What a roller coaster we are on, weather wise. Today though, it was Grizzly sweating in his waterproofs, as he was convinced it would rain at some point. He had to concede he was wrong when the temperature reached 23. Just as well, it later hit 29 or more, the sun blazing down most of the day.
We only had 180 miles to do today, so we were in no rush. Just as well, as the Italian roads seem to be 90% solid white lines down the middle, presumably meaning you can't overtake, and were flooded with big lorries, so progress was slower than it might have been. We had a few stops, one at LIDL to get some water, one a McDs for a comfort break and drink/Mcflurry, and one for a picture opportunity at the Cremona race circuit. Despite the delays on the road and the stops, we still arrived at the hotel at 15:45. Bikes are tucked up in the underground garage, unfortunately though, the hotel lift doesn't link up, so we had to trudge up stairs to the lobby with our luggage. A small issue but magnified when you have 2 bags a helmet, etc, to carry. It always means 2 trips, whatever.
Tonight we decided to eat outside the hotel, which meant one option, a pizzeria. It was quite a bit cheaper than it would have been in the hotel though, so we bit the bullet and had pizza again. I think the chef is a mad keen football fan, as there were football specials on the menu. I had one, a Gianluigi Buffon, a famous Italian goalkeeper, for those who don't know. It was massive. I couldn't possibly have got that down without some fluids, 3 glasses of Ayinger lager, to be exact. Add those to the 2 from last night I forgot to mention and the beer count is now 9.
The hotel is quite close to the airport, so with the patio doors open, we can here the aircraft taking off. It's nice to have some fresh air in though.
Talking of air. The ride today has been full of the most fragrant of smells. I kept thinking it was honeysuckle plants or something but later in the day realised it was the trees. We have some by the hotel, so a quick google photo search revealed they are Linden trees. The fragrance is very strong but really nice, at the same time. This part of Italy is known for its rice paddies. We've travelled for miles today, surrounded by waterlogged fields of rice plants, with the odd egret or heron thrown in. One doesn't really associate Italy with rice production but it is big business in these parts. All that risotto I guess.
A few photos from the day.
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| Ginny outside Cremona Race Circuit |
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| My Gtanluigi Buffon . Spot the plate! |
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| To wash down the pizza |
Tomorrow we are off to the seaside, as we head down the Adriatic Coast. Check back, to find out where.
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