Venice and Mestre

After resting for a while yesterday afternoon, and viewing the Giro d'Italia stage on the box, we set out to have a look around and then find somewhere to eat.  The alleyways were clogged full of people, a lot of them heading away from the centers of interest, perhaps having been to one or other of the musical concerts that are on at the moment.  We eventually reached the Rialto bridge over the Grand Canal and it was absolutely chock full of sightseers.  Crossing to the other side we proceeded through the city but planned to leave going to the Piazzo San Marco for tomorrow's adventure.

We wandered on and gradually lost most of the crowds finding ourselves in what appeared to be a blind alley so we thought that we would have to turn back and find a different way.  Just then a middle-aged guy was walking towards us and called out that we could get through that way and he was, in fact doing just that.  So we walked along with him and started chatting, discussing our interests in Venice and that we were also looking for a place for dinner.

As we walked, we were shown buildings of interest which are not on the general tourist trail, such as the Chiesa dei Miracoli (Church of miracles).  He then showed us the public hospital which is a very impressive building which one would not think of as a hospital.  We went inside and walked around through the ground floor rooms and also the cloisters which were built when the building (or part of it) was a Monastery.  The hospital is still attached to a church and one of the cloisters belongs to the church, the other to the hospital.  He also took us to the far end which had been constructed as a Lazarette during the plague years.  Inside this is an imposing church frontage which has black marble columns.  The central columns are in good condition but the end ones, which abut onto the brick walls, have suffered badly from the salts which have been drawn up through he bricks.  Many walls of buildings show this sort of damage and it is very expensive to repair.

Earlier in our walk with Umberto, for such was his name, he had also shown us windows which had been filled in and turned into wall because the building had sunk some way.  This also is quite common around Venice with many older buildings suffering the same fate.

After visiting the hospital, on coming outside we were surprised to find that it was starting to rain, if only quite lightly for the present.  We continued on more quickly as Umberto was anxious to get home before getting too wet, and he gave us directions to find his restaurant recommendation. Unfortunately, when we got there we were told that they were booked out so had to find somewhere else.  We didn't have to go far to find one that was of a good standard, even if the menu was in four languages (a sure sign that they are catering for the tourist trade).

As we had chatted to Umberto he divulged that he had been to Aus at least twice.  He also said he had worked for Alitalia and from the extent of his travels etc we deduced that he had probably been a flight attendant who was now retired.  If it hadn't been for the Trochetti strike, we would not have met Umberto or had such an interesting conversation.  He gave us at least a half hour of his time and also told us of another church worth visiting (Santa Maria del Frari) which has some interesting carvIngs.

After dinner we had quite a way to walk to get back to our hotel in Santa Croce district and it was raining quite steadily.  Undaunted we set off but along the way we encountered an itinerant umbrella seller and I bought one for €5 (to match the one back in the hotel room ;-).

By the time we got back we were quite wet regardless (it was about a half hour walk) so had to strip off and hang clothes in the bathroom to, hopefully, dry out.

This morning after breakfast we set out in fine weather, in much less crowded ways, heading for the Rialto bridge again and Piazza San Marco.  Along the way we passed by the church of Santa Maria del Frari.  The door being open, I went in and had a good look around.  They had signs up prohibiting photo taking but I was able to see all of the statuary and the elaborately carved choir stalls.  As I came out they were just setting up the ticket office so it seems I just walked in at the right time.

When we arrived at Piazza San Marco there were already lots of people there but we were able to see the architecture of all of the impressive buildings. After that we headed back through the city taking a different, and more meandering, path which brought us to the Piazza San Giovanni and Paolo where we stopped and had a coffee.  We had to be back at he hotel to check out by noon so headed back without hurry.  Along the way we passed Saturday Markets along near the Grand Canal and also passed the Fish Market (we needed no street signs to to let us know this).  Almost opposite the Fish Market is the Ca' da Mosto which was at one time owned by the ancestors of Francesco da Mosto (who has done three BBC2 TV series).  Apparently it now sits empty because the canal water has breached its basement.

After packing up at the hotel and checking out, we went over the bridge to Piazzale Roma to find us a taxi to take us to our next hotel in Mestre.  This marks the official start of our cycle tour from Venice to Florence starting at The Hotel President in Mestre tomorrow morning.  After checking in there we went out to find a Laundromat (Auto-Lavanderia) which the receptionist told us should be along a street behind the hotel.  Sure enough we found it and after putting our clothes into a machine we headed along the street to find a snack bar for lunch.  A nice lady toasted a panino for each of us which we had with a cold drink by which time the washing was almost done.  Another half hour for drying and then back to the hotel.

Later we will head into Mestre Centro to find somewhere for dinner.

Trento to Venice - the long way

Last evening we walked out a little after 7pm to look around Trento a bit and also find somewhere for dinner since we had a very light lunch.  There were lots of cafes open and lots of people partaking of evening drinkies.  The number of people around may have been due to the Festival of Economics running from 30th May to 2nd June and organised by the University.  There is also a 60km cycle tourism event associated with it and in honor of Francesco Moser.  Moser was a prominent Italian professional cyclist in the 1970s and 80s and won the 1984 Giro d'Italia.

After wandering around for a while we found a likely looking restaurant with a reasonable menu so went in and were seated very quickly.  We were given menus and left to make our selections.  Then we waited. And waited. And waited. And eventually we just walked out.  They were busy but not excessively so, so there was no reason why they could not have taken our orders and then brought drinks and then let us wait for delivery.  Anyway, not far away we came across another restaurant which turned out to be a good choice.  Neither of us wanted a full first course so we decided to share a 'House Pâté' of deer and ham pâté, thinking that it would be just pâté with some bread to eat it with.  There was a very nice pate of course, but also a carpaccio of prosciutto (three kinds), deer ham, and salami.  Very nice.  For main Garth had Gnocchi with smoked ricotta while I had a Risotto Porcine.  And we shared a bottle of local Cabernet Riserva.  A good meal after being ignored at the other place.

 Before we left Trento this morning, we went to a local supermarket to see if we could find a suitable slightly abrasive cream to help buff out the scrape from the side of the car.  We ended up with the Italian version of Jif (Cif) which could help.  Leaving Trento we enlisted Karen to navigate us out and after ignoring some of her illegal instructions managed to get onto the highway towards Padova - the way we had gone yesterday to view the Giro at Levico Terme.

The scenery through the valley is very impressive with sheer cliffs on both sides of the valley and a swiftly flowing river too.  Small towns are frequent and eventually we came to Bassano del Grappa a little over half way to Padova.  We intended to branch off to Treviso but missed the turn as it happened quicker than we expected after Bassano.  Not to worry - we would find another turn off (yeah, right!).  A little further on we found a service area with a restaurant and a large car park so we stopped there and tried out some buffing of scrape marks.  It was partially successful but one of them was not just chipped but significantly creased so we gave up and continued on our way.  In a flash of brilliance? We thought that if we were to take a right turn and head back towards Bassano, we would find the road that would take us east towards Treviso.  Mmmm!  After driving for a little while back northwards we found ourselves in the middle of Bassano.  Not only that, we had failed to realize that stage 19 of the Giro d'Italia was a hill climb time trial  beginning in  Bassano del Grappa!  This meant that many streets in the town were blocked off and we had to go around in circles a bit to find our way out.  Eventually we found what should have been a road taking us to Treviso.  However, driving along we found ourselves heading towards Vicenza which is somewhat to the north-west of Padova and definitely not where we wanted to go.  It seemed that every intersection gave us only choices to continue to Vicenza or head back to Bassano.  Sometimes we came to intersections where both options were to Vicenza.  Aargh!  We eventually decided just to carry on to Vicenza from where we could go through Padova and then to Venice.

We had all but given up on Treviso when we came to a major road which had Vicenza in one direction and Treviso in the other so, at last, we were able to head to our preferred intermediate destination.  Of course, along the way we had to resist the temptation to head back towards Bassano ;-). It felt a bit like Groundhog day, or maybe being trapped inside 'The Cube' of the movie of the same name.

Eventually we reached Treviso and, contrary to our usual practice around towns, actively looked for signs to 'Centro' to get to the city centre.  There were a few but they ran out so, in desperation, we hung a sharp right to head in what we were sure was the correct direction for the centre.  It turned out to be the right choice and, not only that,  we found a free car park just outside the old town walls and found a free spot to park.  A gate through the wall was nearby so we walked into the old town and found a place for a panino and a coffee for lunch.  Along the way we crossed over one of the several canals that run through the old town.  Just down from the bridge was a Swamp Hen keeping a large twiggy nest warm on the bank just above the fairly fast-flowing water.

After our fairly brief and light lunch we had a stroll around having a good look at some of the old architecture and then found our car park again.  It seems that we were lucky to get a car park as we were stalked by a couple of girls in a car as we walked back to the car.  I think they had their eye on Garth ;-)

Finding our way out of Treviso towards Venice was not difficult and we were soon heading towards the final destination of the day.  As we got close to Venice, however, the roads became quite confusing and it took both of our wits to keep going in the right direction.  It probably helped that Garth had been here before and eventually we found ourselves driving across the Liberty Bridge which was packed with cars.  As we came towards the Piazza de Roma which is just past where the rental car offices are, we could not find a car park and ended up circling the parking in the Piazza.  Garth hopped out and went back to the Hertz office to ask them where to bring the car.  Since there were parking nazis around I kept the car moving until Garth came back and then we followed the directions we had been given for where to take the car.  This involved driving back towards the Liberty Bridge and then throwing a U turn at the traffic lights to get back to the Hertz office.

After Garth had signed back the car we had to drag our luggage to the hotel which meant a few trips up and down bridges but fortunately was not too far.  The room we have is quite nice  and a reasonable size, and nice and cool after humping the luggage through the warm afternoon.

