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    • The process before leaving town...
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  • Life as it appears to me
  • Blog
  • Italy 2022
    • The process before leaving town...
    • About
    • Annie Hart Cool
  • Life as it appears to me

Cool Annie's Travels

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April 30th, 2018

4/30/2018

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6 degrees of Separation

Who? How? Where?
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this is nearly the whole crew at the National Park across from St Mary’s Island... how’d we all get together?
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it all started with this guy , Michael Feingold and his partner Diane.

Michael has a passion for traveling and for good friends. He has combined these two passions as an ambassador for the Upper Cape Ski and Bike Club.
This trip marks the 5 bike and barge he’s organized and he has 2 more trips scheduled this year. He’s taking a group from Amsterdam to Bruge in July and another group through Vermont during Leaf peeping season.
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How did we fall into it? Michael came to one of my open houses and said...”you should really join us on one of our bicycling trips, they are a lot of fun”...

I called Mark from the open house, told him there was a cabin available for the next trip and he told me to “write the check”....

We had to become members of the club in order to go on the trip.
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at some point another cabin became available and Mike asked if I knew anyone who may want to join us. I immediately thought of MARCY BOWDERS who was my assistant director at the Armed Services YMCA 30 years ago. She and I had kept in touch over the years, had traveled to the French Alps together on the spur of the moment and since North Carolina seemed so far away...meeting in Amsterdam seemed like a plausible place for a reunion. Had she been on a bike in 30 years? No! But I knew her well enough to know that would not stop her. She then asked her parents good friend Linda from Ohio to be her roommate....had Linda been on a bike in 30 years? No! But getting out of Ohio seemed like a good choice so she joined us in Amsterdam!
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The fun doesn’t stop there.... Linda then raves about the trip to her cousin Michael from Florida who then meets us in Munich for the next trip. Michael is an athlete who raves about the trip to his friends at his Gym and he brings Debbie, Jan and Tony.
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Jan and Debbie are seated in the center! Jan then invited Stefanie to her left...and well, you see how new friendships take shape!
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so after 2 successful European bike and barge trips with Michael and his motley crew of adventure Travelors we then convince our best friends and longest friends Nancy and BRIAN Garner to join us on the trip...

Had they been on a bicycle? Nope!

so last year they joined us in Paris and rode to Epernay. We drank champagne and had a blast. Not sure they’d ever do it again...

but alas, it’s a great way to vacation! So here we are in front of the Monestary...

​this “earn your dinner” vacationing is a blast.
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The life long friendships are irreplaceable . The crazy joy of the reunions year after year. The indisputable fact that there is no room for whiners on a trip promising this kind of adventure. We are a crazy family of rag tag bicyclers who want to see the world a little differently...
So if you think you could handle this much fun...
join the Upper Cape Ski and Bike Club

because Ohio, Florida, North Carolina did!

Last year our friends Roger and Lynette from Australia joined us in Paris!
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Our Bike and Barge Itinerary!

Day 1: Individual arrival in Mantova


Day 2: Mantova, 21 mi. (35 km)


Day 3: Mantova - Governolo - Zelo, 32 mi. (50 km)

Day 4: Zelo - Ferrara - Adria, 31 mi. by bike + 37 mi. by bus (50 + 60 km)

Day 5: Adria - Po Delta Nature Reserve - Pellestrina Island, 25 mi. (40 km)

Day 6: Pellestrina Island - Venice, 19 mi. (30 km)

Day 7: Venice, free day

Day 8: Venice,
​departure following breakfast
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Mantova is one of the most beautiful towns in Northern Italy as many worldwide know artists have left their masterpieces for us to enjoy, thanks to the famous Gonzaga family! Benvenuti a Mantova!
Day 2: Mantova - round trip tour - 21 mi. (35 km)


This entire day is dedicated to the discovery of this wonderful city and its surroundings, dominated by the wealth and influences left by the Gonzaga family, who owned the city for over 400 years.

