Archives: May 2008
In Which I Am In My Pomp-eii
May 31, 2008 by Mike in Diary
Pompeii How lucky am I? Yesterday I visited the ruins of Herculaneum and today I visited Pompeii. (I also ate the world's best pizza.. both days.. didn't get rained on.. didn't get squished by the local drivers.. and managed to sleep in such a way that my back didn't feel...
In Which I Am In Ruins
May 30, 2008 by Mike in Diary
Pompeii Route: Naples - Ercolano - Pompei Today's couldn't-make-it-up driving: that'll be the Englishman on a long voyage besidetheseaside who rode out from the centre of Naples during the morning rush-hour in the lane reserved for the trams. In his defence (*cough*) he was only doing what a dozen other...
I Which I See Naples Again And Don't Die, Again
May 29, 2008 by Mike in Diary
Naples Saw Naples. Didn't die. -- I learned today that the old streets are set out on a grid of 'stenopoi', precisely 185 metres long by 35 metres wide, that date back to the days of the Greek colony of Neopolis ('New Town'). The streets are more than two thousand...
In Which I See Naples And Don't Die
May 28, 2008 by Mike in Diary
Naples Route: Circeo - Mondragone - Naples Sperlonga lies at the other end of the Circeo beach. There's a hill here too, with a view back down along the beach and to the old town of Circeo with the acropolis on the hill. I was here on my first trip...
In Which I Include A Photo Of George Clooney In A Shameless Attempt To Increase Page Views
May 27, 2008 by Mike in Diary
Circeo A bit of a day off. Catching up with the blo-- I mean diary. Washing my smalls. Lounging on the beach and having my longest conversation to date in "Italian" with the owner of a bar on the beach. y speaking ItaloEspanoPortuguesyEnglish I manage to make myself understood. Or...
In Which I Arrive In Town 64 Years Late
May 26, 2008 by Mike in Diary
Circeo Route: Rome - Lido de Ostia - Anzio - Sabaudia - Circeo Anzio.. Anzio.. I've heard that name before. Anzio.. Anzio.. Anzio? Anzio! Beachhead. The Anzio Beachhead. The beachhead at Anzio. Yes. Now.. what the hell's a beachhead? Yes. The Anzio beachhead.. Allied forces surprising Mussolini's Fascist troops during...
In Which I Go Off On One
May 25, 2008 by Mike in Diary
Rome Oh come on, do you really think that's all I did yesterday? I visited one of the Bonaparte family palaces, now the Napoleon Museum. I returned to the Vatican to explore the Basilica of St Peter's, and the underground tombs of a) a Queen of Sweden, b) lots of...
In Which I Do Nothing. Incredible
May 24, 2008 by Mike in Diary
Rome D*minique and St*ph*n went away for Saturday night with the kids. I'd like to point out that they didn't go because I was in their flat. (Dominique, that's not libel, is it?) So I had a killer flat in Rome to myself. It's Saturday night. It's hot. The kids...
In Which I Change My Tune
May 23, 2008 by Mike in Diary
Rome Route: Castel Fusano - Rome Remember I mentioned a few days ago that my friend in Rome, Dominique, had recommended Orbetello? Please forget it. I do have a friend in Rome, a lovely dear friend who I came to stay with this evening. We shared a flat in London...
In Which I Have To Say Goodbye To Some Old Friends
May 22, 2008 by Mike in Diary
Castel Fusano Washed some clothes in the morning. It's not all glamour, this life. But made up for it this afternoon: the Sistine Chapel and the Vatican Museums. Even if I had to queue for one hour, 26 minutes and 56 seconds to get in. I queued longer to get...
In Which I Try To Clear My Conscience
May 21, 2008 by Mike in Diary
Castel Fusano Day Two in Rome. What with waking up, getting up, clicking my back back into place, hoovering up some coffee and making the walk-Metro journey in to the city, I impress myself by getting there before I have to turn round and catch the last train back to...
In Which I Fall In Love With.. A City
May 20, 2008 by Mike in Diary
Castel Fusano Route: Lido de Ostia - Castel Fusano (just under four kilometres) Having got to Rome moments after darkness fell and moments before a thunderous storm, I'm glad to say I found a small pension on the seafront last night in which to collapse. But this morning I was...
In Which I Get Ahead Of Myself
May 19, 2008 by Mike in Diary
Lido de Ostia Route: Follonica - Castiglione della Pescaia - Grosseto - Orbetello - Civitavecchia - Lido de Ostia Blimey. I'm in Rome. OK, so I'm in Lido de Ostia, which is on the coast 20 miles from the centre of Rome.. but that counts. This is Rome-on-Sea. It's all...
In Which It's all About Biking, But The Kind With Pedals
May 18, 2008 by Mike in Diary
Follonica A quiet, lazy Sunday morning and a lazy, quiet Sunday evening bookended a bit of fun this afternoon. France has the Tour de France; Italy has the Giro d'Italia. The fact that you definitely know the former and quite possibly haven't heard of the latter (unless, like me, you...
