Hotel City Ancona

It seems like we’re a little too late for traveling further by bike. Walking down the street today it was only 6 degrees and raining. A few more degrees and it will be snow. Far too cold for cycling and camping (at least by our standards), and not very fun for sight seeing either. This is winter settling in in northern Italy.

The plan was to cycle south today along the east coast so that I would at least get to cycle and see some ...

... land is covered in ruins, and monuments and churches because that is their history, their claim to fame, the bearing of who they are and what they have come from.... Churches, is where this brings me to. I have seen many churchs. I have stepped inside them and basked in their light, in their domineering presence. I can appricate them, I can see them as a beautiful building that doesn't require me to worship it. (Now I ...

... overtakes you on bends and also crosses onto your side of the road going around the sharp bends on steep mountain roads.. including massive trucks. It was enough to keep anyone awake. We were heading for Elba but it seemed like a long drive. Tricked myself though but first aiming for Lake Tramiseno, then siena and then before we knew it we were at Piombino and about to board the ferry to Elba Island...

... others. I got a few drips on the book, most on my left arm and Dan had none at all on him. We got to Patras on time, and as we were turning into port we saw a couple of Albanian kids get into the back of a truck that was getting on board the ferry, attempting to stowaway! The truck driver knew and was passing through a checkpoint before getting on, so I am sure there were fouhdd...and after all the packing of an overnight bag, we had to carry our ...

Off to the beach today, that is pretty much all there is to do in Ancona. Beautiful day though. 30min bus ride to get to the beach. The water was amazing, bright blue with white pebbles.

Got a little burnt! Everyone at the beach was so tanned!!!! even the babies!!!

... the lengthy waits in various roasting hot areas of the port. First we waited for the boat to arrive, then we waited for the vehicles to disembark, and finally we waited for our turn to board. The biggest problem seemed to be hold-ups getting the on-board traffic out of the town. However, the wait was made easier by a friendly and good-value fast food bar which provided us with fizzy pop (both), beer (Paul) and ice cream (me). I was also ...

... this hostel is just not the place for you. But if you are an independent one who cherish a little quiet and privacy, this is a cheap hostel with a good location to boot that you can consider (B&T room). I took off, leaving the keys in the room with a note of thanks.

I deposited my luggage at the train station before headin to the Vatican City on metro. An American girl exclaimed in the station that the trains confusing. Is it? Maybe because they are so used to ...

Catching the night ferry to Ancona (Italy) I shared a cabin with a serious looking Croatian chap, with big bulgy eyes. After drinking most of my wine over dinner he cheered up a bit and I discovered that like many Croatians, in addition to his day job (nautical engineer) he also works with tourists on the side. In this case he has a ...

... to the owner to decide what weekend to spend a couple of millions. The yacht is very nice and the owner is thinking about building a new 68 meter (225 foot) beginning next year. The Italians are the same as always. Never work more than they have to, even with a strict timeline, vino and sambuca for lunch, but also fun as hell. No pics in ...

... called Limoncino. He explained that is was made with neat alcohol and the outer skin of lemon peel, amongst other things. The importance was stressed of using organic lemons, otherwise one could end up with a distilled spirit that would intoxicate in more ways than one. In addition a bottle of kirsch was produced, and then a bottle of purple liquid, whose label translated as 'distilled hedge fruit'. Maurizio's fluency of English improved with each glass.

We took the train ...