfsXLOfuVaaedbTnkgfSLWiLJcFgr-p_heTrQQ2riCitzLxrjjYBJu_9R7CT4klDMNycilGJsO8agGgEQUzrt47Ta5mWi9J2wSpiESqGsCziiz80N5hBjFIBNuXfAiD7TcW-ZLY2FuA7J3xEfJL1FkPtn3thZrjDLB4rd5vOOcWYvQvwQ/s1672/TDF%20flag%20setup%20Sandra.JPG" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1254" data-original-width="1672" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCBSZThFYoJgfsXLOfuVaaedbTnkgfSLWiLJcFgr-p_heTrQQ2riCitzLxrjjYBJu_9R7CT4klDMNycilGJsO8agGgEQUzrt47Ta5mWi9J2wSpiESqGsCziiz80N5hBjFIBNuXfAiD7TcW-ZLY2FuA7J3xEfJL1FkPtn3thZrjDLB4rd5vOOcWYvQvwQ/s320/TDF%20flag%20setup%20Sandra.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Dancing Script; font-size: large;">Waving the Flag</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: arial;">Then we headed back to Aiton since that was where everything would start and so it did. As we waited the road closure would be important to secure and that was done at 0930.<br /><br /> </span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">About 1000 we had 4 of Frances fighter jets fly directly overhead of us. What a rush! So fast through the mountains we didn't get the chance to photo them.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">Shortly after, the race sponsors began their pass along the route throwing promotional items to the watchers. We made a great haul!</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl85HhxocpviooDtx21eNmjffDxnzNQ6sJMeF23jw2n7ftUpkrCE0nri_KepAmP6kaIxX7WHWLCjjZmHldwwy60T0lHHpNMgcPdpUgYb-dT7GEK1DvvPGSAuymDZrbTrmqB-Tn8kYJ6FxNuGcW1BZwHdCUV0kQfHm5pRrm4lvifjaaLSvdlohCLbRlLQ/s1672/TDF%20graft.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1254" data-original-width="1672" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl85HhxocpviooDtx21eNmjffDxnzNQ6sJMeF23jw2n7ftUpkrCE0nri_KepAmP6kaIxX7WHWLCjjZmHldwwy60T0lHHpNMgcPdpUgYb-dT7GEK1DvvPGSAuymDZrbTrmqB-Tn8kYJ6FxNuGcW1BZwHdCUV0kQfHm5pRrm4lvifjaaLSvdlohCLbRlLQ/w200-h150/TDF%20graft.JPG" width="200" /></a></div><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">Then the support teams passed along the route to take up positions</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8VKVh53mmtLsMHZ1LL2SM6rA7mkwXXpUnzptpjpXoOBbqvkM6jT6xKHefeSVtNbmtzmC3OWYKNfWkERA3OJoNyLc4IKWZmgPMx5jD3WjzjblYPF8Wt9jZCqLQVisWyE6TL4HOxFwF_r9hRxdt8G4zqd-o8ZX8pP-xFQM2giSoIlOMk6-BKwDGKlb2VA/s1672/TDF%20support%20team%20audi.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1254" data-original-width="1672" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8VKVh53mmtLsMHZ1LL2SM6rA7mkwXXpUnzptpjpXoOBbqvkM6jT6xKHefeSVtNbmtzmC3OWYKNfWkERA3OJoNyLc4IKWZmgPMx5jD3WjzjblYPF8Wt9jZCqLQVisWyE6TL4HOxFwF_r9hRxdt8G4zqd-o8ZX8pP-xFQM2giSoIlOMk6-BKwDGKlb2VA/w400-h300/TDF%20support%20team%20audi.JPG" width="400" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /> and finally, shortly after 1200 hrs the Peleton arrived for the start.<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwsCgj5Wpw2CTyXNa0HEPgj_q-hOXcS_zJL2c70z6xH--O-1j16q_xLoCtu6La31nu5hELNNGmy9Zj9-FqRGirH0LkiJRTAdkebz294xP36Yr6togtPHUM5OsLkcm7iO0WszO7HkLENOJMpmZ8od1mo2tBq3hiXVB2nkBtZCeS6dR-DyD5wZhp6XVMLg/s1672/TDF%20wave%20of%20peleton.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1254" data-original-width="1672" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwsCgj5Wpw2CTyXNa0HEPgj_q-hOXcS_zJL2c70z6xH--O-1j16q_xLoCtu6La31nu5hELNNGmy9Zj9-FqRGirH0LkiJRTAdkebz294xP36Yr6togtPHUM5OsLkcm7iO0WszO7HkLENOJMpmZ8od1mo2tBq3hiXVB2nkBtZCeS6dR-DyD5wZhp6XVMLg/w640-h480/TDF%20wave%20of%20peleton.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Dancing Script; font-size: large;">The Stage 11 Peleton pre-start</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /> What's so impressive about their arrival is that they are virtually intact with all of the teams and riders in close quarters. You experience the air being pushed towards you and past you as they speed by at about 40 kph.</span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">We were so delighted to have planned and experienced as much as we did see this time. It will last in our memories forever. So these last three days couldn't have been more perfect, with riding the Cinque Terre to driving the Alps and now getting to see the TDF again.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">ANd here is the <a href="https://youtu.be/78DcSvhF1W0">link to the highlights</a> from Stage 11.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">And tomorrow another part of the RDGA's awaits.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p>The Smith's V Strom Adventureshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12791666275519971736noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5068012995541282190.post-45741200344517204512022-07-11T06:05:00.006-07:002024-03-23T15:38:05.906-07:00Riding the Cinque Terre<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1wo3A630emApz2MeChQTBdEj4Tg4zTAVNVu4P1EHxOlRdthWxgxQUtluT50u9e5tcrbbF292leaV_-dxCOlQWqCkIZFPJyZC_Amy13Xg6QON_Oqx-Y6aWFdHk7z82TbAfz7G2-zuZhRuAXJTdtx1K7e4oZSJ2lpOkNBYpbCBT4RN5cGQfISGg83vDvA/s4032/Corniglia.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1wo3A630emApz2MeChQTBdEj4Tg4zTAVNVu4P1EHxOlRdthWxgxQUtluT50u9e5tcrbbF292leaV_-dxCOlQWqCkIZFPJyZC_Amy13Xg6QON_Oqx-Y6aWFdHk7z82TbAfz7G2-zuZhRuAXJTdtx1K7e4oZSJ2lpOkNBYpbCBT4RN5cGQfISGg83vDvA/w640-h480/Corniglia.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Corniglia<br /><br /></b></span></td></tr></tbody></table><p> <span style="font-family: arial;">Our hosts in Levanto after learning of our experience riding our Vstrom mentioned that they had one as well. Also a 1000 but of the 2nd generation. When I asked to see it, Corrado did one better, he offered to let me take it for a ride. </span></p><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">Bad mistake! He may never get it back while I'm in Italy. </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJXYWoTUZDqlfmUZ9gYKN6ZRKNPXkWo8oKzoZs2clMqAfq77nbaLrZtdOivszUhQTy7gjRcscLrxXlOQ069VSh9KlhwmCN0lY07rJgBfOQ_7L-oW8KRZw4jr8NiGsPcRTELYjcBJIMFAv_P5WHBEO5u5zOvRfGDixh3JVdlBPouTnNJWoxLJBStDBC1Q/s4032/vstrom%20over%20levanto.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJXYWoTUZDqlfmUZ9gYKN6ZRKNPXkWo8oKzoZs2clMqAfq77nbaLrZtdOivszUhQTy7gjRcscLrxXlOQ069VSh9KlhwmCN0lY07rJgBfOQ_7L-oW8KRZw4jr8NiGsPcRTELYjcBJIMFAv_P5WHBEO5u5zOvRfGDixh3JVdlBPouTnNJWoxLJBStDBC1Q/w400-h300/vstrom%20over%20levanto.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc0qpB8H4kwfCHtVGy-qtNCLqtzUSrBfpPSK7RbphvcQ5uhGP1hrxIoHYN8XzbF4jI6ypiCKLCZUElYAxgumdUR4YvZGD3VatjukUNfyU_VaIs4hTAD-lnegQF8zH682BW2UfBuBo9Hya1EXIQyKJL67cZwHLaE9YlSefU0K3yBETU5B0iYGuBd5t8nQ/s3264/me%20vstrom%20over%20levanto.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2448" data-original-width="3264" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc0qpB8H4kwfCHtVGy-qtNCLqtzUSrBfpPSK7RbphvcQ5uhGP1hrxIoHYN8XzbF4jI6ypiCKLCZUElYAxgumdUR4YvZGD3VatjukUNfyU_VaIs4hTAD-lnegQF8zH682BW2UfBuBo9Hya1EXIQyKJL67cZwHLaE9YlSefU0K3yBETU5B0iYGuBd5t8nQ/w200-h150/me%20vstrom%20over%20levanto.jpg" width="200" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">First I took it for a short ride and when I came back Sara suggested I needed to ride a bit more. So I suggested I'd see if Sandra felt comfortable without our normal riding gear on and we arranged to take it the next day.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">Well Sandra agreed and at first was a bit hesitant but got into perfect riding form in no time flat. She's quite proud of it and said to me "See I've still got it!". Yes you do dear, yes you do!</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">We headed out on the Strada Nationale Cinque Terre (SP370) from Levanto. Traffic was light on this narrow mountain road and the panoramic scenery amazing. I had forgotten how beautiful it was. Then where in a previous ride years before we stayed to the left and went inland, we stayed right towards Vernazza and Manarola onward to La Spezia. The scenery got even better from a panorama standpoint.<br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">What stood out so much were the tiered mountain sides for grapes. And then Corniglia popped out into the ocean. As one of the 5 towns it is the only one not directly on the water.</span></p><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjP9eAQEF8jwoCsCl8_Fzm9yek0wK0jWiLTGPLa7UDVALaUCaWbE864lxXfNAfw41NxIv19m32Bc0SruLIQ3PEU1No0pd6PgAd9U7acbdslf0r_i1eugU-y3AvukUvEtfja4Rj80D6TXPNHKTe5ztpYlu-rFRQEdvtOtAkT255_LL_Y25laL1Rm53yTaQ/s3264/us%20and%20corniglia.