Chianti-Tierra de Siena

Time and again I have argued about their definition: what makes a mountain a mountain, what makes a hill a hill. But ill concede to my riding partner: if you are going uphill for more than 15 minutes at a +30C it all feels like a  mountain!!!

Nonetheless, rolling hills they are. and they do indeed roll. One starting just as the last one finishes. up and down, to infinity. maybe beyond. Hard uphills, easy downhills but at the top, more than just a break, a delight: a town to marvel us with its architecture, its food and its magnificent viewpoints. Toscanas landscape at our feet.

Town after town Toscana keeps giving us one surprise every day: be it a wine tasting that leaves us too tipsy to ride afterwards, be it a special cheese and the art to make it that leaves us speechless, be it thermal waters that paint a mountain (hill) white. Yeap, one surprise every day...

And Montepuliano today, the journey stops here and we head down south: Puglia, get ready!

merci l'universe...

and a very wise friend once told me "you can never bathe on the same river twice" and after long thinking (and 700kms later) I thought i had grasped the idea...
but as I walk thru already once walked paths, already seen cities, once visited streets, i truly begin to understand "the waters (rivers) lie never still..."
maybe its the second pair of eyes travelling with me, maybe maturity settling in, maybe the seasons change more than just sunset colors, but things show themselves still new to my eyes today...
the road is still to be discovered and the flowers still to be smelled....
merci l'universe

Ciao Toscana

I had hoped to stay longer in Tuscany but it´s almost time to go now. One more night and i´ll be pedaling for the other coast. No more dinners w/the sunset over the waters, but maybe breakfast now? That is if I wake up on time eh eh ....
But its the thought of ending something what gives it that extra spice, what makes one wanting to take a piece of it with you. Maybe memories, definitely feelings:
* that exhilarating feeling of going 60kph downhill with 40kg of extra weight on your bicycle...
* the dreadfull feeling of knowing that for every minute going downhill, 10 minutes will be required to go back up the next hill... and there is always a next hill....
* The messed up feeling when you forget to tie your t-shirt to your bike and now it lays somewhere 10km uphill. A hill you're not going back up to, a t-shirt you have to say goodbye to...
* feelings of warmth, in making new friends from different cultures...
* feelings of joy when somebody gives you a bar of chocolate just because...
* dissapointment for not being able to see a long lost friend...
* accomplishment after doing 120kms a day for two days in a row!
* and food, yes, food: trippa!!!!

Hope to make it to Venice in two weeks time, coming back here for a party next weekend though ;)
Ciao muchanchos

Luis

pq este pechito, aún come papa!

L'Eroica

A friend of mine told me about L'Eroica, a loop around the Chianti area by bicycle, I took her on it and the result are short of fantastic. 200km of white dirt trails and small roads, lots of hills, loads, with incredible panoramic views from the top of each one of them. No big cities or touristic places (except maybe where im writing from now; every other place I passed by didnt even have an internet café) just beautiful landscapes. Took a chance and left everything behind in Siena and good thing I did, without my 35kg in luggage I can actually go up these hills...
Will finish this afternoon, head back to Siena and then to Florence tomorrow. Toscana is coming to an end, a sad note on my book but the enchantment of seeing my friends in Friuli lightens up the mood: Mandi! :)

Montepulciano-Montalcino

Incredible views, let you decide, even a great sunrise overlooking the valley...

Pitigliano and Castiglione de la Pescaia

Riding thru these hills I would never expect to find this portentous displays of grandeur.
 Castles like Pescaia populate this area and Pitigliano is just an icon on itself. A whole city hanging from a cliff, it seems like it was carved out of the rock itself, amazing, a whole day can be spent here admiring the views and the different buildings...
 and in my case it almost took me that long, staring at it from the distance (I say it did because it took me 30 minutes to get up there on the bike) Definitely a place to remember...

Del mar a las colinas

Left the coast and made my way into the inland to discover only omre amazing oaradises, rolling after roling hill, endless seems sometimes but what views. I tried to met a guy I met online (how gay that sounded!)and ended up in a Festival, too bad it got rained down, booohhh, so all there was left to do was to go inside the canteens and drink wine, forget the parade! ;)
Actually, the rain was so bad that I had to stop midmorning today and seek for refugee in a small town, unknown to me, and I found a medieval village on the hill overlooking the town. Maybe I should stop trying to control my ride and let Pachamama dictate my route, it seems she gets better picks....
(sorry no pics of the town, the day was awfull with the rain and the fog, pics of the party though, enjoy)




cheers...

Capricho echo Isla

With its 4 hills and blue water sorrounding it, la Isolla del Giglio is a show of how much of an artist la Pachamama can be...
Biking thru it was bliss, every curve a mirage, every straightaway a piece of heaven, sometimes one almost forgets one has been riding uphill for over 45 min. some others one can't just ignore it ;)  not easy but they certainly rewarding...

4 days I spent here, mixing rides and hikes with the beach ( so nice to be able to go accross the whole island in a few hours walk)...



A guy a met a few days ago said it best:
The paradise might not be on earth but pieces of it certainly are...