Ate a small breakfast in the room, then left the Hotel Brianza around 9:00. Stopped for coffee at an ‘AutoGrill’ along the motorway, then continued on southeast until we turned onto another highway heading southwest thru the mountains. Found out by reading the local news that the smoke we saw yesterday near Susa was from a new forest fire in the valley and many people have already been evacuated – I hope they get control of it.

After a bit Colin mentioned that the area looked familiar and we wondered if it was the same highway that we’d taken north when we left Pian di Boccio back in May. I looked up the photos I’d taken that day and thought it could be the same route, then saw one I’d taken of a tunnel and the accompanying sign – all of the tunnels have names and the sign also shows how long they are. The photo I was looking at was of the Quarto tunnel and it was 2600 metres long. No sooner had I said that than we came upon that very tunnel – same sign, but from the other direction – we were on the same highway.

They were doing some road-work so we had to take a small diversion thru the town of Bagno di Romagna, which was very pretty. It was where the Giro started the day after we’d seen the ITT on May 17, and there were still pink ribbons and decorations up all over the place. When the Giro comes thru a place they celebrate it for a long time!

We passed by Perugia and kept going south to Marsciano, where we stopped for a bit of a walkabout then sat down for a drink and some pizza – which was very good, with a nice thin crust and delicious cheese.

Next we drove to the village of San Venanzo where Colin had pre-booked the hotel – it was all locked up and no one answered the bell, so we decided to go to Papiano and see the house he was interested in.

We parked the car and walked up a couple of roads but they weren’t the right ones. We asked a lady that was sitting outside her house if she knew where Linda the english woman lived – she said oh yes – in the rose coloured house with the green shutters – you go back down to the square and up the hill on the other side.

We followed her directions and found the house – up a hill with fairly steep small winding roads for cars and lot of stairs for walking. We had a look around the outside – it’s on one end of a block of 4 or 5 connected houses. There’s a church bell-tower very close by and I’m trying to learn to like the bells. This one is on time (not 3 minutes late, like some) and tolls the hour with one bell and has a second chime with another bell with a different tone if it’s 15, 30 or 45 minutes after the hour.

Back down in the square we had a drink (coffee for Colin, red wine – surprise surprise – for me). Took a different road back to Marsciano, then San Venanzo, where the hotel was now open. Colin confirmed with the manager that the room had two beds, and he said no, it was one large bed but if we gave him 10 minutes he would re-make it. He did show us the room – more like a suite – and we went for a walk while he re-made the bed.

We are almost at the top of a hill and there’s a large park that used to be the grounds of a count’s chateau, which is still there. There are several art-works and sculptures in the park and we walked around a bit before going back to the hotel.

The one large bed was now made into two – with about 1 1/2 inches between them, but with separate bedding so all was good. Again there was a small fridge so we stowed the food from the cooler (that was no longer cool) and had a light dinner.

Early night.

Slept really well up in my bunk, and woke to a beautiful sunny day. Had a large breakfast in the hotel’s ‘restaurant’ and hit the highway before 10:00. This day’s drive is about the same distance as yesterday’s but will take a few hours less to cover as we’re going on toll-motorways rather than lesser highways.

We went through the longest tunnel yet – the Tunnel de Frejus – 13 km and not cheap! When we came out the other side we were in Italy. Stopped at a rest-stop and had lunch – I had spaghetti carbonara and it was fairly good – the cheese on top was excellent.

As we drove east we saw smoke billowing into the air several miles ahead somewhere around Susa – it was so thick by the time we got there we could barely see the mountains, and the smell of fire was very strong.

We continued east, skirting Torino and went east a little north of Alessandria and on to Piacenza where we veered more southeast past Parma, then around Modena to our destination of Calderara di Reno, just a few km northwest of Bologna.

We checked in to the hotel, that luckily had a fridge for the food we’d brought, then went for a little drive northwest. Back at the hotel we had a bite to eat and didn’t stay up late.

 

Got all packed up and ready yesterday so I wouldn’t be rushed to go this morning. We managed to get on the road by 8:45 under a grey, but not raining sky.

