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Quit our jobs, sold our home and everything in it, gone riding...
- Thread starter Lightcycle
- Start date
Gene - I'm wondering if you can spend a bit of time talking about your camera setup - what works, what doesn't, what changes you've made to your setup.
I know that I'm not the only one working through my camera setup, and you have more real-world experience now than anyone else I know.
Here are some stupid questions
1. SLR vs. compact vs. MFT? I know you travel with both a compact and an SLR, and it seems like you really only bring out the SLR when you've made camp - your "quick and dirty" shots seem to be mostly with the compact. Knowing what you know now, would you have considered a MFT as a compromise?
2. SLR lenses - they take up a lot of space - what are you carrying and would you make any changes to your setup? Do you have a general purpose walkaround lens? Could you have lived with just a smallish prime?
3. SLR filters - are you using anything besides a UV for protection and a circular polarizer?
4. How are you keeping your lenses clean?
5. The few pics of Gene that I see (c'mon, you're so pretty) where you're carrying the gear it seems like you have a typical square-ish camera bag. I've always found those irritating to walk around with - would you go in a different direction with the bag?
6. You've got some great landscape shots - do you use a tripod?
Would love a post on the photography and photographic gear side of things - or a link to a discussion, if that's already happened (though I couldn't see one)
I know that I'm not the only one working through my camera setup, and you have more real-world experience now than anyone else I know.
Here are some stupid questions
1. SLR vs. compact vs. MFT? I know you travel with both a compact and an SLR, and it seems like you really only bring out the SLR when you've made camp - your "quick and dirty" shots seem to be mostly with the compact. Knowing what you know now, would you have considered a MFT as a compromise?
2. SLR lenses - they take up a lot of space - what are you carrying and would you make any changes to your setup? Do you have a general purpose walkaround lens? Could you have lived with just a smallish prime?
3. SLR filters - are you using anything besides a UV for protection and a circular polarizer?
4. How are you keeping your lenses clean?
5. The few pics of Gene that I see (c'mon, you're so pretty) where you're carrying the gear it seems like you have a typical square-ish camera bag. I've always found those irritating to walk around with - would you go in a different direction with the bag?
6. You've got some great landscape shots - do you use a tripod?
Would love a post on the photography and photographic gear side of things - or a link to a discussion, if that's already happened (though I couldn't see one)
Just to preface, I'm not a camera geek at all, so I don't know much about the technology. Our equipment is very old, entry-level stuff.
DSLRs
We have two DSLRs, a Nikon D60 and a D3000, both have very similar specs, but the D3000 is the next version of the D60.
The D3000 is fitted with a Nikkor VRII 18-200 lens and is the camera that is taking 90% of the pictures on the blog. The D60 has a Sigma 10-20.
Neither does video, so I've been thinking about upgrading either to a D7100, or go full-frame with a D610. Not in too much of a rush though.
I'm very happy with the Nikon image-processing. I'm not a fanboy of anything, but maybe Nikon products come close.
Point and shoot
Our point-and-shoots are the Nikon AW1xx line. It's supposed to be dive-resistant to 10m, but it's not. We started with an AW100 at the beginning of the trip, drowned it while snorkeling. Bought the next version AW110, drowned that one too. The AW120 came out by this time, but I didn't need all the new bells and whistles, so I re-bought the older AW110 which I'm using now.
Even though I'm not happy that it's not complete dive-resistant as advertised, I very much like the AW image quality. It'll still survive a heavy rainfall though so it's our default on-camera bike. I keep it in my tankbag and whip it out with my left hand to take all of the riding shots of Neda in front of me.
Kinda like this...
Other things the AW could improve on is that the start-up time and auto-focus is slow. Between the AW100 and AW110 failures, I bought a Lumix DMC-SZ5 which had an amazing start-up time and AF, but the image quality suffered, so I'm sticking with the AW for on-board shots.
Answers
1) A couple of friends have shown me their mirrorless cameras (edit: One of them was an Olympus OM-D E-M10). They rave about the compact body and lenses for space savings on the bike. Seems to be the only benefit over DSLR. From what little I know of the technology (I'm expecting a mirrorless expert will chime in soon): Lower battery life, lack of optical viewfinder, flatter depth-of-field, slower auto-focus, means I am sticking with DSLRs for a while longer.
2) I love my huge 18-200mm! It is very versatile and is my favorite and I was thinking about getting an 18-300mm to replace it. At the Misano MotoGP, the 200mm was very inadequate. I was sitting next to a guy with a 500mm which got great shots, but it may be too big to carry on the bike.
As you can tell, size and weight figure negligibly in my decision-making.
3) No filters, just a clear one for scratch-protection. We had a polarizing filter, but it was an extra step figuring out the orientation when all I wanted to do was point and shoot most of the time, so it's sitting there unused in the camera bag. I think I have many outdoor shots that didn't turn out because I wasn't using the polarizer.
4) We only have two lenses and they are permanently affixed to each camera, so no need to clean the insides. I carry one of those lens cloths in a small pouch to clean the glass once in a while.
5) Yes, the bag is very irritating however I like to have the camera ready to whip out at a moment's notice and a backpack takes too much time. Some people carry the camera in their hands or around their necks, but our time in Latin America made me wary about having an expensive item out in the open so in the bag it stays until needed.
If security is not an issue, our friends Jill and Curtis have found a neat solution:
http://chasingadventure.ca/2013/09/25/gear-review-capture-camera-clip-by-peak-design/
6) I have a very cheap $30 Vivitar all-flimsy-plastic tripod that I break out for night shots. Other than that, a steady hand and taking a hundred shots and picking the two that turn out...
Again I'm not a camera expert, so all the above is just my non-informed opinion.
DSLRs
We have two DSLRs, a Nikon D60 and a D3000, both have very similar specs, but the D3000 is the next version of the D60.
The D3000 is fitted with a Nikkor VRII 18-200 lens and is the camera that is taking 90% of the pictures on the blog. The D60 has a Sigma 10-20.
Neither does video, so I've been thinking about upgrading either to a D7100, or go full-frame with a D610. Not in too much of a rush though.
I'm very happy with the Nikon image-processing. I'm not a fanboy of anything, but maybe Nikon products come close.
Point and shoot
Our point-and-shoots are the Nikon AW1xx line. It's supposed to be dive-resistant to 10m, but it's not. We started with an AW100 at the beginning of the trip, drowned it while snorkeling. Bought the next version AW110, drowned that one too. The AW120 came out by this time, but I didn't need all the new bells and whistles, so I re-bought the older AW110 which I'm using now.