Oh, the guy at the Hertz office said it was much busier than normal because there was something on (turns out to be music concerts), but also there was a strike on at the same time.  There were certainly a lot of cars and people around.

Later we will go for a look around, sans luggage, and find somewhere to eat dinner.

Rimini to Trento plus

Last night in Rimini we walked down the main drag to find a place to eat.  This really is Surfer's Paradise Italian style - in the worst possible way.  Most of the eateries think that the only Italian food that turisti will have heard of is Pasta or Pizza.  Interestingly, most of the notices in the restaurants and tourist-trash shops are in four languages: Italian (of course), English, German, and Russian (using the Cyrillic alphabet).

Garth had spotted a likely looking restaurant on the way in (I was driving) so we walked down a few blocks and found it.  It turned out to be a very good choice.  I had a first course of Mussels and a bowl of about 40 turned up and very nicely cooked.  Garth had a seafood dish of crumbed seafood and that was good too (we shared a bit).  My main was a mixed fish dish while Garth had King Prawn skewers and calimari and both were delicious.  Why so much fish?  Because, being on the coast, we reckoned that Pesce di Mare (sea fish) should be good, and it was.

We walked back along the beach road sneering at the beach concessions but it was quite a pleasant evening to walk back to the hotel.  The beach road has cycle ways in each direction as well as a footpath - sheer luxury after Florence and the narrow streeted towns and villages of Tuscany.

Today, since we had a lot of distance to cover if we were to catch a stage of the Giro d'Italia, we used the Autostradas all the way from Rimini, through/around Bologna and Modena, until we got close to Brescia where we planned to continue along the western side of Lago di Garda.  We exited the Autostrada system at Peschiera to head westwards along the bottom of the lake before turning north towards Salo.  Once at Salo we were able to turn onto the road leading to the head of the lake at Riva di Garda.

After Salo, the road alongside the lake clings to the hillside and is quite twisty.  Much of the way in the early part is lined with Hotels but later on, the cliffs dropping to the lake become more sheer and the road goes through many tunnels.  At Riva di Garda I needed a comfort stop so we found a likely looking place which turned up to be anything but having only a Coop and a couple of other businesses.  As we were walking around trying to see if a 'loo could be found Garth spotted a bag on a seat under a tree.  It turned out to contain an expensive looking Olympus camera so someone must have forgotten to pick it up after sitting there.  Garth took it into the Coop while I continued to search for a toilet, eventually finding one by asking in a snack shop.  After doing the necessary we had a toasted sandwich style thing made with a very thin bread.  We had it done with cheese and prosciutto, washing it down with a caffe latte, and it was just enough for a light middayish meal.

From Riva di Garda we continued up the valley towards Trento before looping around Trento to take the road to Padova where we hoped to turn off at Levico Terme to catch stage 18 of the Giro.  The early exits into Levico Trento were blocked off by the Carabinieri but there was an exit on the other side of the town which wasn't blocked off so we took that.  After driving through and around blocked off streets we eventually found a (probably illegal) park for the car and walked back to where it was obvious that the race would be coming through.  We walked up the steep cobbled hill in the centre of the town where it was obvious from the number of expectant people that the race would be coming and found a spot about 3/4 of the way up where we could wait.  We got there at about 3:30pm and the Testa da Corsa group came through at about 4:10pm followed closely by a larger second group and then a third group.  There were a few stragglers at the back.  Obviously the mountains had taken a toll.  Looking at some of the footage on TV later we could see where they had ridden through cool cloudy and wet weather and also with snow on the sides of the road.  Anyway, it was good to have since the race live, having watched so much of it on the box.

Once the race was out of the way it was back to the car and back to Trento with Karen navigating us to our Hotel.  As usual, we missed a few of her planned turns and had to take the alternate routes she had to plan but eventually got to the hotel just after 5pm.

The day was fine but very hazy as we drove north and dark clouds threatened from the north west.  The mountain tops were clouded over but cleared as we continued and it wasn't long before we could see the craggy tops with their pockets of permanent snow.  The mountain scenery in the north is really very spectacular and driving up alongside Lago di Garda made the most of it.  As we got close to Riva di Garda there was a lot of activity on the water with wind surfers, para-surfers, and dinghies all busy out on the water.  We did get a little shower of rain at one stage while driving but it eventually went away.  All in all, a very good day

Montieri to Rimini

At our last breakfast at the Rifugio, we chatted with the two German guys who are following the McLaren car outing.  Apparently one of the cars had a prang yesterday, hitting a tree and then rolling.  Very expensive.

We hit the road about 9:00am after checking out and we were heading for Rimini on the Adriatic Coast via way of Siena and Arezza.  We didn't want to enter either of those cities but reckoned we could find a way to navigate around them, and we did.  From Arezzo we drove to Sansepolcro, heading for Urbino and then Pesaro on the coast.

At Sansepolcro we took the opportunity of a comfort stop and a coffee at a shopping centre on the outskirts.  After that, the road took us up some very twisty roads and up, up, up, and up for a long way, around numerous very tight hairpin bends.  Then much the same down the other side for a while.  However, the road surface was good and wide enough not to cause any anxiety.  Somewhere along the way, I forget exactly where, we spotted a very distinctive bird fossicking on the side of the road.  It was a Hoopoe.  Wae sued to see these in the garden in Nairobi on their annual migration away from the cold of Europe, so this was the first time we had seen one since then.

The road down through Urbino and on to Pesaro was uneventful and we reached Pesaro around about 2pm or just after.  Since we had not had lunch we parked the car and wandered into the town to find a Ristorante where we could get a light lunch.  We had a shared pizza and a shared carpaccio which was quite enough to stave off the. Blood-sugar lows.

After lunch we decided to let Karen plot a route for us for Rimini, avoiding the Autostrada.  She did the first bit Ok and then got orally confused but by then we knew we were on the correct route so gave her the rest of the day off.  The drive to Rimini from Pesaro took us through some, surprise surprise, typical coastal crap development even though we were several kilometres away from the coast.  Eventually we got to Rimini and turned eastwards. Looking for the sea that was alleged to be there.  Again, Rimini is very much like many other summer holiday beach towns with hotels all along the sea front road.  On the other side of the road are numerous concessions carving up the beach in a typically European way.  Not my idea of how to spend time at the beach I'm afraid.

Driving along the beach road, we decided to find a likely looking hotel and see if we could get a room for the night.  We got a twin room at The Ambassador (****), and they also have parking (for a fee) but reasonable enough for one night.  Our room overlooks the beach road, and the beach c on cessions etc over the Adriatic Sea.  Tick.

Tomorrow we will probably head north-west then north.

After the regions of the Maremma and Siena, much of the country we drove through was rolling countryside with lots of hay-making being done but we still have not seen a dairy herd anywhere.  The hills that we passed through were well forested and there were road signs warning of deer on the road but we still haven't seen one.  The day was mostly fine although off to our north a bit were some very dark rain clouds and we drove through the odd light shower after heavier rain had obviously passed through.  There was a light sprinkle in Pesaro but not even enough to open the umbrella for.

Lucca and Pisa (and some other places)

Last night we had dinner again at the Rifugio.  I had pasta for entree with a simple tomato and cheese sauce, whilst Garth had Riboletta.  I had thought that Riboletta was a form of pasta like penne but cut differently.  It turned out to be a soup made with bread, legumes and other vegetables.  I should mention that we had to order dinner from the menu at breakfast time so that they could prepare the meals.  After that we both had a potato omelet very much like a Spanish Tortilla.  Quite tasty and very hearty.  Garth followed that up with Apple tart for dessert.

During dinner a couple of German guys came in and we had a chat with them.  They had come to see (watch?) McLaren cars at some very exclusive hotel (Borgo San Pietro).  Apparently the first such event was two years ago at Lake Como.  Anyway, nice guys to talk to and a good sense of humour.  After dinner we also got talking to an Italian couple whom we had interacted with briefly the previous evening.  They had offered us the remains of the bottle of Vino Rosso (obviously mistaking us for alcoholics) and did the same again.  It turns out that they live in Florence and were a very nice couple to talk to in a mixture of broken Italian and broken English.  We had quite a conversation between them, ourselves, and the German guys.

 We had decided to head for Lucca and Pisa today so after breakfast we headed up on a fairly direct route north through country we had traversed on the way to the Rifugio.  Navigation as we got closer to Lucca was fairly easy with plenty of signs along the way, although the roads we came in on were fairly narrow and twisty - surprise!

Arriving in Lucca from the south we drove through some of the newer parts before reaching the outside of the old city.  Driving around the outside of the old city clockwise we looked for parking and then decided to try our luck inside the old city.  We entered via the Porta Elisa and after following the wall along to the left saw some parking dead ahead so made for that.  We didn't notice until after parking that we had gone the wrong way down a one way street but we had not inconvenienced anyone and there was no traffic coming the correct way so it panned out Ok.

After parking we set off on foot towards the most interesting parts of the old city to have a good look around.  After strolling around and viewing the sights and the old architecture, which is quite similar to Florence, we had a walk along the wall top for a while.  As we drove north we had driven through some rain squalls but it was otherwise fine.  We had no rain during our walk around Lucca at all.  After our wall walk we walked a bit more through the northern, less affluent, end of the old city before finding a restaurant for lunch.  We had not pre-ordered diner for tonight as we did not know if we would be back in time.  Consequently we had a more substantial lunch.  For first course I had Tortelli, meat filled and with a tomatoey and meat sauce and Garth had Pasta with a Gorgonzola sauce.  Main course for me was Scallopine alla Limone (escalopes of pork with an olive oil and lemon sauce), and Garth had Coteletta fried and served with chips.  His Coteletta was basically a crumbed and fried chicken schnitzel.   The meal was good and certainly enough to keep us going for the rest of the afternoon.  On the way back to the car I stopped at a Pasticcheria and had a Panino con Prosciutto made up to take back for the evening.

