Blogs from Emilia-Romagna, Italy, Europe - page 5

After yesterday's Grand Tour I really didn't think it would be a good idea to go out for the hard ride proposed for the combined Limoncino and Cappuccino Super groups, so I opted for the milder Cappuccino ride. Apparently this was quite a popular sentiment, as so many people signed up for this level that they had to split us into 3 groups to make things more manageable. We had 15 in ours, and while there didn't seem to have been an official selection process our group was strong enough that I think our leader (Micol) decided to take us over a few climbs that some others avoided. Surprisingly these were steeper than I had anticipated (14-16%), albeit brief (on the order of 1-2 km), including one memorable stretch on a very trafficky and winding road ... read more

Still smarting from yesterday's experience, I decided I should take along a jacket 'just in case' the weather decided to turn on us. Indeed, although it was neither raining nor cold when we left, the forecast called for a thunderstorm in the afternoon and I knew that either of those conditions might change at any time. In the absence of any storage space in my rental bike's modest seatpost bag (which was filled to capacity with only a spare tube), I was attempting to store/stuff my jacket under the seat between the rails when our guide Bartolo interceded to offer a pro tip, the results of which can be seen in the accompanying (if not very flattering) photo. And then we were off again. Things were pleasant enough for the first 3 hours: although the roads ... read more

There's never much to say at the start of these endeavours, which is probably a good thing. Having previously scoped out the Air France bus that runs between the Ottawa train station (yes) and Montreal's Trudeau Airport, there was little drama in finding and boarding it, and despite the requisite construction mess at the Dorval traffic circle, I arrived with plenty of time to speed through check-in (no lineup!!??), plod through security, hike the interminable distance past the innumerable shopping opportunities that obviously had never heard of a scent-free environment, and settle in for the long wait until boarding. I had thought my Vermont friends, who provided the impetus for my being on this trip in the first place, were taking this flight but did not see them. Eventually Mark (from Vermont. To avoid confusion I ... read more

Six years ago we made a brief stop near the outskirts of Ravenna to view the wonderful mosaics in a basilica. When planning this trip we thought it would be a great opportunity to revisit the city and see more of its famous mosaics. We are staying about 35 km south of Ravenna so we made the short drive arriving about mid morning. Our reliance on Jane to find a suitable car park was really put to the test. The temperature was hovering around 30 degrees so finding a park close to the centre of town was important. Once we found our carpark we headed off in the direction of the city centre. After walking about 10 minutes we asked an elderly gentleman if we were going the right way. No you need to turn right ... read more

I drove south from Padua to Ravenna on the autostrada today. Italian highways are, in my experience, as good as any in Europe (or the US) and the drivers are as good as any, too. Italian drivers have a bad reputation, but to me European drivers in general follow too close and pass to frequently. It's not just in Italy. I arrived at the old city around noon and set out immediately to see the sights. Ravenna is famous for its Byzantine-style church mosaics, created 1500 years ago when the Eastern half of the former Roman Empire briefly held sway in this area. Here are a couple of photos of a clean-shaven Christ, the usual way he was represented prior to the Middle Ages (see photos). In the first he is the Good Shepherd and in ... read more