Giro trip - Day One
Made it to Italy in one piece. The flights went remarkably well with no delays of any significance. Other than some mild turbulence over the Alps it was smooth flying. USAir was not the greatest. The stewardess bumped my arm and spilled my coke into my lap. Thanks a lot. Then there is the $5 charge for a pair of headphones. I guess that is the current trend with airlines losing money but I will pass on paying that.
I could have paid $5 for a pair of cheap headphones. On the other hand the hour long train ride from Venice to Bassano was $4.80. I know which item I appreciated more.
I caught the shuttle from the airport to the train station after my flight. The plan was for me to meet Joe at the station sometime between 11 and noon. This couldn't have worked much more smoothly. As my bus was pulling up to the station I saw Joe lugging his bike case through the entrance. Almost perfection.
The train was very nice. Nicer than I expected for only a regional train. It was new looking, clean, air conditioned and a very smooth ride. Good stuff. And we had the train almost all to ourselves.
Once in Bassano,
it was a taxi ride to the hotel and then begin building up the bikes for evening ride a little later. Joe and I were the first of today's arrivals to the hotel. Three others Brian, Diana and Kathy arrived a day or so earlier. Kathy was the first tour member we met when she walked into the basement garage to say "Hi" while we were assembling the bikes. (Hubba hubba... easy on the eyes) Our tour leaders, Keith and Luisa, arrived a little later with another rider named Mike from Boston. Our final rider is apparently having some travel difficulties and will late tonight.
Sidenote: While writing this, an orchestral concert on TV just finished and the credits were rolling. Apparently, we were watching the Wiener Philharmoniker play. Oh I wish I were an Oscar Mayer Wiener Philharmoniker....
Now "The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance" just began playing... in German.
Back to the subject at hand. This evening's ride was north along a river valley with smallish "mountains" on each side.
There were a few sections along the way that were "light industrial" but it was a very nice, easy 45km ride with some nice landscapes. Brian and Diana skipped the ride because they had ridden earlier. Kathy and Mike both seem like good, solid riders.
Joe, unexpectedly, went for a sprint to one of the many town city limit signs on the way back. After that it was game on for the next few signs. It was fun but I don't intend to keep that up for the whole trip. This is a vacation after all.
Dinner was quite good tonight sitting out on the restaurant patio with views of a nice courtyard
and very comfortable temperatures.
Made it to Italy in one piece. The flights went remarkably well with no delays of any significance. Other than some mild turbulence over the Alps it was smooth flying. USAir was not the greatest. The stewardess bumped my arm and spilled my coke into my lap. Thanks a lot. Then there is the $5 charge for a pair of headphones. I guess that is the current trend with airlines losing money but I will pass on paying that.
I could have paid $5 for a pair of cheap headphones. On the other hand the hour long train ride from Venice to Bassano was $4.80. I know which item I appreciated more.
I caught the shuttle from the airport to the train station after my flight. The plan was for me to meet Joe at the station sometime between 11 and noon. This couldn't have worked much more smoothly. As my bus was pulling up to the station I saw Joe lugging his bike case through the entrance. Almost perfection.
The train was very nice. Nicer than I expected for only a regional train. It was new looking, clean, air conditioned and a very smooth ride. Good stuff. And we had the train almost all to ourselves.
Once in Bassano,
it was a taxi ride to the hotel and then begin building up the bikes for evening ride a little later. Joe and I were the first of today's arrivals to the hotel. Three others Brian, Diana and Kathy arrived a day or so earlier. Kathy was the first tour member we met when she walked into the basement garage to say "Hi" while we were assembling the bikes. (Hubba hubba... easy on the eyes) Our tour leaders, Keith and Luisa, arrived a little later with another rider named Mike from Boston. Our final rider is apparently having some travel difficulties and will late tonight.
Sidenote: While writing this, an orchestral concert on TV just finished and the credits were rolling. Apparently, we were watching the Wiener Philharmoniker play. Oh I wish I were an Oscar Mayer Wiener Philharmoniker....
Now "The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance" just began playing... in German.
Back to the subject at hand. This evening's ride was north along a river valley with smallish "mountains" on each side.
There were a few sections along the way that were "light industrial" but it was a very nice, easy 45km ride with some nice landscapes. Brian and Diana skipped the ride because they had ridden earlier. Kathy and Mike both seem like good, solid riders.
Joe, unexpectedly, went for a sprint to one of the many town city limit signs on the way back. After that it was game on for the next few signs. It was fun but I don't intend to keep that up for the whole trip. This is a vacation after all.
Dinner was quite good tonight sitting out on the restaurant patio with views of a nice courtyard
and very comfortable temperatures.
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