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THE ADVENTURE BEGINS... MICHAEL'S NEWS Kristen has very kindly dropped us at San Francisco airport. "Sorry sir, but that is not possible"... now the lady at the check-in is telling us we can't get off in London (our ticket is to Barcelona via London). We had called and checked with British Airways. The lady on the phone said "London was OK". Jodie and I contested the refusal. This went on for a while and a variety of different level managers came to help. Finally, as we were both getting rather concerned, they decided it was possible and we wouldn't have to pay the $700.00 - US for a one-way ticket! The rest of the plane, bus, plane trip to Switzerland went smoothly. For the first time in many trips there was someone to meet me at the airport - Urs and Ingrid - our lovely friends we met at Royal Gorge in the US. They drove us back to their beautiful little town of Kandersteg, nestled in the stunning Alps. Here we spent time walking and cross-country skiing in some of the most beautiful scenery I have ever skied in. Jodie's parents came to visit as they were on a European holiday. Urs and Ingrid were very kind with their hospitality, spoiling us with great Swiss food and chocolate for Easter. Thank you to their parents, Tony and Margarit too. We had a great night out at the yodelling concert. Our time in Switzerland was lots of fun, but the weather wasn't the best. We couldn't see the mountains all the time and the night before we were to ride, it started to snow heavily, with forecasts for more. So Ken, Jodie and I boarded a train to the South of Italy, to ride from Bari back to Switzerland. Always an adventure with bicycles! We met a girl on the train who invited us to stay at her place and have spaghetti. What a great welcome to Italy. Thank you Angela. Five days up the coast and we arrived at Angelo's. He runs supported bicycle tours through the magnificent Abruzzo area, with his wife Anna Marie. A very relaxing 2 nights were spent with them before we cycled away to do a great route Angelo had showed us. It took us through lushly forested, rugged mountains, topped with snow. Medieval villages were perched precariously on their ridges. Our leg muscles were well exercised in the steep hills as we headed where all roads lead... Rome! Staying outside Rome in an old farmhouse used for storage, we commuted in for 2 days of ruins, churches, statues and art. I couldn't help my mind wandering to the scene from "Life of Brian" as I stood in the Colosseum. I felt a part of the 'Peoples Jordian Front'! On our way to Sienna and Florence we rode some great back roads through the Tuscan hills. Ken went on a side trip to Pisa before meeting us in Florence. Meanwhile, Jodie and I climbed some steep hills to visit small villages that took protection in these locations. Beautiful little towns, full of character, and it was hard not to photograph every corner and angle. To meet up with Ken, we took a "short cut"... Last time Jodie believes me when I say 'short cut'! Yes, the distance was shorter but we had to push our bikes most of the way on this muddy bush trail, scattered with large rocks, with steep ups and downs. No trail map and many intersections didn't help. But we made it through another of my great ideas. Ken has left us to see Greece & Turkey. Jodie and I are on our way to Croatia and Slovenia, before we return to the North of Italy and on to Switzerland in the sun. Our time so far has been fantastic. Italy is truly a cyclist's paradise. Rolling hills, great views, pleasant towns, friendly people and PASTA. JODIE'S NEWS It is so wonderful to be met by people at the airport. Our friends Urs and Ingrid were there, waving madly, whilst we erratically wheeled our trolleys from the baggage carousel, getting "10 points" each time we crashed our bike boxes into someone or thing. We worked with Urs and Ingrid in California and it was great to visit them. We made it. From snow in the USA to, well yes, snow in Switzerland. The snow gods had turned on the weather for us and turned Kandersteg white. Not that good for riding, but beautiful to see. Kandersteg is a small village at the end of a valley in the Bernese Oberland region. A pretty setting, surrounded by stunning Alps, with hiking and skiing to mountain passes and lakes. I was excited. My parents met me in Kandersteg as part of their European holiday - visiting their naughty elder daughter who hasn't been home for a long time. It was fantastic to see them get off the train... in my clothes!!! They had raided my collection of warm fleeces and both looked very purple! Travelling with my parents was great. They were in a strange (white) environment, much colder than they were used to. I was happy to help them enjoy it. Our highlight was a trip to Jungfraujoch on an absolutely gorgeous day. It is the highest railway station in Europe, with views of the Eiger, Monch and Jungfrau peaks. It was -17.5°C outside at the top. I could see my purple parents walking along with the hands covering their noses - the wind was cold. It was great to spend time with them in Switzerland. With far too much snow in Switzerland, we travelled by train to Bariin Southern Italy to start riding. We were going backwards! Now the plan was to ride up 'the boot', across to Rome, Siena, Florence, back across to the ferry. Then Croatia, Slovenia, the Dolomites and back to