Exploring on two wheels

The 7th of June: 

 

We awoke relaxingly late, and cooked ourselves a gourmet breakfast of scrambled eggs with pesto, tomato and prosciutto. Despite breakfast then being finished, we headed down to the local cafe to take advantage of the free wifi – and coffee. Once satisfied on both accounts, it was time to make something of the day. 

We had decided (although Eleanor and I only reluctantly agreed), to bike ride around the city walls. Neither Eleanor or I have ridden a bike since primary school, and we were, to begin with, just as terrible as we had expected we would be. It would of been humorous to watch, as we wrestled with balance, and struggled to maintain a straight line. And fell off a few times. But after the first ten minutes we slowly got the hang of it, and slowly loosened our painfully tight grip on the handlebars. Of course Kara was a pro from the start, just to make us look even worse. Once I was used to riding, I settled into it and enjoyed it (apart from the uncomfortable seat). It was a relaxing, yet efficient way to see the city – bikes make sense here. If they served a practical function back home, I would probably ride one. But back home it is more practical to drive a car – in the suburbs distances are too large for bikes to be helpful, and the city requires bikes on busy roads with cars, which is stressful for both parties. I’ll just stick to liking bikes in Europe. 

 

 

After our bike riding adventure, we prepared another gourmet meal – this time a salad, after which Eleanor and Kara fell asleep. I wandered out to explore. I ate some gelato from our now favourite shop (delicious!), and browsed through the shops of the main street (I didn’t dare venture far from this street in fear of getting lost.) Just as I reached the end of the street, and planned to turn around, I noticed a book stall – and went to investigate. Sure enough I found an Italian copy of Alice in Wonderland! When I did return to the room, Eleanor and Kara were awake and ready to head out, so we set off browsing city shops again. Kara had finished her book the night before, so was exploring bookstores for English books. I found a few more versions of Alice in Wonderland – one of which I had to have, as its pictures (which are all I can judge the book on without being able to read them, although they would all read the same anyway – how much of a child I feel), where exquisite! A bar was then sought out, for some pre dinner drinks (which, unlike gelato, I was able to skip in the interests of my body hopefully re cooperating a little from its unhappiness with my diet). When it was time for dinner, we stopped at a small road side restaurant – a terrible decision. The food was horrible. It would of been considered horrible Italian food if it had been served at a bistro in Melbourne, let alone in Italy. Although all three of us had different dishes, each was undercooked and of poor flavour. Luckily, we were at least able to deter some potential customers that were contemplating eating there. We all knew that couldn’t be the finish to the night – and so we went and got some delicious gelato for desert, to leave us on a good note. 

Tuscany infatuation begins!

The 6th of June: 

 

We left Cinque Terre to head to the (even warmer) sunshine of Lucca, in Tuscany. It is now officially summer! Our only directions provided for our accommodation was that it was in the main street of the old town, so we assumed this street was easy to find. It wasn’t. Lucca is set out like a giant maze – long winding streets, with numerous side streets branching off, the buildings disorientatingly towering over our heads as a single wall. Needless to say, we once again had no idea where we were, or how to get were we were headed. Another map had to be bought, and directions pointed out. We will have to be organised next time. We eventually found the place, and rang the owner to come and let us in. 

Once our enormous bags, which seem to grow each time they are lugged around, were off our backs, and we were suitably refreshed, we set off into the beautiful maze of streets that is Lucca. Every street is equally as disorientating and beautiful as the last, and pretty old churches seem to pop up at the end of each one. The cobbled streets are narrow and uneven, and the present street lights and stop signs seemed out of place. Streets are not easily navigated by cars, and so many people dart around on bicycles instead. 

As we wandered, we spied a lovely looking garden, with a lovely looking fountain. We found out it was a historical building of some description, and paid the fee to explore the garden and building. It was all very old, grand and beautiful. 

 

 

We had sought out our dinner venue during our afternoon walks, choosing it due to its facade and positive reviews printed in the window. It lived up to them. Especially for desert, the creme brûlée was amazing. Kara had missed desert due to a phone call, so headed off in search of gelato – and we found the best gelato store that we have had all trip.