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2448" data-original-width="3264" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjP9eAQEF8jwoCsCl8_Fzm9yek0wK0jWiLTGPLa7UDVALaUCaWbE864lxXfNAfw41NxIv19m32Bc0SruLIQ3PEU1No0pd6PgAd9U7acbdslf0r_i1eugU-y3AvukUvEtfja4Rj80D6TXPNHKTe5ztpYlu-rFRQEdvtOtAkT255_LL_Y25laL1Rm53yTaQ/s320/us%20and%20corniglia.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Us on other side of Corniglia</b></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: arial;"><br />We continued south passing over Manarola <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6jj7LBJrmidUn-WPyrY_Pn4yVGjeMC5MFzE9l8pz0K4n6s3vtr5vJTHFN0_0f9McwXUnDGnMSNOGcOYm12n-86Jsq6niUdAVvzWMYwhQFUZDnUweoF9my6Z_QwLOxCdZFqsu9yDiNKYLN_dzLCquqXBE5uJu4pBKdxqeXGQm6pBM0qVGxufFGrLcXfg/s4032/manorola%20grape%20rancher.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6jj7LBJrmidUn-WPyrY_Pn4yVGjeMC5MFzE9l8pz0K4n6s3vtr5vJTHFN0_0f9McwXUnDGnMSNOGcOYm12n-86Jsq6niUdAVvzWMYwhQFUZDnUweoF9my6Z_QwLOxCdZFqsu9yDiNKYLN_dzLCquqXBE5uJu4pBKdxqeXGQm6pBM0qVGxufFGrLcXfg/s320/manorola%20grape%20rancher.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mechanical grape rancher on track (Manorola)</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /><br /><br /></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p><p></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgL1XZxShsoIMwn_hs-nbW6EoQigi58HATxXaJlaCv1bdEHcBCmB-WZ3AGTJETZTzyp9H5BK7yb7I_YDRF1NrK9ik2WSS7tIVaLF6ZiNHj7x3UlNoHpPRtzpcxmLLSuwwT9aq_K79Jd0j-zBO6eRE7dD1-ye8MI28R2T-4OnPHt6B-T-9x_ucl2_h-S5g/s4032/grape%20rancher.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgL1XZxShsoIMwn_hs-nbW6EoQigi58HATxXaJlaCv1bdEHcBCmB-WZ3AGTJETZTzyp9H5BK7yb7I_YDRF1NrK9ik2WSS7tIVaLF6ZiNHj7x3UlNoHpPRtzpcxmLLSuwwT9aq_K79Jd0j-zBO6eRE7dD1-ye8MI28R2T-4OnPHt6B-T-9x_ucl2_h-S5g/s320/grape%20rancher.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Grape Rancher</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">and Rio Maggorie and then arriving in La Spezia where we headed out to Porto Venere,</span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVfoywwlHFZOCue56v5vz0U08tsog8lLtPYpFJDZx_5_6MmXK6ViRLuP2-_YCR8Er8gJbjAt5zekqfvabGZGz5ArWeZCMgyjjHmq7Bz1b6HoBAYjSp451cUSRdfKhzU1EjFO0RkGpy0TylJsXqY64YS3TYTfAC6de10uxu1wBWwHO_GN_eJm3sryyiwg/s4032/porto%20ven.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVfoywwlHFZOCue56v5vz0U08tsog8lLtPYpFJDZx_5_6MmXK6ViRLuP2-_YCR8Er8gJbjAt5zekqfvabGZGz5ArWeZCMgyjjHmq7Bz1b6HoBAYjSp451cUSRdfKhzU1EjFO0RkGpy0TylJsXqY64YS3TYTfAC6de10uxu1wBWwHO_GN_eJm3sryyiwg/w400-h300/porto%20ven.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Porto Venere</td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /> a WHO site for it's ancient castle. It is a HUGE tourist attraction as well and a Cruise Ship stop. </span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">The beaches are well used there as well.</span></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxS_iijUm4DWGYea3FfNYemzXpXs6iks1lKFEPzP1sRXCXVeIBaAC2WtvdjPQNqVwxwZAgzM9iWYxYgPlRRQW3mz4Mu8pnp9AukTh6aUQJiUZtxuFmXmgRVlWK7Rl-q7-hMRa65yNxKQuvLJwTm3HrcSWCwJvWQhsOP0NUSKgI-cnOQ7t5b6mvmrHaFA/s4032/porto%20ven2%20black%20sailbt.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxS_iijUm4DWGYea3FfNYemzXpXs6iks1lKFEPzP1sRXCXVeIBaAC2WtvdjPQNqVwxwZAgzM9iWYxYgPlRRQW3mz4Mu8pnp9AukTh6aUQJiUZtxuFmXmgRVlWK7Rl-q7-hMRa65yNxKQuvLJwTm3HrcSWCwJvWQhsOP0NUSKgI-cnOQ7t5b6mvmrHaFA/s320/porto%20ven2%20black%20sailbt.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Black Sailboat</b></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><br /><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhL89jHLYSEFN40Zg6vGWGYPfaCx0RUZJ328txW4ufJGH431j07lGS6w5WiURZijH1Y4x9dsjnBNWrAit6oEJVxCxyX8iLxRZIZf1GRJp_fYDTzvD8O8_mWCy0Xap3xFjU-7iq8BEtrANSgPhM_uzZ0EClxvzyy8YCQ6HZtwbMQ0VSqeBZeAsFlBzkqw/s4032/porto%20ven%20beach.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhL89jHLYSEFN40Zg6vGWGYPfaCx0RUZJ328txW4ufJGH431j07lGS6w5WiURZijH1Y4x9dsjnBNWrAit6oEJVxCxyX8iLxRZIZf1GRJp_fYDTzvD8O8_mWCy0Xap3xFjU-7iq8BEtrANSgPhM_uzZ0EClxvzyy8YCQ6HZtwbMQ0VSqeBZeAsFlBzkqw/s320/porto%20ven%20beach.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Busy Beach</b></span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghfp3OfW2wFE4CvjxIlbZw6EFcW4w8PFDVEp356GRcNaStNanPC9ivI7Owu1gn373VHLLFbt4iy71HZKKmFopV2VNA55is4iwE_xDje8YEXEWWD1riOr8-nnQKJu7rOeQDd37geJPqmk-gMk9l1r_EGWPnbqDYiQHhsZcMy2bzodF6OvjDvo7nSjtvHQ/s4032/laspezia%20cruise.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghfp3OfW2wFE4CvjxIlbZw6EFcW4w8PFDVEp356GRcNaStNanPC9ivI7Owu1gn373VHLLFbt4iy71HZKKmFopV2VNA55is4iwE_xDje8YEXEWWD1riOr8-nnQKJu7rOeQDd37geJPqmk-gMk9l1r_EGWPnbqDYiQHhsZcMy2bzodF6OvjDvo7nSjtvHQ/w400-h300/laspezia%20cruise.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>La Spezia Cruise Ship Stop</b></span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3fRTA6U8ZFrFSE4m4QboBod--rMu-Kz1_nsTzpz7G5nxhk172malc38EGosLdMgdlw4Jzo4P3sGBExS1Bmj23aMjz55BYXNTPCc4mFNG85VdCyZQglcc_bUfggSRyt6oqMlAfMB71WbzwqtNJi2YXi4Umze6FIf-LjaxCfiGB0AouKY55ojTwSVz9Eg/s4032/vstrom%20cinque%20terre.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3fRTA6U8ZFrFSE4m4QboBod--rMu-Kz1_nsTzpz7G5nxhk172malc38EGosLdMgdlw4Jzo4P3sGBExS1Bmj23aMjz55BYXNTPCc4mFNG85VdCyZQglcc_bUfggSRyt6oqMlAfMB71WbzwqtNJi2YXi4Umze6FIf-LjaxCfiGB0AouKY55ojTwSVz9Eg/s320/vstrom%20cinque%20terre.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>See, I still have GOT IT!</b></span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">After numerous stops for pictures and sight seeing we headed back to Levanto with our appetite whetted for more motorcycle travel. Next time hopefully on our own, again!</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br />The Smith's V Strom Adventureshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12791666275519971736noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5068012995541282190.post-10800866604864508482022-07-04T09:27:00.006-07:002022-07-05T06:43:11.364-07:00Is Sardegna really in Italy?<p><span style="font-family: arial;">As we left Mennagio for Genoa you follow Lake Como on the west side on SS340. It is the slower side of the lake with the highway running through all the small villages. So as modern day transport trucks try moving building products to locations they encounter many 18th century roads and turns. Beautiful from a sightseeing standpoint, not so much otherwise. We'd chosen this route since we had a day to drive the 250 kms to Genoa, and the alternative is the Autostrada which runs through Milan. Avoiding Milan was high on our list as well. So taking the back highways allowed us to do both until a section close to Genoa where a landslide that happened in February was being repaired the Italian way. Which means block the road and 1 man works on it until it's done or retirement. Neither happened during our time there.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">We had our challenges on arrival at the Port which we've been to many times before, but eventually arrived and boarded our GNV ferry. </span></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguII5uXC7HXzipGbc0_BD1aktGPZ9Jokp404QTtnTTPhgVX-POBDNWok5IiCH-h1qixfq0whEcJuKKGRVf5xHg4BOSDOe8nNhmWifjpQvGmLSPUC2dWFZV-ZE-BDaFh1bL5Y6JKDSVS2X9HVCnYZZNLyLwgPQP_CAsSv52ftxlmITNMncz3nco3o3N1w/s4032/Genoa%20dock.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguII5uXC7HXzipGbc0_BD1aktGPZ9Jokp404QTtnTTPhgVX-POBDNWok5IiCH-h1qixfq0whEcJuKKGRVf5xHg4BOSDOe8nNhmWifjpQvGmLSPUC2dWFZV-ZE-BDaFh1bL5Y6JKDSVS2X9HVCnYZZNLyLwgPQP_CAsSv52ftxlmITNMncz3nco3o3N1w/s320/Genoa%20dock.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Genoa Dock on leaving</b></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /><br /></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">Apparently the Italian's are having the same staffing issues as us, so our 13 1/2 hr. trip, plus nearly 2 hrs to load and 1.5 hrs to unload to could be tacked together. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">We were greeted by Ingo and Patricia in Porto Torres, Sardegna and drove back into Alghero</span></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVvM1A_-bmwcg6qKGAg984gVaPtlNi-zUx1XNfWTmoh90F3iJwqcHy6b7xT4bAoU0S8xs8Nymxn31Lxk7fRTe0jWvtsIq0Bqm7fxugoohpl8_AlvG88uPfAhoUSB7q_vLC5hmIWqgyENTEyUuckqZyyEVtkwN5Vbl95WMchyrUNMgLHU-xV2cq2EXaVA/s1672/ingo%20Sandra%20old%20town.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1254" data-original-width="1672" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVvM1A_-bmwcg6qKGAg984gVaPtlNi-zUx1XNfWTmoh90F3iJwqcHy6b7xT4bAoU0S8xs8Nymxn31Lxk7fRTe0jWvtsIq0Bqm7fxugoohpl8_AlvG88uPfAhoUSB7q_vLC5hmIWqgyENTEyUuckqZyyEVtkwN5Vbl95WMchyrUNMgLHU-xV2cq2EXaVA/s320/ingo%20Sandra%20old%20town.