Even though I'm not happy that it's not complete dive-resistant as advertised, I very much like the AW image quality. It'll still survive a heavy rainfall though so it's our default on-camera bike. I keep it in my tankbag and whip it out with my left hand to take all of the riding shots of Neda in front of me.
Kinda like this...
Other things the AW could improve on is that the start-up time and auto-focus is slow. Between the AW100 and AW110 failures, I bought a Lumix DMC-SZ5 which had an amazing start-up time and AF, but the image quality suffered, so I'm sticking with the AW for on-board shots.
Answers
1) A couple of friends have shown me their mirrorless cameras (edit: One of them was an Olympus OM-D E-M10). They rave about the compact body and lenses for space savings on the bike. Seems to be the only benefit over DSLR. From what little I know of the technology (I'm expecting a mirrorless expert will chime in soon): Lower battery life, lack of optical viewfinder, flatter depth-of-field, slower auto-focus, means I am sticking with DSLRs for a while longer.
2) I love my huge 18-200mm! It is very versatile and is my favorite and I was thinking about getting an 18-300mm to replace it. At the Misano MotoGP, the 200mm was very inadequate. I was sitting next to a guy with a 500mm which got great shots, but it may be too big to carry on the bike.
As you can tell, size and weight figure negligibly in my decision-making.
3) No filters, just a clear one for scratch-protection. We had a polarizing filter, but it was an extra step figuring out the orientation when all I wanted to do was point and shoot most of the time, so it's sitting there unused in the camera bag. I think I have many outdoor shots that didn't turn out because I wasn't using the polarizer.
4) We only have two lenses and they are permanently affixed to each camera, so no need to clean the insides. I carry one of those lens cloths in a small pouch to clean the glass once in a while.
5) Yes, the bag is very irritating however I like to have the camera ready to whip out at a moment's notice and a backpack takes too much time. Some people carry the camera in their hands or around their necks, but our time in Latin America made me wary about having an expensive item out in the open so in the bag it stays until needed.
If security is not an issue, our friends Jill and Curtis have found a neat solution:
http://chasingadventure.ca/2013/09/25/gear-review-capture-camera-clip-by-peak-design/
6) I have a very cheap $30 Vivitar all-flimsy-plastic tripod that I break out for night shots. Other than that, a steady hand and taking a hundred shots and picking the two that turn out...
Again I'm not a camera expert, so all the above is just my non-informed opinion.
Last edited:
Updated from http://www.RideDOT.com/rtw/181.html
In South-Eastern Sicily, there are eight towns in the Val di Noto (Noto Valley) that were rebuilt after a huge earthquake in 1693. Considerable work was done to populate these towns with the popular Baroque architecture of the day. Noto itself was only 40 kms away from Siracusa, so we hopped on the bikes one afternoon and headed into town to see some cool architecture.
Through AirBnB, we found a tiny cave-like apartment dug out of the old buildings
Kind of small and dusty, but it was right in the historic centre
The infrastructure is not very good in the historic centre. Every afternoon after lunch, the town shut off all the water so all the buildings and businesses in the area had to rely on huge water tanks on-premise that were replenished when the water supply was turned on again in the morning. We had to make sure to turn on the pump every morning to re-fill our tank otherwise no shower, flushing toilets or washing dishes after lunch!
Despite all this, it was a cool experience, living for a couple of days in the centre of town.
We're going to do things a little bit different while we're here in the Val di Noto. Because all the towns look so empty during the middle of the day during the Italian riposo (siesta), we decided to take an afternoon nap ourselves and then do some sightseeing in the evening for a change. Living la vita Siciliana!
Porto Real arch leads to the famous cobblestoned walkway of Corso Vittorio Emanuele
Noto comes alive in the evening, tourists and locals hanging out in front of magnificent examples of Baroque architecture
So many people walking around! I really don't understand the whole riposo thing. I can see that maybe in the middle of the summer, you'd want to sleep off the afternoon heat indoors where it's nice and cool. But this late in the season the days are actually pleasant: mid-to-high 20s. Why keep the same schedule all year round?
Sitting on the steps of the Noto Cathedral
More expensive restaurants. Can't eat here or we'll go Baroque.
Just outside of the historic centre, we found a take-out pizzeria selling large pies for €5. Finally cheap food! We're finding food generally is cheaper in Sicily than the mainland, but the tourist traps in the middle of all the attractions still gouge the holiday crowd.
Why is the beach so empty?
We really wanted to hit at least one of the famous Sicilian beaches while we're down here. Calabernardo Beach is the closest to Noto, less than 10 kms away, so we hopped on the bikes to get some sun in. The place was entirely empty! We found out why... less than 5 minutes after we put down our beach towels, it started to rain.
Of course we checked the forecast before we came. 60% chance of showers means 40% chance of sun, doesn't it?
Back to our cave
In South-Eastern Sicily, there are eight towns in the Val di Noto (Noto Valley) that were rebuilt after a huge earthquake in 1693. Considerable work was done to populate these towns with the popular Baroque architecture of the day. Noto itself was only 40 kms away from Siracusa, so we hopped on the bikes one afternoon and headed into town to see some cool architecture.
Through AirBnB, we found a tiny cave-like apartment dug out of the old buildings
Kind of small and dusty, but it was right in the historic centre
The infrastructure is not very good in the historic centre. Every afternoon after lunch, the town shut off all the water so all the buildings and businesses in the area had to rely on huge water tanks on-premise that were replenished when the water supply was turned on again in the morning. We had to make sure to turn on the pump every morning to re-fill our tank otherwise no shower, flushing toilets or washing dishes after lunch!
Despite all this, it was a cool experience, living for a couple of days in the centre of town.
We're going to do things a little bit different while we're here in the Val di Noto. Because all the towns look so empty during the middle of the day during the Italian riposo (siesta), we decided to take an afternoon nap ourselves and then do some sightseeing in the evening for a change. Living la vita Siciliana!
Porto Real arch leads to the famous cobblestoned walkway of Corso Vittorio Emanuele
Noto comes alive in the evening, tourists and locals hanging out in front of magnificent examples of Baroque architecture
So many people walking around! I really don't understand the whole riposo thing. I can see that maybe in the middle of the summer, you'd want to sleep off the afternoon heat indoors where it's nice and cool. But this late in the season the days are actually pleasant: mid-to-high 20s. Why keep the same schedule all year round?
Sitting on the steps of the Noto Cathedral
More expensive restaurants. Can't eat here or we'll go Baroque.
Just outside of the historic centre, we found a take-out pizzeria selling large pies for €5. Finally cheap food! We're finding food generally is cheaper in Sicily than the mainland, but the tourist traps in the middle of all the attractions still gouge the holiday crowd.
Why is the beach so empty?
