I hit 3000km today…seems like the kms are flying by!
I’d been to Siena before, it was a little out of my way, and I had no intention of heading this far south on my trip, but it looks like all things happen for a reason….so rather than heading east towards Ancona and my ferry to Croatia…I reluctantly aimed south…not sure why, but knowing that it was the right direction to be heading…
The sky was blue, cloudless, and glorious. I even feel a little sun burnt this evening. The whole day was crisp and cold with a fantastic winter sun warming the day. I finally made my way into Tuscany proper…rolling hills, lonely houses on hills spouting smoke, surrounded by pine, and mile after mile of leafless vineyards. The scenery was breathtaking, the road was exciting…gentle climbs and falls, tight turns, and ever changing landscape…
About an hour into my day I caught up with two cyclists…both long distance tourers…both heading south from Florence, just like me. Alex and Tiago are both from Portugal and have been cycling from three months, via north Africa, Spain, and France…and get this…they are also heading for Istanbul!
Maybe a bit more hard core than me as they have been almost exclusively camping…guess I can learn a thing or two from them!
I end up riding the rest of the day with them as they were also heading for Siena as a final destination for the day…we had lunch…talked a lot…it was great to have some company on the road.
They have a 1 year trip planned and will be heading deep into Asia on their tour, you can check out their blog here, however it is in Portuguese…but great pics.
From Siena I was due to head East to Perugia, and they are continuing south. We discussed the possibility of meeting in Albania and doing the final leg of the trip together from there.
On the way into town, Alex’s chain broke – which he fixed at the Piazza del Campo, and I got a lesson in fixing chains.
In Siena, I am being hosted by a couchsurfer, and – although Alex and Tiago camp a lot – they are also being hosted by a couchsurfer in Siena… We met our respective hosts at the Piazza and then the lot of us shot off for some beers at some dive that the locals knew about.
Alex and Tiago are heading to a hot springs in the morning to chill out and camp – it’s directly south of Siena and totally out of my way…but frankly, I really fancy going along…sounds fun and a good chance to see something I may never normally check out. My host, Anna, has been trying to persuade me all evening to give up my plans of heading to Perugia and trying to get a ferry to Croatia as fast as possible and enjoy my time in Italy.
She’s right. While being in Italy I can’t help but think that all I want is for this leg to end, get to Croatia, and chill out with family…
Well…decision made…it looks like I’m going with the boys tomorrow! …and from there, to Rome…
77km Bicycled Today
3066km to Date