In Which I Generalise, Sweepingly
May 17, 2008 by Mike in Diary
Follonica Route: Marina de Pisa - Livorno - San Vincenzo - Piombino - Follonica I've just remembered: there's another reason I was a little wary of going out with the brothers again last night. It was the look in their eyes when they explained how they came to speak such...
In Which I Pay The Price
May 16, 2008 by Mike in Diary
Marina de Pisa Got a wee bit drunk last night. Woke up. No headache. Good. Clothes off and I'm in my sleeping bag. No real memory of how we got back to the campsite from the last bar. Drifted off a few times. Realised there was no way I was...
In Which I Have A Day Of Three Halves
May 15, 2008 by Mike in Diary
Marina de Pisa Route: Camogli - Cinque Terre - La Spezia - Viareggio - Pisa - Marina de Pisa Morning: Drizzle in Portofino, where there is literally no space to park the Bonneville. (I do find a space in the bike park, but it's Vespa-sized.. and I'm not.) Still, the...
In Which I Sound Like A Daily Mail Reader - Yuck
May 14, 2008 by Mike in Diary
Camogli Route: Albenga - Genoa - Camogli My second day in Italy and almost my last. Not last as in, I nearly died in a hideous traffic accident caused by an appalling Italian driver. Oh no. Rather, last as in, I nearly died in any number of hideous traffic accidents...
In Which You Couldn't Make It Up
May 13, 2008 by Mike in Diary
Albenga Route: Monaco - a bit of France - Ventimiglia, Italy - San Remo - Albenga Some things I noticed in Monaco this morning, despite my hangover: * There's a superexpensive jewellers' shop at the entrance to the Casino, and it's open until 2 in the morning. So, if you...
In Which I Get To Be Tres Monaco
May 12, 2008 by Mike in Diary
Monaco Route: Valbonne - Nice - Cap Ferrat - Monaco On Vibeke and Eivind's recommendation, visits to the Chagall and Matisse museums in Nice. It's no surprise that the Matisse is the larger, and more enjoyable, experience, in a grand villa high over the town. Here, ladies and gentleman, is...
In Which I Go Up In The World
May 11, 2008 by Mike in Diary
Valbonne Far below us: Cannes to the right, Antibes straight ahead and Nice to the left. Beyond, the Mediterranean stretches far beyond the horizon. [I need to learn how to spell Mediterranean, don't I, rather than relying on spellcheck every time?] And in front of us, on a rocky promontory...
In Which I Go To Tea
May 10, 2008 by Mike in Diary
Valbonne Route: A Campsite Quite Near St Tropez - Cannes - Antibes - Juan-les-Pins - Valbonne I have an aunt and uncle who own a home in the hills overlooking Cannes and Nice. Which is nice. What's even nicer: they're down here from Norway this week, and they invited me...
In Which.. Oh, See For Yourself
May 9, 2008 by Mike in Diary
A Campsite Quite Near St Tropez Still here. ;-) -- St Tropez harbour: one of these vehicles is worth gazillions.. but the other is priceless....
In Which I 'Fess Up
May 7, 2008 by Mike in Diary
A Campsite Quite Near St Tropez This is difficult for me to write. I've been denying it to myself for some time now but.. well.. *sigh*.. I can't live this terrible lie anymore. Luckily, I know you'll keep it a secret, dear reader, and won't let on. But.. *gulp*.. I...
In Which It Looks Like I Spent All Day Writing, But Didn't
May 6, 2008 by Mike in Diary
A Campsite Quite Near St Tropez Route: Marseille - La Ciotat - Six-Fours - Toulon - Hyeres-Plage - St Tropez - A Campsite Quite Near St Tropez So there I am, chatting to Franck, a French biker, about how cool and great we are. (As you do.) (Or at least,...
In Which I Briefly Want To Be Laurel Or Hardy
May 5, 2008 by Mike in Diary
Marseille Two days in the big city. Bit of beach. Bit of a wander and a bit of a gander. The museums are tiny: the Marine Museum - two side corridors (albeit in the gigantic Bourse building); the Roman Docks Museum - one moderately sized room; the Marseille History Museum:...
In Which I Am The Youngest Resident of Marseille Youth Hostel
May 3, 2008 by Mike in Diary
Marseille Route: Saintes Maries de la Mer - Marseille OK so it wasn't quite like riding in to St Petersburg or Barcelona, but you know what?, it beats the hell out of riding in to work every day. Marseille has a *terrible* reputation. People I've travelled with in the States...
In Which I Twitch
May 2, 2008 by Mike in Diary
Saintes Maries de la Mer I managed a decent night's sleep, which was more than I expected. On one side of the tent, an Anglo-French couple who'd spent the entire evening shouting at each other. They were sleeping in their car. Chavs. On the other, an Italian family. The daughter...
In Which I Flee From Cowboys & Backpackers
May 1, 2008 by Mike in Diary
Saintes Maries de la Mer Route: Cap d'Agde - Stes Maries Happy May Day, everyone. I rode past a high school named after Rosa Luxemburg today, which seemed appropriate. (Last year in Berlin, my good friend Phil showed me where she was assassinated. Do the French proletariat rise as one...