Would you do a cheeky 4/5 day bike trip on your Jack Jones?

[Skub]

You'll be a fat bastard by the time this is over.

[gremlin]

You'll be an even fatter bastard by the time this is over.

FTFY, using my greasy, pudgy fingers.

[gremlin]

Perugia. Home for two night. As centuries old, walled towns go, Perugia is up there. Tidy, well-heeled and seemingly quite proud of its history.

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One thing they never thought about, is how old duffers like me would manage stone steps ad-infintum. Luckily, beer is to be found on many a level. This creates another issue, however, in how an old duffer should negotiate stone steps three pints in on the way down.
Anyhow. Made it back safely.
Tomorrow sees me heading to Assisi, Spoleto and Todi, all worth a visit according to my mate Enrico.

[Yorick]

I always remember the beer being silly prices in Italy. First went to Rome at 21 and almost choked on the beer prices.

[gremlin]

3.50 tonight, with free monkey nuts thrown in and a view of the duomo. But nippy this year, mind, so went indoors for the last pint. All the locals are in puffers and titfers, like it's about to snow.

[Cousin Jack]

3.50 tonight, with free monkey nuts thrown in and a view of the duomo. But nippy this year, mind, so went indoors for the last pint. All the locals are in puffers and titfers, like it's about to snow.

Titfers - now that's a word I haven't heard for a few years.

[Count Steer]

How are you getting on with the bike? (Having had an 800 version I'm interested to see if my feelings about them are reinforced/not )

[gremlin]

Heard the one about the banker who went to do a bit of cheeky parking between two posts, forgetting he had panniers?

I'm currently sat in the sunshine hoping the Gorilla Glue will set hard enough to be able to mount the left hand box.

There goes a few hundred euro in damage costs.

[gremlin]

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Oops

[gremlin]

How are you getting on with the bike? (Having had an 800 version I'm interested to see if my feelings about them are reinforced/not )

If I'm comparing like for like with the Tiger, Triumph wins hands down in terms of gear box and engine. Way smoother and more responsive. I'd say the riding position is better on the Tiger too, but might just be I'm more used to it.
Looks wise it fits the bill and the BMW luggage system is pretty good, provided some goon doesn't break them.

I've used HP Motorrad lots, but this bike not up to their usual standards. I picked it up dirty, way dirtier than my own bike which would give Weeksy a heart attack, plus the chain is rotten.
I wonder if the last two years has seen them scrimp by as the tourist industry was decimated over here, or maybe i just got the scraping from the bottom of the barrel.

[gremlin]

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Other than that, I was having a great day.

Assisi in the background....

[gremlin]

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Broken pannier, peach Esta The and porchetta.

[Yorick]

Lots of food stops.

[gremlin]

Lots of food stops.

I'm a growing lad.

[Yorick]

Lots of food stops.

I'm a growing lad.

I've seen what you eat

[gremlin]

From Assisi I headed off to Spoleto, in Umbria, the region that sits to the right of Tuscany,for a bit of a personal pilgrimage. Me and Mrs Gremlin chanced upon Spoleto during a long weekend in Rome when we just jumped on a train randomly, long before the kid and I think before we were married.
We bought all the stuff for a picnic, including cheese, bread, ham, olives and cheap red wine, walked to the aqueduct, sat and had our picnic before falling asleep in the sun. An unforgettable day with an unforgettable lady.

This the aqueduct, which is quite something.

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The valley....

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And the bench we had our picnic on

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Only having compared memories, we have both decided it wasn't this bench at all.

Nice bench, mind.

[gremlin]

Best. Biking. Day. Ever.

Departed Perugia this morning taking a scenic route up to my next overnight, Arezzo. Took a winding road to a place called Lago Tresimeno, for no reason other than it's a bloody big lake. The sun shone, the roads were pleasant and deserted and I had a thoroughly nice ride. The town of Passigano sul Tresimeno was a pleasant surprise, being very genteel, like an old English seaside resort, minus the bingo and arcades.

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[gremlin]

As I was departing this old building caught my eye. There's just something about the font used that's so evocative. I'm tempted to say art deco, but is it more Futurism? Dunno. I'll leave that to the experts

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There was also a plaque which caught my eye.

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I know Italy was a big contributor to aviation in the 20s and 30s, particularly with flying boats. I suspect this lake is part if that history.

[gremlin]

After a cheeky coffee I headed to Citta di Castello. The route just kept getting better. Never seen so many hair pins as I ascended to the top, looking down on the lake until I finally crested then more of the same on the way down.

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The roads then started to level and got a bit more sweeping as I dropped into the valley, with fields stretching out to the sides with the occasional torre sticking out.

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[gremlin]

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