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And so onto my trusty cycle. By now it was starting to get quite warm, although there were a lot of clouds and it was quite cool when the sun disappeared behind them.
And well, that pretty much was what it was. Not such a hard ride today, although I found it quite hot today, and by about the 25th kilometre I was starting to question myself. What the hell was I doing here, riding a bike in the middle of the day. You see you ride for miles and miles and don't see a soul. Now that part is fine, I can cope with being on my own, but there is very little of evidence of life in these little places. Today, I rode through three villages, Pannellina, Farneta and Fratticiiola, and there was nothing there – oh a few houses, some nice front yards, but no shops, no people. The houses all had their shutters closed, and there was nobody about. Some of the houses had washing hanging out, so some evidence that somebody lived there, but that was it. I got passed by about four cars all day. I cannot for the life of me, fathom out what they do all day, or where they hide.
In the distance as I was going up the hill on the early part of the trip (yep a climb for 700 metres – seemed more like 7 k, and the notes didn't describe it as gentle or mild or steep – this time just a climb) I heard bells in the distance. No not church bells, another kind of bell, and so I stopped to look around and saw that it was a flock of sheep (oh dear, brain dead – do we say flock, or do we say herd – can't think – but you will know what I mean ).
Now there is another puzzling thing – there are very few animals around here – and for the amount of cheese that these people eat then there has to be cows, buffalo and sheep around here somewhere. The little flock of sheep wouldn't give enough milk to make the amount of cheese I have seen. Well maybe sheep give a lot more milk than cows???? But then I had cows milk cheese at dinner last night and I haven't seen a single cow, so where did that milk come from?
There is some evidence of some animals having been on the road, theres poo on the road this morning but I can't see any animals, or hear any, and I can't work out what animals have been here, it's not cow poo and it doesn't look like sheep droppings either (unless different kind of cows and sheep have different kind of poop to what they do at home – wow really interesting topic of conversation today but I am intrigued).
There was only one anxious moment today – Was I Lost? I had no idea. I changed the memory card in my phone and turned on the GPS just to discover that I was standing on a cross road exactly as the sign said, and I was absolutely in the middle of nowhere with nothing else around. Well thanks a lot GPS, I already had figured that one out. What I want from you is some kind of sign that I am not in fact LOST. Oh dear. Back to the notes. Farneta to Fraticolla (8km) Well that sounded easy enough. The next bit said “stay on the road through the village and, at a junction, turn left signed 'Fiona della Chiana'. (so far so good) You wind downhill for about a kilometre. At the bottom of the hill you pass a sign for a stream “reglia di Paterno” and immediately after it, turn right onto a strada bianca signed “Il Falco'” (again so far so good) You pass under a bridge, fork right and shortly afterwards turn right signed Creti. Keep going for a kilometre to a T-Junction, where there is a small stature of the Madonna on the right.”
Okay you say, that sounds clear enough. Well how far is a bloody kilometre. This particular kilometre seemed to go on for ages. When I thought I had already done at least 2k I stopped and had some fruit and a drink. And re-read my notes just to make sure I hadn't missed a line in the instructions. This kilometre is taking a long time. Should have timed it – but I don't wear a watch, and to read the time on the phone I have to stop, get my glasses out of my pannier and then pack them back up again, so I go without the time. (Big mistake – when I do this again I will bring two things with me – a watch and a speedometer so I know how far I have really gone)
Well I know I haven't passed anything or missed any turnings, so I continue on, and oh hell here's a “Gentle slope” nothing about that in the notes, and here's a bit of a cross road, but nothing in the notes about the hotel on the right , and by now I am off the strada bianca and the road is sealed again. Nothing about that in the notes either. But where the hell is this statue of Madonna I am supposed to be seeing.
And this was where I consulted the GPS, but because I could see what I thought was Cortona in the general direction I was headed, I figured I would just carry on on this road. Well that was a good decision, because soon I came to another cross road. And wow, here is the Madonna – well she was back off the road a bit, but hey, what is this. Back to my notes.
The notes say “turn left and immediately go around to the right. From the panoramic road you can see Cortona on the hillside to the right in the distance. At the next junction (where there is an arched gate with a a lantern on top) turn right and then cross the railway line. After a further 3k you enter the hamlet of Fratticiola.”
Ha, I turned left at the Madonna but there is no immediate right turn. So I go back and talk to the Madonna. I re-read my notes. And then I see the arched gate with the lantern – it is the gate you go through to get to the Madonna and it is right here on this corner – so I turn right here and about 800 metres further on, I pass over top of the railway line. Phew – on the right track.
This is the only time I have doubts really – when what I am reading on the notes doesn't match up with what I think I am doing. It's really the distance thing. I have no idea how far a kilometre is. I try to work it out as I am cycling along. It was 4.8km from my place to Freedom. Just over a a kilometre to Gate Pa. So I try to match it up with how long it felt like at home, but then I was riding downhill on a tarseal road at home, and here is mostly uphill (well those are the bits I get most confused on because usually the downhill instructions say to get to the bottom of the hill - that's easy) and on strada bianca, and todays strada bianca is quite rough.
