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Sunday, June 5, 2011

Arrival Genoa!

We've arrived at Genoa - end point of the adventure! 


The facade of Roman Emperor Diocletian's palace at Split


Jim at the statue of Croatian priest Frane Bulic who introduced the vernacular to the mass


The author in the old city inside Diocletian's palace, Split

After Split we rode to Zadar in Croatia to take the ferry to Ancona in Italy. Our arrival in Split coincided with a Harley Davidson motorbike rally and about 5,000 Harleys from all over Europe (and overseas) congregated in Croatia. We shared the ferry with about a hundred of them! The strange thing about Split was the numerous bars/caffe's which served alcohol and coffee and the very few restaurants or other establishments that served food!


Planning the route - Lang and Bev at Split


Graham relaxing; Sasha on the job at Split

Sasha on the job again - fitting Marcel's new gearbox

Warwick, Stuart, Hub, Sasha and Dave at the Lada "workshop" van, Split

The ferry trip from Zadar to Ancona went off without a hitch. Most people managed to sleep on couches or chairs pushed together (no cabins available) and the galley served up an adequate dinner and breakfast. Flat seas meant no upset tummies.

Sidecars have more than one use - waiting to load at Zadar


Lined up with the Harley Davidsons at Zadar wharf

Different styles!

John and Marcel enjoying the cruise - about to arrive at Ancona

After arriving at Ancona we rode to Urbino, a beautiful town in the Tuscan highlands, where our campsite offered a fabulous view of the town. It's a university town now so there were plenty of young people about.


The campsite at Urbino


View of Urbino from the campsite


Typical Tuscan countryside enroute to Urbino

From Urbino it was another beautiful trip through the Tuscan mountain passes to Poppi, a small  village in another fabulous location. The woman who ran the camping ground could not have been more helpful or friendly. Major breakdowns with some of the bikes meant we spent a bonus second night there while Sasha's bike underwent an engine change and Sue's bike had a new differential fitted. Most other people explored the historic medieval castle in the town.


The neighbours at Poppi, Tuscany.
Typical fine stonework used in house construction.


Ivan contemplating the balustrade in the castle at Poppi


The bells in the castle tower, Poppi


Interesting sculpture in the castle garden.
(We weren't far from the vast marble deposits at Carrara)


The delightful campsite at Poppi


The river at Poppi with the castle in the background

Pisa was the next destination and the campsite was just down the road from the famous leaning tower (which is probably the most exciting thing to see in Pisa). We all made the pilgrimage to the tower and took the obligatory pictures. Camping was pretty basic but there is usually a bit of interaction with other campers who want to know what the story is with our group of vintage sidecars.


The most interesting thing about Pisa 


The next most interesting thing about Pisa


From Pisa to Lavento in the "Cinque Terres/ Rivierai di Levante" the scenery was nothing short of spectacular. It was a test of  bikes and riders to navigate the steep cliff climbs (and descents), curves, bends and switchbacks. Lavento is a small resort town on the coast and the camping ground was within walking distance of the beach. Marcel and I went "mountain climbing" to justify a tasty meal with a bottle of wine in a local hotel.


On the "Riviera di Levante", villages perched on cliffs and hilltops


The spectacular blue of the "Mare Ligure"/Gulf of Genoa


Terraced farms along the coast road to Lavento


Hillside farms near Lavento


The beach at Lavento


Marcel leading the mountain walk along a very dubious path

Today was a relatively easy run from Lavento to Genoa - most of it on the motorway, It's really a series of tunnels and viaducts and it seemed like we "tunnelled" all the way to Genoa which is an impressive city built on a series of hills and was a one-time rival to Venice.

Tonight we're booked in to a local seafood restaurant for a final dinner together. It's great that we've all made it here OK and enjoyed ourselves on the way - despite mechanical problems and other setbacks. Even today the bikes played up and some riders waited at Lavento for a couple of hours before setting off so Sasha could fix the problems. 

But we're here !! And in one piece !!



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