Bike Riding in Lucca

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After a great sleep, we showered up and went down (all those stairs), got our obligitory Pizza for breakfast and met the group at the bike shed. Today was BIKE RIDING DAY!

How long has it been since you rode a bike?

For me it must have been about 15 years, and my butt bones have been reminding me ever since.

We started the day off (and let me say the weather here has been absolutely incredible, October is definitely the best time to come to Italy) with a leisurely ride around the walls of Lucca. The walls are really wide and total 7 kms around the city, on top of the walls is a path and several park areas, its really beautiful. We all got accustomed to riding our bikes, and took in the serenity of the experience. To quote Grant "I can think of worse ways to spend a Saturday".

After the initial ride and reacquanting ourselves with 19th century transport technology, we ventured off on a bigger ride. This time through the coty and out the other side of the walls, then along a river and found a picnic spot.

Salami, Olives, Procchutio (sp), foccachia (sp), pomodoro (tomatoes) - the usual Italian fare for lunch, (with Chianti of course) it was devine.

Everyone in Lucca has a bike, it makes sense cos the streets are so narrow and the buildings so tall. They are trying to ban cars in Lucca altogether, the locals fear the fumes are damaging the buildings etc. I had a bike which had seen better days so I couldnt pull out any BMX Bandit moves, and no bell made it really difficult to get people out of the way....and there are people EVERYWHERE.

Jules and I made our own dinner tonight, we went to the PAM supermarket and got loads of crazy junk food (Fonzies, Tronkys, Yonkers) and some pasta (how original) and had a nice quiet meal at home. We both had 'bikers bum' so werent too keen to go out.

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