1 Week Since Returning

I really like blogging as a means of journaling. This is just not as private as a journal should be, but at least it captures the every day stuff that's interesting to remember. Here's a random, cool pic of the Trevi Fountain in Roma. It's huge, it takes more pics to show the whole thing.

Just when I thought the jet lag was over, it seemed to get worse. Every morning I've been waking up really early without the alarm clock (good), but every night at 8 pm, I have turned into a pumpkin. Today that seemed to change, but I was also being very active at 8 pm (at the gym) so maybe I would have gotten super tired had I not been out.

I'm still uploading pictures, but at least enough are up to share the link: http://picasaweb.google.com/lifeonskinnytires/Italia# (this only goes 1/2 way through the bike trip so lots of cool pics are still coming). Every day I get a few more up. I've been trying to caption them, but that's taking quite awhile.

Here's a picture of people at hot springs (on a hot day) on the last day of the bike trip. I'm including the picture just because I REALLY want hot springs right now. I leave Denver for ~20 days and it goes from summer to winter. It was raining a good portion of the day today and tonight it smelled like snow (and was quite chilly).

Yesterday was my second ride since being back, but the first long ride. It was 40 miles all uphill, then 40 miles down with a tailwind. Started at 6:30 am since the Italian Festival was going on and I didn't want to miss it! I haven't ridden that far without a break for espresso, melone, figs or a full garden-fresh lunch in a very long time. I missed the food stops.

Had a scary blowout with my front tire, but fortunately the tire stayed on the rim and I was able to get the bike stopped before the rim touched the pavement. This is the second time I've had a ride-stopping mechanical really close to The Bike Station. Funny, because I was thinking that I should drop in to say hi to Pete and tell him all about the trip.

The Italian Festival was enjoyable since it was fairly authentic--all of the signs were in Italian and there were quite a few true Italians there (like those who speak the language). I kept myself away from the gelato and other food so as to not mess up my memory of what I had eaten in Italy, but I did have a very pleasing cannoli. The live music was fun and definitely the best part, well, and enjoying the time with my parents who have become much more interested in all things Italian lately. I wonder why!

Saturday I spent at a Theology of the Body conference. If you're Catholic (or even if you aren't), I highly recommend learning all about it. I think it holds the answers to so much of what is confusing in life, especially when it comes to relationships and the fundamental meaning of life. Theology of the Body is straight from the teachings of Pope John Paul II, he spent most of his life developing it but it doesn't sound like anything you'd ever hear a priest or a pope say. Seriously, check it out.

Trying to get back into normal life

It just occurred to me today that I don't remember seeing anyone walking around the streets talking on their cell phones or texting anywhere in Italy. I'm sure people do it somewhere, but not to the extent we do it here. And I saw quite a few young people all over the streets and on the beach (in Fano).

Another thing that took some getting used to is all of the big cars here. Even the small ones are huge compared with Italian Fiats and zippy matchbox-sized cars. And I had to get used to driving again (not that I wanted to, I could be very happy never driving).

It has been really tricky to sit and work yesterday and today. After being so active for so long, I got into that mode of moving constantly (unless I was sitting down at a meal). Tonight I ran and lifted, that helped rid me of some pent up energy. The time on the bike really kindled my desire to be race-fit again. And the trip helped me get close to race weight. After all of the huge meals and gelati (that's plural for gelato), I came home lighter. Maybe I should write a book entitled "The Gelato Diet."

Italian Fair coming up this weekend in Denver! I'm so excited to go, but am concerned the food won't be as good as it is in Italy, I don't want to eat anything that might possibly erase the memory of those flavors, textures, aromas...

Jet Lag & Getting Back to Reality

Today was my first day back at work. I needed yesterday to rest and unpack. Strangely, I awoke at 5:30 am this morning without an alarm and felt great. (HUH?) However, right around lunch time, I felt so super tired and that lasted for most of the rest of the day.

There are a couple of dances coming up this weekend and next (this is highly unusual) and I've been wanting to learn how to dance so somehow I gathered the energy to go out to salsa dance lessons. That was almost as aerobic as a good training ride and incredibly fun. (Does it count as cross training?) The salsa fusion dancing after the lesson was really sweet and there were live drummers.

