Cycling in Tuscany

Today was our first day of riding on the bicycling part of our trip. We set out at about 9:00 in the morning, and rode in a loop that was a couple of miles inland from the sea and to the north of where we were staying. The weather was real nice, sunny and warm but not real hot. The route was over gentle hills and for a lot of the time the road was shaded by trees.

We stopped at the town of Bolgheri about mid way through the ride and had a coffee break. There were a few shops in Bolgheri that were displaying some real pretty Terracotta 3D pictures. After our break we turned back to the hotel.

Linda in Bolgheri

Time for a coffee break

Linda and the Terracotta Lady

On the way back we saw quite a few trees full of olives, and vineyards full of wine bushes. The farmers were out harvesting grapes as we drove by. As we pulled into town, we stopped by the grocery store and picked up some food to see us through until supper time.

After we got back to the hotel we decided that since it was getting warm and we had a choice of swimming in the Mediterranean or the pool that we should go for a swim. It turned out that the sea was at least as warm as the pool, and the waves made it a lot more fun. We spent over an hour in the waves. In a little while we will go meet for supper. It was a very good first day of riding. I am putting in a link to a few more pictures from today in the web album Tuscany Ride Day 1 - September 8, 2011.

Stephen and Linda