The Grand Tour of Italy - Florence - Only for paupers

Florence

Round and about in Florence

Ponte Vecchio

We’ve been to Italy a few times but my previous knowledge of Florence was limited to the Magic Roundabout. I’d booked a Hotel near the station but was a bit worried it was too cheap. The Hotel Elite at 40 Euros per night turned out to be fine and was our comfortable home for the next two nights. One of the advantages of staying at cheaper accommodation is that the restaurants or Trattorias they recommend are at the value end of the price range. For lunch we went to the Restaurant of the 100 paupers - Ostaria dei Centopoveri in the Via Palazzuola. Apparently back in time the church used to provide meals for 100 poor people. We had to pay 10 Euros each but it was brilliant. They have a 10 Euro ‘set meal’ at lunchtime. I had fresh spaghetti with tomato and then a main of mixed meats on a skewer. Wine, mineral water and coffee were also included. Suitably fed we headed off to the main tourist area. There are so many shops in Florence, it's best to go there late in the evening when they are closed and TW cannot be tempted. Ponte Vecchio, the Iconic Bridge is a case in point, it’s lined with Jewellery shops and Goldsmiths! Despite such temptations we had a good wander around and spent little, although a beer and a tea in that area cost 14 Euros! In the evening we went to another lovely Trattoria, Il Contadino, also in the Via Palazzuola. For 13 Euros I had Minestrone Soup, not with pasta but with bread, followed by Swordfish, really nice. TW had a Raviolli starter with Swordfish to follow. Wine and mineral water were included. Traditional Florentine food is quite simple and, in the right place, excellent value.

The local buses are useful, you can buy a 90 mins. ticket for 1Euro25. We made up our own tour jumping on and off the buses. We returned to the Centopoveri for our Anniversary evening meal. We had Fiorentina Beef which is a local speciality. The set meal cost us 28 Euros each and was excellent.

Beggars belief

The Duomo

I think I have incurred a few gypsy curses. Tourists have to run the gauntlet of some fearsome individuals as they enter and leave the Renaissance Churches and other sights. One particular creature sitting on the entrance steps of a famous church would frighten the Medusa. She held out a paper cup hoping I would put something in it – not likely. There are also begging men who lie on the pavement with their heads to the stones and their backsides in the air. They look as they are watching telly through the cracks in the stones. Their hands are upturned to receive offerings from the tourists. I suppose some people must give them money?

We didn’t go into many of the attractions, too costly and too crowded, but Florence is a great place to wander around, the locals are very friendly and hospitable.

Next stop Venice.

The Grand Tour to Italy - Pisa

Lucky Wednesday and O’Leary’s Aeroplane
There was a time when the Aristocrats went on a Grand Tour to Italy, probably by stage coach and latterly the Iron Road. Today our intrepid, but impoverished travellers set off on today’s equivalent - an equally tortuous trip on the M25 and Ryanair.

When you have a plane to catch the M25 contrives to be at its most congested. Today was no exception. Stationary traffic from junction 24 on the traffic news should have read Junction 17. The consequences of missing our flight to Pisa, where we were booked into a hotel, would have been very costly. Should we turn off or stick with it? We stuck and with blood pressures climbing we eventually crept our way to Junction 24 and, would you believe it, the road cleared miraculously and we made it to Stansted in good time. Must be our lucky day!
Case Sensitive
The next hurdle is to get through Ryanair check-in with our hand and pocket baggage. Being Ryanair regulars we know the routine. Some way ahead of us was a foreign ‘yoof’ who took exception to having to measure his bag. The bag gauge is a tubular frame you can force your bag into without too much difficulty even if it is over-size. The problem comes when you try to remove it. It’s like trying to get a bone off a Rottweiller!