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Touring Old Town</b></span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><p></p><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /> where we enjoyed a Cappuccino and pastry<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuR-yRb0FJaTQ-cLa-K_SBvL31DTOQspDyi1xhPDg-iLKLNb87s__PJLKwVRIazUFVgHoTyT_aAFN0lIiGgQLvsUKiB11yTqTgbPc0DEY622r3-uDwokqSBV6EE7Dmk4Da0GFquARo8p-rJV9_0jgPTt1J4FgagA6cZqC7uLpGSh5eU9bIZgrx9_zI-A/s1672/alghero%20capucino.JPG" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1254" data-original-width="1672" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuR-yRb0FJaTQ-cLa-K_SBvL31DTOQspDyi1xhPDg-iLKLNb87s__PJLKwVRIazUFVgHoTyT_aAFN0lIiGgQLvsUKiB11yTqTgbPc0DEY622r3-uDwokqSBV6EE7Dmk4Da0GFquARo8p-rJV9_0jgPTt1J4FgagA6cZqC7uLpGSh5eU9bIZgrx9_zI-A/s320/alghero%20capucino.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Cappuccino on the dock Old Town</b></td></tr></tbody></table><br /> and caught up for awhile before heading to their 'new' home. If you've ever watched House Hunters International, they are living that theme right now. They've bought a beautiful small acreage 4 kms outside Alghero, a Spanish settlement for centuries before becoming part of Italy. The previous owner had built two homes on it and a grove of olive trees, and fruit trees as well. </span><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">Now, it will be time for Patricia to mold the future of the place which has 'good bones' to start with. It was such a privilege for us to have them invite us their first guests.</span><p></p><p></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7w87QpWFTB8uYP3adw5-oCMc3ctyGJhqh2vvQfuBHDLGpllQrdPSwYzOyggi-fIo8W5klSiUNpndU0Q3GEdt2DK-N9EWz78lW-6dnZ1_lqkv-VHB42aJryzzcptJaYKOz4L4jk8PWpOIA-ueNLtxucI5WJvDU4AHox6jcH_u9CUV2f7E9_m9EcKcVuw/s1672/acreage%20scene.JPG" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1254" data-original-width="1672" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7w87QpWFTB8uYP3adw5-oCMc3ctyGJhqh2vvQfuBHDLGpllQrdPSwYzOyggi-fIo8W5klSiUNpndU0Q3GEdt2DK-N9EWz78lW-6dnZ1_lqkv-VHB42aJryzzcptJaYKOz4L4jk8PWpOIA-ueNLtxucI5WJvDU4AHox6jcH_u9CUV2f7E9_m9EcKcVuw/w400-h300/acreage%20scene.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: arial;">View across the valley from our dining table<br /><br /></span></b></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: arial;">The setting and view is beautiful <br />and with the weather in the mid-30's each day and evenings cooling to 22-23C we were able to eat all our meals together at a large table with the view as a backdrop. And when the night sky appeared we were able to watch not only the stars come out but watch multiple satellites pass overhead each night.</span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">With Ingo still doing engineering work the next day Sandra and I took the time to head out to Capo Caccia,</span></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEbhlBVCaCaKthSccUeXlCHdWWSwMEwV7DgSFLCDlU0o7pk86VcIU1BaUkpp6Ori67y_5GXmiZJZRROTflc63suaiPdhLRBnEQglxJ9Yg7_luPiC_jyJxdTmPy9kd0RvdGMyQA9GVoWG4wgtMb_NeZqweXwXlLh-Eh_8den9ga5Ubg6Gp7yZJ5YW7MXQ/s758/capo%20coccia1.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="568" data-original-width="758" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEbhlBVCaCaKthSccUeXlCHdWWSwMEwV7DgSFLCDlU0o7pk86VcIU1BaUkpp6Ori67y_5GXmiZJZRROTflc63suaiPdhLRBnEQglxJ9Yg7_luPiC_jyJxdTmPy9kd0RvdGMyQA9GVoWG4wgtMb_NeZqweXwXlLh-Eh_8den9ga5Ubg6Gp7yZJ5YW7MXQ/s320/capo%20coccia1.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Capo Caccia Spectacular Views<br /></b></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /> a point some 20 kms out that encompasses 2 more bays besides the one Alghero is in. As part of the Spanish occupation of the island, they had built a series of Towers to warn the Fortress in Alghero of attacks. So in the mid-30's heat we visited one as well as a Neghera dating back to 1500-500 BC. <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAafovMCw82V39s35oi8N9-VTLvTEMV_UnrKKfs_tqaC4N5pAauteSYmmR3iIVuXbUjCDdrWCbMFyDm2Opm20q6QvL0tB6bJi8thyErPtRTznpaXtZqO1fB5JsmK8VhabzPWcYR9qzicPxzXLYpMsBj_ENLy38U1m7RFbr4cUD25BwfG5MKz2gPF3PDw/s758/nurga.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="568" data-original-width="758" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAafovMCw82V39s35oi8N9-VTLvTEMV_UnrKKfs_tqaC4N5pAauteSYmmR3iIVuXbUjCDdrWCbMFyDm2Opm20q6QvL0tB6bJi8thyErPtRTznpaXtZqO1fB5JsmK8VhabzPWcYR9qzicPxzXLYpMsBj_ENLy38U1m7RFbr4cUD25BwfG5MKz2gPF3PDw/s320/nurga.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Neghera 1500-500 BC</b></td></tr></tbody></table><br /></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4w5xUyXoKjHLbKRDjVJ6G70X03gXTXcuw4CUvQhfW4tIIyZ3FDp1P-3uXUJX-JqtZc8iTtRrjM4f-MxaCxk_hmeo-WtJcWIZjKaVdZexN0z90mVfQfxWeUFZY_hISyeZHNmSr0FtW5a-ltw9RYVsBvw0EHq5yHThCRGGPdKaxBMt6u7Qsll7iVc3_5w/s758/capo%20caccia2.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="568" data-original-width="758" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4w5xUyXoKjHLbKRDjVJ6G70X03gXTXcuw4CUvQhfW4tIIyZ3FDp1P-3uXUJX-JqtZc8iTtRrjM4f-MxaCxk_hmeo-WtJcWIZjKaVdZexN0z90mVfQfxWeUFZY_hISyeZHNmSr0FtW5a-ltw9RYVsBvw0EHq5yHThCRGGPdKaxBMt6u7Qsll7iVc3_5w/s320/capo%20caccia2.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Capo Caccia Rock Islet</b></span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyybm_xlB9DrGKnukg97GnOD8wlvANAkHpGDL3Wi_wKxS5_4xHm7YdIlC3ILW7f4OftlEkpXhKrLUljmMcctn4vQi3U0XsWgrhVm5R5-aCOur2NkpSjbyBV-t4slKj13Uxdsa9kXwYO31a07OtNI3MtrLk3uuP4Ibf0Mwowb1nnpRgNoFbx1G_wTo7iQ/s4032/capo3.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyybm_xlB9DrGKnukg97GnOD8wlvANAkHpGDL3Wi_wKxS5_4xHm7YdIlC3ILW7f4OftlEkpXhKrLUljmMcctn4vQi3U0XsWgrhVm5R5-aCOur2NkpSjbyBV-t4slKj13Uxdsa9kXwYO31a07OtNI3MtrLk3uuP4Ibf0Mwowb1nnpRgNoFbx1G_wTo7iQ/s320/capo3.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>The Bays, the little one was the beach we swam from.</b></span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj96lJRl-DGoUX0dSI-mH-Q8rl1TsD_VGpb9eQfC8op4_WqPDKnOEmugWMtUf9qRzjeWAoa_iyI02D6eKi79zSLdd2T-OU93YLvybGOfsLagzzfzT_1CFDRDuUnC3cicmwiARoUvhx25cSzOv7_SDe38Xu7c29CcuyejZ5CvDWcZqfa6nnt-AfKHr7XRQ/s568/sandra_tower%20bello.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="568" data-original-width="426" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj96lJRl-DGoUX0dSI-mH-Q8rl1TsD_VGpb9eQfC8op4_WqPDKnOEmugWMtUf9qRzjeWAoa_iyI02D6eKi79zSLdd2T-OU93YLvybGOfsLagzzfzT_1CFDRDuUnC3cicmwiARoUvhx25cSzOv7_SDe38Xu7c29CcuyejZ5CvDWcZqfa6nnt-AfKHr7XRQ/s320/sandra_tower%20bello.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Tower Bello and Sandra in 34C</b></span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">But the enticing nature of the warm water and a beach attracted us and we cut short our tour to change into our bathing suits and enjoy some swimming, snorkeling and beach time before heading back. The next day Ingo and Patricia came along as tour guides and we enjoyed a trip on a 'motorcycle' perfect highway that gripped the west coast down to Bosa </span></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvVxMThwGCxq9XUuyi8KkYdikSNlmL3jHtPeD89As4sXUGfPBUFm49kdrIKgEJ2bLffARZ37EUHp4B2_metfCANy8_Exa1B_KaUN9hS3S0fZuTZz_ehvJYZp2zorTpFGZBNaa2r1mFhOAeP8_Ts26lX9MWUvXe0DKD53370GxsrzqiZw3xr3KbEgTtDA/s663/us%20in%20Bosa%20on%20Temo%20river.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="497" data-original-width="663" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvVxMThwGCxq9XUuyi8KkYdikSNlmL3jHtPeD89As4sXUGfPBUFm49kdrIKgEJ2bLffARZ37EUHp4B2_metfCANy8_Exa1B_KaUN9hS3S0fZuTZz_ehvJYZp2zorTpFGZBNaa2r1mFhOAeP8_Ts26lX9MWUvXe0DKD53370GxsrzqiZw3xr3KbEgTtDA/s320/us%20in%20Bosa%20on%20Temo%20river.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Bosa with river Temo in Background</b></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: arial;"><br />where we had lunch in the town square and later visited Monteleone inland. 35C was the hottest it got that day. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">On July 1st, Canada Day Sandra and I put up our banner and Sandra prepared a meal more in keeping with Canadian traditions. Of course drinks were had as well.</span></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQM_B3DkbJi70b2tkk9vJj4pvvYZP9H9ppshb9R6OzSsJgK6bNPSlHzqzBFE6pvx_3qM8m6zUkmhHngIQqrLcFQNgbPpaAaPGhoCOqpaZwi1Hc-oLnjXKFaE5Zd6mhX3b6-uTZeDOXQoYJmtZ5CI4I1XWxpjzOC7Ak-dASefhxVIL6JJyBv5gDaoCmbw/s757/san_ing_pat_canada.