Mantova was considered one of the most important cultural cities in the Renaissance and it still maintains a lot of the landscapes and the building that made it famous during that period.

​ In the late afternoon, a local guide will lead you through the most known highlights of the town.

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Day 3: Mantova - Governolo - Zelo, 32 mi. (50 km)

After breakfast, on board, you navigate from the "lakes" of Mantova and cruise through the lush wetlands that lead to Governolo Lock, where Mantova's Mincio River flows into the Po.

​ From here, by bike, you follow the broad sweeps of the levee towards Ostiglia, renowned for its medieval fortress and fierce fighting in 1945, as the Allies drove Hitler's forces back.
Bergantino, home of the distinctive Museum of Fairground Rides and its collection of street organs, all expertly restored (and thunderous!).


This village is also in the heartland of Grana Padano, the arch-rival of Parmesan. A visit to the local cheese factory, sampling some well seasoned Grana, is a must-do.

​You meet the barge in Zelo, a sleepy village on the Canal Bianco, the waterway which runs parallel to the Po.
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Day 4: Zelo - Ferrara - Adria, 31 mi. by bike + 37 mi. by bus (50 km by bike + 60 km by bus)
Following breakfast, you will start cycling towards Ferrara. Once you have reached the town, which earned the name of "city of bicycles", you will be enchanted by the historical center, still surrounded by the old city walls.

​You will enjoy a guided town tour. From Ferrara, a short bus transfer will bring you to Adria, an ancient Greek port, famous for trading amber coming from the Baltic. It's a remarkable museum that also bears witness to its Etruscan, Roman, and Venetian Heritage.
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​Day 5: Adria - Po Delta Nature Reserve - Pellestrina Island, 25 mi. (40 km)
After a short ride on board, you cycle into the delta of the life-giving Po. This unique wetland is the prime reserve in Europe for herons and home to a sizeable colony of flamingos. Weather permitting, as you continue towards Chioggia, you can also enjoy a stop at a beach and a dip in the Adriatic - not forgetting a hot savory piadina! Chioggia is also known as "Little Venice", a colorful fishing hub. The overnight takes place on the island of  Pellestrina, just in front of Chioggia.
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Day 6: Pellestrina Island - Venice, 19 mi. (30 km)
Venice beckons, but first another world altogether: Pellestrina, the first of two islands you traverse today – a humble and tranquil fishing backwater, picturesque as ever with its cottages, boats, and nets. A short island-hop by ferry transfers to Lido. Fashionable in high society ever since the Belle Époque, the Lido di Venezia is now home to the International Venice Film Festival and its galaxy of stars.

​ After rejoining the barge, you will enjoy a leisure cruise in front of St Mark’s square to the final destination. After dinner, you can savor Venice at night, now free of the crowds and at her most romantic: Benvenuti a Venezia!
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Day 7: Venice, guided walking tour and free time
A guided walking tour of Venice begins around 11 am and lasts approximately 1.5 hours. It begins in St. Mark square and continues towards the bigger "sestiere" of the city, Castello.

You will visit Campo Santa Maria Formosa where you can experience a characteristic market and then a city hospital and large gothic church in Campo dei Santi Giovanni e Paolo. Later, you will go to Campo Santa Marina and to the Rialto Bridge. During this tour, the guide will explain these sites from the outside, no entrances are planned. 
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I guess I always knew this… but forgot?

As we prepare to leave on vacation the energy in the house is a mix between excitement and dread. You know the anticipation? The expectation ! And all the things you forgot.

I take a breath and lean in to my suitcase. I don’t know why I fret. The few things I pack can be washed and reworn!

If Covid taught us nothing it taught us sweat pants can last a week if handled carefully! Two weeks in Italy requires comfort clothes and something a little stylish… but wait, I live on Cape Cod!

We have completed most of the requisites. The note to the Dog sitter, the walk about with the gardener, the cleaned out refrigerator… but then it dawns on us…
what about the storage on our phones?

​TONIGHT. Tonight we will be deleting everything. Sorry, but it’s true.
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