The Ave Maria. Our group has every cabin rented. The Upper Cape Ski and Sport Club Paul is one of us but standing is Alex, she’s our guides , Helmut the lead guide and Ricardo our Captain. Helmut, bike guide, Captain Ricardo, Technician Giuseppe, chefs Alberto and Dani ! These men run our ship Our first day on the bikes proved to be beautiful. We were told to expect rain but fortunately no rain joined us on our 21 mile easy ride. Our Bavarian guide Helmut took us 10 miles in to our ride to a cafe where some enjoyed coffee and others wine or beer. Sundays in this little village … it’s not Mothers Day here, seem to be all about church and this sweet cafe. The baked goods are to marvel at! We mostly marveled at the $3.00 glass of wine that came with 6 Petitte forcaccia breads and chips. The 28 of us overwhelmed the cafe and locals leaving church opted to come back later. The three people running the cafe offered me a job (at least that’s what Alex our guide said) as I tried to help bus some tables for them. They then brought out free pizza for the entire group … yummy! I had to share with them a bicycle key chain from Cape Cod, to which the owner of the shop said “Cape Cod, very famous…Kennedy’s?” I nodded. Wishing I had language skills. Alex said the three bakers were quite excited to receive the gift and very surprised. Poppies lined our way today… fields and fields of poppies! We kept looking for the flying monkeys from the Wizard of Oz but they were a no show. We ride among the Ancient. And when we are done we tour Mantova Or Mantua. The original Tuscan capitol. Known for its murder and mayhem among the families of power. Also known for the relic of Christs blood which is held in the crypt and only taken out for viewing at Good Friday’s mass! the story is: A Roman soldier who was nearly blind heard Christs suffering on the cross and stabbed him to end his suffering. Christs blood dripped and the soldier got some in his eyes and suddenly had his sight. The Roman soldier knew this blood was powerful but also knew he couldn’t reveal it to the Romans who had just murdered the man. So he brought Christ blood to his home city of Mantua. They built a Cathedral to house this relic that is spectacular. There is an octagonal worship area where you’re invited to kneel and be healed. This cathedral has an aura of majesty. Sadly I took a turn too sharp, caught my bike bag and went down in a graceful slow motion cartoon like thud. Fortunately, a scraped elbow. A couple of bruised hands and a banked up knee and I’m no worse for wear. Shook it off and kept riding! I’ll be a purple mess the rest of the trip. But those who have known me long will remember a certain wood chipper incident… and know I am a force. The chefs are gourmet cooks who offer us tastes of the region! We noticed all the acres of peas growing along our ride and were delighted by peas on the plate for dinner. There will be no weight loss on this beautiful trip! the sun rises and my fellow riders join me at the coffee machine… I guess it’s time to get ready for the day! Thanks for joining me on the trip! This blog serves me as my travel journal! Imagine my surprise when my email revealed 1008 people read my blog on Mothers Day!
say what? welcome to my trip!
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