All my pictures still need to be uploaded, when they're up, I'll post a link here to them. And yes, final thoughts and more Italy stuff coming this weekend.

La Dolce Vita

After 12 hours in airplanes today and an 8 hour difference in time, I have not slept since I awoke in Roma at 6 am. I don't want to do the math--that's being awake waaay too many hours. All of the travel time gave me time to think about the trip and bellisima Italia. A piece of my heart didn't make the trip home with me--I think I left it in one of the Umbrian hill towns. I am happy to see my family (and Mom made this super good arugula salad tonight and ravioli, go Mom!) I'm quite content to have more Italian food.


Arrivederci!

Today in Roma and the Vatican

I know this is jumping around a lot, but now it is officially past my bedtime and I am officially tired of blogging. I visited the Vatican museum and the Sistine Chapel today. St. Peter's bascillica was closed, I understand the Pope was making new bishops there. Tomorrow we will go to mass there, not sure which one. Spent a lot of time walking all over Rome tonight to see the sights and do a fair amount of people watching.

We got some rain tonight. The first clap of thunder was so appropriate for Rome: it was incredibly loud and it rolled through the sky for a few long seconds. Then rain poured and the thousands of people in the streets next to the Spanish Steps fled under awnings. Made for a peaceful scene during the rain. It is still really warm here so I didn't mind walking in the rain.

View of St. Peter's from the top of the Spanish Steps.

Bottom of the Spanish Steps looking up.

View from 1/2 way up the Spanish steps at the huge crowd below. There are so many more people in these streets well into the night than what I typically see in NYC.

Bronze statue of Hercules. Very few bronze statues from way back still exist. This was in the Vatican museum. I took so many pics, I won't post them, it was such a vast collection. Was really good to have a guided tour and being able to skip the line was a MUST.

In St. Peter's Square after the tour early this afternoon.

Tomorrow I'll be meeting up with cousins who just happen to be vacationing in Roma, too and I should see the Colosseum, Pantheon, etc. The trip is almost over. I will be very happy to see everyone back home, but I can't say I'm homesick yet.

I'll blog more about my thoughts on Italy, etc. later. All I can say right now is that I am definitely not coming home the same person who came here 2 1/2 weeks ago. I wish I had taken this trip years ago, but I also think the timing on this trip couldn't have been any better for a few reasons.

Thanks again to everyone out there in blog land, it has been fun traveling with you!

Ciao ciao!

Fast Forward to Porto Ercole

This is most of the group after we finished our coast-to-coast ride (Gina isn't here, she was visiting the x-ray machine thanks to a crash 2 miles from the end of the whole ride, fortunately, she was fine, just has horrible looking bruises). Jim and Roe had to go home early thanks to Jim's bad crash that caused him to have a bad concussion. His crash was caused by bad pavement (solo crash).

It was so beautiful in Porto Ercole, it was a nice time to have some beer, but I didn't end up getting in the water. The dinner that night was, again, scrumptious.

Spello & Rest Day in Spello

Food at dinner in Spello. The order of pics is going to be a bit screwy. It is almost midnight in Italy and a whole bunch of people just walked in so I don't have the privacy I've been very fortunate to have previously tonight.

What a great setting for dinner overlooking Spello!!!

On the ride out of Spello, we stopped for a photo op by the Roman theater.

Not sure what this is, but it's worth the pic!

See all of the stuff on Bevagna. Most of the time in Spello (for me) was spent riding to/from Bevagna. We did get a tour of a winery in Spello which was really good and a tour of Assisi. I think this is where my power blogging for the night is about to end. Will finish the rest when I can!

Gubbio

I think the ride into Gubio offered some seriously cool roads and lots of greenery. There were a few spots where I really wanted to stop and take a pic, but the road was too winding with no shoulders.

There's our support van, it was always a pleasing sound to hear its engine and friendly honking...and loud Italian music when Marcello was driving!
After we rode three times counter-clockwise around the fountain in Gubbio, the purpose was so that we could be crazy like the rest of the town.

Near Genga and the Caves

Near Genga, very close to the grottas (caves). Ga-ga gorgeous!

