A Rain Day, Random Thoughts, and the Mind is a Beautiful Thing

So this won’t  be a usual blog entry about seeing a particular place, just one that covers a number of things that go on when you’re travelling, like today, a rain day.

Rain days are a consideration when motorcycling and in particular this rain day here in Sestri Levante where there is an Orange Level Thunderstorm warning, not translated to English but it must be bad right? As I sit here writing this I realize OH YEAH! It’s bad, but we are safe and dry.

Paying attention to weather forecasts is an important part of adventure riding. When we travelled based on a fixed schedule and we had to be back at work then you would ride in some bad weather, or if it crops up during a day then you obviously deal with it, but when it is this pronounced then you respect it.

Yesterday was a great ride back about 130 kms from Lucca to Sestri Levante and we took the back roads. It was busy being a Saturday in Italy all the bicyclists (would be Giro d’Italia participants) are on the back-roads on every pass you are on. And then there is weekend traffic. When we got off the bike yesterday, checked in and lying on the beach both of us got talking about the same thing, and it’s funny that it came up.

We talked about all the sensory inputs that are involved for both rider and pillion passenger when motorcycling and in particular on a day like yesterday. First off there are all the driver controls that need to be coordinated, right foot – rear brake, left foot – gear shift, left hand –clutch, right hand - throttle input and front brake input. Then there is bike velocity, terrain conditions, traction and lean, translating road signs or instructions, appropriate gear selections for these conditions, and then in Italy a myriad of hazard inputs from foot traffic, bicyclists, from both aggressive and elderly car drivers, some who want to beat you, some who don’t see you and then yesterday a last second cat that ran out, I backed off the throttle just enough that it made it past the front tire before being run over. Sandra never saw the cat, but thought I had backed off because I saw a car she didn’t. Oh yes, and then there is navigation with the GPS. This was a particular route I wanted to ride so I had programmed it and it gives me the graphic view, a written sub-instruction and a voice command. Many times I just listen to the voice command, and because the GPS is in my general field of vision, when I get a split second it gets consulted to confirm. Sometimes I will be to spend an additional split second consulting the graphics for the next bit of road.

And that’s where we must all sit back and respect the capacity our minds and our senses bring to the table when travelling and in particular driving. Since I was in high school I learned that I did best at anything on a good night’s sleep. Sounds simple and it is. And I promise to respect it and the amazing skill level of my partner.

So as I write this as well it’s been nice to get email from several of our friends, (as I type), we have met on the road this year and last. Must be raining all over Europe today! LOL.

LUCCA

Lucca Walled City

 Last year we heard both Cris and Sabrina and the Swedish couple mention going to Lucca. The Swedish couple were going there to get married and we had been invited but it was the same day we were to fly home so we didn’t attend.

Aqueduct

This year it was on the list. So we are just finishing up our 2^nd night here and while we have seen more spectacular walled cities, or more intimate settings, Lucca impressed us as a clean tourist centre that has much history to offer. All the food offerings we had while there were great, our accommodation, right outside the old walled city is excellent, and we even saw some things many tourists don’t know about.

Sandra read in someone’s blog about an aqueduct in Lucca, but it is not in any literature, and the blog she had read gave very poor partial directions, likely from someone’s faded memory. So we went to a tourist centre and asked how to get to it, and laughed after at the directions. The fellow told us to take the stairs underground from the train station to the other side turn left in the direction of a fountain, then at the fountain turn right towards an Obelisk and the aqueduct was close to it.

Obelisk

So we get to the train station, and since there are 3 tracks and 2 sides to each track there will be underground walkways that allow access to the tracks. Of course here you can use the underground walkway to cross under the train station to go home as well. No problem we get to the other side; incidentally the walkway is off to the left side of the train station.

Once there we turn left in the direction of the fountain, but see no fountain. We walk a ways and then I see the Obelisk surrounded by snow fence as it is boarded up. We walk to the Obelisk and find the aqueduct actually runs into the Obelisk that really was the centrifuge for the water to run down and then go underground. When we walked back we wondered where the fountain was. It was at that point we saw this. Not what we would call a “ fountain”.

A Luccan Fountain to turn at

A Real Luccan Fountain

Freakie Girl

The evening is a wonderful time to walk the top of the Walled City. There are many people out there walking, running, and bicycling. Sandra and I walk by this girl who was somewhat hiding and was texting someone. I said to Sandra, gee that kid was freakie, standing with a hoodie up, texting. 

And she said yeah I noticed her too. Then I looked closer.

Still not responding

And then closer again.

Italian Modern Art

Chiavari, Portofino, and Rapallo

Classic Portofino

As we headed south to ultimately end up at Levanto we planned to stop in to Portofino, a well-known place for A list celebrities. I guess we saw one there, a popular soccer player with his pregnant wife since they were covered online the next day in a local paper.  They were just taking photos up near the church on the hill in Portofino.