We had not fully committed to 'doing' Pisa but decided to do it anyway before heading back south.  We had want to avoid the Autostrada but unfortunately found ourselves driving on it towards Pisa.  On leaving it I tendered a €50 note for the tariff which turned out to be €1.70 but the guy did not bat an eyelid.  We arrived at the vicinity of the Duomo and the Torre Pendente without incident and found cheap parking nearby - about a 5 minute walk from 'The Tower'.
There were the usual crowds to be expected around the tower and it is certainly an impressive sight, as is the Duomo.  As we had arrived from the opposite side of the tower to the one seen in most picture, it was interesting to see the lean from the reverse direction.  From where we first viewed it the lean seemed much more pronounced.  Strolling around and looking back at the Duomo, it was apparent that part of it had also suffered some sinkage, probably before it was completed. This was something which I had not heard of before so was interesting to see.  After imbibing a gelato each we headed back to the car to start our journey back south to the Rifugio.

We had decided to follow a similar route south to the one we used coming north but on the way to join up with that we got shunted on to a fast road which we didn't want.  We got off at what we thought was a suitable exit as it was signed to one of the places that would be on our chosen route.  Maybe we took a wrong turn or something but we ended up navigating a lot of very narrow streets and semi-rural roads before finally reaching the outskirts of a place that we could find on the map.  At this stage we decided to invoke the aid of Karen, the GPS b***h to help us onwards for a while.

We told the GPS to plot a route for us to Castelfiorentino and, from where we were, it was fairly straightforward to get there.  Following the GPS we were getting close to Castelfiorentino when we just missed a turn off to the left.  At this stage we decided to cancel that plot and ask it to head for Certaldo which was on the route we would take from Castelfiorentino anyway.  This involved us continuing on the same road, with no deviations or turns to make, and we found ourselves passing through Castelfiorentino anyway on the way to Certaldo.  We still have no idea where 'she' was taking us.

After Certaldo it was a fast run on a good highway to Poggibonsi.  The road passed through three fairly major tunnels on the way and tree was not much other traffic at all.  After Poggibonsi we headed for Colle de Val d'Elsa before turning to the south west on the road which goes to Grosseto and Folonica.  This road goes directly via Montieri and so gave us a good run back to the Rifugio.

All in all it was a good day and we got to see some bits of countryside which we had not intended to but all came out well in the end.

South-Central Tuscany loop

First day at Montieri after a good nights sleep.  Last night we had a pre-ordered dinner at the Rifugio.  I had just a serving of Lasagna as a first course only due to having had a largish lunch of Bruschetta and Pizza.  Garth had gnocchi followed by Cinghiale (wild boar) with Polenta, and a Panecotta for dessert.

This morning, a continental breakfast saw us fueled up and ready to go.  We had decided to explore by firstly heading west and south-west to Follonica on the Ligurian Sea coast.  Driving down through the tight windy roads was reminiscent of driving in some rural areas of New Zealand where the joke was always that the surveyors were paid by the mile so put as many wrists and turns Into the road as possible.

Follonica is a pleasant coastal town with many camping and holiday areas, and marinas filled with expensive looking boats.  Just south of Follonica we stopped near the top of a small hill where the road was close to the sea so that we could have a look across to the island of Elba, famous as the place where Napoleon Bonaparte was exiled to.  It was a brilliant, sunny day and the island was clearly visible,  perhaps 20km away.  The Bay of Follonica was fairly flat sea but a breeze was rippling the water beyond the bay.  A ferry service operates to several different points on the island from Piombino at the northern end of the bay.

After following the road down the coast from Follonica we headed for Grosseto, which we didn't really want to enter but needed to get through so that we could pick up a road heading towards Scansano and then Pitigliano.  We got a bit hung up in Grosseto, but after a bit of winding through its one way system, we managed to find the correct road heading south by east and continued our journey.  Of course we could have used the GPS to help but that would have been a bit of overkill for the purpose, and also removes the possibilities of chance happenings that might lead you by the wrong road but give you a chance to see something that you might have otherwise missed.

We arrived in Pitigliano close to midday but not before having an incident along the way.  I was driving and as I was driving across a narrowish bridge I noticed that the left hand bend at the far end was a bit of a slow one so I changed down to slow a little.  Right then a fecking eejit coming the other way overcooked the (for him) right-hander and strayed onto my side of the road.  An instinctive twitch away to avoid collision caused me to scrape the right-hand side of the car on the W-Beam guard rail at the side of the bridge.  We stopped when possible to have a look and it didn't look too bad - mostly stuff deposited on top of the paint that could possibly be buffed off but will probably cost the accident excess on the rental.  Grrh!

Pitigliano is a (once) fortified hilltop town which has roots going back to the Etruscans whose caves can be seen down in the valley.  After driving through and back and then parking the car we walked through the town looking for somewhere that would serve a light lunch and also have a restroom available.  In the end we settled for an espresso coffee in a restaurant where the guy would dearly have liked us to have a pizza but got to use the restroom anyway.

After Pitigliano we drove north to Sorano which is another fortified hill town and also has an Etruscan history.  Again we couldn't find anywhere to get a light snack but took the opportunity to refuel the car at a self-service station.  This required us to figure out how it all worked but all was successful and we got our €30 of diesel and then set of north again through Elmo (tickle me), Selva, and Santa Fiora.  We were really just navigating from one place to another to make progress towards 'home' in a timely manner.  Along the way we passed by, and through, many picturesque villages and towns on some fairly narrow and twisty roads.

After Santa Fiora we went through Arcidosso where we stopped to visit a Conad Supermarket and pick up some supplies, including a sandwich for me to stop me from getting a blood-sugar low. Then it was on through Paganico, Roccastrada, Sassofortino, Roccatederighi before we picked up the road we had come down from Montieri on in the morning.  Then an easy run up to Montieri on the home straight - which it was definitely not.

Florence to Montieri

This morning was time to pack up and check out of the hotel.  Garth and I were in contact and we had agreed that I would get a taxi after checking out, go to his hotel to pick him up, and then we would go to the airport to pick up the rental car.  A good plan and it worked like clockwork.  After getting dropped at the airport we had to take a shuttle bus to the car rental agencies place and join the queue to get the paperwork done.

We had decided to head vaguely south, heading towards our final destination for the day - Montieri in the Maremma region of Tuscany.  We started off by heading slightly west towards Livorno and then turned south towards Certaldo in the Chianti region.  This took us through some of the country I had travelled both on the bus tour, and to get to the start of the bike tour.  On the way we actually travelled along some of the roads that we had cycled yesterday, including to the start of the brutish hill up to San Pancrazio.  Since we were there I suggested we drive up to the cafe at the top where we could have a coffee and Garth could see first hand what the hill was like.

At the restaurant we both opted for a Latte Macchiatto which turned out to be quite different from what we expected, but quite nice all the same.  We had expected something rather like a normal Macchiatto but this turned out to be a cup full of hot milk with the Macchiatto mixed in with it.

After that we continued to head south through Poggibonsi and then headed more south-westwards again to Colle di Val d'Elsa.  There was quite a significant fortification there but we didn't stop and continued heading to Volterra.  Volterra has a large fortification and sits on top of a hill.  As we approached we also saw another quite impressive rocky hill not far away and, significantly, it did not have a village, monastery, or castle on top of it.

At Volterra we had to park elbow the village and walk up a longish flight of steps to get into the village.  We found a place on the main street where we were able to share a Bruschetta, and a Pizza and a half-liter of house red.  Very nice.

After Volterra we headed again south-westwards to Saline di Volterra where we turned south to head down through Pomarance, and later on Larderello.  At Larderello there is a large power station and, from the large diameter steel ducts which criss-cross the area, appears to be geothermal.  Not too much further on we were able to turn eastward again to our final destination for the day - Montieri.  The Rifugio we are staying at is on the side of a hill in an area which used to be well known for mining of metalifferous ores but these does is covered with large tracts of trees.

During our drive today we passed through some very scenic countryside, all of it hilly, and ranging from the vine and olive co reed slopes of Chianti to the more regular fields near Volterra Nd then the forested country towards and around Montieri.  Apart from the first kilometers closer to Florence, we encountered little traffic on the roads, especially outside the towns, and it was a very pleasant day traveling.

Cycling in Chianti etc

Yesterday evening I went to the Restaurant dei Guelfi where I had eaten once before.  Already seated at a table and awaiting there meal were a couple I had met a few Aus earlier.  Kevin, a Brit, and Siggy, his German partner and I got chatting and they invited me to join them.  They were having Bistecca di Fiorentina, a huge tbone steak done in the Florentine way, while I had Polpettine (meat balls).  Conversation revealed that Kevin and Siggy live in Germany now and both work for a wind turbine company.  Conversation rambled over many topics including some of their favorite spots in Italy, including Ravello near Naples and overlooking the Amalfi coast.

As our meal and conversation continued we were joined at the next table by a retired farming couple from Nebraska.  The had recently been in Spain where he had to have an emergency op for appendicitis but after a few days recuperating was allowed to continue his trip, although the extra time meant that they had to forego a number of their planned stops.  Still, he was looking well so good on him for carrying on.  The evening broke up at about 9pm with us all going our separate ways, in my case just 3 minutes walk back to the hotel.