Pics of the grottas, we weren't allowed to take pics inside, isn't this fabulous?! It was the biggest surprise of the trip to me, I was totally blown away by the magnitude of them.

Again, looking from the gift shop at the grottas to the valley below.

This the place where we stayed (near Genga). Sorry for no pool pics, it was a really cool pool, too!

Urbino to a place near Genga (middle of nowhere)

From Urbino, we rode to this little town that was in the middle of nowhere, near Genga. I enjoyed being in the middle of nowhere so after the ride (which was a hammer fest for the extra loop that was a really long climb and the rest of the ride that was rollers) the only thing to do was sit in the cool pool and soak in the very fresh air.

Below are pictures from the ride.

At the end of the very long climb up a mountain.

Pretty woods. This is a hiking path that looks like fun, apparently there are many like these marked clearly all over the hills here.

Fano to Urbino

View from my room in Fano (it faced the railroad tracks, not ocean, but I thought it was still really cool considering the roof tops are gorgeous). Gina and I were there for 3 days in total. It was very nice to have time after getting off the plane to soak in the sea and relax prior to getting on the schedule of the bike trip. (Don't get me wrong: it was great to be on a schedule during the trip, felt great to get up and out early and have a full day every day.)

Nice scenery on the ride from Fano to Urbino.

Rest stop before the extra loop split from the rest of the pack. The loop was a gorgeous climb with great views.

This is the view: (pics don't do any of these vistas justice!)

Somewhere between Fano and Urbino, yeah, gorgeous yet again!

Food in Urbino (this is the dessert, sort of like flan with different toppings). Dessert here was never very heavy and did a nice job of completing dinner.

Urbino was a cool town. Apparently it has a few colleges there, that would explain all of the busling in it.

On a tour with Andrea prior to getting on the bikes and leaving Urbino.

Prior to every bike ride, our leaders would give us maps and tell us about everything we would encounter during the day on the bikes.

The courtyard in the place where we stayed (a converted convent) in Urbino was awesome.

One of the many hilly & brick roads in Urbino.

Going back in Time: Fano

Now that I have some time with the internet, I want to post as much as possible and fill in some of the gaps.

Watching the sunrise from the plane. This was right around 6 am Italy time (I woke up just a few minutes before I took this picture. Can't say I've ever seen a sunrise just like that before!)

Piazza in Fano. Fano is a lot more than just a beach town (though the beach is spectacular).

This is Gianni and Gina as we were walking and he gave us a tour of the town and sea side (Gianni is the one who treated us to gelato).

We went out walking in Fano after dark. This is the church where I attended mass Sunday morning (the bike riding portion of the trip started Sunday afternoon).

Italians love arugula. Therefore, I love Italian food! This pizza was from a restaurant called Florida (I might have mentioned this before in a previous post), it was good food, but did it have to be called Florida?

Dinner on the first night of the bike riding portion of the trip was insanely good. All sorts of wonderful seafood, pasta, you name it. I had to get my stomach conditioned to handle so much heavy food minutes before bedtime.

The first night of the bike riding portion of the trip, Andrea (not sure on spelling) gave us a tour of Fano. Here he was talking about its wall.

More Bevagna pics

The hills that border Bevagna. If I remember correctly, to the left is Assisi and to the right is Spello. I should have other pics to show these towns more clearly. Hey, look at this road: it's flat...very uncommon for Umbria!
Land just outside of Bevagna.

Cute little old men chillin' on the main street in Bevagna. This is a common thing to see: men spending time together during the day in many of these little towns. I never see this back home (guys, take note...I think this is one of the many secrets to happiness).
The wall of Bevagna--I understand some of my ancestors helped bulid this wall!

Antonio (from the Commune) walked me down the street to the museum in order to get someone to help with translation. And since we couldn't communicate too effectively, I was wondering where he was taking me until we got there. Fortunately, I had discovered the museum the previous day so I wasn't a total stranger to the girls working there.


I think this is looking back down at Bevagna/land in that vicinity.

More land of Bevagna (outside of the wall).

This used to be a Virgin Mary, she isn't in there any longer. Just outside the wall of Bevagna, near Leda's home.

Another view of the piazza (where the church is, it just isn't in this picture).