On place to stay was Chiavari, a beautiful city about 20 kms away from Portofino.

Chiavari

The place we stayed, Casa Olivia is up behind Chiavari in the hills overlooking the sea and our host Cristina was incredible at decorating. Both the B&B and her kitchen were right out of a decorating catalog. She works part-time in Genoa as a designer, and runs the B&B as well. She does a great job of both apparently.

A benefit of the bike is when we drove to Portofino we fit right in with the locals and parked in the moto parking area and with the bike cover on, they couldn’t see that we weren’t locals not like our friend with the Lamborghini who got a ticket and was towed.

Not his day

From there we toured the picturesque spot, took our required pictures and finally went out for a really nice lunch sitting right on the water. OK, meal prices are all increased by 4E just to sit here, but it’s something you have to do.

Lunch in Portofino

.

On our way there we stopped in Rapallo, another bustling

Rapallo Fort

place and saw the old Fort that protected the harbor. The weather was perfect and later in the afternoon we enjoyed the private deck that came with our room. It was very enjoyable.  

View from Sestri Levante to Portofino

Old Guys Corner

The next day on the way to Levanto we stopped to visit Sestri  Levante a larger centre that has quite an Italian tourist draw. It is a pretty place that we will come back to. While there we noticed a group of old guysbegin gathering at a favorite beach spot, hidden under some trees behind the change area of one of the beach resorts, they come every day to visit. What a nice place!

Neck Muscles

I was intrigued by the strength of this African migrant worker carrying her wares, amazing.

Fort De Bard

Fort De Bard

Our next day was relaxing staying in Ivrea (Original home of Olivetti typewriters )

 and just doing some sightseeing. 

The castle/fort we visited was the backdrop for the movie Avengers – Age of Ultron filmed just recently.

Age of Ultron

The early fort was built and developed its claim to fame by withstanding first a 14 day attack by Napoleon in 1800 and then a siege which lasted until June 1st. Eventually it would fall and Napoleon destroyed the castle terming it the “villaneous castle de bard” because it was so formidable he did not want to have to conquer it again.

A few features were the enclosed staircases to protect soldiers movements, and for tourists now a 4 stage funicular which is free to ride and get a great view of the Aosta valley.

Enclosed Stairs for soldiers

Fenicular

After Napoleon’s fall the Fort was re-built between 1831- 1838 by the Savoy’s and eventually fell into dis-repair until the late 20^th century when it was restored again. It hosts many exhibitions and concerts in summer.

Similar in nature to Entreavaux in France, this Fort controlled access to the Aosta valley and was therefore a point where a travel tax could be collected for anyone wanting to move goods across the Alps and of course to defend access.

Aosta Valley

On our way back Sandra said to stop at a Suzuki car dealer since she saw a neat sports car in a window. We did stop and were captured by an eclectic collection of personal cars owned by the dealer. 

Original Audi Quattro dating from 1980, notice the styling to the VW Scirroco of the same era our son had a 1981 Scirroco gifted to him by his aunt.

The History of Suzuki - Coincidentally I drive an Audi quattro (a5), and ride a Suzuki V Strom

A Beautiful MG, for Brit car lovers

FRANCE Lacets, Col de Madelaine, Col de Pt. St. Bernard

Decorations from the Tour De France TDF

The next morning we got up earlier and the day was fresh. The day was perfect for riding. We made our way south to the Lacets du Montvernier

Lacets Vertical

(Stage 20 I believe in TDF 2015) We watched the Tour De France (TDF) a lot while I began to get back in shape. The road is a set of hairpins that wind up the face of a cliff and resemble a pair of shoe laces, hence the name. Needless to say we rode them.

Lovely from the Top

And this route was only 10 kms from the Col de Madelaine, a classic of the TDF. 

Just of the Top from the Col De La Madelaine 

2000 meters

Add Col de Petit St Bernard and we’d be in Italy the same day, not before covering almost 400 kms of twisties.

France – Annecy,

Annecy

Last year we travelled south into Italy via eastern France and I loved the scenery and roads, so we just set a couple of sights we hadn’t seen specifically and headed to them.

Annecy, a beautiful town, now tourist trap like Banff, sits on the edge of a Lake by the same name. It was extremely busy and of course we headed down into the core on a Sunday market day. The day was full of bright sun, hot at 33C, and we just kicked back and watched the world go by there.

In the morning sailboats

The afternoon Paddleboats

Canal from lake

Classic Annecy

Bridges in Eastern France

This is a Love Story

Mt. Blanc on a great day of riding

If you are not interested in motorcycling, adventure touring, love as it impacts a relationship, or dealing with cancer then read no further.  