Today started with me heading for the cycle tour office on Via Ghibellina to register for te tour of Chianti.  On the way I stopped in at a Farmacia to stock up on sun screen and therapeutic aspirin which I had just finished my supply of.  After everyone was assembled, signed in, and paid up we were divided into groups to walk to a van about 5 minutes walk away.  The drive out to the start at the Castella de Poppiano, the home of the Count Federico Guicciardini - a family that goes way back and has associations with the Medici, Macchiavelli, and the politics of the Renaissance.  Filipino, one of the tour guides, has a home quite close to there.

Once at the castle, built around 1189 or so, we had a tour of the winery, and the olive oil producing facilities, before the obligatory climb to the top of the tower to catch some great views over the Chianti countryside.  On descending the tower, we were treated to a tasting of the wine produced there as well as the olive oil on rustic bread.  After that it was off to the bike shed just down the lane to be kitted up with bike, water bottle (which we got to keep) and helmet (I had my own). I had asked the guys if I could fit my own pedals (SPDs) and they would have let me but at the last minute I decided not to bother - big mistake.

From the Castle we proceeded in a counter-clockwise loop back through one of the villages we had driven through (Quirici?) and then down a long descent.  We paused along the way for obligatory photo stops, and once because we were a little ahead of time for lunch and to let the other group catch up (they didn't). Lunch was at a hotel and consisted of a salad to start, followed by a choice of one of four pastas, and a choice of one of two desserts, and followed by coffee.  There was also wine on the table for those that wanted it but nobody overdid it because we knew there would be climb to get back to the castle.

After lunch we continued the loop which started with a brief downhill followed by a 15 minute slower uphill gradient.  This took us to the bottom of the last hill of the day, a 1km killer with several 18 percent gradients in it.  I decided to give it a go, as did several others, but it was here that not having my own clip in pedals would have been really good.  I made it up the first third and, thinking that I was already in my lowest gear, got off and started to push.  Then I looked down and saw that I had still one cog left to go but by then it was too led had left the sag wagon at the bottom of the hill loading up the bikes and bodies of those who had decided to not even try it, so I turned around and headed down, managing to get bike and self on board before they took off.  So I did two-thirds of the hill, right?  One third up, and one third down ;-)
At the top of the hill the sag wagon let us and bikes off and after a short break we headed the 20 minutes or so back to the castle.  After storing away the bikes and retrieving personal belongings left whined in the shed, we jumped in the vans for the pleasant trip back to Florence.  All in all a very satisfying day.  A good trip, good lunch, good guides, and  good company.

Serendipity is the perfect word to describe my dining experience this evening.  I left the hotel just after 7pm and not wanting to eat a large meal.  Eventually I found myself on the city side of the river and, wandering along through the streets, I came across a cafe - Cafe Amerini - on the Via Della Vigna Nuova.  The we're serving drinks and small food selections like panino so I went in, ordered a half bottle of the house red and a panino.  I had stumbled into a place occupied, at this time in the evening, pretty much exclusively by Florentines.  As I sipped my wine and ate my panino it was great just to relax amongst locals just getting together at the end of the day and enjoying conversation together.  Of course I only understood about 10 percent of what I heard but that didn't matter because the atmosphere was so great.  I will definitely go back there when Garth and I return to Florence in early June.

Florence May 23rd

Had a sumptuous dinner last evening after my pizza meal during the day - a punnet of Gelato Lampone (raspberry) eaten while watching rowers on the river, bewdiful.  Could have had more, of course, but just didn't feel like it.  While there is plenty of good food here, I find it difficult to get just enough.  Some days I have a panino for the smaller meal of the day but other days I just don't feel like it.  I also feel that if one sits down in a restaurant then one is expected to eat at least a main course.  No doubt places do exist where one can get just a snack meal that isn't a panino or chunk of pizza but I just haven't found them.  Baked beans on toast would be good sometimes.  And that is another thing, they throw in continental breakfast at the hotel but they don't do toast or provide a toast machine so you can do your own.

Today started out cloudy and a little cooler (nice) with a chance of rain.  At the studio I finished the design I was working on yesterday (dog chasing itself) and started on another design on the other side of the same piece of wood.  Eventually came to wind-up time and said my farewells.  I had hoped that I could leave my pieces with Enrica until we get back to Florence again but Enrica and co will be away holidaying at the beach in Puglia at the time.  However, her sister will probably be available so I have her phone number and can call here when we get back to Florence to see if I can collect the pieces.  My think is that, while Thea first week with Garth will be in a car, the second week will be by bike with our luggage transported from hotel to hotel with having to repack everything every day so too much trouble with the wood pieces as well.  Last resort will be to pay for her to post/ship the pieces to me later.

The forecast rain came to fruition mid-morning and was falling steadily since then, with a few breaks.  When I left the studio there was a break in the rain but it started to fall again son after.  I stopped at a small shop where I bought a freshly made Panino con Porchetta.  Just as I started to eat it outside I spotted an itinerant African umbrella vendor so bought one off him for €5 and used it while I continued to eat my panino while walking back to the hotel.  The rain has had the beneficial effect of thinning out the tourists but not eliminating them entirely.

Tomorrow is my cycle tour (1 day) so I hope the rain is gone by then.  Forecast earlier said that it should be fine but we will see.

Florence May 22nd

Last evening I went to a restaurant that I had been to before and ordered a Carpaccio of bresaola and mozzarella followed by a Risotto calimari, vongole e pomodorini.  Both were delicious.

At the studio today I finished off one piece and started off on another, which is apparently known in Italian as 'dog chasing itself' because it is a series of circles joined as in an overlapping flat ribbon.  Afterwards, stopped for lunch at a restaurant near the Piazza San Firenze.  Ordered bruschetta followed by Pizza Napoli.  When the pizza arrived I queried the non arrival of the bruschetta and it appeared someone had forgotten it.  Not to worry, I ate the pizza and when they offered to bring the bruschetta afterwards I told them no thanks.  Then when I got the bill (il conto) they had charged me for two bottles of mineral water when I definitely only had one.  That fixed, I paid up and scampered, resolving to avoid that restaurant in future.  The food was Ok but I can do without the stuff ups.

I see that Evans lost the Maglia Rosa in the Giro d time trial stage today.  Not surprising as he made at least three time-costing mistakes on his ride.  Yesterday Michael Rogers rode a brilliant last 20km or so on his own to take the stage.

The Thai situation is a bit of a worry for Garth as he is supposed to be flying via there to Frankfurt os Saturday on his way to meet me in Florence.  Hopefully they will ensure that the airport is kept free of trouble.  Also, an old colleague is currently in Bangkok on business and due to leave there on Sunday.  I think it will be in their (Thai military) interests to ensure that things are kept on an even keel for transitting travellers.

Florence day 11

A warm day in Florence today with temperature around 28C.  And the humidity was fairly high also.  Nothing much to report from class except Enrica and I had a discussion about how, and whether, I could get my poor efforts back into Australia.  I explained, or tried to, the strict rules governing imports Into Aus.  It will be interesting to see whether my pieces will be a) confiscated for burning, b) allowed in without any problem, or c) allowed in after treatment by ASIS. I would prefer if they were allowed in but am also aware of the risks involved should any of the wood be carrying pests (unlikely) or seeds (very unlikely).

After class I got myself a sandwich from the Conad store and walked down Via Guiseppi Verdi and across the Ponte Alle Grazie to a garden which is located on the Lungarno just downstream of the bridge.  It was pleasant to sit on a bench in the shade and gaze out over the Brunelleschi dome and other monuments dating from the Renaissance.  Florence is full of Palazzos, Piazzas, and churches which all held significance during the Renaissance and afterwards, sometimes for good reasons, but often for bad reasons.  As Charles Dickens observed about a quite different time period:

'IT WAS the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to Heaven, we were all going direct the other way- in short, the period was so far like the present period, that some of its noisiest authorities insisted on its being received, for good or for evil, in the superlative degree of comparison only.'. (A Tale of Two Cities)

He could have been writing about the Renaissance, or about things in more modern times.  Perhaps great creativity comes particularly in times of great turmoil (or opportunity).  I have just picked up a book called 'April Blood' by Lauro Martines and it is about the plot to kill Lorenzo di Medici (the Magnificent).  Not far into it but is obvious that the times were both benign and violent in approximately equal measure.  Probably better if you were of the nobility and managed to stay on the right side of power.  Or maybe if you were a serf or villein and not in a position to be called to arms.  (? Is it any better now?  Sure the risk of violent, and politically OK, death is less, but not zero, but we are still at the mercy of the power brokers.  They have just dressed it up in what passes for democracy).

Ah, enough vino Rosso talking for one night.  Ciao ;-)

Florence day 9

Yesterday evening I didn't want to walk far due to a gout attack so I just went a little way up the street to a restaurant I have been to before.  Had Pollo Cacciatore which was delicious and then called  it a night.  Had a lousy night and woke up exhausted but a shower made it possible to face the day.  Also felt a little nauseous but knew the cause of that to be the Colgout medications I had taken.

Another productive day on the course continuing with the multi-design picture frame piece I had started working on yesterday.  However, I called a halt a little earlier than the full session complaining of being 'molto stanco' - very tired.  On the way back to the hotel I stopped at a Osteria for lunch and had a bruschetta followed by Tagliatelle alla Norcina (tagliatelle with a creamy sauce with salcicia, tartufo, and truffle sauce).  Also had a Caffe Espresso to finish - a bit like Turkish coffee in strength and quantity but without the mud in the bottom of the cup.

Tonight's 'dinner' will be a banana and a pear or two - I'm vegging (or fruiting) out for the rest of the day and hope to get a better night's sleep tonight.