It grips the bag like a vice. ‘Look it fits’ said the dude, ‘now remove it punk’ said the check-in Lady in as many words. He went blue in the face but eventually pulled it free. She let him pass but he let off a stream of expletives as he headed off to rejoin his family. Right you are not travelling! So Daddy and the boy from Brazil were left behind whilst Mummy and young daughter continued to Pisa. Meanwhile I had passed through with a jolly ‘good evening’, a bag also a bit large, an extra bag with refreshments for the flight, a book and several newspapers. TW was stopped. After removing a couple of books she also managed to ram a bag into the tubular jaws but couldn’t pull it out. So, yours truly,  had to re-cross the line and pull Excalibur free whilst looking as inconspicuous as possible. So with books under arm we very quietly tiptoed off towards the 737. A flight to Pisa and then a 10 Euro taxi  and we were in our Hotel. Pisa airport is almost in the town! Saw the first snow of winter on the shoulders of our Night Porter. With Olympic standard dandruff he should have worn a lighter suit. Text from TK - Spurs have won 3-0 and into the next round – M25 a distant memory. Hotel was fine, Terminus and Plaza near the Railway Station (78 Euros inc. breakfast).

Saving TW from a sore head!
(Think I am turning Japanese)

Lean Times in Pisa
Next morning took the bus to the Tower of Pisa, the most famous case of subsidence in the world. TW had been there before as a child. Her Mum would not let her walk within half a mile of it in case it fell on her head! Must let TMIL know it’s still standing. The Cathedral is pretty impressive and free to enter.

Quite a number of tourists still around in November. A lot of them Japanese. Not sure how much interest the average Japanese salary man has in renaissance architecture and Christian iconography; my experience is that they would be happier in a pub singing Karaoke. Anyway they were taking plenty of pictures to show the folks at home. They amused themselves by pretending to hold up the tower, can you believe it, how childish! We headed off for Florence by train, it only takes an hour and costs 5Euro60.

A spin in the Thames Valley – no tumble and dry

Dry cycle on a wet weather Wednesday - 47km

The Wednesday forecast wasn’t great at all. The sky was grey as I set off for the rendezvous; with rain threatening. I knew the others were hardy souls so I expected a good turnout regardless of the weather.
And so it was. Over a dozen headed off towards Cookham and climbed up towards Winter Hill past the golf course. I stayed at the back and practised my heel turns as we headed through Cookham Dean and its posh properties. The Turkeys at Copas Farm gobbled and trotted as we passed them by; didn’t wish them a Merry Christmas! The route took us through Pinkneys Green and down Dungrove Hill and under the A404, passing very quickly the notorious lay-bay area, and down to the Henley Road. We turned left on Honey Lane and up the incline towards the Dewdrop Inn, a pub I haven’t visited for 30 odd years; not the beering hour yet so not an option today. Peter took us on a cut-through to Warren Row and a good quiet ride to Remenham where we hit the Henley Road and bombed down White Hill. Fish and Chips at the Henley Tea Rooms? Why not!

I’d made it to lunch without any tumbles. The promised rain showered down when we were tucking into our fish dinners - another lucky Wednesday – but more threatened as we took to the road again. We crossed the Thames and headed home up Remenham Lane as far as the Flower Pot where we turned left for Mill End and Hambleden. That meant a steep climb out of the valley from Hambleden for the second time this week! Never mind, pretty much downhill all the way home after that. We beat the rain, only two guys got punctures and there were no embarrassing pedal malfunctions. Not sure what will happen if I use my mountain bike (with flat pedals) and then revert to the tourer with cleats? That's a problem for another day!

Cycle pedal perils - up and own in the Chilterns

Putting your foot in it....and taking it out again!

Chilterns in Autumn

Being mainly a Mountain-biker and Tourer I had never bothered with cleats. I thought they were only for ‘proper’ cyclist. However when I started to ride out with the group I found that I was the only one with toe-clips. I could keep up on the hills OK but figured I was less efficient than the others. So I thought I’d better give them a go. I actually had the necessary pedals, shoes and cleats stashed in the garage. To be honest it was partly cowardice that stopped me using them. It’s not a comfortable thought having your feet locked to the pedal with a device similar to a ski binding.

I decided that I would try with just one pedal first. So propped up against a wall I tried to get my shoe and cleat into the binding. Darn tricky, even with a mirror on the ground so I could see where the cleat was relative to the pedal. Disengaging was even more difficult, you have to twist the heel outwards. I found that when I twisted my foot it moved in the shoe and I stayed ‘in the pedal’.