I have to tell this story to move on.

This post covers the following:

·         50 Years of Motorcycling

·         43 Years of Marriage

·         15 years of Adventure Motorcycling together

·         And dealing with Cancer

This year is my 50^th anniversary of motorcycling. When I was 13 ½ yrs. old my parents took me to Europe. This was just after the Beatles hit North America and within that year I was in London and eventually Liverpool as well as western Europe and Soviet based Yugoslavia, yep 1964!  

By that time they had already taken me, my sisters and grandmother on a driving trip from Edmonton Alberta to Guadalajara Mexico. That was in 1958. I think my adventure genes were bred in to me don’t you think?  By the way, I nearly died on that Mexican trip, but that is another story. Actually I nearly died on the Europe trip to, and left my father in a hospital in Ireland and brought my mom home in a wheelchair.

My European distraction was all the scooters, mopeds that congregated at every street corner and raced off. How could I get one of these, and my dad began thinking. Later that fall he found a Suzuki 80 which was the make and size I had wanted, and I bought it and brought it home. You could licence under 100cc @14.  Who would think that would lead to this kind of behavior?  And my schooling excelled as well from the travel.

Six years into motorcycling, I met Sandra; we fell in love and were married before my 7^th season of riding.  I took her for rides on Sunday’s when we could. Sandra was a natural on the bike, and while I sold my bikes at different times for money to fund other projects I was never a season without one.  I taught both our kids to ride, and even rebuilt a father and son project bike and took my son riding as well.

Spin forward many years to 2000.

 I had restored a Wes Cooley replica

Suzuki and ridden it for a number of seasons. This was in the early days of Kijiji or Bargainfinder on-line. I told Sandra that I was going to sell the Wes Cooley and she asked what I would replace it with. I said I was bored and hadn’t really thought of a replacement. She emphatically replied “ No way, I don’t know you without a bike.”  

I admitted I had seen a Suzuki Katana 1100

in Rosemary, Alberta in Kijiji but I had made no enquiries. 2 Weeks later the bike was in my garage and within a year we had toured eastern Canada and the US.

After European trips in 2004 and 06 on rental BMW R1150RT’s we planned a 5 month retirement trip which was delayed until 2011 for family reasons. The 2011 trip is well documented in the archives here as are the 3 additional trips thereafter.

Spin forward to this year, coincidentally my 50^th season of riding.

CANCER should be a four letter word

After spending some of the winter in southern California

and getting in good shape for a spring Europe trip again this year I had booked and attended my annual physical, lab tests and then an ultrasound with the Doctor.

 I will never, ever forget walking back out of his office to the waiting area where Sandra sat, waiting. I told her the suspected diagnosis of kidney cancer, an extremely large tumor that would require a specialist to intervene, and more tests. Unpleasant tests. 

We drove home in  total silence, and sat dumbfounded. We cried, called our kids and families, and cried a lot more. This couldn’t be happening to us and yet it was. I saw the pain Sandra was in, but wait, it was me that had this cancer, no pain, it was probably just bad tests results right?  Talk about rationalizing/bargaining and then quickly coming to terms. Yep that was me, the change management specialist trying to manage change!  I was perfectly healthy I thought until they slid me from a gurney to an operating table, removed one kidney, cancer believed intact. The days that spanned the initial diagnosis, to the confirmation and operation spanned 3 weeks. Amazing by the stories we hear today on healthcare.  

During this time we were both restless, and didn’t sleep well, but the one treasure that I came to appreciate was every morning being able to kiss her “Good morning” and every night hug her good night.  I want this love to go on forever.

I could see how much this impacted her, her love manifesting itself in her emotions, thoughts and sharing with others and I made it my responsibility to relieve her pain by getting better fast. I needed to live for her as well. 7 Weeks later (they had told me 12 before I could do anything) the surgeon and GP both remarked on my recovery. I asked if I could consider travel again and they gave me the go-ahead. 

One of many special notes of thanks goes to Susan and Grant Johnson from Horizon’s Unlimited the adventure motorcycle travel website. Grant and Susan had gone through a similar experience with Prostate cancer and provided so much great information and direction for resources. Again the brotherhood of motorcycling coming through. The other special notes of thanks go to Dr. Johannes Olivier (GP) and Dr. Kevin Morrison (Urologist/Surgeon). Thanks for saving my life!  And to my son and daughter-in-law who surprised us the evening before my surgery by driving out from Calgary and supporting us both the day of and until I left hospital after visiting us only 2 weeks before.

This trip therefore is considered the bonus trip. Whatever happens next we will deal with it, but this 43 years of love is stronger than ever. Even cancer can be a love story. Hope you will continue to follow us.

43 years of Marriage 4 mths after surgery