Some Like It Hot

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Though sadly not Alan. It isn't Nevada hot but plenty warm enough - probably high 80's in the shade - but very humid. I am still solar powered so very happy but Alan finds the heat difficult.

As you will see from the photo, our waiter (giovani) was a very friendly chap and I got on with him like a house on fire. We had great pizza and six euros worth of red wine and were tucked up in our tents by 9pm.

This morning we got a reasonably early start but lost time sorting out a problem with my bike - the chain was slipping and after a visit to a bike shop and then some independent fiddling we diagnosed a twisted chain link which we fixed with brute force. We also stopped to buy fuel for camping stoves at a petrol station. We got some in our bottles and poured the rest over the forecourt which the nice italian man cleared up with good grace.

Today we had nice but very long straights roads (any would think the Romans had built them) and a few lumpy bits. For the last 20 miles we took the minor country roads through the real Tuscany - more olive trees, vines and hilltop villages than you could shake a stick at. Very pretty.

We arrived at our planned campsite to find it closed, possibly for the season or possibly forever. "Bugger" we said. We headed into the village and I rehearsed my Italian and strode up to the desk of the first hotel we came to. "Eh up chuck" said the receptionist, or something much like it. She was British but also spoke good wop and although she had no spare rooms she phoned around and got us a room in the old town which could even offer secure parking for the bikes.

It is horribly expensive and the secure parking turned out to be leaning them against the wall in full view but we are here, washed and reasonably happy. Alan has greatly enhanced the room by pouring the tomato sauce we had bought for our evening meal all over the carpet.

Tomorrow we head for Rome. As any schoolboy will tell you, this means we can take any road,. We are going to try the main North/South highway but heading North just to prove that it is a load of b******s!

Ciao
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Comments

  1. AO24 September 2011 at 20:03

    Steve - It's good to see you're wearing a union jack top - makes us all proud that you are so close to the waiters.
    Alan - not so bad re the sauce - remember what I did in a Bristol hotel?
    Xxx

    ReplyDelete

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