Florence so far

So after a week, what do I think about Florence?  It is busy, both with tourists and with the daily business of life.  Of course much of the daily business would not be there but for tourism.  I suppose that a city like Florence, which owes much to the tourist trade, is to a large extent living on, and in, it's past.  Walking around the city and viewing all of the grand buildings which were built during its hay day one can only wonder at whether the same constructive spirit exists today.  Of course many of the buildings were constructed under the politics of power which moved from one family to another.  Also the power rivalries between cities like Florence and Siena, Florence and Pisa, etc contributed to architectural styles and a 'ours is bigger' mentality no doubt had a large influence.  These days it is the power of profit which drives most major construction projects, while many major government infrastructure projects take a long time to get off the ground due to political weakness.  Maybe the message from the past is - if you want something done then entrust it to one person then get out of the way and let them get on with it.

What I will remember about Florence will be:
The friendliness of the people.
Dodging cars, scooters, motorcylcles, busses, delivery vans, and bicycles.  Bicycles have to be watched for in both directions, on and off the footpath too.  It seems anything goes for bikes.
Despite the chaos in the city things are generally fairly calm.  It is rare to hear the toot of a horn and motorists are pretty patient with pedestrians.  If I had to choose the worst behaved road users it would be motorcycles/scooters first, and then bicycles.  Cyclists rarely use a bell, even when the bike has one, and can sometimes not be heard coming the wrong way down a one way street so you will be watching traffic from one direction only to be almost bowled over from behind.  There are also electric bikes, scooters, and cars which cannot be heard above the general ambient noise and these will increase
Dodging dog shit on the pavements.  There doesn't seem to be any laws requiring owners to clean up after their mutts.
Italian kids are as dozy as kids anywhere when it comes to getting underfoot.
Tourists are like tourists anywhere - completely wrapped up in themselves and not giving a toss about anyone else.  Meanderons abound, particularly idiot tourists walking along taking videos with an iPad and thus not watching where they are going.
A maze of narrow streets reminiscent of Kathmandu, Shanghai, and I guess any other city which grew large without any attempt at town planning.  A lot of the more 'modern' buildings (< 300 years old) owe their styling to influences from places like Paris.
At one stage there was obviously a fashion for big doors about 2.5 to 3 times the height of what is actually needed to admit a person.  On reflection that might have been to admit a person on their horse, along with helmet complete with rooster.

Florence day 8

Last night I opted for Pizza alla Diavolo at a restaurant near the hotel.  I actually walked around for a while looking for a suitable place but eventually got back to this one which suited me well.  Their Vino Rosso di Casa was Ok too.

Today was the 6th day of my course and I continued to work on the piece started on Friday  and finished it apart from some minor cleaning.  I started on another larger piece which is really a side of a picture frame.  At least this time the wood is Lime which is denser than the Jelutan and not as prone to splintering.

On the way back to the hotel I bought a Panino con Porchetta and munched it while sauntering along the streets.  I usually walk but decided to saunter instead as I wasn't in any particular hurry ;-). The usual crowds of tourists filled the streets and getting in the way.

Florence day 7

After yesterday's tour and exertions I slept a little (very little) later than usual.  By the time I got to breakfast the gannets had come and gone and the Maitre d was flat out resetting tables for the later comers.  As I left the hotel for my morning promenade I asked the reception to get me the bank account details that I would need to do a direct bank transfer for my accommodation.  I thought that would be easier than doing multiple credit card transactions to get around the daily limit on the card.  I don't want to raise the limit as it gives me a level of risk control.

I had decided to head to the Tuscany Bike Tours office as they offer a one day tour which I want to do on Sat 24th.  Found the office but hey we're busy getting the day's tour organised and asked e to book on the web.  After that I took a different path westwards trough the city, eventually arriving at the railway station, from where I threaded my way back through the streets to the hotel.  There seemed to be some sort of fun run on as there were,a lot of people dressed for running and wearing numbers.  Consequently whenever I saw groups of them I modified my route to avoid the crowds.

At the hotel the bank details for the hotel being available I arranged a direct transfer for most of the account.  I'll settle the rest by credit card when I check out.

After that I decided to go out, find a panino, and go somewhere pleasant to eat it.  There is a little garden park just west of the Ponte alle Grazie which has some nice shady trees so I found a bench there and ate my panino while enjoying the fresh air and looking north over the river across the city.  Afterwards I decided to walk up to the Forte di Belvedere which is on a highish hill overlooking the city.  I didn't go into the Forte and it seems I might have toured the Giardino di Borboli which are attached to it without paying a fee.  There was a ticket office at the gate but I didn't bother reading the notice in full as I wasn't intending to go into the Forte so I just slipped past someone else who was getting tickets and enjoyed a pleasant stroll through the gardens and sat in the shade and fresh air for a while.  When I was leaving the gardens via a different gate I saw that there was a ticket office on the gate to the actual gardens which is what made me think that I had cheated the system inadvertently.

Back at the hotel now relaxing while watching the days stage of the Giro d'Italia with Cadel Evans in the Pink Jersey but will he still have it after the stage today?

Florence day 5/6

Last evening I went for a stroll through the back streets on the south side (Santo Spirito) of the Arno to find a place to eat.  It is pretty much like the city side with just as many Piazzas and 'significant' buildings.  Found a place which I had passed by earlier and ordered Bruschetta followed by Tagliatelle con sugo al Cinghiale - Tagliatelle with wild boar sauce.  Very nice. All washed down with Vino Casa mezzo lotto Rosso (1/2 liter of house red).

Had a curious fantasy as I was dining.  I had selected a seat facing the door which gave me a wedge of vision of perhaps 1.5 meters on this side of the street extending to maybe 7 meters on the far side of the street.  I imagined a reality where people walking past, and vehicles,
did not actually exist until they came into my vision and disappeared from reality as soon as they left my sphere of vision.  People who stopped to look at the menu outside temporarily entered the reality zone but if they decided not to eat at the restaurant then they disappeared in a pouf also.  The world, from that perspective was a rhomboid 1.5 meters across at the. Earnest and 7 meters across at the furthest.  Of course the restaurant was entirely within the reality zone.  It was an interesting fantasy, possibly fueled by the house red, but it highlighted how our vision of the world can be severely limited by our view port.

The pickup for my tour arrived promptly and then, after a couple more pickups, dropped us at the Railway Station to register and await the bus.  A full load of 52 set off for San Gimignano along with Brando, our tour leader.  The ride to SG was pleasant enough with a bit of historical info from Brando as we were leaving Florence and more as we approached SG which is on one of the highest hilltops in Tuscany.  Along the way we passed through the Chianti region which has hilly countryside with lots of trees interspersed with vineyards, olive groves and the odd field of what looked like grass for hay.  Also, particularly around villas, there are the ubiquitous symbol of Tuscany - Cypress trees.

San Gimignano (apparently) once had something like 72 towers so was known as the city of towers - although city is stretching it a bit.  Now there are only 12 or 16 (or some number in between) depending on who is counting and what is included as a tower. Be that as it may, it is a place caught in a time warp as there have been no new buildings there for hundreds of years.  There has been some construction by addition to existing buildings but it is minimal.  Of course the whole place exists as a tourist trap all though some people obviously live there who are not directly associated with the tourist industry.

I had included entry to the Torre Grossa (big tower) as part of the tour package so duly went and climbed up to the top.  The lower part is all medieval steps which are about 1.25 times the height of steps today, but the upper half is all modern steps constructed of steel and much easier to climb.  The view from the top, in all directions, was great with expansive views over the Tuscan countryside.

After San Gimigniano we were taken to a winery for lunch and wine tasting with commentary etc from a very entertaining daughter of the family.  Of course the whole thing was designed to get people to buy wine and or olive oil from them.  However the food was good, if not copious, consisting of an antipasto late of Bruschetta, bread with extra-virgin olive oil, cheese and three types of salami.  This was accompanied by a white Chianti followed by a normal Chianti Rosso.  The main course was penne in a tomato sauce drizzled with truffle olive oil and was tasty.  This was accompanied by a Chianti Classico which again went down very well.

After lunch we headed for Siena where we were put into the hands of a young female tour guide who took us around and gave a running commentary on the Audi devices that we had been issued with.  Unfortunately, I had trouble in hearing exactly what she was saying so I resolved to go back over it all at a later stage and fill in the blanks.  We did finish that part in the Duomo (cathedral) which I had included in the package and most people on the bus did likewise.  After the Duomo, Brando and I went off for a tour of the Museo Civico which has a number of rooms preserved which illustrate the history of governance in Siena.  The main frescoes were, apparently, painted by one of the first 'lay' artists of the time and showed a fascinating slice of political, and ordinary, life in Siena.  The Museo Civico is one of the major buildings on 'il Campo' (the field, which it is not - it is a paved square where they run an biennial horse race - the Palio - between ten of the seventeen districts of Siena.

After all that it was time to assemble in il Campo when it started to rain lightly.  As we started back towards the bus it was still raining lightly as we stopped at a Gelateria for an ice cream, and then pelted down for a while.  It eased off again just before we continued our walk back to the bus so nobody got too wet.

After Siena it was back to Florence but with a stop at Monteriggioni which is the fortress where Dante was imprisoned for a couple of years and where he wrote The Divine Comedy.  There is not a lot there except the obligatory Ristorante/Pizzerias and a few touristy shops, but it was an interesting short stop anyway.

The rest of the ride back to Florence was uneventful but the state of the road between Siena and Florence is abysmal with many sections where two lanes are reduced to one and some where two lanes each way are reduced to one each ways due to works going on.  And the surface on the open lanes is pretty broken up in places too.  I'd say that road maintenance has not been high on the agenda for a while.  At the same time there are new works going on - it looks like widening some sections is being done - so who knows?

I had arranged for them to drop me off at my hotel at the end of the tour but when we got to the Railway Station no ride was in sight.  Fortunately, I was able to prove that I had booked it and after a phone call and a 30 minute wait I was duly driven back to my hostel by a very obliging and apologetic young guy named Mauro.  It turned out he had just returned from three months in Aus which he thoroughly enjoyed.  And so back to the hotel by 8:30pm.  A longish day but quite satisfying over all.