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="568" data-original-width="757" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQM_B3DkbJi70b2tkk9vJj4pvvYZP9H9ppshb9R6OzSsJgK6bNPSlHzqzBFE6pvx_3qM8m6zUkmhHngIQqrLcFQNgbPpaAaPGhoCOqpaZwi1Hc-oLnjXKFaE5Zd6mhX3b6-uTZeDOXQoYJmtZ5CI4I1XWxpjzOC7Ak-dASefhxVIL6JJyBv5gDaoCmbw/w200-h150/san_ing_pat_canada.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: red;">Happy July 1st (Canada Day)</span> </span></td></tr></tbody></table></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">Our final day was enjoying more beach time in Alghero before heading out to Olbia early in the following morning to catch the ferry to Piombino on the mainland. As we left Alghero at 4:40 am the disco's on the north end of town were just closing. definitely a party place in the summer!</span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">Such a different experience in Olbia with the ferry running exactly on time and efficient we recalled Ingo's comment that Sardinian's don't really operate like Italians. That certainly was our experience.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">And Happy Birthday to Ingo as well1</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p></div>The Smith's V Strom Adventureshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12791666275519971736noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5068012995541282190.post-54211091363412496822022-06-26T09:08:00.000-07:002022-06-26T09:08:44.884-07:00It's Fun Again!<p> </p><span id="docs-internal-guid-f31ff46d-7fff-b776-a6b6-eb02a7ca3267"><h2 dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 6pt; margin-top: 18pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">It's fun again!</span></h2><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">It’s amazing how the pandemic has been so pervasive to the psyche of people after two years. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">What woke us up to it was the desire to break our routine of the past 25 months realizing that we had burnt the last two years of our marriage in a pandemic environment and with our 50th anniversary fast approaching we wanted to do something worthy of the occasion.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">So within a few hours we hatched a viable plan to celebrate and Sandra named Levanto as the place she wanted to celebrate our 50th. Not that we were married there, or actually celebrated an anniversary right there, but we definitely have celebrated a lot of anniversaries while traveling in Europe and Asia. As a piece of trivia if you search our blogs email us with how many and where we've celebrated our anniversaries.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Working on trying to tie all of the logistics together went pretty well. But planning is one thing, actioning it another…. So here goes!</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Hearing how Air Canada and other carriers are having problems with logistics we anticipated it and booked the Maple Leaf lounge and that was well worth it. With our priority tickets we were off the plane quickly and our bags were some of the first delivered in Frankfurt. That put us through customs quickly and Heiko was there to meet us. It’s been 6 years since we last saw Heiko in person and it was great to visit and spend time together. Unfortunately jet lag forced some ‘nap’ interruptions but the pandemic downtime had Heiko develop more home cooking skills and we had a great Pesto pasta supper the 1st night and we all went to the Brahaus the 2nd night, a hot and gorgeous evening in a biergarten. Yes I know we look tired, but we are seriously jet-lagged!</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg6YiyRzPu5FK4gbiy3MkBe6n5Q_o44EAgG4cTUvAojlLMp5sZmbxiUGc-94ziQPE-cV7xTv7D6tif_6Y3oFQCeUMfHacOCcbLTNRgdpHBEHkUTpfvDxI9fp0i4tN_PHtroxZrZzs0wbJdtGZX7I5eAVaBmQjSMJv4_li571fAqoCbV4EKY6xQ23AZuw/s1280/us%20Brahaus.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="772" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg6YiyRzPu5FK4gbiy3MkBe6n5Q_o44EAgG4cTUvAojlLMp5sZmbxiUGc-94ziQPE-cV7xTv7D6tif_6Y3oFQCeUMfHacOCcbLTNRgdpHBEHkUTpfvDxI9fp0i4tN_PHtroxZrZzs0wbJdtGZX7I5eAVaBmQjSMJv4_li571fAqoCbV4EKY6xQ23AZuw/s320/us%20Brahaus.jpeg" width="193" /></a></div><br /></span><p></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Now to claim the rental car. While Rick Steve’s site has been slow with pandemic updates I focused on finding reasonably priced rental cars and wanted to ensure actually getting it since there wasn't time to ship the bike back to Europe! This trip will again determine whether do it again or not.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The best service and prices came from </span><a href="https://www.autoeurope.ca/" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">auto-europe.ca, a Canadian</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> based aggregator of car rentals with Hertz and Europ-car, their most reasonable vehicles. While I booked with Hertz, a new model Opel Astra we actually got an Opel Crossland, a small SUV vehicle that is the fruit of Opel becoming part of Peugeot. The vehicle is quite comfortable, excellent in handling mountain roads, and the fuel economy is a huge bonus. Here’s where the snobbery of Top Gear is to be discounted. The engine punches way above it’s weight and while the interiors are basic the vehicle works with huge suitcase storage, exactly what is needed. We also booked from the Frankfurt Hauptbahnhof instead of the airport for pickup, saving huge money there and paid in Canadian funds in Canada avoiding the currency surcharges on your card.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">After picking it up on time we drove the 420 kms to Lindau, DE, a beautiful tourist town on Lake Constance (Bodensee). The weather devolved into a stormy evening so our planned walk was set aside. There was a McD’s close by but I had remembered <a href="https://www.pizzeria-dapietro.com/pizzeria/index.php/unser-angebot">da Pietro</a>, a pizzeria and amazingly found my way there without directions. Simple thin crust prosciutto and mushroom pizza, with wine, and their house seasoned olive oils in a beautiful setting was amazing and really made a beautiful end to our first day on the road.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Saturday broke sunny and hot, we seemed to finally settle into the new time zones at 9 hrs. ahead of back home and the hotel we stayed at had a superb breakfast room spread. We ventured out Saturday morning before leaving to see the signature lighthouse that marks the harbor of Lindau, Germany.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPKXgApQIzQpfcK9SCWcr7s509NQmtUQrsb_Hx9X5CSrVWfDRqITkuSMWP9_N5XPDjrnLSWzjwE2aWuuwkI3f5I4GUBGtSOx6LchFsRDeVWdxEQtzSB7YLCjJYRmEAmxtNT6ZuXtaqKbsArZKxLq0z3KG-rrSkvBlO5t38-UgRaqfqacUky0F057MlNg/s4032/lindau%20litehouse.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPKXgApQIzQpfcK9SCWcr7s509NQmtUQrsb_Hx9X5CSrVWfDRqITkuSMWP9_N5XPDjrnLSWzjwE2aWuuwkI3f5I4GUBGtSOx6LchFsRDeVWdxEQtzSB7YLCjJYRmEAmxtNT6ZuXtaqKbsArZKxLq0z3KG-rrSkvBlO5t38-UgRaqfqacUky0F057MlNg/s320/lindau%20litehouse.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">We crossed immediately into Austria on the lake and then into Switzerland and stayed on the non-vignette roads, Hwy 13 and 3 getting through Chur to stopping in the </span><a href="https://vstromadventures.blogspot.com/2014/07/last-days-in-europe-for-2014.html" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Viamala canyon</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, see this link with photos from one of previous trips, to have lunch and enjoy the canyon once again as we have so many other times on motorcycle. This 1st full day made us both realize how much more the motorcycle adds to the travel day's enjoyment. Over the Splugen pass once again and onto Mennagio, so 4 countries in 1 day, where we arrive at one of our favorite hotels. The pool was busy given that it was sunny and 31C, but people gave up loungers so we could enjoy the end of a beautiful day there in the pool. As well, a cancellation allowed us to have a fabulous supper in the hotel, a 3 star family business, that we found back in 2006 on a dark and stormy night. The Merloni’s have been so kind to us over our various visits.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3gXeWZZ_ytiyT741IVXjgj_FF5L1qihmmAcRe6WcSC9lNcQprNu3H8Ha4IZY3F7SRNK1Rl3VRGWBMAHn8yXL8FaueZH1vYJMqTMF8bpadpCZyHyHahgk1KjBHbEl4Pi94b2EJKS-oREhsONxwa11UeOlOdcss1cLWc7bJA_oSjH44wpPORnyZHr_OOQ/s4032/merloni%20pool.