Lucca to Riomaggiano - Day 93

Date: November 19th, 2009
Distance: 110km
Country: Italy
Song of the Day: Perfect Disguise - Modest Mouse

I got up bright and early. The first thing I wanted to do was to check out the town walls. I got on my bike and did a lap. The walls, in there current state, probably date from the 1600s, i.e. the age of cannons. They are done in the same style as most of the star forts that you see. Wide earthworks faced with brick. Bastions that stick out to give covering fire. So the walls are newer and much wider that medieval walls, like in York. I assume that the current walls were actually built over older walls through several centuries. What exists now really is a star for but on a massive scale. These days the walls are a circular public park. People stroll, bike or roller blade along. Neat stuff.

From there it was a bit of an uphill ride out of Lucca. After that it was along the coast. This was flat, and it was great to see the Mediterranean again. This will be my guide for the rest of my tour through Europe. I can only describe the day as gorgeous. The sun was out and shining. No wind. The area was all built up though, so good views of the beach were sparse. Still it was a nice way to ride. I did see a ton of other Italian cyclists in full gear riding along. Apparently I wasn't the only one to be enjoying the weather.

Things did start to get hilly again around Le Spezia. The last couple of miles into Riomaggiano were slow. I just slogged up that last hill. Then I went through a tunnel to the Cinque Terre side and it was wonderful. The road runs along the edge of the cliffs. The view down is amazing. Plus the sun was just setting and some low clouds or mist had started to form on the horizon. I couldn't tell were the sea ended and the sky began. Oh, and it was downhill. That made it better just flying down the road.

As I got to Riomaggiano I started to worry that I hadn't actually booked the hostel for the night. I thought it might be closed. That turned out to be no concern at all. When I got to the hostel I wanted to stay at, it turns out it wasn't really a hostel. It was just a regular hotel. The owner however did "know a guy". So one call later I am staying in a dormatory room on the top floor of a little house. The guy told me he "wasn't paying the tax" so I couldn't say I was staying there. Apparently tax dodging is still a favorite hobby around here.

I was a little depressed that no one else was there. I was hoping for more people to hang out with. About 20 minutes after I got in though, another guest showed up. Her name was Claudine, and she was from Australia, so that actually worked out well. Now I had someone to hang out with and chat with over dinner. I keep saying I like hostels for all the people you meet. I would recommend it for anyone, old or young. It is cheap and a great way to meet other travelers.

-Dravis