We really wanted to hit at least one of the famous Sicilian beaches while we're down here. Calabernardo Beach is the closest to Noto, less than 10 kms away, so we hopped on the bikes to get some sun in. The place was entirely empty! We found out why... less than 5 minutes after we put down our beach towels, it started to rain.
Of course we checked the forecast before we came. 60% chance of showers means 40% chance of sun, doesn't it?
Back to our cave
Our next stop is another Val di Noto city called Modica. It's less than an hour away from Noto, so we take the backroads through what's known as the Iblean Plateau. It's the same kind of limestone geography that we saw at Pantalica. We've booked another place through AirBnB, a farm about 15 kms outside of Modica, and we ride for a while through very narrow laneways lined on both sides low stone walls that Neda says reminds her of Pula.
Our home for the next few days
We really like our AirBnB stays, mainly because of the price point, but also because most of the owners are really cool people to talk to. The owner of this farm was originally from Bologna, but her family moved here recently. She told us all about the good and bad about Sicily. Apparently the Mafia is very real and very present down here. As a tourist you don't really see it, but if you try to start any kind of business, they get involved very quickly.
I've always wondered why Sicily seems to be the very poorest part of Italy, given that it's got such nice weather, it should really be raking in the Euros due to all the tourist activity. However it was explained to us that companies are hesitant to start up businesses here because of the mafia and the government corruption, so there's very little investment in Sicily.
As usual, Neda finds a four-legged friend on the farm
We're continuing our night-time tours of Val di Noto. We hop on the bikes after sunset and head into Modica where our first priority is to find a chocolate store. Modica chocolate is well-known for it's particular dry, grainy texture, they say once you have it, you can't go back to regular milk chocolate. I don't know about that, but we did enjoy it a lot that we bought several bars for the trip, but they all magically disappeared before we even left the farm.
Where did they all go, Neda...?
Neda on the hunt for chocolate in Modica
Historic centre of Modica
Cool night-time architecture
We climbed up to one of the highest points in the city to get a view of the narrow, labyrinthine corridors of the old city
Night-time wedding photos in the old town
Modica was really beautiful at night
*Everyone* comes out in the evenings!
RainDOT.com in Sicily. Can't we just have one week of solid, uninterrupted dry weather?
Back on the farm next day, a huge storm hits the area. We watched from our bedroom window as the water pounded our bikes parked outside. The owners told us that a mini-twister touched down a few kms away! So glad we decided not to camp!
From inside, I could hear Neda chomping down on some dry Modica chocolate to console herself against the bad weather...
Our home for the next few days
We really like our AirBnB stays, mainly because of the price point, but also because most of the owners are really cool people to talk to. The owner of this farm was originally from Bologna, but her family moved here recently. She told us all about the good and bad about Sicily. Apparently the Mafia is very real and very present down here. As a tourist you don't really see it, but if you try to start any kind of business, they get involved very quickly.
I've always wondered why Sicily seems to be the very poorest part of Italy, given that it's got such nice weather, it should really be raking in the Euros due to all the tourist activity. However it was explained to us that companies are hesitant to start up businesses here because of the mafia and the government corruption, so there's very little investment in Sicily.
As usual, Neda finds a four-legged friend on the farm
We're continuing our night-time tours of Val di Noto. We hop on the bikes after sunset and head into Modica where our first priority is to find a chocolate store. Modica chocolate is well-known for it's particular dry, grainy texture, they say once you have it, you can't go back to regular milk chocolate. I don't know about that, but we did enjoy it a lot that we bought several bars for the trip, but they all magically disappeared before we even left the farm.
Where did they all go, Neda...?
Neda on the hunt for chocolate in Modica
Historic centre of Modica
Cool night-time architecture
We climbed up to one of the highest points in the city to get a view of the narrow, labyrinthine corridors of the old city
Night-time wedding photos in the old town
Modica was really beautiful at night
*Everyone* comes out in the evenings!
RainDOT.com in Sicily. Can't we just have one week of solid, uninterrupted dry weather?
Back on the farm next day, a huge storm hits the area. We watched from our bedroom window as the water pounded our bikes parked outside. The owners told us that a mini-twister touched down a few kms away! So glad we decided not to camp!
From inside, I could hear Neda chomping down on some dry Modica chocolate to console herself against the bad weather...
I'm no expert but I can chime in about mirrorless cameras as I bought one a few months ago. Before that I used to take my DSLR Canon 60D everywhere often with a 70-200 F4 L lens. A beast lens but nice and sharp. Thing is, the camera plus that lens took up my entire tank bag and if I was lugging it around it was a pain. Takes great pics though, no denying that.
So addressing points:
1. Battery life of micro 4/3. Valid point, the cameras either have electronic viewfinders or you're using the rear screen for compositions. My camera (OMD-EM5) also has on board image stabilisation which also uses energy. However, even with these I should see around 300-400 pictures per charge. In short, for me it's not a big deal but it depends if you like to shoot moving subjects on full auto for example. I even have a EyeFi SD card in the camera so it uploads all my photos to Flickr or my iPad or phone depending on where I am (WiFi or no WiFi area)
2. No optical viewfinder. Fair point again but it depends on the camera. Some have inbuilt digital viewfinders (like mine) that can actually be superior in a few different ways. For instance, night shots show up clearer in my digital viewfinder and there's a ton of information you can customise into them.
3. Slower auto focus. I've not noticed any appreciable difference between my camera and the Canon here. I did get pretty good lenses though (although they aren't especially fast). Newer lenses are apparently extremely fast to focus and there's a big bonus here, very good lenses are way way cheaper than any DSLR counterpart.
4. Flatter depth of field. Valid due to physics but again not something I've noticed too much in a comparison of pictures from the APSC-DSLR and the mirrorless micro 4/3.
Now the main advantages:
1. Image quality seems fantastic, I haven't taken my canon out at all since I got the Olympus
2. Lenses are so light and small, the camera is easy to stow away, the thing is fantastic for travel. One camera and several lenses can now fit in the tank bag and it will weigh half what it used to and there's room for more left over.
3. Value for money. My camera is weather sealed and so is one of the lenses. To get the equivalent protection in a DSLR would cost you much much more. My canon 60D cost more than the olympus but I wouldn't trust it in anything more than a spit of rain. All the lenses I've looked at, with very few exceptions are very affordable. Even the high end ones. I can get a slew of f1.8 or f2.8 (mostly metal body) lenses for the camera from wide angle to telephoto for 300-500 each. That sounds like a lot but look at the equivalent Canon or Nikon lenses to see what I mean. I can get a 70-300mm lens (which with micro 4/3 is a 140-600mm equivalent) for $399 and because of the in-body stabilisation it is still useable at the high zoom 600mm end without paying for expensive image stabilised lenses.