Florence day 5

Well 'dinner' last night was a Fragole (strawberry) gelato consumed while I walked down one side of the other for a couple of bridges, and back up the other.  I am trying to stay away from the Ponte Vecchia in the evenings as it is crowded with turisti.  Unfortunately, if I want to go to the city it is the closest bridge to me although I can walk a little further and cross the Ponte Santa Spirita.

Finished the first week of my wood-carving course today and have nearly finished the large frieze that I started yesterday after I finished the flower decoration.  I think that glue and I are going to become very good friends - particularly when working with fragile softwood.  The leaf that broke off my flower is now glues satisfactorily back in place and you can't really tell - at least from the front.

I am thinking of doing a 1 day cycle tour on May 24th.  I went by their office today to enquire about it but there office was closed 'out on tour' so I will have to see if I can talk to them on Sunday as I am off on a bus tour tomorrow (il sabato).

While I was walking back through the city I bought a panino for lunch (prosciutto) and munched it while walking.

While writing this I am watching stage 7 of the Giro d'Italia live on Rai 2.  It seems to be going well for the Aussies at present but there is still plenty of distance yet.  I had half hoped to be able to see a stage finish on Sunday but I don't think that is going to happen.  Anyway, Garth and I should see one later in the month near Trento.

Florence day 4

After having a pizza for lunch yesterday, last night I only had a sandwich that I had bought in Conad next to the studio.  Washed down with some Sangiovese of course.  The Conad shop has a reasonable selection of local wines at reasonable prices so I am buying a bottle there every couple of days.  Vino Rosso of course.

Earlier in the evening I went for stroll along the river side to the east of the Ponte Vecchia and then back along the other side.  Along the way I had a nice Mandarin Gelato.  They seem surprised when you only choose one flavour.  The crowds on the Ponte Vecchia in the evening are unbelievable.  A lot of them are coming back from the Pitti Palace which is very near the bridge and my hotel.

Before going to the studio today I dropped off some laundry to a shop in the next street.  I was going to take it to a laundromat but found this place where they will wash and dry it for a reasonable price.  They also do ironing as well but I didn't think that warranted for what I put in.  Dropped in at 8:30 this morning and ready for pickup at 5 pm.

Today I finished the flower that I started yesterday.  I think it is a Giraffe (think Cameleopard) because it doesn't look like any single flower that I have ever seen.  As I was nearly finished it I managed to break off a leaf due to the fragility of the wood.  Glue plus Enrica's home made corner clamps (made of chair spring steel) will make it almost as good as new - ho hum!

After 'class' I walked back through the city looking for the Foot Locker shop to buy something more suitable for standing for hours at a time and walking through these uneven paved streets.  Managed to find a pair of Nike Air which fit well and have a much stiffer sole than what I have been wearing.

After that I found a Restaurant near the Ponte Vecchia (north side) where I had a nice Risotto ai Funghi Porcini - bene!

Just watching today's stage of the Giro d'Italia on Rai Sport 2 as I type this up.  This is the first stage I have seen and I haven't seen any mention on BBC World news.  Of course it is all in Italian but you don't really need the commentary to figure out what is going on.

Florence day 3

Had a light meal last night at a place just up the street from the hotel.  I had Penne Boscaiola which was delicious and just enough after my lunchtime panino.

The day started off cool but warmed up quickly so that by lunchtime it must have been in the low-mid 20sC.

Finished off the frieze I started yesterday and then Enrica gave me a choice,of an even larger frieze or a flower.  I chose the flower for a bit of variety and then will do the other frieze.  One of the problems I have is that Enrica has a vision of what the finished product will look like but I don't so I was struggling for while with the flower until should brought out some examples.  Anyway, fairly straightforward once you know where you are heading although I think the flower may be a cross between a rose and a camellia - a sort of camel-rose.  The wood that we are using which I think is Jelutong is soft to carve but easily splinters away should you hit the grain in the wrong direction.  I guess choice of wood is a compromise between ease of carving, 'splinterability' and how often you have to sharpen tools.  I think there is also a different sharpening angle for hardwoods vs soft.

Traversing the back streets of the city is very reminiscent of St Petersbsurg.  It has a similar 'feel' although it was much cooler in St Pete when I was there in Nov 2006.  Just meandering through back streets you don't have to go far to come across yet another significant building.  For instance, my walk today took me past the Pallazio Vecchio and then the Bargello.  On the way back I came through the Piazza Della Signoria where I stopped for a pizza for lunch.  Met a couple at the next table from Staffordshire on their first (short) visit and they seemed to be enjoying the warmth after the coolish English spring.

Florence Day 2

How lovely to wake up without tobacco smoke.  Although there is still a strong whiff of it through all of my clothes.  I'm sure the hotel staff must think I am smoking surreptitiously in my room.

A restful nights sleep and then a shower.  Discovered a couple of little problems.  One shower door is missing a couple of hanger things for the top rail so it has to be lifted into position (reported).  And, maybe because of this or because I was using the non-slip mat, I managed to flood the bathroom floor.  Good job that there were plenty of towels but, because I had put the bath towel on the floor near enough to pick up I had to dry myself with a hand towel.

My tariff does not, strictly speaking, include breakfast but they gave it to me gratis anyway.  Fronted up to the breakfast room where most of the guests seem to be elderly Germans who dress for breakfast.  The breakfast room Nazi (or should that be Fascist) told me off for sitting down at a table that had been used and not re-prepared.  As if I gave a hoot - all I wanted was somewhere to park my arse and eat some muesli and whatever.

After breakfast I walked to the studio by a different route and again arrived early but Enrica doesn't mind.  Finished off the piece I worked on yesterday and started on another frieze but with a slightly bigger profile.  Since I had arrived early I suggested to Enrica that we kept going until 1:30pm (4.5 hours) and then call it quits for the day, rather than break for lunch and then go back.  Daria only does 2.5 hours so knocks off earlier anyway.

When we finished up I had a slow slow through the streets just generally heading in the right direction.  Bought a panino along the way and munched as I walked.  I will probably go out for another walk later and perhaps get a gelato. And the, later on, dinner.  Yesterday I had breakfast at the apartment and a pizza for lunch so I didn't need dinner but today I am trying to get into a more regular routine.

Question for the day (I am just watching a news item on the kidnappings in Nigeria by Boko Haram):  If the Koran forbids the portrayal of the human form (or face?), why do they (Islamists) not have a problem showing their faces on TV?

Florence day 1

Day one of my course dawned fine.  When I got up at 6am Roberto was already up and he went out while I was having breakfast.

Walked to Enrica Barozzi's Atelier (and house) starting at about 8:30 so I would the there in plenty of time - even if I got lost.  The street was easy enough to find but finding the house was a challenge as they have two numbering systems.  Eventually I tried what I thought was the right number but was told that the red numbers are for shops and the black numbers for houses.  Easy enough to find after that but what a strange system.

I arrived at the studio at just on 9am and started work with Enrica straight away.  The first project is a carved frieze with leaf decorations and it was in at the deep end with Enrica demonstrating and explaining and then handing the tools over to me.  Enrica speaks about as much English as I do Italian but we get by ok.  A little while later the other student - Daria - arrived and started in on here project.  Daria, who is Turkish,  started a week ago so is more advanced than I am.

We worked solidly until about 1pm and then broke for a welcome lunch break.  So long on the feet - worse than a 5 hour walk!  Lunch was a pizza at a nearby pizzeria so dinner will be very light - probably toast from the loaf I bought last evening.

I am not terribly happy with the accommodation they lined up for me.  Roberto smokes some ghastly cigarillos which stinks the place out and I don't like passive smoking.  Also there is no wifi so I can't easily find out what is on so I can get out of the place.  I may try to find a hotel tomorrow and to hell with the expense.

Florence is fine, sunny, warm, and already full of people.  Don't know what it will be like in high season.

Update on accommodation.  I have bitten the bullet and spent more of the kid's inheritance  and moved into The Hotel Lungarno for the remainder of my stay here.

Hook to Florence

Today I fly to Florence via Paris so up at 6am having showered last night.  Ian had prepared a light breakfast for us and the we were off to Heathrow by 7-ish.

The trip to Heathrow Terminal 4 was easy enough - just a run along the M3 and then onto the M25 which we then branched off onto the Southern Perimeter road.  Probably about 30 or 40 minutes all up.

Checking in was easy self checkin and then hand my suitcase over but the gate was not known so after security had to hang around in the terminal for a while.  The flight was 15 minutes late asking off and we landed at Charles de Gaulle Airport just on midday but a long run up to the gate took another 15 minutes.

Having arrived at terminal 2E I was due to depart from terminal 2F at 13:20 - ha!

The embarkation was delayed for 20 minutes and then they loaded us all onto busses while they went around the airport looking for a likely plane.  Thank goodness they bypassed the Air Ukraine one.  Having got onto the plane in good order we have had to sit here for over an hour - making us even later while the pilot locates some information - perhaps where the takeoff runway is.

Just to go back a little, getting from terminal 2E to 2F was pretty straightforward apart from going through security and border police where I was the only one going through and there were no directions in any language as to which we to go.  The border cop was too busy gazing at his phone to pay much attention and when I asked him he gave me a casual flick of the finger which only gave a general direction and no indication that I needed to go through a lateral door.  Eventually I asked some sort of hostess and she put me straight at last.

Eventually we have take off - well over an hour late.  I thought African time was bad enough.  Hopefully the return flight via KLM/Amsterdam will be better organised.