The drive was long, but much easier (for Colin) in the BMW instead of the campervan. We headed east (north of Limoges), skirted around Bellac, then past Gueret before stopping for a coffee at Montlucon.

Next we went to Bourge en Bresse where we stopped mid-afternoon for another coffee. We passed beautiful fields and farms and went thru many lovely villages.

At one point Colin had mentioned that we might see some deer around the area, and literally just around the next bend we looked to our left and saw a whole field of them! Not kidding – dozens of deer munching grass right there – didn’t see them anywhere else but only in that one field.

The ‘tunnel de chat’ that goes through the mountains to the Lac de Bourget was closed for maintenance so all traffic was diverted over the very steep, narrow and twisting old road over the Col de Chat. Traffic was very heavy and there were several asshole-drivers coming toward us that tried to cut the corners and thus crept into our lane – there wasn’t room for that kind of crap and I was very impressed by the restraint Colin showed – I would have been blaring the horn full blast at some of them.

The drive down the other side afforded some beautiful vistas of the lake and the valley below with the Alps in the distance, but I didn’t get any good photos as there were always trees in the way or we were manoeuvring around another hairpin turn.

We found the town of Chambery alright but the GPS didn’t have the address of the motel in her database so we drove around a bit – almost thru the centre of the town, which looked ok but it was rush hour and the traffic was pretty heavy. We stopped at a Dominos Pizza (yes – they have them here too – it isn’t just McDonald’s everywhere) to ask for directions. The guy gave Colin very good directions (in French) and we had no problem finding our way to the motel.

I must say – it was pretty small, but clean enough. There was a double bed for Colin and the two doggies, and a single bunk-bed for me above them. The bathroom was so small one person could barely turn around in it, but it had everything you need, and there was a tv in the ‘main’ room but it didn’t work. It’s getting chillier as we approach the Alps.

 

 

Didn’t get much sleep – the crossing was rougher than when we came over but not as bad as I’d expected considering the storm that was forecast. We got a free breakfast because of the 3-hour delay in leaving. You get tokens for coffee or tea water and serve yourself from one of two machines. One machine had a short line-up so I went to the other that only had one fellow at it. He filled one cup, then another, then another – he was on his fifth one when the machine paused for a moment to re-heat and another fellow came up and gave the first guy 10 or 12 more tokens! I looked at him and said ‘you’re not serious!!’ He asked (with a heavy french accent) what I wanted and I told him just some hot water for tea so when the machine had restarted and he got his next hot drink he let me in so I could get my hot water.

We’d just finished eating when the ferry pulled into Dieppe around 6:45 (France time). It was still dark out, of course, so I still didn’t get a really good view of the place.

The drive home seemed very long, although the countryside was very pretty. I’m glad I wasn’t driving because I almost fell asleep several times with my head on the table in front of me. We stopped at Alencon for a very quick break – I was thinking of getting a pizza-type thing but couldn’t stand the thought of eating more white flour so settled for an iced-latte and some cut fresh veggies in the campervan.

We arrived back at Mansle just before 3:00 – a very long and tiring trip. Despite being so tired I didn’t want to have a nap in case I didn’t wake up in the middle of the night then not be able to get back to sleep, so I had a nice greek salad, then a shower to freshen up and revive myself.

 

Got up fairly early so I’d have lots of time to pack. The weather was a little better, but I decided not to go for a ride – took the pedals off the bike so I can take them with me.

The maintenance fellow came over in the late morning to trim up the bushes and get the garden ready for the winter. He did some pretty severe trimming, but I know it’ll come back even better in the spring. Took a couple of ‘after’ photos to compare with the ‘before’ ones I took in the summer.

Little Benny is a bit nervous – he knows something’s happening and is sticking like glue to Colin to make sure he doesn’t get forgotten or left behind.

Got all packed up, had a quick lunch and were on the highway south by 3:00. The roads were really busy – between the road-work being done in places, rush hour, and extra Friday traffic because next week is a school holiday it was just crawling in some places.