In short, things are getting better. There's a few 9mm (18mm equivalent) lenses coming out which addresses the crop factor issue and the camera I have is infinitely customizable. Whereas before I would also have a point and shoot for quick pics and also have the DSLR for something a bit more composed, now I just need one camera. If you put a pancake lens on the Olympus it will even fit into a large pocket.
As for bags, I like sling bags that are a little slimmer. I also just bought an ApeCase bag insert so I can use any messenger bag as a camera bag. I have a LowePro sling bag that works well most of the time though.
Again, I'm no expert but I am an enthusiast and this is just what I've found since I got the micro 4/3. There was an adjustment period but the only thing I really need to do now is learn the 185 page manual off by heart. The thing has so many functions it's incredible. Luckily the basics are pretty intuitive.
So addressing points:
1. Battery life of micro 4/3. Valid point, the cameras either have electronic viewfinders or you're using the rear screen for compositions. My camera (OMD-EM5) also has on board image stabilisation which also uses energy. However, even with these I should see around 300-400 pictures per charge. In short, for me it's not a big deal but it depends if you like to shoot moving subjects on full auto for example. I even have a EyeFi SD card in the camera so it uploads all my photos to Flickr or my iPad or phone depending on where I am (WiFi or no WiFi area)
2. No optical viewfinder. Fair point again but it depends on the camera. Some have inbuilt digital viewfinders (like mine) that can actually be superior in a few different ways. For instance, night shots show up clearer in my digital viewfinder and there's a ton of information you can customise into them.
3. Slower auto focus. I've not noticed any appreciable difference between my camera and the Canon here. I did get pretty good lenses though (although they aren't especially fast). Newer lenses are apparently extremely fast to focus and there's a big bonus here, very good lenses are way way cheaper than any DSLR counterpart.
4. Flatter depth of field. Valid due to physics but again not something I've noticed too much in a comparison of pictures from the APSC-DSLR and the mirrorless micro 4/3.
Now the main advantages:
1. Image quality seems fantastic, I haven't taken my canon out at all since I got the Olympus
2. Lenses are so light and small, the camera is easy to stow away, the thing is fantastic for travel. One camera and several lenses can now fit in the tank bag and it will weigh half what it used to and there's room for more left over.
3. Value for money. My camera is weather sealed and so is one of the lenses. To get the equivalent protection in a DSLR would cost you much much more. My canon 60D cost more than the olympus but I wouldn't trust it in anything more than a spit of rain. All the lenses I've looked at, with very few exceptions are very affordable. Even the high end ones. I can get a slew of f1.8 or f2.8 (mostly metal body) lenses for the camera from wide angle to telephoto for 300-500 each. That sounds like a lot but look at the equivalent Canon or Nikon lenses to see what I mean. I can get a 70-300mm lens (which with micro 4/3 is a 140-600mm equivalent) for $399 and because of the in-body stabilisation it is still useable at the high zoom 600mm end without paying for expensive image stabilised lenses.
In short, things are getting better. There's a few 9mm (18mm equivalent) lenses coming out which addresses the crop factor issue and the camera I have is infinitely customizable. Whereas before I would also have a point and shoot for quick pics and also have the DSLR for something a bit more composed, now I just need one camera. If you put a pancake lens on the Olympus it will even fit into a large pocket.
As for bags, I like sling bags that are a little slimmer. I also just bought an ApeCase bag insert so I can use any messenger bag as a camera bag. I have a LowePro sling bag that works well most of the time though.
Again, I'm no expert but I am an enthusiast and this is just what I've found since I got the micro 4/3. There was an adjustment period but the only thing I really need to do now is learn the 185 page manual off by heart. The thing has so many functions it's incredible. Luckily the basics are pretty intuitive.
Thanks for the comprehensive writeup, JC. Although we're not thinking of upgrading our equipment for a while, when we do, I'll evaluate where MFT technology is at, it seems to be improving all the time.
Updated from http://www.RideDOT.com/rtw/182.html
As we leave the Val di Noto, we visit another one of the Baroque towns on our way out. Scicli (pronounced Chick-Lee) is only a few kms away from the farm that we were staying at.
Tan brown buildings of Scicli greet us
The church of St. Bartholomew is the centerpiece of the town
Our AirBnB hosts told us that although not as well-known or as popular as Noto or Modica, Scicli is perhaps more picturesque and accurately reflects what Mediterranean life might have looked like on the Sicilian coast 150 years ago. Lots of Italian TV program and movies are filmed here for just that reason.
I liked the towns in Val di Noto because they didn't need to slap on pastel paint
on all the buildings to make them look appealing to tourists
Because Scicli is built in the V of two different valleys, there are many places you can walk up to get some nice views of the town
Another point of interest are the Chiarafura Caves, which are carved out of the rocks of the hills overlooking the town. I don't know when they were actually built, but they say that the poor people in the area inhabited these dwellings as recently as the 1950s. We tried to visit a few as they are part of an archaeological exhibit, but the entrance looked like it had been closed for a while, probably a victim of budget cuts?
Close-up of the cave dwellings above the Baroque buildings of Scicli
View of Scicli as we were riding away
From Scicli, we rode down to the southern shore of Sicily and tried to hug the coastline as much as possible as we headed westwards. Neda, being a flora and fauna buff, pointed out all the olive tree orchards we passed by. In a lot of areas, the roads were narrow and in poor condition, reflecting the neglected nature of the island. Once again, waves of deja vu rushed over me, as if we were riding back in Latin America.
Agrigento, outside the Valley of Temples. Our free parking spree in Europe continues!
The ruins of the Valley of the Temples stand high atop a hill overlooking the city of Agrigento. This is one of the things I really wanted to see in Sicily, so we gladly paid the €10 entrance fee and ran into the park like little kids rushing into Disneyland.
Valley of the Temples is kind of a misnomer - the ruins are situated on a ridge overlooking Agrigento
When I was a kid, three things scared the crap out of me: 1) Poltergeist, the movie, 2) Pet Sematary, the novel by Stephen King, and 3) Medusa, the snake-haired Gorgon who turned men to stone with her gaze. Despite the latter, I devoured all the books I could find about Greek mythology, read all the stories about the jealous and philandering gods and their heroic half-mortal offspring. Images of Ancient Greece filled my child-hood fantasies as I pictured myself slaying three-headed dogs and one-eyed giants.
Temple of Concord
As we leave the Val di Noto, we visit another one of the Baroque towns on our way out. Scicli (pronounced Chick-Lee) is only a few kms away from the farm that we were staying at.