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3gXeWZZ_ytiyT741IVXjgj_FF5L1qihmmAcRe6WcSC9lNcQprNu3H8Ha4IZY3F7SRNK1Rl3VRGWBMAHn8yXL8FaueZH1vYJMqTMF8bpadpCZyHyHahgk1KjBHbEl4Pi94b2EJKS-oREhsONxwa11UeOlOdcss1cLWc7bJA_oSjH44wpPORnyZHr_OOQ/s320/merloni%20pool.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Since we wanted to spend a few days here Sandra had found some hikes for us to do and today, Sunday June 26th we set out to hike up to La Crocetta under a bit of overcast but warm morning. </span><p></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The round trip hike was just under 8 kms with some pretty good elevation changes of course to get these amazing views over Lake Como, Menaggio, Bellagio, Como and Lecco.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The cross is placed on the high mountain viewpoint just a few 100 mtrs. above a church altar and a bunker that serves as a Sacrarium in memoriam to all the fallen Mennagio soldiers from WW1. What a view is an understatement!</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcC-3mdxMFGSwc0PW7ABXntlHXCm4lLAaGXcndXNes6rSJHj1lInCuopksllcMoORH4y2VpzYnH4iXu7z2SCEk4iO_9egaTC08H6K7VeaCa7tb1p8x4FyjdYa_Cx-24wBGLL-a9sb83_UOcEjfvITQ94IrPZcrx6dELSdpSkzQqNUeQG4IqeGq3UEPsg/s2364/us%20la%20crocetta.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1773" data-original-width="2364" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcC-3mdxMFGSwc0PW7ABXntlHXCm4lLAaGXcndXNes6rSJHj1lInCuopksllcMoORH4y2VpzYnH4iXu7z2SCEk4iO_9egaTC08H6K7VeaCa7tb1p8x4FyjdYa_Cx-24wBGLL-a9sb83_UOcEjfvITQ94IrPZcrx6dELSdpSkzQqNUeQG4IqeGq3UEPsg/s320/us%20la%20crocetta.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHL-268NUIq_nyi2GvllSUa4-SzFPA3wHVUBDFWmox1_0f_pst3oorCZo1-viqXbQPNI5ibGM0PNSn7of2Xsc_MuQS78BKo8ii0cSZqOXVvoaMBZ9fsEYqSC0CnvfWqljg8K7OdTo5L6Q1_zMwTKOAu40a1ymD7BMdT7w1mLuq-TFSd_BKGr87udf0PA/s1672/Sacramorium.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1672" data-original-width="1254" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHL-268NUIq_nyi2GvllSUa4-SzFPA3wHVUBDFWmox1_0f_pst3oorCZo1-viqXbQPNI5ibGM0PNSn7of2Xsc_MuQS78BKo8ii0cSZqOXVvoaMBZ9fsEYqSC0CnvfWqljg8K7OdTo5L6Q1_zMwTKOAu40a1ymD7BMdT7w1mLuq-TFSd_BKGr87udf0PA/s320/Sacramorium.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjF33Otl75sI3xdPG8oT9W8bNAo7jwtTDq8ddAYWjSwuyB_iY7fsR0QoZMeF4y75lPVIwVbfCF1uInIfWv1gHZNnKrRxQEWW1OArftYKRoPqOi9UwyNuVrdIccGqlkVQeqmhvkDHFeiYmnxUPBwDphJ-8q5oKHMXnH_GYemXbe8qdY3bBQCSE1BGFJfCw/s2364/Mennagio%20Lake%20como.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1773" data-original-width="2364" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjF33Otl75sI3xdPG8oT9W8bNAo7jwtTDq8ddAYWjSwuyB_iY7fsR0QoZMeF4y75lPVIwVbfCF1uInIfWv1gHZNnKrRxQEWW1OArftYKRoPqOi9UwyNuVrdIccGqlkVQeqmhvkDHFeiYmnxUPBwDphJ-8q5oKHMXnH_GYemXbe8qdY3bBQCSE1BGFJfCw/s320/Mennagio%20Lake%20como.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><div><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div>The Smith's V Strom Adventureshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12791666275519971736noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5068012995541282190.post-45238101585115653942021-06-23T19:30:00.006-07:002021-06-26T12:19:12.204-07:00Wells Gray - Covid relief!<p><span style="background-color: #d9d2e9;"> </span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3WhYtyb5IAW2k8kBEb6UjJo4gHrOc_nhIuFlLo9YredAHycK43dMa_CgwqByDI_BlzQvE_L9RoPg6pNiRi48sxVMQtm4jgftVzKYAv9SAF9BKODK1gYEfV-jQUN1efxnGoHV1fpKj9R21/s1632/large+helmcken+res.JPG" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center; white-space: pre-wrap;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1224" data-original-width="1632" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3WhYtyb5IAW2k8kBEb6UjJo4gHrOc_nhIuFlLo9YredAHycK43dMa_CgwqByDI_BlzQvE_L9RoPg6pNiRi48sxVMQtm4jgftVzKYAv9SAF9BKODK1gYEfV-jQUN1efxnGoHV1fpKj9R21/w640-h480/large+helmcken+res.JPG" width="640" /></a></p><p><span style="background-color: #d9d2e9; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">We’re going to blame this one on Dr. Bonnie Henry or maybe Jr.(Trudeau)</span></p><span id="docs-internal-guid-960c816c-7fff-465d-3c46-680984c95eff"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: #d9d2e9;"> </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: #d9d2e9; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">With 3 weeks between booking and actually getting our second vaccine we need to get away and with hot weather in the forecast we activate the plan to go to Wells Gray Provincial park during spring run-off. Forecast for Kamloops, our tour centre for Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, ranged from 35 to 34C.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: #d9d2e9; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Catching the Departure Bay ferry Monday morning we had a quick shuttle over to Horseshoe Bay with some other bikers, this time chatting with a couple from North Vancouver, who had been doing a weekend tour of the south island on their bikes. The time went by so quickly!</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: #d9d2e9; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: medium; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Sea to Sky</b></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: #d9d2e9; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: medium; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUbZNwXtSzs3lBzAa-J_S2F8Pl7jShaX2ulr1zb0oMDnot8I3OnYcc8t8Z1JIuccR5zPuAnXX0q_amAsA07zxwli9vt_aDXJAOFlvKmPmkhfOD2AuZO9L2EjnBef7wYD1ynHK3F8MOi-c9/s348/Duffy+lake.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="261" data-original-width="348" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUbZNwXtSzs3lBzAa-J_S2F8Pl7jShaX2ulr1zb0oMDnot8I3OnYcc8t8Z1JIuccR5zPuAnXX0q_amAsA07zxwli9vt_aDXJAOFlvKmPmkhfOD2AuZO9L2EjnBef7wYD1ynHK3F8MOi-c9/s320/Duffy+lake.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Duffy Lake</td></tr></tbody></table><span style="background-color: #d9d2e9; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: medium; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /><b><br /></b></span><p></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: #d9d2e9; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">From there the ride up to Squamish to Whistler took up the remainder of the morning and we had lunch in Whistler Village. From there it was over to Lillooet, BC. on what is known as the Duffy Lake road, is one of the hottest places in Canada and the upper ride limit of many a day trip motorcyclist from the lower mainland.</span></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicgGtQvUmRhY8ziHb2ZMat7rXHf_LD1g_RksK9ZuQTfA-JUSPrOyLOfpTh6WvTMLMV-gJ_yzSj8qkiEBzxFQ6zfolWd6WAHD2g7kbj_Qb6_-IAmMdQI-sQXOZxT9xQdEz4KANuqxo44V8W/s600/lillioett.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="480" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicgGtQvUmRhY8ziHb2ZMat7rXHf_LD1g_RksK9ZuQTfA-JUSPrOyLOfpTh6WvTMLMV-gJ_yzSj8qkiEBzxFQ6zfolWd6WAHD2g7kbj_Qb6_-IAmMdQI-sQXOZxT9xQdEz4KANuqxo44V8W/s320/lillioett.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lillooet loop<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="background-color: #d9d2e9; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /> it did not disappoint. Close to 37C when we pulled in for gas. That's starting to feel too hot, a full 10 C cooler than 47 C we experienced in Turkey in 2011. The day’s ride ended in Kamloops at 35 C and we readied for our ride the next morning. Ride total for the day was 425 kms.</span><p></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: #d9d2e9;"> </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: #d9d2e9; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Tuesday we dressed much lighter and left for the ride up to Clearwater and into Wells Gray at 8am so temperatures were perfect for riding. The whole ride up, especially the first 60 kms. was beautiful winding along the Thompson river. