The Prologue - flying off to Italy - 7th June 2012
Flying with a bike is not the most
straightforward activity. Arriving at the destination and seeing the bike
arrive on the carousel bent and broken must be avoided at all costs. That means
careful packing! This for me means bike in a bag plus bag in a box, on the way out . I know, its
bit of a Russian doll system but it works.
My
carrier of choice to Trieste was to be Ryanair. Well, it’s not really Trieste,
its Friulli Venezia Guilia, Regional Airport, but that's close enough. The fare
for me was £16 and £50 for the bike. The bike got Club Class whilst I was stuck
in steerage! It took a while to get through Stanstead. Had to queue for baggage
check-in and then take the box to ‘out of gauge’. Another queue for security where
they stopped me because of the energy drink powder in my hand luggage. I really
should have put it in my other pannier that was in the bike box. They then did
their swab test, another fail! They reckoned my pannier had picked up something
off the road, petrol or similar. It was soon sorted, albeit after a bit of form
filling, and I was on my way. Good job that TW dropped me at the Airport nice and
early. After struggling to drink a scalding hot coffee at the gate it was time
for my non-priority boarding. Ryanair
seem to be blocking off several rows at the front and several rows at the back
so we were all packed in the middle of the fuselage. The crew said it was for
aircraft balance but you can’t help thinking it’s a cunning ploy to make
priority boarding more beneficial and to make it easier to serve and sell. I
was sat next to a couple developing a property in Slovenia. He was quite chatty
so heard all about their village and Slovenia.
Got the usual fanfare for another ‘on toim’
arrival! Welcome to Italy and nice blast of warm air at the top of the steps,
goodbye UK rain! Great relief to see my box appear on the conveyor. I found a
shady spot outside the terminal to put Rosinante back together. Any
vital parts missing? Cycling off with just one pedal would not be funny, for me
anyway. No, happily all was present and
correct. I disposed of the box and I headed off on the short ride to Grado Pineta. Keep on the
right, right!
Trieste Airport to Grado Pineta - 24km
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| Italy - off to the seaside |
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| On the road to Grado Pineta |
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| Peach Trees by the road |
It was billiard table flat all the way to
the coast on a mix of cycle paths and fairly quiet roads that took me past
Peach Orchards and Grape Vines. A very nice introduction to Italy. Checked in
at the Hotel Plaza. The Italian receptionist was pleased to see me. Most of her guests
were German and Austrian but she did not speak German. She was, however, fluent in English and was
delighted to be understood for once. My bike was safely stored in a smart conference
room and my room wasn’t bad either. We were both feeling welcome and well looked after.
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| Paddling at Pineta |
Grado Pineta is the quiet neighbour to
Grado, lots of Apartment blocks, some camp-sites and just three hotels. Where
Grado is a bit smart and a tad chic, Pineta looks a bit tired and weary.
Suited me fine!
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| Bike, beds and umbrellas |
I had booked Half Board (69 Euros) and had
my first Italian menu thrust before me in the Hotel Restaurant. I was starving
so was ready to eat anything. The starter mentioned lasagne, no idea what the
main was but the pudding was Panna Cotta. My dining companions seemed more
interested in diving outside for a smoke so I had no competition for the salad
bar. My tactic was to sit near the buffet table and make regular attacks
without piling the plate too high. Feeling very satisfied and nicely bloated
I headed off for a walk by the Adriatic. Not like a Cornish Beach for sand or
surf but it wins handsomely in terms of umbrellas and beach beds.
The Route Ahead - Grado to Bad Hofgastein
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| Trieste Airport to Bad Hofgastein |
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