Tan brown buildings of Scicli greet us
The church of St. Bartholomew is the centerpiece of the town
Our AirBnB hosts told us that although not as well-known or as popular as Noto or Modica, Scicli is perhaps more picturesque and accurately reflects what Mediterranean life might have looked like on the Sicilian coast 150 years ago. Lots of Italian TV program and movies are filmed here for just that reason.
I liked the towns in Val di Noto because they didn't need to slap on pastel paint
on all the buildings to make them look appealing to tourists
Because Scicli is built in the V of two different valleys, there are many places you can walk up to get some nice views of the town
Another point of interest are the Chiarafura Caves, which are carved out of the rocks of the hills overlooking the town. I don't know when they were actually built, but they say that the poor people in the area inhabited these dwellings as recently as the 1950s. We tried to visit a few as they are part of an archaeological exhibit, but the entrance looked like it had been closed for a while, probably a victim of budget cuts?
Close-up of the cave dwellings above the Baroque buildings of Scicli
View of Scicli as we were riding away
From Scicli, we rode down to the southern shore of Sicily and tried to hug the coastline as much as possible as we headed westwards. Neda, being a flora and fauna buff, pointed out all the olive tree orchards we passed by. In a lot of areas, the roads were narrow and in poor condition, reflecting the neglected nature of the island. Once again, waves of deja vu rushed over me, as if we were riding back in Latin America.
Agrigento, outside the Valley of Temples. Our free parking spree in Europe continues!
The ruins of the Valley of the Temples stand high atop a hill overlooking the city of Agrigento. This is one of the things I really wanted to see in Sicily, so we gladly paid the €10 entrance fee and ran into the park like little kids rushing into Disneyland.
Valley of the Temples is kind of a misnomer - the ruins are situated on a ridge overlooking Agrigento
When I was a kid, three things scared the crap out of me: 1) Poltergeist, the movie, 2) Pet Sematary, the novel by Stephen King, and 3) Medusa, the snake-haired Gorgon who turned men to stone with her gaze. Despite the latter, I devoured all the books I could find about Greek mythology, read all the stories about the jealous and philandering gods and their heroic half-mortal offspring. Images of Ancient Greece filled my child-hood fantasies as I pictured myself slaying three-headed dogs and one-eyed giants.
Temple of Concord
There are seven temples in the area all in differing states of preservation. Most were built around the 5th century BC. The Temple of Concord is the most-well preserved and is considered one of the best examples of Greek architecture even though it's in Italy. This really brought home the fact that the geopolitical lines on today's maps are just a current snapshot and territorial disputes (Ukraine, anyone?) constantly move and blur the borders over time.
Sitting in front of the Temple of Hera
Temple of Juno. I always pictured Greek temples as being made of white marble!
Temple of Hercules
Greece has always been on our bucket-list of places to visit, so it was the highlight of our visit in Sicily and a bit of an advanced screening to see these Greek ruins here in Italy. This whole trip has been about making my inner kid jump up and down with glee!
Town of Grotto
Accommodations in Agrigento were a bit too expensive for us, since the Valley of the Temples is one of the most visited sites in Sicily. We found a cheap place, again via AirBnB, about 20 kms to the north in the sleepy town of Grotte.
Old Sicilian men gathering in the square in Grotte
Paolo and Lucie were our AirBnB hosts, and they took us out for drinks when we first arrived in Grotte. We thought that was really nice of them, so we invited them over for a home-cooked meal. As Neda was preparing dinner, I told her she was very brave to attempt making pasta for an Italian. Her eyes widened. The pressure was on her now!
Thankfully, the meal passed muster. Paolo told us that the most difficult part of perfecting pasta dishes was not the sauce but the consistency of the pasta. Most people overcook the pasta and that it should be slightly al dente.
Paolo and Lucie over for dinner
It was really nice getting to know them over dinner, and the conversation was very interesting because Paolo doesn't speak English, just Italian and Spanish. Obviously, I only speak English and a little Spanish. Lucie is from the Czech Republic and only speaks Czech, English and Italian. So between us, Neda was the only one to speak all the languages. It was like a UN conference, all of us switching languages and translating to communicate with one another. It was all made easier as the night wore on and the bottle of home-made red wine that Paolo brought with him disappeared.
Lucie was very interested in trying her Czech with Neda to see the similarities with Croatian. It seemed she missed speaking her mother tongue.
I know now that there are many different dialects of Italian, and some regions are so different that someone from another part of the country wouldn't even be able to understand the regional differences in speech. Since my Italian is not so good, the only thing I picked up was that Sicilians pronounce spaghetti: "Schpagetti".
A very entertaining evening!
Scala dei Turchi (Stairs of the Turks)
On Paolo's recommendation, we rode back down to Agrigento the next day to check out the Scala dei Turchi, a rock formation right on the coast. It draws a lot of attention because of it's made of a white rock called Marl. From a distance, it looks like it's made out of marble! This is what they should have built the temples with!
We found a nice spot right on the edge overlooking the Mediterranean Sea
Here we were, sitting on the southern shores of Sicily, having traveled the entire length of Italy. Bare feet on the warm rocks of the Scala, and looking out towards Africa only two hundred kms away, it was nice time to reflect on our journey while soaking up some UV light while it lasted!
The striations in the white rock made of limestone and mud were very photogenic
Did you know it's against the law to take any the Marl rock away from the Scala? Thieves face a €500 fine!
The white is so dazzling in the afternoon sun, you need sunglasses to protect your eyes from the glare
A great spot for wedding photos!
Greetings from the south of Sicily! Where to now, Neda?
Sitting in front of the Temple of Hera
Temple of Juno. I always pictured Greek temples as being made of white marble!
Temple of Hercules
Greece has always been on our bucket-list of places to visit, so it was the highlight of our visit in Sicily and a bit of an advanced screening to see these Greek ruins here in Italy. This whole trip has been about making my inner kid jump up and down with glee!
Town of Grotto
Accommodations in Agrigento were a bit too expensive for us, since the Valley of the Temples is one of the most visited sites in Sicily. We found a cheap place, again via AirBnB, about 20 kms to the north in the sleepy town of Grotte.
Old Sicilian men gathering in the square in Grotte
Paolo and Lucie were our AirBnB hosts, and they took us out for drinks when we first arrived in Grotte. We thought that was really nice of them, so we invited them over for a home-cooked meal. As Neda was preparing dinner, I told her she was very brave to attempt making pasta for an Italian. Her eyes widened. The pressure was on her now!
Thankfully, the meal passed muster. Paolo told us that the most difficult part of perfecting pasta dishes was not the sauce but the consistency of the pasta. Most people overcook the pasta and that it should be slightly al dente.