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="background-color: #d9d2e9;">Of course the big draw was Helmcken Falls profiled by the Knowledge Network on TV. but Spahats Falls is the first within the park. </span></span></p><div class="separator" style="background-color: transparent; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdR5QIjtNmzWr8Zi4nzoZR4n44qVyypxJ0oJ0UaJQ7OvSdp3f4WeEHUF1ZZL8IzhiCEMv26_ipOiiQnFImET_C4nKMswgEODhDAZZAxelnH944ZIuThcTXdPgDMLX-jCPZK-YkucOEMeAc/s1632/Spahat+falls.JPG" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1632" data-original-width="1224" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdR5QIjtNmzWr8Zi4nzoZR4n44qVyypxJ0oJ0UaJQ7OvSdp3f4WeEHUF1ZZL8IzhiCEMv26_ipOiiQnFImET_C4nKMswgEODhDAZZAxelnH944ZIuThcTXdPgDMLX-jCPZK-YkucOEMeAc/s320/Spahat+falls.JPG" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">We couldn't believe the canyon Spahats Falls is in. Apparently this area was formed as a result of volcanic activity some 200-400,000 yrs ago and then covered by a Glacier which thawed 10,000 yrs ago. Since then, the canyons have formed based on the wear of the water running over and through the lava rock which is much softer. </span></span><p></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj77ce3M0sMaXEzik3eBEPXHpcd3zSdEWrrnkp__XVtPwE3fCz68FRN9UcgraJmNaimvI7idgRkvqt4NUN21vAWaA0sE8LlXym87Xo30KZeiuJNAhsDeiM6pyybKEkoD1z4Ru25Lpt0kz2L/s1632/spahats+canyon+rot.JPG" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1632" data-original-width="1224" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj77ce3M0sMaXEzik3eBEPXHpcd3zSdEWrrnkp__XVtPwE3fCz68FRN9UcgraJmNaimvI7idgRkvqt4NUN21vAWaA0sE8LlXym87Xo30KZeiuJNAhsDeiM6pyybKEkoD1z4Ru25Lpt0kz2L/w300-h400/spahats+canyon+rot.JPG" width="300" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: arial;">Awe inspiring to say the least. While smaller in size you are closer to it and it feels more intimate. You can see in the canyon shot (top right) where the viewpoint is to look back at the Falls and out towards to Clearwater river which is fed by these and the other creeks and rivers. (Click on any pic to view full screen)<br /></span><p></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="background-color: #d9d2e9;">Then we are off to Helmcken Falls but just before the turnoff for Helmcken is Dawson Falls and a one lane wooden bridge. With the spring run-off the river raging as it is right now that scene was impressive to say the least. Of course Helmcken didn’t disappoint even with such high expectations, so it was a very good day.</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjy1s75fR-tl06iWkdSIZ8Y3T9sPRG-5rGKtegjCW_aSsdxEpUxKxzkfv8p1dlU__LJcWCLVbGnlZ7B__-kO5uZCuPLIF734sPApoI99e-37HciJjBzQkm4cVSoi4Bu66VykkdjkgiUVMM9/s1632/helmcken+expl.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1224" data-original-width="1632" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjy1s75fR-tl06iWkdSIZ8Y3T9sPRG-5rGKtegjCW_aSsdxEpUxKxzkfv8p1dlU__LJcWCLVbGnlZ7B__-kO5uZCuPLIF734sPApoI99e-37HciJjBzQkm4cVSoi4Bu66VykkdjkgiUVMM9/s320/helmcken+expl.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="background-color: transparent; clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicj3yOiZsElJopRWHVhoUYc2RGmWg4TuplyJAmiyT-LvQuW9b0pXijE7yFqRwNR_3SjI9ma-nPDJI4htf6mS8906ybjhS3pUghIVDVZR3AmxhTQXfew2V6DZcUDR2gPen_nh9cq_TKyzSk/s1859/wells+gray+falls+comparo.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1033" data-original-width="1859" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicj3yOiZsElJopRWHVhoUYc2RGmWg4TuplyJAmiyT-LvQuW9b0pXijE7yFqRwNR_3SjI9ma-nPDJI4htf6mS8906ybjhS3pUghIVDVZR3AmxhTQXfew2V6DZcUDR2gPen_nh9cq_TKyzSk/s320/wells+gray+falls+comparo.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: red; font-family: arial;"><b>Helmcken, compared to Niagara</b></span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> </p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: #d9d2e9; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">After photos and a picnic lunch we decided to head back to Kamloops as we had booked the hotel pool and spa. With Covid they are still keeping small groupings. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: #d9d2e9; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: #d9d2e9; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: medium; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Mc Lure Ferry</b></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: #d9d2e9; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: #d9d2e9; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">But we still had plenty of time and I saw the sign for the McLure ferry so I doubled back to drive down to see what kind of ferry it was. For many years when hauling our sailboat to the coast we had seen the sign for this ferry.It crosses the N Thompson river. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: #d9d2e9; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: #d9d2e9; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Well as it was hot again today 35C and the river high we arrived at the ferry ‘terminal’. </span></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2RK8kqEmPO0wHevWGFBxmql95hdUqgtDKdx0tMLq6z7Ww99nf1BIRDI1RwpnIzD3KzvnhCYFi6-lSqR4AqKroqV5Hrnug9o1X6ASgKmUvrdVYmJuvROmkYMlXUew_Wnn4E9vvO2QhgADH/s1632/McLure+abandon+ferry.JPG" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1224" data-original-width="1632" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2RK8kqEmPO0wHevWGFBxmql95hdUqgtDKdx0tMLq6z7Ww99nf1BIRDI1RwpnIzD3KzvnhCYFi6-lSqR4AqKroqV5Hrnug9o1X6ASgKmUvrdVYmJuvROmkYMlXUew_Wnn4E9vvO2QhgADH/s320/McLure+abandon+ferry.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: red;">McLure Ferry terminal</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="background-color: #d9d2e9; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br />There appears to be no-one around. Huh!</span><p></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: #d9d2e9; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">As I'm taking picx of this tied up old ferry, kind of a wood platform with an engine and cables, I hear a voice from back in the trees call out "Want a ride?". I finally associate the voice to a guy laid back in a small screened hut in the trees overlooking the ferry ramp. It was right out of Tom Sawyer, tucked in the shade letting the river run by hotter than ever.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> </p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></p><div class="separator" style="background-color: white; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPA_gvY5vveItnwlVVfQkyF_lSUoiBHUeJz-TCKsjRD8cTWJ90liKikMxeKuMVSfM0r1mB6FGZykpLGyWm_M5-BdGRFfufuV7sE0sY9opSwwDYJ8RSMzAgB95muQM-em6sdG3w8bwK34VG/s1632/away+we+go+McLure.JPG" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1224" data-original-width="1632" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPA_gvY5vveItnwlVVfQkyF_lSUoiBHUeJz-TCKsjRD8cTWJ90liKikMxeKuMVSfM0r1mB6FGZykpLGyWm_M5-BdGRFfufuV7sE0sY9opSwwDYJ8RSMzAgB95muQM-em6sdG3w8bwK34VG/s320/away+we+go+McLure.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><span style="background-color: #d9d2e9; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">After a bit of discussion given the sketchy appearance we conclude that it can’t be worse than the Greek ferries, after all BC Ferry Corp. operates it. You can see the bustling ferry terminal on the other side!<br /></span><p></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: #d9d2e9; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: #d9d2e9; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: #d9d2e9; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The ferry captain (hahaha) said today was ‘dead’ but yesterday he did 100 trips, all full! The road into Kamloops from here is smaller and more windy but very scenic and currently Trans Mountain is busy with pipe installation along that side of the Thompson river.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: #d9d2e9; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: #d9d2e9; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">We got back for our 1 hr pool and spa reservation use of the hotel pool. Imagine getting the hotel pool for yourself! It was a very good day made even better when we went out for Greek food at Dorian's. Truly a day trip to remember.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: #d9d2e9; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: #d9d2e9; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">We'd highly recommend travelling here to see this natural beauty of our country's landscape. The town of Clearwater is nearby with most facilities. And North Thompson Prov. park offers excellent camping before entering the park, so for those with trailers you can get a spot and then drive in.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: #d9d2e9; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: #d9d2e9; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">There are campsites within Wells Gray park itself but many of them are set back from the main road.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: #d9d2e9; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Wells Gray is also a huge park with the paved road ending at Helmcken Falls but a gravel road continuing north to Clearwater lake and beyond.