Montepulciano - A dream come true

Montepulciano. Just think of the number bottles of wine from this region that we have drunk over the last few years – Piccolo Italia (and later Volare) started my enjoyment of this fine red wine, and who would have known that I would actually be here at Montepulciano, the very place the wine comes from. And what an introduction to the this part of my holiday. I rang the Headwater rep early this morning to advise of my very swollen and painful wrist and to ask if there was a simpler way to get to Chiusi rather than by train with a change at Terontola. The thought of struggling up and down all those stairs at the railway station really did not thrill me. He said he would pick me up at Terontola, so that was helpful. So I checked out of Chocohotel, and sorry guys, I didn't buy loads of chocolate. I planned to, however, the girl on the front desk advised that it was not possible to post from the shop and the thought of carrying an even heavier suitcase even just for today was more than I could bear. And also it is still incredibly hot, so I didn't want it to melt in my suitcase. So, sorry no chocolate from Perugia. Maybe wine from Montepulciano on my last day.

Breakfast was a bit of a disaster, I can't use my right hand at all and trying to pour a glass of juice from the jug with me left hand was a bit of a mission and I ended up spilling bright red orange juice (don't know why orange juice is red here) all over the nice white table cloth. Woops. But the waitress was very nice and then she bought me a bag of ice wrapped in a serviete to put on my wrist, she could see that it was very swollen.

Anyway, I managed the train okay, and I was pleased to see the Headwater Rep at Terontola when I arrived. And it was raining. Oh buggar. I hadn't counted on rain while I was here. And on the drive to Montepulciano we drove through an amazing thunder and lightening storm, and one thunder/lightening cracked right in front of us. It was so loud, (a combination of the roar of the thunder and the flash of the lightening – a very strange and quite frightening noise actually ) and the lightening was so so bright. And the rain is so heavy, great puddles forming on the road as we drive along. Not a very nice welcome to the area, I surely hope that it doesn't last too long. Alan and Linda (the Headwater Reps) will come back at 6pm to do the briefing, and in the meantime I will sort my stuff for my panniers, take a walk along the road to the supermarket and buy some food for my pinic tomorrow and perhaps just rest with my arm elevated and hope like hell that some of this swelling goes down a bit. And then tonight I have to go up the road to have dinner at t restaurant as this hotel is bed and breakfast only.

It is now Sunday morning.
I was woken at 5.38am with the loudest and longest thunder I have ever heard. It just rumbled on and on and I thought it was never going to stop. I jumped out of bed and went out on to my wee terrace to have a look at the early morning. The sky is black, it is windy and it is freezing cold. Alan said yesterday that the termperature had dropped 10 degrees, but it feels way more than that. Now I hope I am going to be warm enough cycling along. I had hummed and haad about bringing my big black jacket and decided against it because it is summer, and this is what it turns out like. I just have my light jacket (ex Vaughan's Takeout in Turangi when John and I sponsored the local Young Bloodz Touch Rugby Team) It's only light but hopefully it might keep some of the moisture out.

Not a good omen, I have wanted to come to Montepulciano for so so long, and here is turning on the hugest thunder storm. It is now almost 7am and the thunder is still happening. It is not raining here yet, but the the wind is blowing and the thunder is about every 30 seconds. It is so loud and long. But the birds are chirping in the trees - is that a good sign – I sure hope so.

My hand is still incredibily swollen but I am hopeful of being able to get on the bike today. Alan and Linda came at 6 last night as arranged and went over the maps with me. This trip is way hillier than the Veneto, but promises to be way more picturesque. I sat on the bike and tried to operate the hand brake (which I am going to need as I cycle downhill on the strada bianca. I could just manage to use the brake, but changing gear was going to be the biggest problem as I still couldn't move the thumb. I.'ve been applying Diclofenac jel (I couldn't get Arnica or the Tramneel that Roxy suggested) as well as the massage cream I use on my feet and ankles and knees after a nights dancing, popping the Panadol regularly with the hope that the swelling would subside and the pain disappear, but no such luck. What the hell have I done to it.? I remember banging it as the train stopped at Perugia the other day, but I wouldn't have thought that that knock was enough to cause this much damage. But then lugging that heavy suitcase up the stairs on top of the knock might just have been enough.