Paolo and Lucie over for dinner
It was really nice getting to know them over dinner, and the conversation was very interesting because Paolo doesn't speak English, just Italian and Spanish. Obviously, I only speak English and a little Spanish. Lucie is from the Czech Republic and only speaks Czech, English and Italian. So between us, Neda was the only one to speak all the languages. It was like a UN conference, all of us switching languages and translating to communicate with one another. It was all made easier as the night wore on and the bottle of home-made red wine that Paolo brought with him disappeared.
Lucie was very interested in trying her Czech with Neda to see the similarities with Croatian. It seemed she missed speaking her mother tongue.
I know now that there are many different dialects of Italian, and some regions are so different that someone from another part of the country wouldn't even be able to understand the regional differences in speech. Since my Italian is not so good, the only thing I picked up was that Sicilians pronounce spaghetti: "Schpagetti".
A very entertaining evening!
Scala dei Turchi (Stairs of the Turks)
On Paolo's recommendation, we rode back down to Agrigento the next day to check out the Scala dei Turchi, a rock formation right on the coast. It draws a lot of attention because of it's made of a white rock called Marl. From a distance, it looks like it's made out of marble! This is what they should have built the temples with!
We found a nice spot right on the edge overlooking the Mediterranean Sea
Here we were, sitting on the southern shores of Sicily, having traveled the entire length of Italy. Bare feet on the warm rocks of the Scala, and looking out towards Africa only two hundred kms away, it was nice time to reflect on our journey while soaking up some UV light while it lasted!
The striations in the white rock made of limestone and mud were very photogenic
Did you know it's against the law to take any the Marl rock away from the Scala? Thieves face a €500 fine!
The white is so dazzling in the afternoon sun, you need sunglasses to protect your eyes from the glare
A great spot for wedding photos!
Greetings from the south of Sicily! Where to now, Neda?
Updated from http://www.RideDOT.com/rtw/183.html
After a week and a half of soaking up the warm weather (and a bit of rain), we're leaving Sicily! The plan is to ride straight through the middle of the island to Palermo for a change of scenery from the coast.
Riding through some of the back roads around Grotte
So glad that it's both sunny and hot!
Riding through the middle of Sicily reminds me a little of the arid terrain of the South-West United States
This isn't a very large island and it only takes us a couple of hours to reach the outskirts of Palermo, the capital of Sicily. Lots of speed traps along the way - haven't seen that in a while. We don't spend too much time in the big city, but instead make our way towards a suburb in the north-west to find cheap accommodations. We end up setting up our tent in an RV park in the coastal town of Sferracavallo.
The sleepy community where we are staying just outside of Palermo, Capo Gallo in the background
On the hunt for some cheap food while taking in the views of the northern shore of Sicily
After researching the costs involved in getting back to mainland Italy, we've decided to take the ferry from Palermo to Civitavecchia, the port town just north of Rome. They've priced the tickets so that it's exactly the same price as the gas it would take to ride there, so we're saving all the time and travel costs (food and lodging). Good deal!
Waiting to board the ferry
The only wrinkle is that the ferry leaves at 1AM! When I booked this, I knew Neda would have a tough time staying up. For that reason, we left our campgrounds just before sunset. The docking port is in Terminal Imarese about 45 minutes south-east of Palermo, so we spent the last half hour of our ride in darkness. The sun is starting to set much earlier in the day, signalling an impending autumn. We've not had to run away from winter for over a year and a half now. Not sure what we're going to do in Europe.
As I suspected, Neda has trouble keeping awake. The shot of Limoncello at the terminal bar didn't help...
Neda and I share a lot of the same qualities, hobbies and beliefs in the important things in life. However, with the smaller things, like the approach *to* life - we could not be more different. For instance, Neda is very much a morning person. I think mornings are the best. The best for sleeping...
The physical pain I feel when I'm forced to wake up early is the same kind that Neda experiences when she has to stay up late. We like to joke that she turns into a pumpkin (like Cinderella's coach) at midnight. Tonight, she doesn't even make it that late. The picture above was taken at 10PM, three hours before departure!
After a week and a half of soaking up the warm weather (and a bit of rain), we're leaving Sicily! The plan is to ride straight through the middle of the island to Palermo for a change of scenery from the coast.
Riding through some of the back roads around Grotte
So glad that it's both sunny and hot!
Riding through the middle of Sicily reminds me a little of the arid terrain of the South-West United States
This isn't a very large island and it only takes us a couple of hours to reach the outskirts of Palermo, the capital of Sicily. Lots of speed traps along the way - haven't seen that in a while. We don't spend too much time in the big city, but instead make our way towards a suburb in the north-west to find cheap accommodations. We end up setting up our tent in an RV park in the coastal town of Sferracavallo.
The sleepy community where we are staying just outside of Palermo, Capo Gallo in the background
On the hunt for some cheap food while taking in the views of the northern shore of Sicily
After researching the costs involved in getting back to mainland Italy, we've decided to take the ferry from Palermo to Civitavecchia, the port town just north of Rome. They've priced the tickets so that it's exactly the same price as the gas it would take to ride there, so we're saving all the time and travel costs (food and lodging). Good deal!
Waiting to board the ferry
The only wrinkle is that the ferry leaves at 1AM! When I booked this, I knew Neda would have a tough time staying up. For that reason, we left our campgrounds just before sunset. The docking port is in Terminal Imarese about 45 minutes south-east of Palermo, so we spent the last half hour of our ride in darkness. The sun is starting to set much earlier in the day, signalling an impending autumn. We've not had to run away from winter for over a year and a half now. Not sure what we're going to do in Europe.
As I suspected, Neda has trouble keeping awake. The shot of Limoncello at the terminal bar didn't help...
Neda and I share a lot of the same qualities, hobbies and beliefs in the important things in life. However, with the smaller things, like the approach *to* life - we could not be more different. For instance, Neda is very much a morning person. I think mornings are the best. The best for sleeping...
The physical pain I feel when I'm forced to wake up early is the same kind that Neda experiences when she has to stay up late. We like to joke that she turns into a pumpkin (like Cinderella's coach) at midnight. Tonight, she doesn't even make it that late. The picture above was taken at 10PM, three hours before departure!
[video=youtube;JyJ3OXgs6-8]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JyJ3OXgs6-8[/video]
We decide to try boarding a bit earlier. We're the only vehicle in the dock.
It's a 15-hour ferry ride to the mainland. I remembered the ferry we took to Newfoundland and how it was impossible to sleep in those chairs they provided to the general admission tickets, so I made sure we booked a cabin. After the last few days of camping, farms and rustic Sicilian caves, our cramped ferry cabin felt like pure luxury!
oooh, everything's so shiny and modern!
