Italy, October 2020

[gremlin]

I was looking initially at a ferry and on my own bike but remembered your trips and thought it might be a possible option intstead

It has a number of advantages, such as being able to try a different bike for a week or so, but for me it just makes the whole thing possible. To ride down to Italy and back in a week would be too much of a rush and slog. The bike hire option is lazy, but just so much easier and means we can just pootle at our leisure.

[Le_Fromage_Grande]

Me and the kidBiking1small.jpg

Yeah, I'd put on a bit of timber there. I blame the pasta and vino.

I read this thread earlier and imagined your face seemed familiar....

I've come back just now to say 'Hi Alan Titchmarsh'.

I thought more Stuart Maconie - but Gremlin has celebrity lookie likey history.

[gremlin]

Me and the kidBiking1small.jpg

Yeah, I'd put on a bit of timber there. I blame the pasta and vino.

I read this thread earlier and imagined your face seemed familiar....

I've come back just now to say 'Hi Alan Titchmarsh'.

I thought more Stuart Maconie - but Gremlin has celebrity lookie likey history.

In no particular order....

Martin Platt from Corrie.
https://closeronline.co.uk/entertainmen ... tt-return/


Jeremy Renner
https://www.gq.com/story/jeremy-renner-app-rip

George Clark (Geordie bloke does Amazing Spaces, etc)
https://www.express.co.uk/showbiz/tv-ra ... ing-Spaces


Michael Nyqvist (fella from the Swedish film 'Girl with the Dragon Tattoo)
https://www.svenskdam.se/noje/har-tar-f ... l-nyqvist/



I reckon there's a fortune waiting for me in the celebrity lookie-likey game.

[Le_Fromage_Grande]

I reckon there's a fortune waiting for me in the celebrity lookie-likey game.

Well, you don't know how that banking job will work out.

[gremlin]

Bloody Eyeties are conspiring against me now....

Need a negative test upon arrival, taken no more than 72 hours prior to arrival, else take one at the airport and isolate until the results come through negative.

https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advic ... quirements

[weeksy]

Bloody Eyeties are conspiring against me now....

Need a negative test upon arrival, taken no more than 72 hours prior to arrival, else take one at the airport and isolate until the results come through negative.

https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advic ... quirements

Sadly, at the moment, it's about expected really isn't it ?

[gremlin]

Bloody Eyeties are conspiring against me now....

Need a negative test upon arrival, taken no more than 72 hours prior to arrival, else take one at the airport and isolate until the results come through negative.

https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advic ... quirements

Sadly, at the moment, it's about expected really isn't it ?

You'd think a gentlemanly 'cough and drop' by a customs official would suffice....

[Mr Moofo]

Some pics I found on my phone of last year's trip:

Gremlinette outside the amphitheater in the town that is her middle name, Verona

biking4small.jpg

I have seen a couple of Operas there ....

[gremlin]

Some pics I found on my phone of last year's trip:

Gremlinette outside the amphitheater in the town that is her middle name, Verona

biking4small.jpg

I have seen a couple of Operas there ....

Same. Aida and Madam Butterfly. Never thought I'd hear myself saying it about opera, but it was bloody good!

I like the way you can slip out into Piazza Bra anytime for a beer.

[gremlin]

Well, despite the obstacles thrown at us, the Gremlinette and I arrived in Bolgna on Sunday via a practically empty BA flight. Several forms to fill in en route yet nobody asked to see our test results nor for the declaration form we were clutching. Bologna airport itself was a ghost town. Eerily quiet.

Anyhow, we checked into our hotel, the only guests, and caught the bus into the centre (our hotel was on the outskirts in a place called Panigale, which always makes me grin. No surprise as the Ducati factory is literally over the road). Everyone wears masks, but apart from finding it hard to sit indoors to eat, it's business as usual for the most part.

Monday morning we picked up the Beemer from the hotel car park and headed down to Prato. As I wanted to see Prato and the modern art museum we took the boring route and arrived in good time, only to find the art museum on opens Thursday to Sunday. On the plus side we got more time to see Prato, have a pleasant lunch and then jump on a train to Florence so the kid could gaze into expensive shop windows!

Back early evening, freshen up and then a nice trattoria for octopus salad and torttini stuffed with potatoes with ragu. Lovely. The waitress spoke good English and told us that there are simply no tourists these days. We were the only people in there at this point at around 9pm. Sad.

Off to Lucca this morning. Hopefully find a nice set of roads.

[gremlin]

Was going to post pictures but they're too large and I can't figure how to resize them on the phone.

Bugger.

[gremlin]

Onto the Beemer. I've hired a GS previously and felt slightly underwhelmed by the package. The engine, compared with the Triumph triple, seems lumpen and agricultural. Shoikd be torquey, but isn't. Riding position seems fine at first but after an hour or so I find myself fidgeting to relieve my back.
Handles well enough and the luggage system so logical (notwithstanding that somebody has recently dropped it on it's right hand side making it a mission to close without fiddling).
Maybe I'm not seeing it at it's best as I'm not racking up miles to get a true feel for it and we're two-up and chock full.of luggage.

[gremlin]

Yeah, ok. I'll concede this point.
Rode grom Lucca to Siesti Levante this morning, jumping off the motorway on the advice of a local. The roads were hilly and twisty and somewhat challenging.
It was about halfway there I suddenly had the epiphany that I was no longer thinking about the corners, the gear I was in, etc. Rather, I was just enjoying the ride and anticipating the next one.
We stopped for petrol and a much needed coffee and the Gremlinette commented that the ride was much more fun than the day before.
I'll second that.

[gremlin]

Yeah, ok. I'll concede this point.
Rode grom Lucca to Siesti Levante this morning, jumping off the motorway on the advice of a local. The roads were hilly and twisty and somewhat challenging.
It was about halfway there I suddenly had the epiphany that I was no longer thinking about the corners, the gear I was in, etc. Rather, I was just enjoying the ride and anticipating the next one.
We stopped for petrol and a much needed coffee and the Gremlinette commented that the ride was much more fun than the day before.
I'll second that.

[Horse]

I'll second that.

Funnily enough, you did

[gremlin]

I thought I was bad enough at repeating myself after a few glasses of red in conversation but now I've started doing in on here...

[Yorick]

I thought I was bad enough at repeating myself after a few glasses of red in conversation but now I've started doing in on here...

You just talk shite anyway...

[Cousin Jack]

I thought I was bad enough at repeating myself after a few glasses of red in conversation but now I've started doing in on here...

You just talk shite anyway...

Yebut, this is Italian shite.

[gremlin]

I've discovered pizza fritta. Think pizza, deep fried. Should be rank, but they're delicious.

I've put on 5kg at least.

[Yorick]

I've discovered pizza fritta. Think pizza, deep fried. Should be rank, but they're delicious.

I've put on 5kg at least.

Are you in Scotland?