Well, the drama continued.  On approaching Florence we were diverted to Bologna instead due to high winds.  Arriving at Bologna we were told that the ground staff would ensure that we got to Florence either by bus or by train - Ha!  There were no Air France ground staff and the people at the info desk, nice as they were, only wanted to get rid of us quickly.  A flight from Munich to Florence had been given the same treatment.  The choices were a bus which would take about 95 minutes, or a train which would take about 1 hour.  Like many others I chose the train but it was a 20 minute bus ride to the station and then a 20 minute wait for the train.  I could only get a 1st class ticket but at least it got me to Florence at around 6:30pm, then a taxi to my accommodation.  Having given the taxi driver the address in my best Italian it did not take long to get there.  On arrival I was greeted at the door by Roberto, a 60ish man, and shown my room and the rest of the facilities.

The flat is old, spartan, but has the necessary facilities except for wifi.  The worst thing is that Roberto smokes so the place reeks of his tobacco.

Since I wanted to get some food stuffs for breakfast Roberto took me on an exciting car ride to a supermarket where I found what I needed.

Later, watched some Italian TV with Roberto but did not understand much of what was going on, and then to bed.

Brecon to Hook

Awoke to weather in Brecon much the same as yesterday - sunny periods interspersed with rain or vice versa.  After breakfast we packed up and headed out south for Merthyr Tydfil through The Brecon Beacons National Park.  It was fine all the way through so we go to see some great countryside although there was cloud down over the peaks.

At MT we turned eastwards towards Abergavenny and then onwards to Monmouth.  Unremarkable A road but not overly busy and reasonably easy to Navigate until we got to Monmouth where we had to follow the inevitable tangled string looking for the turn off through the Forest of Dean which we traversed to Gloucester.  The forest was great although tracts of farmland intervene but the spring green of the deciduous trees was brilliant.

Circumnavigating the ring road around Gloucester took us onto the road to Cirencester where we deviated again to head due south through Chippenham.  Then we turned east remarking on the White Horse at Cherhill? and then taking a quick detour around the Avebury Stone Circles before getting back onto the road to Marlborough.

Marlborough was busy with some sort of food festival but we found a car park off the main street fairly easily and then had a light lunch at Azuza.

Heading south out of Marlborough towards Andover we had a minor 'incident' when we took a wrong turn, and in reversing to turn around, the rear right corner of the car was clipped by a bus which didn't stop.  No serious damage so not much to do except carry on.  At Andover we got too the A30 or one of its variants and headed east to Basingstoke where we lost the A30 somehow but after some SOP navigation found a back way through Old Basing and Newnham to Hook where it didn't take much effort to find Ian and Jean's place.  Ian was working in the garden when we arrived and Jean arrived back from shopping shortly afterward.

It was great to catch up with Jean and Ian and we had a good conversation for a while over a cup of tea.  Ian suggested that we go out for a walk across the common which we gladly accepted and walked for an hour so, seeing some New Forest ponies hat have been moved to there, as well as a couple of nice deer (yum - ooh, perhaps not).

On the way back we dropped in to a local pub for a drink and then back to I and J's in time for a lovely rice and chilli dinner prepared by Jean.

Further conversation etc after dinner but I admit to getting a bit drowsy around 10:30pm but not before giving a recitation of Clancy of The Overflow which seemed to be well accepted.  And then to bed.

Nottingham to Brecon

After a very restful sleep and a shower it was down for breakfast on some of Eric's fresh-baked bread - very nice.

We set off from Nottingham just before 10am heading south and after a bit of messing about ended up on the A42 towards Birmingham.  We managed to get off that at Ashby-de-la-Zouche and managed to find some smaller roads with more interest as we continued south.  After a while, however, we came to a point where there was obviously some holdup ahead so we followed a truckers example and diverted eastward through a village.  Unfortunately our first attempt to turn south was thwarted and we had to continue further east until we got unto a road heading in the right direction to get us onto the A5.  Following the A5 got us to Shrewsbury where we lunched at a pub at around 1:30pm and had a bit of a look around.  There is a lot of old/medieval architecture in Shrewsbury and a lot of the streets are cobbled and very narrow.

We had decided that today's destination would be Brecon on the northern edge of the Brecon Beacons National Park in Wales so we headed off from Shrewsbury through Welshpool to Newtown and thence down through Llandridod Wells and Builth Wells.  The weather wasn't too great with rain showers interspersed with brief sunny spells.

Arriving in Brecon at about 5:30pm we drove through and around and ended up at The Castle Hotel which is, surprise, just behind the Castle.  We secured a room which looks out over the Brecons and then went for a walk through the town.  There is a strong army presence here and as we drove through we had spotted The Ghurka Restaurant so we made our way back there to see if they had Momos on the menu.  To our delight they did so we just went straight in and had inner there, accompanying the Momos with a nice Lamb Curry.

Ripon to Nottingham

Today we are planning to head south(ish) passing through Sheffield (to collect some Ivorine for knife handles) and then on to Nottingham to meet up with Eric and Joy.

We start off by heading westwards (as you would) so that we go past the ruins of Fountains Abbey.  When we got there it was too early for them to be open so we we just saw what we can see from the entrance way.  When we came here on one of our cycling holidays 'when I were a lad' I think we could freely wander in and look around but now you have to pay and there are strict entry times.  Progress.

After FA we continued west into the southern Yorkshire Dales and some very impressive countryside.  Rain squalls kept hitting us from the west but there were enough sunny intervals to make it interesting.  We passed throughnthe pretty village of Pately Bridge in Nidderdalee, about halfway between Ripon  Grassington.  At Grassington, we turned to the south heading down to Bolton Abbey - another victim of The Reformation - but we didn't go in to see the Abbey.

Continuing south we headed for Keighley but then got a bit messed up and missed our road to take us down through Halifax.  We ended up going through/around Bradford which was very slow and then on to Halifax where we were able to pick up a road heading towards the M1.  I should say that I tried a few times to call the guy at the cutlery company in Sheffield, eventually leaving a message for him to call me back.  When he did call me back it turned out that there was no-one at the place until Thursday/Friday and they didn't really have any Ivorine at all so I would not be able to get the Knife handles that I wanted. Grrr!

Anyway we headed towards the M1, and lunched at a place called Midgley along the way.  I called Joy and Eric to let them know our expected timings and we headed down the M1 towards Nottingham.  This wasn't quite as straightforward as it should have been as there is major work going on which kept the speed down to 50mph but we got to Nottingham in reasonable time and had no difficulty finding Eric and Joy's place near the Uni.

I should also mention that Garth had lent us his Gps which I had taken out to check a few days ago.  Unfortunately, when I went to get it out to get it I couldn't find the Gos unit itself, only it's charging and mounting harness.  We had to make do in the end with the Gps on Dominic's Android phone but it did the job.  We will have to empty the car out to find the missing Gps. Pity it doesn't have. Gps locator on it!

It was great to catch up with Eric and Joy during the afternoon.  One of the things they have been fighting is a light rail system which has taken away part of their garden but the battle is now over and construction is well under way.  This runs along the back of their garden with the Uni on the other side.  Of course there is all the construction noise that they have to deal with too.

Eric took us on a tour through the Uni later while Joy had someone in for a dance class.  In the evening we walked out to have a nice meal at their favorite Indian Restaurant which is not far away.  A very pleasant way to spend the evening.

Hexham to Ripon

First a recap on last night.  We headed back from Hexham to Ryton to meet Brian and Sheila and Alan and Delma at The Silver Giraffe restaurant in Ryton.  Brian and Sheila were already there when we arrived and Alan and Delma arrived soon after.  It was great to see them again after 40 or so years.  Conversation flew thick and fast as shared memories were revisited.

One of the things that came out during our conversation mis that Brian has been researching (mostly) the Lancaster family history and has been able to go back to the 15th century when one of the ancestors was, I think, a border reiver named Fingerless Willie (or perhaps it was the other way round?).  The reivers were lawless plunderers who made life hell for families living on both sides of the Scottish Border so perhaps we now belong to Australian convict 'royalty' even if we di arrive a bit late ;-). Anyway, he is going to send me the info which will be very interesting to go through.  Apparently the Batey side of the family is harder to do because of a name change from Hislop to Batey at some stage.  I'm not sure why but got the impression that it was to avoid some military duty or something at some stage.  Perhaps we will find out more later.

After dinner we all decamped to Alan and Delma's place in Ryton where the conversation continued until 11:30 or so.  Since Dominic and I had to drive back to Hexham we called a halt to proceedings and took our leave, dropping Brian and Sheila at their home in Lemington on the way. All in all a very successful and enjoyable evening.

Today we left Hexham after breakfast and followed our return route of yesterday back as far as Alston and then on to Penrith in Cumbria.  We crossed a highish pass (Hartside) along the way - about 620 meters and the western side of that would make a great training ride (bicycle) as it starts quite low at Melmerby and rises for about 10km at a fairly steady gradient.

We didn't actually enter Penrith but crossed over and proceeded to Ullswater which is very beautiful.  At the bottom of Ullswater we went over the Kirkstone Pass? to Windemere. After Windemere which is also very pretty we headed back eastwards to Kendall where we stopped for a coffee and comfort break.  Kendall is quite a nice place but their one-way system makes one think it was laid out on a board with a piece of badly-knotted string.  From Kendal it was off into the Yorkshire Dales via Sedbergh and along through many very nice valleys with very narrow road crowded out with stone walls and farm houses and farm buildings.  We stopped at Hawes (Wallace and Grommit) favorite to lunch at the Wensleydale Cheese Factory.  The village was quite crowded with trippers.  From here we started to see an increasing number of signs about Le Tour which comes up this way after the Grand Depart.  There are two stages in Yorkshire before the tour heads south. Leeds to Harrogate which passes through Hawes and Ripon as well as many other places, and York to Sheffield.

