Making Circles

It’s been a really dry summer in Tuscany.

The view from the guidehouse terrace near Lucigano (we are actually located on the road between Sinalunga and Lucignano, click here to see a map).

So I met with Nello, the chef/owner of one of the restaurants we bring guests to yesterday. We were discussing the menu on the terrace, when he excused himself and walked over to another patron, an older man. Something happened, the older man got up to leave, Nello followed him to the parking lot, and began yelling every Italian curse word known to man. He walked back to the terrace and kept cursing about French people being nationalists (the older man was French), then went back to the parking lot, where I thought he was going to punch the guy. The guy left, Nello came back and kept going on about how the French travel to other countries and refuse to speak anything but French while abroad. He apparently had asked the man to speak in English, the man refused and was adamant about speaking French, ordered a lemonade, but claimed the lemonade he was served wasn’t lemonade, ordered something else, and the same thing happened. The guy then said he was going to write to Michelin about his experience. Nello was yelling about this on the terrace, said he didn’t care if there were other French people who could hear him, didn’t give a damn about the Michelin guide, and then spewed many more insults toward the French. He then threw in that he loved Americans. I thought it might be ill-timed to tell him that I am half French.
He then reverted back to being a pussycat, apologized with a coy smile, and we went back to talking about the menu. In Nello’s defense, his wife gave birth to a child 48 hours before, and he did seem a little distracted when we first sat down.
I love Italians.

One of the many hilltop towns here. This is Castelmuzio from the road I was riding on today.

I stopped for a snack by the side of the road (Castelmuzio in the background)

My favorite fountain in a tiny village called Petroio.

I refilled my bottles here… The water is crisp and cold!

So I’ve been in a little hilltop town called Volterra for a day longer than expected. My drive took a little longer than planned yesterday as I got turned around for over an hour in a little village until I figured out what the route we use for our trips was supposed to be. I’ve also been visiting hotels as possible alternatives for our trip.
view from my hotel in Volterra- not bad eh?

I had the best meal imaginable on my first evening here: beetroot filled ravioli with a 4 cheese sauce, and a salad with greens, fennel, and rocket. The best part was the ravioli filling was neon pink!

This country is full of contrasts. It still amazes me that a country that can produce art such as the Sistine Chapel and the David, and for whom beauty is paramount, can feature the corniest TV I’ve ever seen. Variety shows are still popular, complete with gorgeous young women parading in super skimpy outfits, and cheesy jokes from the host. My first dinner in Volterra was at a quaint little restaurant in a medieval building serving truly excellent food, and there was a flat screen TV showing music videos in one corner. huh?

I loved this view of rooftops with all the antennas…

Even in comparison to European cars, the smart car looks squished.

The hills here are crazy!

I walked the uphill road on the right.

…and Tim and I think we have it bad at our neighborhood in Philly!

alley of the beautiful woman- love it

Cats have it good here too.

overlooking the chianti countryside on my first day’s ride in the Chianti region- ah, happiness.

Yes, I said at home. I feel more comfortable and happy in this country than in any other (not counting Costa Rica for the happiness factor though). I am back in Tuscany doing research and reconnaissance for a few trips I am guiding soon…

Had a couple of meetings today, drove routes for a few hours, then biked one of the routes for almost 4 hours. I actually kind of forgot how crazy hilly Tuscany is. I spent waaaaay more time climbing than descending on the ride, which is unfortunate given how incredibly awesome the descents are here. Still got a few good ones in though. I don’t think I’d be quite so beat if I had been riding a road bike though- Had to ride a hybrid, and man, I have to say I feel for people who ride these things for long/hard rides. I have always known this, but today’s ride really made me understand how much more efficient road bikes are. I enjoy climbing on a road bike, but on this hybrid thing, I have to admit it’s a little torturous. Anyway, on hour and 30 minutes of the ride, had a nutella sandwich, and on two hours and 30 minutes into it, had a piece of apple pie (with custardy stuff inside…) at a bar. Definitely good to be here.

Must get to bed. I keep making silly spelling errors. Still jet-lagged after my sleepless flight yesterday.

Ciao belli

When I was in Costa Rica this past winter, I had a chance to get into a kayak on the Pacuare river, and it was instant love. I paddled for less than an hour, but I was so hooked. As soon as I got home, I began researching ways to learn how to kayak, and lo and behold, there is kayaking less than an hour and a half from Philly…
So I went on a little kayaking trip this week. I took a 2 day class over on the Lehigh River with the Northeast PA Kayak School. These guys are great! My instructors, Tim and Paul, were fantastic. They were really thorough, patient, and most importantly fun. I’m already trying to figure out when I can get back out there for another day on the river… Kayaking seems a lot like mountain biking as far as finding a line to get past obstacles, but the added dimension of moving water makes for less control than mountain biking. I like that you cannot control the water, and you have to learn to read it to get where you want to go. Plus it’s fun to learn another completely new set of skills- Yay!

I’ll be back in Philly on the 31st, and will begin teaching a yoga for athletes class at the new studio Yoga on the Ridge on Mondays from 7-8:30pm. The first class is on June 2nd!

Steph caught me floating on the South rim at 5:30 this morning.

We got up at 4am to catch a bus out to a good lookout spot for sunrise this morning, and then we played around while waiting for the bus back…

On our way to Durango from Cortez, CO, we visited Mesa Verde today. We did a guided visit of Cliff Palace (below), the largest cliff dwelling in North America. Our ranger guide was great- he talked to us about the people who lived in the dwellings, their descendants who still frequent the dwellings, and some of their customs and beliefs. Yet another completely amazing place on our travels out West…

When we got to Durango, we stopped in a local bike shop, Hassle Free Sports, to have them ship our bikes back to Santa Barbara, and got to chatting about the local mountain bike scene. PJ, the gentleman who helped us, hooked us up with some rental bikes, and gave us a little rundown of some of the local trails. Tomorrow morning, Steph and I will check them out… This will be her first mountain bike ride ever! Very exciting stuff…

After checking out the hotel and restaurant situation in town, we will be driving to Pagosa Springs, CO. After that, the last stop will be Taos, NM, before we fly back to Santa Barbara on Friday to prep the trip starting May 4th…

Steph and I took a little detour to hike around Monument Valley since we were driving right by it. This place is really magical- It’s on a Navajo reservation, and has these mysterious-looking rock spires and plateaus. These little rock piles marked the trail we took…

We found a beautiful little flower on the ground

One of the plateaus…

Been hard at work driving all the routes for a XC trip I am guiding starting May 4th! It’s my first time out here, and it is so gorgeous!

Steph, my coguide, and I camped out at the Grand Canyon last night! woohoo!