Getting Started

Welcome to our first time Blog.  

It is time for another trip.  We decided to record our thoughts and comments along the way, in a different way.  Gone are the 3 by 5 inch spiral notebooks (we still have our 1981 book from our first trip to Europe together) and thanks to Glen, (Captain Ron of the Caribbean and teacher extraordinaire) we now have a digital way to record whatever we want.  We are our own intended audience but a few friends and family will be invited to follow along if they so desire.  We don't know if we will always have Internet connections or the time to enter stuff but we will try our best.


On this trip we are off with a group of friends to cycle, trek, and see the sights of Italy.  Our friends Nola and Glen hatched the idea.  Nola hiked in Tuscany last year and wanted new partner Glen to experience Italy.  Avid cyclists, they also knew someone who had done some biking in Italy and soon the idea of an active/adventure holiday was born.  While we are not in the same category of “fitness” as Nola and Glen (and most of their friends), we both had this type of adventure on our “bucket lists”.  It sounded like fun and we committed. 

Before long so did eight others and our party of 12 was complete.  Sam and Cheryl (experienced international trekkers and organizers - Thank you Sam!), Phil (super cyclist & friends) and Linda, Warren and Dianne (Nola's brother and sister-in-law), and long-time friends of Nola's, Marci and Keith.   The trip turned into a week of cycling near the Adriatic Coast followed by a week of trekking (with full packs) through Tuscany.  Before you start thinking we are an overly hearty bunch please be aware we will be pampered in hotels and B&B's along the way.  Deb and I will go early and spend nearly a week in Verona and Venice.  We will also extend our stay with a final five days in Rome after the others have made their way home.

We have been preparing for this trip for months.  The prep work has been extensive.  We have discovered that cycling isn’t just cardio for the endurance and leg strength for the hills (I’m told Italy is all hills in that region) but it is the oh so necessary butt time in the saddle that is most important.  We have learned to “enjoy” long rides and endure the “end” results.  Rides from home to Chilliwack and Fort Langley for lunch have been good as well as a Victoria to Sooke seaside lunch.  Each ride from home results in one of the four mountain hill routes to get home so we hope we are prepared.

The most serious prep has been the potluck dinner planning meetings.  Each couple took their turn (but I think we missed ours) and the dinners were dominated with wine drinking and discussions about how many pairs of underwear a 25-day trip requires.  Such discussions are very necessary knowing everything you take has to be carried on your back.  After a few test walks I have determined that about 10 kilos is my max.  Two pair of underwear ought to do.  Deborah is now bringing hand-laundry soap.

Our packs are packed, the cat is off to Grammas’ house, and there are two more sleeps before we are off to Seattle (the 9^th) for our British Airways flight.  Seattle, London, and then to Verona.  At this point it is two days in Verona, two days in Venice and then an unplanned day before travelling to the Belvedere Bike Hotel in Ricionne for the start of the biking.

Back home on October 4... We will try to stay in touch…

Packs Were Purchased and Prepped

Deborah is packing light to make room for shopping in Rome (after the trekking is done)

Planning Meeting With Our New Travelling Companions

Marcie, Nola, Glen, Warren, Philip, Linda, Cheryl, Sam, Keith.
Dianne is in the kitchen, Deborah is taking the picture, and George was asked to get his head out of the picture by Deborah.