After Hawes we continued our journey along the Ure Valley ending up for our overnight stay in Ripon.  After calling in at the Info Centre to arrange accommodation at a B & B we went and did our first lot of laundry at a Laundromat.  This turned out to be owned and operated by a Nepali guy and his Indian wife.  His original home was in Pokhara, Nepal but he saw much of the world in the army and ended up in the Uk.  We had quite a long chat with him about Nepal.

After checking in to our B & B, we went around town looking for a suitable dinner venue and ended up at a Chinese restaurant on the Market Square.

We haven't quite planned our route for tomorrow (Wednesday) except that I want to call in to Sheffield to pick up some replacement knife handles, and then we need to be in Nottingham in early to middle afternoon to meet up with the Foxleys.

Today was the warmest we have had maxing out at 16C, although there was a bit of a shower while we were at the Laundromat.

Newcastle/Tyne Valley

Couldn't publish this yesterday as the wifi at the hotel was abysmal.

Before leaving the hotel this morning I checked my email and got the good news that my Florence accommodation is sorted out.  Apparently they had lots of students to accommodate so that they even had to work on Sunday (molto cattivo!).

Leaving Newcastle today we headed west towards Hexham, our first priority being to find somewhere to sleep tonight. At Hexham we drove through the town and spotted the County Hotel which offers accommodation but we drove a bit further to see what else we could find.  Since we didn't see anywhere more obvious than the County Hotel, we went back there to check the availability of rooms.  They didn't have a twin room but could offer us two doubles but we couldn't check in yet as it was just after 11am. Anyway, we booked the rooms and then back into the car to continue westwards on an exploratory drive.  After heading along the main road (A69) for a while we turned off at Haydon Bridge and then headed north up towards Hadrian's wall.  We ended up on the road which parallel's the wall and stopped at Once Brewed Park HQ which is right beside the Once Brewed Youth Hostel.  My long ago memory of the Once Brewed YHA is that they had a shed out the back which housed an old piano which Evelyn and I angled away on.  There were a lot of dope out on the road - many cyclists as well as motorists - because of it being a Bank Holiday.

After our stop at Once Brewed we continued west and, after joking the A69 again turned off to the village of Brampton where we got a fresh sandwich from the Spar shop to eat a bit after on.  From there we headed south on the A689 heading towards Alston.  This took us through the North Pennines which are a sort of cross between farmland and moorland. There does not appear to be. Lot of soil to sustain good grass growth and the increasing altitude probably does not help either. We found a place to stop by the roadside to eat our sandwiches and have a break.  The places down here seem to be very isolated although not too far away from major places like Carlisle in miles.

After lunch we continued towards Alston, along the way moving between Northumbria and Cumbria as the road wriggled through. At Alston, we headed northwards again towards Hexham.  Since thus took us close to Allendale we detoured through there as I had vague memories related to the name but when we got there nothing triggered any more memories, although the village itself is quite pretty.  An easy drive from Allendale back to Hexham and then we checked into The County Hotel, which is where I am writing this now.

We drove through some magnificent countryside today and expect to see a lot more tomorrow. We also saw several pheasants crossing the road, and also the odd one that became instant pate.   Some road signs warned "Caution Red Squirrels" but we didn't see any so there was no need to fear an attack from them.  Perhaps the Curse of the Were Squirrel is real!

Berwick to Newcastle

Wet road and light rain when we woke up this morning.  Perhaps that is what caused me to fall out of bed in the middle of the night?  By the time we had breakfast and were ready to head for the railway station the rain had stopped so it was just a slow drag up the hill - about 1 km - to be there in time to get a ticket for the 10:13 train, which didn't arrive until almost 10:25.  Anyway, only about three-quarters of an hour to Newcastle and then straight onto the metro to the airport to pick up the car.

Rather than go straight to the hotel we headed west to Corbridge and then back east along the Tyne Valley.  I though that I had found the lane at Riding Mill where Aunty Vi and Uncle Joe were but after driving up it I am not 100% convinced.  We thought to look for somewhere to stay on Monday night so head down from Crawcrook to Wylam but there wasn't anything obvious around.  Back through Crawcrook we went up Mount View to have a look at the old place.  Not much has changed externally except some of the backyard walls have been torn down to open up the yards, and some have been reduced in height.

After that we headed for Ryton to try to find Mrs Summerside's daughter Ann.  After a while looking around and asking people, we found out that the Ryton address we have is actually Crawcrook - actually the road down to Wylam!

When we fronted up to Ann's fron door she was very welcoming and we had a good long chat and cup of tea with her and her husband, Colin.  Actually, I don't think Colin could get a word in edge ways.  It was good to catch up with them before we headed back to Newcastle to our hotel.

After a couple of phone calls we have firmed up to be in Nottingham on Wednesday afternoon to stay with Eric and Joy Foxley, and then to Hook, Hampshire to stay with the Wilkinsons.  That gives us a couple of days to see a bit more of the countryside on the way  down.

Reflections on The Walk
Some pluses from the walk:
- Very friendly people - at least, until we got nearer to Berwick when only 50% returned our greeting.
- Bird life and wildlife along the way, including Pheasants, Magpies, and lots of small birds.  Also rabbits plus a lovely big hare which went lolloping across the field outside our B & B at Fenwick, then took off like greased lightning.
- some very interesting towns and villages along the way.
Minuses?
- Darned sea mist which obscured the seascape on the first three days.

Last day of walking - Fenwick to Berwick-on-Tweed

The story so far.
- On 27th April we journeyed by bus and taxi to Ellington where we overnighted at The Plough Inn.
- On 28th April we walked from Ellington to Cresswell and thence up the coast to Warkworth where we overnighted at Aulden B & B.
- On 29th April we walked from Warkworth to Craster and overnighted at The Cottage Inn, Dunstan.
- On 30th April we walked from Craster (Dunstan) to Seahouses and overnighted at the Malabar B & B.

On these three days of walking there was heavy sea mist so the availability of viewable scenery was very low.

- On 1st May when we got up it was very cold and raining so we took a bus to Bamburgh, and after hanging around there for a while we took another bus to Belford where we overnighted at The Old Vicarage.
- On 2nd May it was fine and sunny for our walk through farmland and forest to Fenwick where we overnighted at Aidanfield B & B.
- On 3rd May we started off from Fenwick to walk to Berwick-on-Tweed.

The day started off cold with frost on the lawn at our B & B but nice and sunny.  Leaving there we had to cross the A1 (carefully) and then down through farm lanes and farmland before crossing the main railway line.  At pedestrian railway crossings they have a phone where you have to ring a signal station to check that it is Ok to cross - good idea.

A bit further after the railway line crossing we came to the start of the causeway over to Holy Island.  We cam across a woman that we had met in The White Swan Hotel, Lowick while having dinner the night before.  (Aside:  Since there is nowhere to eat in Fenwick, and probably other places around, the hotel at Lowick operates a by request pick and drop off service for people who want to dine there - quite a novel and innovative idea.)

Anyway, the woman walker that we met up with was resting her blisters before making her way to Holy Island to spend the night there.

From the causeway the route follows the coast behind dunes and alongside a golf course.  The path is also part of the National Cycle Network so we saw lots of cyclists along the way.  One pair of cyclists we saw a couple of times and then, as we had just entered Berwick looking for our Hotel, we met them again and had quite a good chat with them.

The last part of the walk took us through Spittal on the south bank of The Tweed river before crossing the old, one-way, bridge to the old town.  We were very pleased to get to the Queens Head Hotel where our bags were waiting for us in our room.

(it turned out that's our hotel was just around the corner from where we were talking to the two cyclists - very handy.)

Day 5 - Belford to Fenwick

As promised, today started out with sunshine and a bit of a breeze - good walking weather.   After a light breakfast of muesli, orange juice, poached eggs and toast (me - Dominic didn't have the eggs) we set out for the 10 km walk from Belford to Fenwick.  On the way through the village we picked up a few necessaries from The Coop  - a sandwich for lunch for instance - and then headed more or less north across farmland.  Just after leaving the village we encountered West Hall - a house built in the style of a castle and had even had a (mock) moat at one stage.  We had been told about this by a couple we met in the pub yesterday while killing time.

The first part of the route was gently uphill and then more or less along a ridge before descending slightly to Swinhoe Farm - a riding school.  This is just on the edge of a forest so the next part of the walk was through forest where pheasants were seen.  During this stage I got an unexpected phone call from my cousin Alan who wasn't quite sure where we were.  If we had been going to be back in Newcastle by Saturday he had though we might go to a home match of Newcastle United at their grounds right across the road from the hotel we had been staying at.  Not to be however so we will see them for dinner on Monday night.  While talking to Alan we heard the distinctive sound of a Woodpecker hammering away at a tree in the forest.  From the one forest the trail crossed some open farmland again and we were looking for the side track to St Cuthbert's cave but somehow managed to miss it - ho hum!

After that the trail passed a pond which was populated by lots of. Noisy gulls on their nests.  Then back into another forest where the path was. Wry boggy underfoot but quite pleasant otherwise.  At one stage we passed by a very dark area of forest and I was imagining Mole and Ratty being set upon by the rascally Weasels.  No sign of badger to help them out either.

After less than three hours walking we entered the village of Fenwick which is where we sleep tonight.  If arriving before 15:30 we were supposed to call and let them know but we knocked on the door of the B & B on arriving and the Mavis let us into our room, although our bags had not arrived yet.

Our rom is very pleasant and overlooks the sea.  Holy Island can be seen from one window.  Our route out tomorrow takes us past the causeway over to the island.

Tonight our hosts will, apparently, drop us at a nearby pub where we can get some nosh.  There is nothing in Fenwick - not even a corner shop?