</span></p><div><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Please excuse the orientation of the attached video (fixed). It is a clip taken of Helmcken Falls and I had the camera in Portrait orientation to capture the whole falls.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dzqVHqEnyrmRqKa-oRzYVzOk9QceGEtdtJA-Lg4ZDR4aAFV0QuzADmscwQ4DWMaGa-d1-02pNxWVJaYRZ9JNA' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div><br /></div>The Smith's V Strom Adventureshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12791666275519971736noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5068012995541282190.post-48963400515358583412020-08-02T10:21:00.002-07:002023-10-31T08:37:00.686-07:00How to 1. Determine Optimum Tire Pressures 2. Maximize tire life 3. Avoid uneven wear<h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: #d9d2e9; font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">How to - 1. Determine Optimum tire pressures </span></h3><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: #d9d2e9; font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"> 2. Extend tire life </span></h3><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: #d9d2e9; font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"> 3. Avoid uneven wear</span></h3><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><span style="background-color: #d9d2e9; font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: #d9d2e9; font-family: "arial";">Motorcycle tire wear and longevity is affected by a number of factors, including speed, riding style, surfaces, load factors, correct/incorrect installation methods and tire pressures.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: #d9d2e9; font-family: "arial";">Obviously the owner/rider is the only one to effectively determine what could be affecting their tire wear.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: medium;"><span class="c1" style="background-color: #d9d2e9; color: red; vertical-align: baseline;"><b><i>H</i></b></span><span class="c1" style="background-color: #d9d2e9; vertical-align: baseline;"><b><span style="color: red;"><i>eat</i></span></b> is the enemy of all tire compounds, and there is a simple method to determine whether you have excessive heat or it’s within acceptable limits. Those limits are also simple to determine if they are being exceeded. Here’s how.</span></span></div>
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<li><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: #d9d2e9; font-family: "arial";"><b>S</b></span><span style="background-color: #d9d2e9; font-family: "arial";"><span>tart with your tires in a </span><b>cold state</b><span> (generally 1st thing in the morning) and using a verified accurate dial type pressure gauge inflate your tire to the manufacturer suggested pressure. Mark both front and rear tire pressures down on a piece of paper with a </span><b>C-cold</b><span>.</span></span></span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: #d9d2e9; font-family: "arial"; font-size: medium;"><b><span>L</span></b><span>oad your motorcycle up for the conditions you will be under. For instance, my wife and I and our loaded luggage were all on the bike.</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: #d9d2e9; font-family: "arial";"><b><span>R</span></b><span>i</span></span><span style="background-color: #d9d2e9; font-family: "arial";">de like you would normally under those conditions for an hour, at the speeds and road surface conditions you normally do to heat up your tires.</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: #d9d2e9; font-family: "arial";"><b>S</b></span><span style="background-color: #d9d2e9; font-family: "arial";"><span>top and immediately take your tire pressures both front and rear and record them on that same piece of paper. Mark them with an </span><b>H</b><span>-hot</span></span></span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: #d9d2e9; font-family: "arial"; font-size: medium;"><b><span>U</span></b><span>sing a calculator determine if your <b>hot tire pressure</b> stayed within a 5-7% variance from cold. If it exceeded the 7% increase your tires are experiencing excessive heat.</span></span></li>
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<span class="c1" style="background-color: #d9d2e9; font-size: medium; vertical-align: baseline;">Example: 5% variance <b>Cold </b>41 PSI multiplied by 1.05 =43.05 PSI <b>HOT</b></span></div>
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<span class="c1" style="background-color: #d9d2e9; font-size: medium; vertical-align: baseline;"> 7% variance <b>Cold</b> 41 PSI X 1.07 = 44 PSI <b>HOT</b></span></div>
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<span class="c1" style="background-color: #d9d2e9; font-size: medium; vertical-align: baseline;"><u>This is the 5-7% variance method Michelin technicians passed on while we were in Europe.</u></span></div><div class="c5" style="font-family: Arial; line-height: 1.38; padding-bottom: 0pt; padding-top: 0pt;"><span class="c1" style="background-color: #d9d2e9; font-size: medium; vertical-align: baseline;"><br /></span></div><div class="c5" style="font-family: Arial; line-height: 1.38; padding-bottom: 0pt; padding-top: 0pt;"><span class="c1" style="background-color: #d9d2e9; font-size: medium; vertical-align: baseline;">We ride a Vstrom 1000. Our friends with similar load factors were riding an original Super Tenere 750 running the same size tires front and rear and riding in identical conditions. They had followed the Michelin tech. recommendations. We used their cold tire pressures as a start point</span></div>
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<span class="c1" style="background-color: #d9d2e9; font-size: medium; vertical-align: baseline;">42 PSI front</span></div>
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<span class="c1" style="background-color: #d9d2e9; font-size: medium; vertical-align: baseline;">47 PSI rear.</span></div>
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<span class="c1" style="background-color: #d9d2e9; font-size: medium; vertical-align: baseline;">I thought they were too high but tried it for the test period. I saw 50 PSI/rear after 1 hr. and I smiled and have never looked back. Ride, handling and tire wear all improved.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;"><span class="c1" style="background-color: #d9d2e9; vertical-align: baseline;">We no longer experience front tire cupping or premature tire wear. I get 22,000 kms on a rear tire and 38-40,000 kms on a front tire. Fuel economy has improved slightly but definitely is more consistent, and there was a noticeable improvement in handling and confidence in leaning the bike through corners. Essentially the tire held it's shape better and there was no squirm.</span><br />
<span class="c1" style="background-color: #d9d2e9; vertical-align: baseline;">Matter of fact, our front had a bit of cupping that actually raised the initial conversation and the experiment, and actually corrected it’s wear in the next 2,000 kms. after changing.</span></span></div>
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<span class="c1" style="background-color: #d9d2e9; font-size: medium; vertical-align: baseline;">Of course as stated at the outset you need to analyze all the factors. Reducing load, speed, or correcting a misaligned rear wheel will also impact the variables in the formula.</span></div>
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<span class="c1" style="background-color: #d9d2e9; font-size: medium; vertical-align: baseline;"></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: #d9d2e9;"><span class="c13">It’s based on this formula for <b>Volume, Pressure and Temperature. </b></span><span class="c4" style="color: #222222;"><b> </b></span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: #d9d2e9;"><span class="c4" style="color: #222222; font-size: medium;"><b>PV = nRT </b> </span></span></div>
<span style="background-color: #d9d2e9; font-size: medium;"><span class="c4" style="color: #222222;">This link provides much more detail.</span><span class="c4" style="color: #222222;"><a class="c12" href="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Table_of_thermodynamic_equations&sa=D&ust=1596391814689000&usg=AOvVaw2nwSun8YJkTX9gCtvSXazJ" style="text-decoration: inherit;"> </a></span><span class="c13 c14" style="color: #1155cc;"><a class="c12" href="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Table_of_thermodynamic_equations&sa=D&ust=1596391814690000&usg=AOvVaw3lKfEYhYbuIBZOFQxA_mOG" style="text-decoration: inherit;">Table of Thermodynamic Equations</a></span></span></div>