Anyway, after tightening my laces to achieve a vice-like grip on my feet, I decided to give it a go on the street. Off I toddled and things went swimmingly, at first! When I approached a junction I would attempt to release my shoe foot 20m before so, by the time I reached the white line, I was able to put my foot on the ground. But then, after about 15km I forgot all about my clamped foot and the need to twist my heel. I stopped to take a photo and promptly toppled to the ground still wearing my bike. Oh dear, or a less polite equivalent!

With hindsight I should probably have tried my right foot first because I always put my left down first. So I decided I needed to either get stabilisers or revert to clips.

I reverted to clips and confided in Andy, one of the group on the next ride. My Samaritan had the answer. Slacken off the tension! I hadn’t even noticed the Allen screw, doh! So I wound down the tension from what was probably a race setting and had my eureka moment. My foot now popped in and out effortlessly. Why didn’t I think of that?

November in the the Chilterns

So I headed off on a test ride with bindings on both feet. I still needed to remember the twist but at least now I was fairly confident that, even with temporary amnesia, I could extract my foot before hitting the deck!

Heading for the Hills - 54 km

Chiltern bike ride

Up and down

I chose a particularly hilly route, not difficult in the Chilterns. My thinking being that if I was going to have a problem with de-tensioned bindings it would be on the climbs. Made lots of stops to take Autumn photos and practice the dismount. Brilliant day, cold but clear. And, as I reached home, in the darkness .... by George, I think he's got it! Old dogs can learn new tricks! Right, ready for the next Wednesday ride!

Marlow to Billingbear and back - 72km

Another lucky Wednesday!

After a couple of really naff wet and windy days the sky cleared to allow the sun to shine on our Wednesday ride.

A rendezvous at the Bourne End Garden Centre is, I’ve found, typically followed by a climb up Harvest Hill towards Hedsor and Burnham Beeches. So the coffee refills are followed by the coughy uphills! It certainly seems like a lung-buster on a cold November morning. Anyway, onward through the Burnham Village High Street on Market Day towards the Olympic 2012 Rowing Centre and our Thames crossing near Monkey Island. From there we passed through Fifield and headed up to Drift Road and turned left towards the Great Park. After about 2km we turned right down Winkfield Lane and traversed, on a cross-country route, towards Billingbear Golf Club where a gammon steak with chips awaited me. It looked a nice little pay and play club. There a nine hole course (£8.50) and a par 3 course. From there we headed off home via Shurlock Row, Walthan St Lawrence, Maidenhead and Cookham. To be honest, without the organised ride, I would not venture out on my bike at 09:30 on a cold November day. So it’s a good discipline as well as being great fun.

Marlow circular bike ride - flats in the Chiltern Hills - 50km

Met up at Bergers, a cafe in Marlow, for today’s pre-ride coffee. The place hasn’t changed much in the 20 years or so that have elapsed since my last visit. The group headed off into the Chilterns on one of my favourite routes. Two guys punctured and we lost about 45 mins which meant targets for lunch had to be revised. I was just happy it wasn’t me holding up proceedings. For November, it was quite a nice warm day and there are worse places to hang around than Hambleden. There's a coffee stop at the Post Office with recommended cakes and there is always the Stag and Huntsman if its past the beering hour. We headed over the Thames weir Mill End and then down Remenham Lane to Henley for an early lunch at the Henley Tea Rooms. Never a hardship, like most of the group of eight, I had Fish and Chips including a coffee for £6.90. Then we headed off up a quiet Greys Lane towards Greys Court, a National Trust property that’s worth a visit. We did not stop but carried on up Rocky Lane to the Nettlebed Estate. There is a right of way through this property owned by the Fleming Family of James Bond fame. Casino Royale was conceived here apparently. We turned right when we hit the main road but after a short distance took the first left down Bix Hill towards Lower Assendon.

Fingest Village on a summer morning

From Lower Assendon we gasped up the steep hill that is Dobson’s Lane towards Frieth and then onto Turville Heath and Fingest. The beech trees looked absolutely stunning in the Autumn sunshine as we headed for Frieth and Marlow. Won’t be long before the trees will be bare and I expect the scenery will be more stark when I pass this way next time.