Met everyone for breakfast after almost oversleeping. Hit the road to Pisa around 9AM. As everyone was milling about, finding their bikes, I took the opportunity to stash the stuffed puppy into Beth’s bike bag. The ride was a little wet but not rainy, and the cool, cloudy weather definitely helped. We stopped for bit at a coffee house along the way, where I had myself a capucchino.
Pisa
Pisa was a total tourist trap. Peddlers (not the kind on bikes – the kind that want to sell your Roleks watches) and tourist shops and, of course, tons of tourists. We went into the Baptistry, where I played den mother to the 11 of us who opted to go in. Luckily the sun came out for our short stay in Pisa and lunch, and I managed to get some nice pictures, along with the photo I wanted with the tower.
Pisa to Casciana Terme
This part was a little tricky, but we did a good job sticking together. The roads stayed mostly flat nearly the entire way to Casciana Terme, passing through farm land and small tows. Along the way, I tried to snap a few pictures of the group as we rode and I noticed that someone had left me a present in my bike bag – a calendar of artistic penises. I eventually figured out the culprits were Fred and Lisa, so at the next stop I snuck it into Anna’s bag. After another pit stop and more espresso, we started the long climb to Casciana Terme. The road went from asphalt to gravel and back to Asphalt as we approached Sant’Ermo. The road took us down briefly from Sant’Ermo and back up to Casciana Terme; there were some amazing views along the way.
Casciana Terme
We pulled into the hotel and I were helping unload the luggage when I heard, “You’re going to die a slow, terrible death, Nehal” from Anna. Made it up to my room, threw on my swim trunks and joined the others in the lukewarm hot tub. I also decided to swim a couple laps in the cold pool. Before long, I decided I needed a shower and a snack before dinner, lest I pass out. The kind man at the front desk pointed me to the hotel bar, where I had some crackers, chips, and water. Fred, Lisa, and I went across the street to the park where we heard a live band, saw Anna and Patrick dancing, and got a cup of coffee.
Dinner was fun because we were all together, but none too impressive, save the risotto and the gelato. Turned in early again to rest up for a day of hills to Volterra.
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