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<span class="c1" style="background-color: #d9d2e9; font-size: medium; vertical-align: baseline;"></span></div>
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<span class="c1" style="vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-color: #d9d2e9; font-size: medium;">Use a 'verified' dial or digital tire pressure gauge that compares with a tire shops quality tools like this one for accuracy.</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1dPg_ZB-Ht8AvBM2QILf5KGczDbhK393l2XwO94l2SwpNtXQSrPAXPCTqLt7eQOQ3zb3LngGIvavs2crGapyBztqxElFLgMgzHcfdGTDQ-zYb6GtRNP8MS6tHPMCQ8YoWV2OH5yJHmtSn/s1600/pressure+gauge.webp" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="160" data-original-width="160" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1dPg_ZB-Ht8AvBM2QILf5KGczDbhK393l2XwO94l2SwpNtXQSrPAXPCTqLt7eQOQ3zb3LngGIvavs2crGapyBztqxElFLgMgzHcfdGTDQ-zYb6GtRNP8MS6tHPMCQ8YoWV2OH5yJHmtSn/s1600/pressure+gauge.webp" /></a></div>
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The Smith's V Strom Adventureshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12791666275519971736noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5068012995541282190.post-88087973934592263882017-11-15T01:54:00.004-08:002017-11-19T23:20:29.688-08:00Following Us, here is a non motorcycle trip post<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><a href="http://2009palmsprings.blogspot.com.au/2017/11/queensland-from-brisbane-to-cape.html">Queensland; from Brisbane to Cape Tribulation</a></b></span><br />
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The Smith's V Strom Adventureshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12791666275519971736noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5068012995541282190.post-35831428396487871432016-10-13T07:42:00.000-07:002016-10-13T07:42:14.789-07:00Besancon, Moselkern, and Returning to our Roots<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The Citadel</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Besancon France</span></h3>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Next day we moved on to Besancon since on previous trips we'd see the “Citadel” on a hill over the town. We walked up to it
and while it was interesting, and a WHS, we found an ancient gate dating back
to approximately 175 AD, built in honor of Marcus Aurelius’ far more intriguing. <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2WV2nyW1BZFElfG17FtzL4pEBdYagFsSkoBqLIR-5VJeBNKVbWyY4GCHY9bycGMzHz88iqKghsjiWleumXtFCcBHzRCcHLzewLpaMRYB1qOSJFR_JHSsmHsvmqXT2l_5tVEwsR5lvU7Y3/s1600/BEscancon175gate.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2WV2nyW1BZFElfG17FtzL4pEBdYagFsSkoBqLIR-5VJeBNKVbWyY4GCHY9bycGMzHz88iqKghsjiWleumXtFCcBHzRCcHLzewLpaMRYB1qOSJFR_JHSsmHsvmqXT2l_5tVEwsR5lvU7Y3/s400/BEscancon175gate.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Marcus Arelius Gate</td></tr>
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To think the Roman Empire extended this far in 175 AD. This is a
beautiful town in eastern France we’d highly recommend people visit. We also
had one of the best Mussels and Fries we’ve ever had by using Google Maps and
Google Plus and following directions to a place that looked deserted but was a
very good restaurant. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Moselkern and Roots</span></h3>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8_6bua1jbFBfFXO693ZueQcZnQcU7vGIOmYt6DaILl_FTAT-pKejZ0m6xTQjabNu_8wjRl-JuRnIS24k9D1UVFUeQMrlq-obAiu79bkUXLCVroDWR-lTF2EzhG1_tHKJ9gyPmogWB6NZF/s1600/rieslingwine.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8_6bua1jbFBfFXO693ZueQcZnQcU7vGIOmYt6DaILl_FTAT-pKejZ0m6xTQjabNu_8wjRl-JuRnIS24k9D1UVFUeQMrlq-obAiu79bkUXLCVroDWR-lTF2EzhG1_tHKJ9gyPmogWB6NZF/s320/rieslingwine.jpg" width="240" /></a><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">On the move again we arrive in Moselkern and hike to Burg
Eltz. If you said we’ve been here before you’d be correct. Back in 2004 we
visited Moselkern and Burg Eltz and we wanted to get back to funky back country
villages and scenery. Here we hike back into the Castle for the picturesque
walk that it is, and later go to a nearby winery and purchase an amazing bottle
of Riesling wine from this Mosel region. </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The wine is s</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">o good in fact we drive back to the
village to purchase another bottle. As we talk later we comment that this has
taken us back to our roots of how we have traveled in the past.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Burg Eltz</b></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Our accommodations aren't a 4 star hotel, they are a Gastehof on a
back street in Moselkern,owned by Fam. Heirlich with very comfortable beds, and feather comforters
that keep you warm, and no noise except for the church bells at 7:00 am. At any moment you can just turn back over and go back to
sleep. Travel doesn’t need to be any more comfortable than this! And a typical hearty German breakfast and he explains that what you don't eat to make sandwiches with to 'picnic' later. Hard to argue with that!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">As we walk to Burg Eltz , a 7 km round trip and later along the Mosel river in the beautiful Sunday sun Sandra says to me, "You know, we still could have done even this trip with the bike". And you know she is right.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Volendam</span></h3>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">As we finish our trip in Volendam we are treated to another spectacular day. We are at a 4 star hotel within easy access to the old town. Weather is still holding at 14C and sunny!</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Van Der Valk Hotel view Volendam</b></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">Statue of Small boy looking at cats in a window.</span><br style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">What trip to Holland doesn't include a photo of a windmill</span></td></tr>
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The Smith's V Strom Adventureshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12791666275519971736noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5068012995541282190.post-32467588198411574672016-10-10T10:46:00.001-07:002016-10-10T10:46:36.816-07:00Annecy Region<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Lacets High in French Alps</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: left;">Last year we came to the Annecy region for the first time
and really enjoyed the beauty of it.
This time it was to use a great hotel we had found to stage a re-visit
to the LACETS from the 2015 Tour de France, and have a picnic there at a place
we knew. It just so happened a local bike club was riding by at the time we
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiikmOOuGPLIIGdvMXL4CAdktN9eYhePAFgAIhu25kg4DcVT_-CojVGIeTQRp3a_GnklWMvseAh4TUqCrfpIEj1wLzvtcW_7mFYFQX9LP80iB7ZudL-IsdPYvoz-c-nOd8fCf1NS49nws7Q/s1600/ANLacetscycle.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiikmOOuGPLIIGdvMXL4CAdktN9eYhePAFgAIhu25kg4DcVT_-CojVGIeTQRp3a_GnklWMvseAh4TUqCrfpIEj1wLzvtcW_7mFYFQX9LP80iB7ZudL-IsdPYvoz-c-nOd8fCf1NS49nws7Q/s400/ANLacetscycle.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Popular since Tour De France came through</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">On the return trip to Annecy we saw a Chateau in the
distance, and drove to it. It was Chateau Miolans a chateau that later became a
prison for celebrity prisoners like the Marquis de Sade. On the road to
Albertville, so interesting when you gunkhole.<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGi5NLQVUVoBo0HZTsb_qTX2g6zKgNGq3CBz0V11PRzDXS4o_jrufbDyA-Mu93kvjB760Fg7pD4Axpja8IrDEUox6RjQYjmdRXAa0yOrs_YigAyOzU-BqVqEzRoDcXIA85gQeIM5eKMOXL/s1600/ANchateau_miolans.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGi5NLQVUVoBo0HZTsb_qTX2g6zKgNGq3CBz0V11PRzDXS4o_jrufbDyA-Mu93kvjB760Fg7pD4Axpja8IrDEUox6RjQYjmdRXAa0yOrs_YigAyOzU-BqVqEzRoDcXIA85gQeIM5eKMOXL/s320/ANchateau_miolans.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Chateau Miolans</td></tr>
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The Smith's V Strom Adventureshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12791666275519971736noreply@blogger.com0