Nice relaxing day today. Woken up ungracefully by the wind ripping a tent peg out of the basha so it started flapping against the tent. Secured it to some railings with tie wraps then back to sleep until about 10am.
Popped a few headache tablets to try kill the headache that i woke up with. The heat is nice but my body really can't cope with it and my head was complaining.
Called in to see Francesca and sort out the paperwork then took the stove and breakfast down to the lake. Dived in while the coffee was brewing then jumped straight back out shouting obscenities. Damn it was cold.
Polished off a steady stream of tea and coffee then back up to the tent to clear some washing. Figured this is one of the few places I'm guaranteed good drying weather so did the lot.
I was just in time to catch the resident Piaggio Ape (pronounced 'appy, apparently) make his trip up the slope to collect garbage from the top pitches. They've only got 50cc moped engines so the driver needs a huge run up, which he starts from outside the campsite gates. It's an amusing everyday occurrence.
Piaggio Apes are one of the coolest things on the road in Italy. Those and the original Fiat 500s, of which there are loads still running over here. Don't think I've seen any new ones here though. And Fiat Pandas. They make perfect sense over here.
Sparked the bike up and went for a little spin through Riva del Garda and into the James Bond tunnels. Sunday afternoon traffic was a killer, especially with coaches dumping tourists outside hotels, so I turned back just before Limone. The bike didn't feel right, which concerned me for a short while, but then i twigged it's ramped up for the weight of full luggage and i was obviously travelling light.
Took great pleasure in riding in jeans and t-shirt and feeling the cool breeze on my skin. I just pulled boots, helmet, gloves and earplugs from the pile of sweaty gear. The northern end of the lake is surrounded by mountains so it's naturally cooler. The west side had fallen into afternoon shade so was cooling down nicely. I still saw 28 degrees on the dash, but it was rather pleasant.
Enjoyed mixing it up with the Italian girls on scooters around the lake. They're fearless. They effortlessly cut up traffic wearing skimpy little outfits and looking stunning. I also realised that if i ride with my helmet flipped up and stick on a pair of raybans, i look Italian. It's like a Mr Ben quick change. No shades, idiot Brit. Shades, Italian gigolo. Magic.
Called into a gelateria in Riva. A scoop of pistachio and a scoop of cherry (amarena) in a waffle cone. Without doubt, it's the best 2 euro I've ever spent. Dumped the bike on the pavement and claimed the table next to it. It was busy with Sunday trade, both local and tourist. The poor bike looks like it has been around the world. It's absolutely blathered after riding through bad weather and muddy roadworks earlier in the trip. It's also got the only British plates I've seen since arriving in Italy. It drew a small crowd of admirers, which i acknowledged, but I'm afraid i was far too busy enjoying my ice cream for any small talk.
Stopped for fuel. I'm sure in time to come this will sound cheap, but £1.56 a litre is par for the course in Italy. Easily the most expensive petrol I've ever seen or bought.
Picked up provisions from the Coop. Sausages for tea. Sausages and cheese and bread. And beer and crisps. My body is craving greens so i compromised and picked up some lettuce and tomatoes. I'm no consumer expert but meat is expensive here. Salad seems quite cheap.
I was gonna take everything down to the lake to cook but i couldn't be bothered and the Germans in the pitch above me were playing a fine selection of Kraftwerk tunes. Not that you'd want to stereotype.
They're here in a camper van with a small collection of old Vespas. They sleep in the van and their bikes have their own tent. I met one of them at the Coop. Asked if he needed anything bringing back to the campsite, given that they're short on space and I'm running light. He was fine but it looked a bit of a squeeze.
As a bit of a compromise (with myself) i cooked tea at the tent then walked down to the lake with it. By the end of the meal i couldn't eat any more cheese or meat and ended up picking out bits of salad. A token gesture admittedly, but it was all i could do.
I had my first introduction to Banana Joe beach bar. It looks like a hippy disco boat. You hear it long before you see it, as he travels along the river playing music on a PA and blasting claxons to announce his arrival. I declined.
Bit of a revelation tonight when i found the disabled showers. They've always been there but I've never investigated them. Huge showers with powerful, removable shower heads. Far better than the non-disabled showers so i snuck in for a late shower. Assumed I'd get busted at any point but pleased to report that i got away with it.