Even so we made it to the ferry terminal at Newhaven in plenty of time and parked in the McDonald’s parking lot to make use of their WC and free wi-fi. Colin checked with the ferry terminal and found out that the 11 pm ferry was delayed by 3 hours due to rough seas and heavy winds.

Didn’t get on the way until almost 2 am – got a couple of the comfy lounge chairs and tried to get a bit of sleep.

Pretty quiet few days – took some nice long walks with doggies on Tuesday and Wednesday and one short ride around the local trails, but didn’t do much else.

I wanted to go for a final canal ride today but it drizzled or poured rain all day long. Even the doggies didn’t want to go out – I could barely get little Benny out the door and they both dug their heels in and refused to go further than about 50 yards. They’re so small and don’t have long fur so they get chilly pretty quick if it’s wet out, so back we went to the nice warm and dry house.

Colin had taken the train back up to Birmingham again to fetch the campervan – they hadn’t been able to locate any short in the electric so we’re just going to have to hope that it’s finished blowing fuses.

Colin took me out to the pub for dinner – I had the grilled chicken with mushrooms and asiago, and it was pretty tasty. Had an early night as we’re going to be traveling a lot in the next two days.

Got up to a very hazy sky with a red sun and lots of wind. I got on the bike around 11:00 – Colin left at the same time to take the campervan back up to Birmingham again so they can locate and fix the fuse problem that is still an issue.

Rode, as has become my habit, north on the canal, although this time I left it a bit north of Tibberton. Crossed over on the bridge and went down the small road marked Oddingley Church. I opened the gate and walked the bike around – the church is pretty small and I didn’t try to get in.

Rode back on the Droitwich/Tibberton road and re-entered the canal path just after crossing Weak Bridge (ha ha – still have to laugh at that). When I got home the doggies were waiting – I’d promised them I’d take them for a walk when I got back and they have good memories.

Walked to the orchard and let them have a little run around. They’re pretty good about coming to me when it’s time to re-leash them. We walked home by a slightly different route – once again getting almost trapped in a maze of small dead-end streets in a housing area.

Managed to make it out of the maze, got home and did yoga before having left-over pasta for lunch.

On the news we found out why the sky was red – it was the edge of the hurricane picking up dust from the Sahara as well as smoke from terrible fires burning right now in Portugal and Spain.

Went out in the mini around 10:00 – first stop was southwest to young Neil’s place across the river, near the U of Worcester St. John’s campus. Next we drove thru the fairly posh neighbourhood of Hallow then north to eventually arrive at Bromsgrove. Colin went in to a store and bought some different curtains for the salon – he had returned the other ones to the store he bought them from last week.

When we got home we walked up to the pub for Sunday lunch – we both had the roast beef and it was pretty good.

Went for another drive in the afternoon so Colin could get himself a jacket near Malvern, then continued right into the town of Malvern and up the Malvern Hills. It was a very beautiful area with sweeping views of the countryside, although there an overhanging haze today.

On the other side of the hills we stopped in the town of Ledbury, just inside the county of Herefordshire. The town has many very old buildings (some from the 15th and 16th centuries that still have the original facades) – lots of white wattle-and-daub with black beams. One building is up on ‘stilts’ and is where the market used to be held – built in 1617.

Drove through Tewksbury and Upton-upon-Severn on the way home.

Today is sister Susan’s wedding day to her long-time love Ross. I hope they have a wonderful day of celebration and a lifetime of happiness. I wish I could be there to celebrate with them, but must settle for sending them my love and best wishes from Worcester.

I had a couple of fairly quiet days – went with Colin to return some of the flooring things that weren’t needed – took doggies for nice long walks.

It looked fairly clear out this morning and wasn’t cold, so I went for a ride around 11:00 – north along the canal towards Dunhampstead again. Just before Tibberton I came across a fisherman, and as I rounded the bend I saw a bunch more.

I stopped and talked with him for a bit – there’s a fishing derby going on and it’s supposed to be for juniors, but only one younger fellow showed up. They fish until around 2:00 when a bell will ring and then they’ll all weigh what they’ve caught and the person with the heaviest catch wins. The fish are kept alive in net baskets in the water so get put back in the canal when the derby ends. He had his bait in small containers beside him – two kinds of maggots and some regular earth worms, and some bread.