But more important is the big question of this bloody weather – cycling Tuscany in a bloody thunder and lightening storm is not quite what I had pictured. Oh well, I guess my photos of the area will be quite different to those you see in the glossy magazines. - talking about photos, I think I have now sussed out how to add photos to my blog page, but I don't have access to the internet now until day 6 (today is Day 2).
Woops forgot to say, yesterday afternoon I went for a swim in the indoor pool. Well a very short swim actually. The pool is beautiful, indoors, under the hotel, and if it had been a stinking hot day it would have been just perfect, but because it was raining and windy and cold it wasn't quite so appealing and I got cold quite quickly, so came upstairs and had a hot shower. But at least I have used my togs, I thought I was going to carry them all the way home unused. Apparently on this trip there is only one hotel that doesn't have a pool, and these hotels are much more luxurious than those used in the Veneto (and I thought they were pretty luxurious) Alan pointed out that this was why this trip was so much more expensive – silly me – I thought it was because this trip is 11 nights where as the other one was only 8 nights. How dumb of me!!!

There is one hotel where we (and that should say I as once again I am the only person on the trip – no one else out there, no one else coming so I won't be seeing a soul while I'm out there) get provided only bed and breakfast as the restaurant is the most expensive in the whole of Tuscany. Apparently the starter (like the one I did with my chef the other day ) Bruschetta with tomato and olive oil costs E15. Must be some bread. Because basically that dish is a piece of ciabatta bread, with tomatoes on top, sprinkled with olive oil, some herbs (maybe basil or oreganum) salt and some balsamic. E15 is about $45. Holy heck. The whole dinner is E110 and wine and water are extra. Headwater guests are given the choice of eating there or going out to eat, and we are there for two nights.

Well typing this morning is very slow, and the time is rushing by. I have breakfast at 8am and the reps come back with my bike for the safety check and see me on my way at 9am. They offered to drive me to my first hotel if my hand is too too painful, but I really want to bike it, although those black clouds out there are still hovering . The wind may have dropped marginally and the thunder isn't so frequent now. So maybe it will be okay. As long as it doesn't rain like it did yesterday. It will not be pleasant.

Oh well, catch you tonight. Hope all is well in Kiwi land. I checked the news on Xtra before leaving Perugia and I see that Swine Flu is on the increase, and the main reports were just the same, people being killed, murder trials, the financial gloom and discredited sports people. Oh and also another earthquake in the Bay of Plenty, this time centred in Rotorua, although no reports of significant damage. And I had an email from my friend Pete in Auckland who said it is freezing cold with the heaviest snow in the country for ages. It will be another week before I get any news.

Watched telly for a bit in Perugia in my hotel room - I think it was McLeods Daughters but it had another name (in Italian) and it was all in Italian, but I could follow pretty much what was happening although not understand the dialogue, and then I watched a cops and robbers kind of show (again in some other European language, don't know which, but certainly not Italian, and definitely not filmed in Italy and again, couldn't understand the dialogue but could figure out what was going on. They got the bad guy in the end, so all ended 'happily ever after!!' ) And watched the adverts which gave me an idea of what to buy in the supermarket yesterday. Some premixed salad which I bought for my lunch – okay but I wouldn't buy it again. And I watched the news on CNN but it was all about the situation in Iran with the Ayotollah and the protest march etc, so all a bit boring. Isn't there anything else going on in the world worth reporting. For a whole hour that was all it was about.
Okay, must go and get my shower and finish packing and have my breakfast. Catch you all later.
Ciao.