Category Archives: bicycling

Living and working abroad: cash issues

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IMG_20160616_204029Trip update: For most of this week, I have visited the Darvell Bruderhof in Robertsbridge, East Sussex. This is open countryside, a land of rolling hills, green fields and woodlands. This is also the area of the famous battle of Hastings, when the Normans under William the Conqueror landed in England 950 years ago on the 22nd of October. The towns of Senlac (now called Battle) and Crowhurst claim to be the site of the battle, but there is more than enough history to go around. Continue reading →

From France to England, 950 years later

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IMG_20160528_141407Last Saturday, I rested in David and Lucille Wilson’s home, napping between rain showers. They have carved a little piece of paradise on the edge of the Burgundy region of France, expanding the 16th-century Prebytère (vicarage) next to the parish church of Livry. Flower gardens, lawn, vegetable garden and a recently acquired neighbouring parcel grace the property. Continue reading →

Living abroad is not tourism: I. Getting permission to stay.

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DSCN0368Trip update: On Saturday and Sunday, I took long rides into the Aurunci Mountains, which plunge into the Gulf of Gaeta. During World War II, these hills were the western end of the Gunther Line; the Sangro Valley, where I was last fall and winter, was the other end. Entire towns vanished into rubble and thousands of soldiers and civilians perished on that line during the last eight months of the war. When I lived here in the early 1970s, many square miles of the hills still contained minefields waiting to be cleared. Continue reading →

Looking ahead: Intercontinental 2016

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Trip update: Saturday before the Great Vigil of Easter, I rode out to the Castelli Romani in the Alban Hills. Basically, I got on the Via Appia two blocks from the hostel and rode south for two hours. IMG_20160326_123308I passed the aqueduct of Acqua Felice, where the earth has risen so much since ancient times, that people have turned the tops of the arches into storage cages. The ancient road led me gently up to the Regional Park of the Castelli Romani, where I had a splendid view of the Agro Pontino (the Pontine Plain). IMG_20160326_144615It was known as the Pontine Marshes, an inhabitable, malarial swamp, until Mussolini had them drained. The air was clear, thanks to there being no industry or traffic belching fumes on the holiday weekend. I could see the Tyrrhenian Sea 40 km away. Continue reading →

Bargains around the corner

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IMG_20160314_205426Trip update: Last weekend I finished moving into the new flat in Formia. Well, not new, considering that the building is several hundred years old, but freshly painted. By mid-week, I had replaced the burned out incandescent lamps in the chandeliers with LEDs and the brilliance lifts my spirits every time that I turn them on. Continue reading →

Why do I still ride?

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DSCN0286Trip update: The last week included a fantastic mountain ridge ride – my last long spin around the Sangro River Valley, then virtual imprisonment for four days. On Sunday, I struck out for the Adriatic, turned south to the wine town of Casalbordino, then headed back to Atessa, the town that looks down on the Sangro River from the south. From the coast to Atessa (22 km), DSCN0280I climbed 476 m, then blasted down to the valley floor in less than five km. Monday, I did a final load of my own laundry. Wednesday, I changed the bed and washed all the linens belonging to the house. The rain started while the laundry was running. It took two days to dry, using a rack indoors.

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Is there any room at the inn?

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DSCN0227Trip update: After singing in the choir at St. Paul’s Within the Walls in Rome last Sunday, I spent the rest of the day finishing up a book translation so that I would have the week free to begin working on my move. However, that night, an email arrived from an excellent client, so I accepted one more job. Such is the life of a successful translator. Continue reading →

Bicycle touring resources

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The Majella: 23 Sept

The Majella: 23 Sept

Trip update: The first Sunday in Piane d’Archi (27 September) I was invited to join a charity ride. About 100 cyclists gathered in the rain outside the Bar 45 RPM to register and plunk down their €10 for the privilege. Marco Di Nella, the organizer, told me that they had 200 riders last year. IMG_20150927_103536So, in one morning, I met all the cyclists in the Sangro River valley who were dedicated enough to ride in the rain. By mid-October I was no longer l’amico della scozzese [the Scotswoman’s friend] but l’americano in bicicletta [the American on a bicycle]. Old men sipping their beers outside the cafés wave as I run my errands, and neighbours in their cars toot or shout as they pass. My Scottish colleague Denise Muir gets credit for bringing me to this friendly, pleasant town. Continue reading →

All roads lead to Rome

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2015-bridge on BisenzioOn Monday, 14 September, we pushed our bikes from the hostel across the street to the train station. We changed trains in Bologna, and sped through the Bisenzio River Valley to Prato. Looking out the window, I thought that the Valley was just as impressive looking up as looking down. 2015 lucca_porta_s_pietro_02In Prato, we switched trains again, and soon found ourselves rolling back in time as we crossed from the train station south of Lucca through the massive gates of the medieval city. Continue reading →

Venice and Milan: what says “Italy” better than art and food?

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IMG_20150905_182319Saturday (5 September), we checked out of our four-star hotel and rolled into a brilliant sunny day. The Bologna Centrale station lay less than 400 metres away, but we ran into a problem with the train. Whoever assembled the train failed to include a bicycle car, even though the train was scheduled to handle bicycles. The capotreno refused to let us on board. “If I let you on, I have to let everyone, and the train is not equipped for bicycles,” he said, eyeing a large American family with a half-dozen bicycles at the end of the platform. While we waited for the next train, the family disappeared. Continue reading →