He told me that the orange maggots were from blow-flies and the pink ones were from regular flies (they dye them pink). They hang dead chickens up in a barn or shed and the flies lay their eggs, then when the eggs hatch into maggots the maggots fall onto the floor and they collect them for fish bait.

I rode to Dunhampstead where I left the canal and crossed over on the road to the north side. The sky had become more and more overcast and the wind had picked up , but I rode further than the last time, continuing on until almost Hadzor, then circled west/south back to the canal. I took a smaller side road that crossed the canal north of Tibberton and headed south along it again.

When I got back to the fishers I stopped and talked a bit with the youngest one – he was so nice and polite. There were supposed to be several other young ones there but no one else had showed up. They come every week and next week is the last but I told him I won’t be here as I’m leaving on Friday to head back to Italy to catch my plane home – he thought it was quite impressive that I’ve come all the way from Canada and have been travelling for almost six months now.

I stopped at the Lyppard Grange pub for a pint – it was the most crowded I’ve ever seen it. There was a football match on – Liverpool vs Manchester United – fairly serious around here.

Went home and then took doggies for a walk up to the orchard. After leaving the orchard we took a footpath that turned out to be the ‘scenic’ way home going past a community garden. Shortly after the garden we turned right and ended up in a residential maze, but kept going in the right general direction, eventually ending up back on a path that I recognized.

Had a nice dinner of pasta and watched a Liam Neeson movie I hadn’t seen before – quiet evening.

Got up before 8:00 and had a nice hot shower, although I had to spray the bottom of the shower first to get rid of some of the dead mosquitoes and other bugs. There were a lot of live mosquitoes also, but I seem to have made it through without any bites.

We ended up having a free stay – we still couldn’t find the owners anywhere and had to leave without paying. Since the gas line in the campervan still isn’t flowing we stopped for a cup of tea in Frome before meeting Joan and Derek for a walkabout of the town. Colin and Joan were born and raised in Frome and we had a wonderful couple of hours touring their old neighbourhood and the surrounding area.

At first it was raining, but then it cleared up a bit and got warmer. It was just like me showing Dominic around back home – everywhere we looked either Colin or Joan would say ‘that’s where so-and-so used to live’, or ‘that’s where we used to…’ or ‘that building was the butcher shop’, etc. The city has, of course, grown considerably since they were brought up there – it’s now over 40,000 and was only around 14,000 back when they lived there.

The town has rejuvenated the original shopping street, which is on a very steep hill. There are no cars allowed on most of it, and the shops are all spruced up and prosperous looking, not all old, empty, or run-down like in many places. Another old street that is really neat has a small stream running down one side – you need to watch your step!

There was a small market happening, and I sampled an array of cheeses, ending up buying two – a lovely mild sheep cheese and a local Stilton. I could have gotten 6 or 7 that were equally as tasty, but settled for additional samples instead.

We went to a coffee shop and sat outside as we had the doggies with us. I had my second cup of coffee in 4 or 5 years, and was it ever good. We said goodbye to Joan and Derek – I really enjoyed meeting them. They are warm and friendly and both easy to talk with – I’m very glad Colin took me with him to visit them.

We drove towards home, passing the White Horse again – we stopped at a pull-out so I could get a photo this time. We then stopped at his friend Mick’s place in Melksham for a quick visit with him and his wife Sandra. It was so nice hearing Colin and Mick reminisce about their cycling past, and Mick showed me photos that he’d taken at a past Tour de France that were very interesting. It all looked basically the same – hoards of people, folks in crazy costumes, racers giving all they had to get up a mountain. The only main difference was that back then most of them didn’t wear helmets (crazy!!).

Got back on the road again and headed home – it was looking stormy out, but as we went north it got a little less overcast. The traffic was pretty slow for awhile – it looks like they’re going to twin the highway in one area, and it really needs it.

We stopped for take-out fish and chips at the Bull Inn, and arrived home around 7:00. It was a lovely two day trip, and I’m so very glad to have met some of Colin’s friends and family – they we