We got let out into the early afternoon sun of Civitavecchia. Fifteen days of riding down and only fifteen hours of ferrying back up! Surprisingly it wasn't raining! Since we had already covered this region, we hopped on the Autostrada and headed north to the province of Livorno. Right into some storm clouds. No luck.
We are staying in a campsite in Montopoli, very pretty town in Northern Italy
And since it's the afternoon, nobody is around. We have the town all to ourselves!
We set up our tent hurriedly, with the threat of rain looming over our heads. I was constantly checking the approach of the storm on my iPhone. The rains actually didn't start until we were safe inside our tent later on that night. It was a bad one, frequent lightning illuminating the outside so that it looked like daylight for a split second. Wind and rain pelting the sides of the tent so hard it that we were wondering if our staking job would hold.
Nothing puts a smug smile on your face faster than getting into your tent before it starts to rain.
Nothing wipes that smug smile off your face faster than having to go pee in the middle of the night while a storm still rages outside.
Thankfully the next morning, the blue skies returned. Took forever to dry our waterlogged tent though
Neda: "Tell us how you *really* feel about mosquitos, Gene..."
We decide to try boarding a bit earlier. We're the only vehicle in the dock.
It's a 15-hour ferry ride to the mainland. I remembered the ferry we took to Newfoundland and how it was impossible to sleep in those chairs they provided to the general admission tickets, so I made sure we booked a cabin. After the last few days of camping, farms and rustic Sicilian caves, our cramped ferry cabin felt like pure luxury!
oooh, everything's so shiny and modern!
We got let out into the early afternoon sun of Civitavecchia. Fifteen days of riding down and only fifteen hours of ferrying back up! Surprisingly it wasn't raining! Since we had already covered this region, we hopped on the Autostrada and headed north to the province of Livorno. Right into some storm clouds. No luck.
We are staying in a campsite in Montopoli, very pretty town in Northern Italy
And since it's the afternoon, nobody is around. We have the town all to ourselves!
We set up our tent hurriedly, with the threat of rain looming over our heads. I was constantly checking the approach of the storm on my iPhone. The rains actually didn't start until we were safe inside our tent later on that night. It was a bad one, frequent lightning illuminating the outside so that it looked like daylight for a split second. Wind and rain pelting the sides of the tent so hard it that we were wondering if our staking job would hold.
Nothing puts a smug smile on your face faster than getting into your tent before it starts to rain.
Nothing wipes that smug smile off your face faster than having to go pee in the middle of the night while a storm still rages outside.
Thankfully the next morning, the blue skies returned. Took forever to dry our waterlogged tent though
Neda: "Tell us how you *really* feel about mosquitos, Gene..."
For the day, we double-backed westwards towards the coast to check out another pretty town that is supposed to have some interesting architecture. When we arrived, we were greeted with a strange sight: hundreds of people milling around the area, all pantomiming for each other. It looked like a Marcel Marceau convention but without the clown makeup. It was so bizarre-looking, so I had to take some pictures.
The ever-popular "You're Trapped In An Invisible Box" pantomime
Some of the participants showed a bit more creativity in a bid to impress the judges:
Neda asked: "I don't understand. Isn't Marcel Marceau French?
Why are they holding the mime convention in Italy?"
Normally to spice up the blog entry I'd insert a mime joke here, but I've never heard one.
Exploring the rest of Pisa
Almost everything in Pisa is related to the leaning tower, since that is only reason tourists come to this small city. There are so many stalls selling Leaning Tower trinkets and souvenirs.
But there are other interesting buildings here besides the tower
Stan Lee riding a bike in Pisa!?!
After having ridden the length of Italy, it's apparent now how different the north is to the south. Everything is more orderly and clean up here. We've been told that there are three major influences, the Greek southern part of Sicily, the German part to the north and there is still a French part to the north-east that we haven't seen yet.
Goodbye Pisa, mime convention capital of the world!
The ever-popular "You're Trapped In An Invisible Box" pantomime
Some of the participants showed a bit more creativity in a bid to impress the judges:
Neda asked: "I don't understand. Isn't Marcel Marceau French?
Why are they holding the mime convention in Italy?"
Normally to spice up the blog entry I'd insert a mime joke here, but I've never heard one.
Exploring the rest of Pisa
Almost everything in Pisa is related to the leaning tower, since that is only reason tourists come to this small city. There are so many stalls selling Leaning Tower trinkets and souvenirs.
But there are other interesting buildings here besides the tower
Stan Lee riding a bike in Pisa!?!
After having ridden the length of Italy, it's apparent now how different the north is to the south. Everything is more orderly and clean up here. We've been told that there are three major influences, the Greek southern part of Sicily, the German part to the north and there is still a French part to the north-east that we haven't seen yet.
Goodbye Pisa, mime convention capital of the world!
It makes me happy to see you guys in one of my most favourite countries - Italy's the one that made me decide to sell everything and travel. I know our itinerary's didn't match up last year, but it'd be cool to try again some time this year. I'll be making my way over to Europe hopefully around March or April next year if you guys are down to cross paths!
And thanks for the pics. I wanted to ride so badly along the Amalfi coast but ended up resolving to go back and do it properly some day when I could lump in Swiss roads with it.
And thanks for the pics. I wanted to ride so badly along the Amalfi coast but ended up resolving to go back and do it properly some day when I could lump in Swiss roads with it.
Updated from http://www.RideDOT.com/rtw/184.html
There's been a slight change in our trajectory. We've been traveling up the west coast of Italy, eying a visit to Genoa and the picturesque towns on the Italian Riviera. Neda's sister, Goga e-mailed us and told us that there's been massive flooding in north-western Italy because of heavy rainfall - over 7 inches in three days! The area around the French/Italian border has been declared a disaster zone, with floodwaters swamping buildings, the streets have turned into raging rivers, lifting cars like floating logs and sweeping them away.
Are our BMW GS bikes equipped to handle that? Computer says no.
Heading east through the pretty countryside of Tuscany
The secret of how to take pictures while riding a motorcycle
I get asked a lot about my camera setup and how I take all of the riding pictures while on the bike. As you can see above, there's a actually a tiny Englishman in my tankbag that pops up once in a while to take all the action shots. You can tell he's British because his pinkie is up.
Lots of swanky estates up in the hills - what a contrast to Sicily!
We book into another AirBnB place just outside of Florence. This turned out to be the first time that we have had a bad experience via AirBnB. The place was a bit dirty and unkempt, and our host and his mother gave off a bit of a creepy Norman-Bates-vibe. We so wished that our room had a lock on it! Oh well, we've had bad stays in hotels and campsites as well, so why should this be any different?