24 miles
Popped a few headache tablets to try kill the headache that i woke up with. The heat is nice but my body really can't cope with it and my head was complaining.
Called in to see Francesca and sort out the paperwork then took the stove and breakfast down to the lake. Dived in while the coffee was brewing then jumped straight back out shouting obscenities. Damn it was cold.
Polished off a steady stream of tea and coffee then back up to the tent to clear some washing. Figured this is one of the few places I'm guaranteed good drying weather so did the lot.
I was just in time to catch the resident Piaggio Ape (pronounced 'appy, apparently) make his trip up the slope to collect garbage from the top pitches. They've only got 50cc moped engines so the driver needs a huge run up, which he starts from outside the campsite gates. It's an amusing everyday occurrence.
Piaggio Apes are one of the coolest things on the road in Italy. Those and the original Fiat 500s, of which there are loads still running over here. Don't think I've seen any new ones here though. And Fiat Pandas. They make perfect sense over here.
Sparked the bike up and went for a little spin through Riva del Garda and into the James Bond tunnels. Sunday afternoon traffic was a killer, especially with coaches dumping tourists outside hotels, so I turned back just before Limone. The bike didn't feel right, which concerned me for a short while, but then i twigged it's ramped up for the weight of full luggage and i was obviously travelling light.
Took great pleasure in riding in jeans and t-shirt and feeling the cool breeze on my skin. I just pulled boots, helmet, gloves and earplugs from the pile of sweaty gear. The northern end of the lake is surrounded by mountains so it's naturally cooler. The west side had fallen into afternoon shade so was cooling down nicely. I still saw 28 degrees on the dash, but it was rather pleasant.
Enjoyed mixing it up with the Italian girls on scooters around the lake. They're fearless. They effortlessly cut up traffic wearing skimpy little outfits and looking stunning. I also realised that if i ride with my helmet flipped up and stick on a pair of raybans, i look Italian. It's like a Mr Ben quick change. No shades, idiot Brit. Shades, Italian gigolo. Magic.
Called into a gelateria in Riva. A scoop of pistachio and a scoop of cherry (amarena) in a waffle cone. Without doubt, it's the best 2 euro I've ever spent. Dumped the bike on the pavement and claimed the table next to it. It was busy with Sunday trade, both local and tourist. The poor bike looks like it has been around the world. It's absolutely blathered after riding through bad weather and muddy roadworks earlier in the trip. It's also got the only British plates I've seen since arriving in Italy. It drew a small crowd of admirers, which i acknowledged, but I'm afraid i was far too busy enjoying my ice cream for any small talk.
Stopped for fuel. I'm sure in time to come this will sound cheap, but £1.56 a litre is par for the course in Italy. Easily the most expensive petrol I've ever seen or bought.
Picked up provisions from the Coop. Sausages for tea. Sausages and cheese and bread. And beer and crisps. My body is craving greens so i compromised and picked up some lettuce and tomatoes. I'm no consumer expert but meat is expensive here. Salad seems quite cheap.
I was gonna take everything down to the lake to cook but i couldn't be bothered and the Germans in the pitch above me were playing a fine selection of Kraftwerk tunes. Not that you'd want to stereotype.
They're here in a camper van with a small collection of old Vespas. They sleep in the van and their bikes have their own tent. I met one of them at the Coop. Asked if he needed anything bringing back to the campsite, given that they're short on space and I'm running light. He was fine but it looked a bit of a squeeze.
As a bit of a compromise (with myself) i cooked tea at the tent then walked down to the lake with it. By the end of the meal i couldn't eat any more cheese or meat and ended up picking out bits of salad. A token gesture admittedly, but it was all i could do.
I had my first introduction to Banana Joe beach bar. It looks like a hippy disco boat. You hear it long before you see it, as he travels along the river playing music on a PA and blasting claxons to announce his arrival. I declined.
Bit of a revelation tonight when i found the disabled showers. They've always been there but I've never investigated them. Huge showers with powerful, removable shower heads. Far better than the non-disabled showers so i snuck in for a late shower. Assumed I'd get busted at any point but pleased to report that i got away with it.
24 miles
Glad to see you're keeping up the pre-dinner crisps and beer tradition. And I bet you still lokoed like an idiot brit on a bike, sunglasses or no sunglasses. xx
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