Our main form of transportation is our lovely bikes. They may pass as vintage and could make an antique mall a nice wad of cash...but we enjoy them very much. The funny thing is old bikes are all you see here. 95% of the bikes look like ours and you might only see one or two new bikes a day. So we fit it perfect! We learned, very quickly, that you have to ride a bike as aggressively, if not more, as you drive a car. Riding a bike here is a continuous game of chicken, the old women being your biggest competition! They will not get out of your way and will let you know, by ringing their bell, that they are coming up behind you. Seconds after you hear the bell a little old Granny whizzes by. Taber has become a fantastic leader and clears a nice path for me. He is a bit more aggressive than me, so it is nice to follow his lead. Today, I ventured out on my own...shortly into the bike ride I realized I am highly dependent on Taber as my bike leader. I was tempted to not only turn around and head home, but to also steal a helmet off one of the parked motorcycles. Bike helmets do not exist in Italy, so it would be our only option for head protection. I opted not to steal the helmet, I was already drawing enough attention to myself by going at a snail speed. Within 5 minutes of my journey it was clear that I had to pick up the pace and the aggression if I wanted to make it to my destination without being outfitted in tire marks. I did just that for a few blocks...luck was on my side and I managed to spot a Grandma ahead of me (going in the same direction). I sped up a bit so I was right behind her. She rang her bell every 2 seconds and a path was cleared. It was amazing! She was my leader without even knowing it. Taber makes a much better leader, he knows I am following and will check on me every 30 seconds, but I was happy to have Grandma. The lesson Italy taught me today (Taber figured it out long before I arrived) is to be aggressive, look out for Grandmas (except for the ones addicted to their bell and going in your direction), and that if I want to protect my head I have to steal a motorcycle and that would risk going to jail. I will take a head injury over sitting in a foreign jail.
Reggio is playing Bologna at home tonight and in Bologna tomorrow. He did a great job defensively and continued to rock at bat.
We are working on our blog entry for Venice and will have it posted soon.
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Krissie...you write quite well. Keep doing it. I look forward to your adventures. Drive the bike safely...eat carbonara frequently,etc. So, how do you like the Italian cheeses, especially the parmesan?
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