We wanted to stay a couple of days to see the city. However, heavy rainfall the day after stymied that plan and we had to stay in our creepy AirBnB room all day. We had one eye out the window watching our bikes get pelted by the thunderstorm, and another eye on the doorknob to make sure it didn't turn... ahhh! Looking back on it, it kind of felt like a horror movie!
The next day brought some sunshine, so we packed out of the Bates Motel and hoofed it to Florence
As is the English tradition, we've changed the name of this beautiful city to better conform to our Anglo tongues. The Italians call it Firenze (Fee-Ren-Zay). I like that a lot better!
Firenze is one of Italy's most beautiful cities, everything looks like a Renaissance painting!
The Arno River runs right through the city and pastel-coloured buildings line both banks. We followed one of the roads by the bank all the way into the historic centre. The original plan was to visit some museums today, specifically the one that housed the statue of David by Michelangelo, but the lineups were huge and the tickets expensive. We had planned too poorly. Apparently the best way to see the museums in Firenze is to pre-book the tickets online and show up at the crack of dawn to line up.
Oh well, lots of other art lying around all over the place in Firenze!
Ponte Vecchio is one of Firenze's famous sights. I'm not sure why...
One of the bridges over Arno is the Ponte Vecchio, it's got lots of expensive jewelry stores right on the bridge. Those houses tacked on the side of the bridge looked precarious! It was very crowded here, we didn't like it too much. They say it looks much nicer at night all lit up above the river, but we were mobile at this point so we couldn't stay for the evening.
Walking around the historic centre, many touristy shops and stalls
The Basilica di Santa Maria del Fiore was magnificent!
There's been a slight change in our trajectory. We've been traveling up the west coast of Italy, eying a visit to Genoa and the picturesque towns on the Italian Riviera. Neda's sister, Goga e-mailed us and told us that there's been massive flooding in north-western Italy because of heavy rainfall - over 7 inches in three days! The area around the French/Italian border has been declared a disaster zone, with floodwaters swamping buildings, the streets have turned into raging rivers, lifting cars like floating logs and sweeping them away.
Are our BMW GS bikes equipped to handle that? Computer says no.
Heading east through the pretty countryside of Tuscany
The secret of how to take pictures while riding a motorcycle
I get asked a lot about my camera setup and how I take all of the riding pictures while on the bike. As you can see above, there's a actually a tiny Englishman in my tankbag that pops up once in a while to take all the action shots. You can tell he's British because his pinkie is up.
Lots of swanky estates up in the hills - what a contrast to Sicily!
We book into another AirBnB place just outside of Florence. This turned out to be the first time that we have had a bad experience via AirBnB. The place was a bit dirty and unkempt, and our host and his mother gave off a bit of a creepy Norman-Bates-vibe. We so wished that our room had a lock on it! Oh well, we've had bad stays in hotels and campsites as well, so why should this be any different?
We wanted to stay a couple of days to see the city. However, heavy rainfall the day after stymied that plan and we had to stay in our creepy AirBnB room all day. We had one eye out the window watching our bikes get pelted by the thunderstorm, and another eye on the doorknob to make sure it didn't turn... ahhh! Looking back on it, it kind of felt like a horror movie!
The next day brought some sunshine, so we packed out of the Bates Motel and hoofed it to Florence
As is the English tradition, we've changed the name of this beautiful city to better conform to our Anglo tongues. The Italians call it Firenze (Fee-Ren-Zay). I like that a lot better!
Firenze is one of Italy's most beautiful cities, everything looks like a Renaissance painting!
The Arno River runs right through the city and pastel-coloured buildings line both banks. We followed one of the roads by the bank all the way into the historic centre. The original plan was to visit some museums today, specifically the one that housed the statue of David by Michelangelo, but the lineups were huge and the tickets expensive. We had planned too poorly. Apparently the best way to see the museums in Firenze is to pre-book the tickets online and show up at the crack of dawn to line up.
Oh well, lots of other art lying around all over the place in Firenze!
Ponte Vecchio is one of Firenze's famous sights. I'm not sure why...
One of the bridges over Arno is the Ponte Vecchio, it's got lots of expensive jewelry stores right on the bridge. Those houses tacked on the side of the bridge looked precarious! It was very crowded here, we didn't like it too much. They say it looks much nicer at night all lit up above the river, but we were mobile at this point so we couldn't stay for the evening.
Walking around the historic centre, many touristy shops and stalls
The Basilica di Santa Maria del Fiore was magnificent!
Street musicians providing a soundtrack for our walk around Firenze
More strolling through Firenze
After almost a month and a half in Italy, I think I'm getting a bit tired of looking at old buildings. Time to move on, I think.
The merry-go-round at the Piazza della Repubblica is a permanent fixture
After our AirBnB experience in Firenze, we were a bit hesitant about using the service again, but after carefully reading all the comments and reviews, we booked into another place just outside of Modena. It turned out to be an actual BnB, and Flavio, one of the two co-owners who runs it, was hospitable and the place was very homey and welcoming. Ahhh, thank goodness!
Flavio's full-time job is a video editor, so for once we have photos of the two of us together! The BnB turned out to be more than just a place to sleep, as we were treated to dinner and wine that night as well as a nice spread for breakfast.
Hanging out with Flavio at La Selvatica
So we're riding around the area and we pass a town sign that reads, "Sant'Agata". Why does that name sound so familiar? I radio Neda, "Hey, I think the Lambo.." <b>*zooom*</b> a brand new, lime-green Aventador whizzes by us at high speed, pre-delivery white protective plastic sheeting still clinging onto it's body-panels. "...rghini factory is around here..."
Cool.
And then minutes later, what do we see?
German tank vs Italian missiles.
We're too cheap to pay for the museum tour, so we circled around the parking lot taking pictures before being kicked out by security
There's something a bit off about the Italians in this region - they are crazy for speed! In a tiny radius around Bologna, you've got the Lambo, Ferrari and Ducati factories, Maranello, Misano and Imola racetracks, as well as the birthplace of Valentino Rossi and Marco Simoncelli. And not too much further north is the MV Agusta factory in Varese as well as the birthplace of Giacomo Agostini.
What's in the drinking water around here?!?
Waving goodbye to Flavio and La Selvatica. Neda says, "What's with that creepy smile?!"
Oh look, a bird!
I don't know about slow and orderly, the Italians *love* to speed. But one thing I can say about Europeans is that they are a lot more attentive than North Americans in general.
Yes, drop us a line when you're back on the continent and we'll see if we can meet up somewhere. It's a pretty small place, Europe.
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