Distance: 113km (before my odometer broke)
Country: Italy
Song of the Day: Baba O'Reily - The Who
Woke up and got ready. Father Windel came down to wake me up. He had even prepared some breakfast. He had to go out for a bit and attend the flock as it were. Father Mario came in and gave me a bit of a local breakfast pizza. It was soft flat bread with oil and rosemary. Very good.
I got all ready and headed out the door. I said a big thank you to father Mario. Father Windel saw me off, and almost in passing mentioned they had the body of St. Valentine. What? I knew the name of the church, but (in the U.S.) you just don't expect them to have relics from the early Christian martyrs. It turns out he was working in Terni before being crucified near Rome. His body was returned at some point and still resides there.
To the Padres in Basilica di San Valentino, thank you. I can't imagine a more true expression of the Christian spirit then to bring in a stranger and feed him and provide sanctuary. It meant a lot. I wish you all the best. Plus, I can't help but marvel at all the wondrous places this journey has brought me to. I don't think either group expected that I would be staying there, but I hope that it was as great an experience for you as it was for me.
When I got on the road it was a pretty easy jaunt out of town. Then I got to the base
of a big hill. At the top was a little town of Narni. This is one of those cute little hill towns. The hill was pretty brutal though. Once I had reached the top of the hill disaster struck. Flat tire. More than that, the actual tire was shot. It turns out I had worn through my sidewall, and that is where the puncture was. I knew the tread was wearing thin, and the sidewall had started to fray. I was just hoping it would make it to Rome. Nope.Instead I had to walk the bike back down the hill about 4 klicks. Then I got a new tire and tube. Once everything was switched out I had to head back up the damn hill again. Trust me, it was much less amusing the second time.
Things did start going better with the new tire though. The road ran along the top of the hills for a while. Then down into the valley below. That was great. I just love flying down those little country roads. It is exciting. It is fast. Plus the scenery goes by fast enough you just don't get board with it.
The road ran along the valley for a bit. Then it began to climb again. At the top I ended up in what seemed like classic Italian countryside. Fields and vineyards on steep slopes. Small cottages and manor farms surrounded by the almost Dr. Seuss like umbrella pines. Very cool.
The only bad part was the roads. They were pitted and rough. In some spots it looked as if they had been patched and re-patched dozens of times. It was worse than Mercer street. (Have they fixed that yet?)
I was still pushing pretty fast to get to Rome before it was too dark. Well I didn't really make it. I ended up screaming down toward Rome in the dark. The highway did get pretty busy too. So I was being passed by big trucks without much clearance. I am still glad I have the lights.
Here is some advice for anyone who wants to tour. (Mom, don't read this part. You are still reading...) Be sure you are comfortable riding with cars. It is just going to be a fact of life on any extended bicycle tour. Sure in some areas there will be a nice big shoulder or a off street bike path. In places like Italy you are just going to have to accept riding very close to fast moving traffic. If you can't be less than a foot from a huge truck when it is dark, you might rethink your method of travel.
I did get into the city and started playing more destination golf. I knew the place I wanted to stay was close to Termini station. So I just sought directions there. Eventually it worked out. I did have one more incident right before I got to the hostel. I was riding along a road with tram tracks. Well I ended up trapping my front wheel in the tracks and crashing. Since then my odometer hasn't worked. I don't know if it is something simple or if I somehow snapped the wire. I will have to try and fix that.
When I got to the hostel I hadn't made a reservation, as I never quite know when I will be there. The Beehive had one final bed in there dorm remaining. Perfect. It is a really nice place too. Thanks to Jonn-E for the recommendation.
I got some pizza and milk for dinner. Then headed down to the main room of the little hostel. I ended up meeting two women who were also traveling after being laid off. Jean had been teaching message therapy in Florida. Zoe was working and teaching at a science museum in California. They were a lot of fun to talk to. Jean was leaving for Paris the next morning, but Zoe and I made plans to see the Colosseum the next day.
-Dravis
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