Anyway I made it – another 38 km I can notch up. And I arrive at Meloni del Sodo and ride in the very grand entrance to the Hotel, Borgo il Melone. Thats another one you can check out on the internet on http://www.ilmelone.it/
I had commented this morning to Alan and Linda about La Chuisa being luxurious and they said wait till you see the next stop. And wow, luxury once again. It is quite embarrassing – I come up this immaculately manicured drive, past the immaculately manicured trees and lawns and gardens, to this luxurious entrance to the hotel – the receptionist is amazingly beautiful, immaculately groomed and made up, and look at me – my padded cycle pants, my cycling shoes, a top which is now almost wringing wet and hanging limply on me, my hair all bedraggled and sticking out under my cycle helmet, and my face red and sweaty. What a sight I must look. And she looks up and says “Buona sera Madam, welcome. Your passport please.”
But anyway, I arrive looking an absolute mess. And then I get taken to my room. WOW, again luxurious. Huge bed, tv, minibar, air conditioning, and a view. And the bathroom – a bath which I begin to fill as I unpack my panniers and get myself sorted. My suitcase is already up here in my room.
And so I climb into the bath and soak away all my aches. My shoulders are feeling a bit tired again today, and my hands and wrists are tired as well – must be gripping the handle bars too tightly, but was braking quite a bit today as I freewheeled down the hills.
I certainly didn't expect to stay at such luxurious establishments on a cycling holiday. Doesn't quite fit with me really. Because of course all the other guests are turning up in their flash cars with designer clothes and luggage, and I struggle in with my panniers in my 'ever so appealling and count catching padded lycra pants' Thank goodness I put two good skirts in, because I have dinner twice at each hotel, so I don't turn up in the same clothes each night – because these European women are dressed up to the nines.
And so I go for dinner – by 7.30pm I am starving and have to really control myself not to scoff all the bread before my meal comes. And the menu: First of all they brought out a drink – didn't catch the whole explanation but something about fresh pineapple juice and I think he said Campari. Whatever, it was quite tasty.
And then out came “Something on a spoon” what the hell is it, and what the heck do I do with it. Eat it I suppose, but how. Off the spoon, with my fork (which looks way to big to deal with this little bit of whatever, decorated with some green stuff on one side that could be pesto, and some other browny stuff on the other – heaven knows what that might be) Its a little squarish blob of something soft. So I take my time sipping my pineapple drink and hope that the waiter brings one of these spoons of stuff to the next table so I can see what they do with it. But no such luck, so I take my chances and just eat it, with the fork and then dip some bread in the saucy stuff.
And having eaten it, I still have no idea what it was. Quite strange, and I couldn't even work out what the sauce was.
Anyway the waiter then tells me that I have the set menu and rattles off in his best English what I am going to be having and asks me to order some wine. I ask if white would be appropriate for all courses, and he agreed and I ask for just a glass of the house white, which he promptly brings to me. Its okay, but again I didn't catch the name of it. It certainly wasn't as good as last nights wine, but hell this is only about E4 and not E22 a glass.
My first course is proscuitta with melon. I really like this combination and have had it a few times now. The pasta was nice, and came with vegetables in a slightly creamy sauce but not rich – carrots, onions and zuchinni.
Then the main course – pork and salad. The pork was cooked, he said in milk, and had some cream drizzled over it. Rather nice, very tender, perhaps a little dry, but pork tends to be like that, doesn't it. Of note the salad came on the plate with the pork and was already dressed with oil and salt and pepper.
And then the dessert – again I have no idea what I was eating. It was in a little bowl, a custard type dish, very yellow ( reminded me of the seameal custard I used to eat as a kid ) with a crunchy topping, nuts, which I presume were pistachio.
But a lovely meal, nicely presented, but it would have been nice to know what I was eating.
After the meal (and of interest here in Tuscany the servings are not big servings like up in the Veneto so after four courses I haven't felt bloated, and of course it takes two hours to eat it all as well so that helps) I went for a bit of a wander around the property and took some photos of the sunset.
Linda had told me this morning about the awful weather the rest of Italy and Europe has been having, with flash floods up north, with several people being drowned in rather bizzare circumstances. One lady drowned in an elevator which had flooded (I think she said in an hotel) and another man drowned in his car when it was swamped with flood water. And a kite surfer was killed when a freak gust of wind crashed him into a building. Scary stuff – so I thought I would turn the CNN news on and see if there is anything else interesting happening in the world, but alas no, the breaking news on CNN tonight was some politician caught up in a sex scandal, and the news of Farrah Fawcett. So I turned it off and finished my book and will get myself an early night.
And the good news is that this hotel has wi-fi. It is not listed in the book as having it, so I will be able to keep in touch for the next couple of days. Don't feel so isolated if I know I can email you or skype Roxy.
The photos are pretty self explanatory - the pizza I had in Perugia, the bath full of chocolate at the Chocohotel, my trusty bike and a nice verse outside a hotel. The car in the garage was in Siena - now this was a workshop and the mechanic was actually working on the car. Note the shiny polished floor, not a tool out of place. Everything in its rightful place and all the tools on the back wall. I couldn't believe it. It was a tiny wee workshop in one of the lanes up the top of the hill in Sienna.
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