Switzerland. How plans change! The weather is better that way. How do I keep up with 2 fit guys?? I can only try. Pedal on, pedal on. Our friend Ken (a super-fit X-c ski guide) is travelling with us for a while. He has small panniers that I could never fit my stuff into! Though you'd be totally surprised how little I do carry. Southern Italy... the unwanted entertainment of a transvestite 'bum', yelling and arguing and sleeping in Bari station. What were we doing there? We arrived at midnight and couldn't find a campsite so opted to sleep in the waiting room! Not much sleep. Never again! We have experienced wonderful hospitality from some lovely people. A huge thank you to everyone. We met Angela on the train. Her pasta was fantastic. She introduced us to 'pecorino' (sheeps cheese) and showed us the towns of Trani, Molfettaand Giovinazzo. All had pretty fishing harbours, lit becomingly at night. Angela is learning English so our conversations included the use of dictionaries and hands. Michael loves being in Italy as he cannot talk without using his hands. He's quite at home here! We stayed in Citta S.Angelo with Angelo and Anna Marie. It's great to stay with a cyclist. They run cycling tours in the Abruzzo region - lots of hills but very beautiful countryside. A shower, more scrumptious pasta, great company and a birthday party --complete with celebration Moet! Angelo suggested fantastic cycling routes through Abruzzo. The hills and mountains of Abruzzo, Tuscany and Umbria are delightful. A treat to ride through. Villages squashed onto the tops of hills or ridges- seemingly impossible to build on and a pretty steep ride up to visit. Castles, tiled roofs at all angles, bell towers, fountains, cathedrals, narrow winding streets (definitely made for walking), washing hanging from windows, flowers over doorways. This is what I love about Italy, the charming villages. Oh and the cobbled streets. They look great but my does my butt hurt after bouncing up and down! Does my butt hurt all-the-time, you ask? Well yes, particularly breaking in a new seat. It does hurt less, the more we ride. I might take up bike seat designing soon. My 'grand tally' for falling off?? 6 glorious visits to the ground! Some more spectacular than others. (damn pedal clips) "I'm just going to stop up here guys" I pulled over, stopped, uh oh... falling. I'll just grab this fence to break the impact". What a mess! The bruises will go away eventually. Another time, I was behind Michael, as he approached a family about camping. I got stuck in the sand and BANG! There I was. Everyone ran to help me and poor Michael was left wondering what the commotion was. Just me. He must have laughed, it looks so funny. Rome, a fascinating city. I looked at the long queue for the Vatican City Museums and lost any desire to see the Sistine Chapel. Would I know the difference between a Michelangelo painting and any of the other amazing frescoes I have seen? I should have taken art more seriously. The Colosseum was actually more fascinating from the outside. St. Peter's Basilica was the hugest most awesome church I have ever seen. Believe it or not, I have been in more churches in 7 months of Europe than the rest of my life! The Roman Forum was my favourite. Our free tour was most informative. I played the part of a "vestil virgin" (6 guarded the flame of Rome) and answered questions almost correctly. Mike was amused that I volunteered!! Siena had a beautiful striped Cathedral, just to be different, and a wonderful burnt rusty colour in the buildings. By the time we got to Florence, we were tired and "all churched out". We could have explored more. Getting there to meet Ken (who side tracked to Pisa) was an epic. From the little village of Volpaia, high on a hill, Mike and I decided to take a 'short cut' - a mountain bike track to another town. Some shortcut! After riding up an incredibly steep hill to not find the rightroad, we descended to find the bike track. We rode (pushed and dragged) for an hour, half off our bikes, dodging rocks, through mud puddles. That's hard going down. Then it went up. Riding? Impossible. For another hour the next morning, we pushed our bikes up steps (it seemed). Tough work! We hoped we had taken the right track. I'm glad we saw the ridiculously funny side of all... "Should we go left or right??" Needless to say we were relieved to see a farm, eventually. It was a fast ride to meet Ken in Florence where there were more yellowy-coloured buildings. As we were tired, we talked to a lot of people rather than riding around. Our Aussie flags on our bikes attract the attention of many people. It's a great way to meet people. Thanks mum and dad for giving them to us. In a town not long after Florence, Ken left us to go and enjoy Greece and Turkey. We will go in October. We found out the ferry was leaving from Ancona the next night and decided to catch it. So we rode like the wind. 130km in 5 hrs. Sorry knees! We made it! We are looking forward to Croatia. The best thing for now is there's a shower on the ferry. My first for the month of May! - its only the 16th (OK, so we have river washes along the way too!) We will sleep on the top deck, under the stars - all clean - and wake up in Croatia. Happy Cycling, Mike and Jodie We would like to thank the following companies for their help in preparing for our journey: Lexar Media Hewlett Packard City Bicycle Works