May 18, 2023
Check the date
San Gimignano to Siena
Having had two big cycling days, both with very late finishes and not hitting the sack before midnight, we all decided a shorter day was in order. We planned to get out at a reasonable time and knock the ride over by just after lunch and book into a place by 3pm. Siena is our destination today and John has booked a two bedroom apartment in the old town. What could possibly go wrong?
It’s a bluebird morning and the castle on top of San Gimignano is glistening in the morning sun. Our plan to explore the town before we ride out has changed as Franklin decides he needs to investigate trains back to Verona so he can fly to the funeral tomorrow of a friend. The station is ten kilometres away at Poggibonsi which is on our way to Siena so we head there so Franklin can check the train options. Bad news as it turns out. With the flooding near Bologna the local trains are canceled so there’s now way to get to Verona in time to catch a flight to the UK. So Franklin is stuck with us. In fact one of Franklins friends flew to Bologna on Tuesday for a holiday and got winched out of their hotel room that night and slept in a basketball stadium. We’re not going so bad!
We had lunch at a respectable time in a small town called Langolo della Focaccia which I would like to think was named with me in mind as I do love a good focaccia. It reminds me of one of my patients from Goulburn who went on her first European holiday. When she returned she was regaling her travel stories and told me how much she loved the ham rolls. In Italy. She proudly said that she can even say it in Eye-talian . Then she blurts out “prosecute-oh fock-a-cheer”.
Any who, back to the day. We continued following the Via Francegena on roads and tracks through vineyards and climbed a reasonable amount before Siena appeared over a hill. We settled in for a post ride beer just off the main square at 3.30. The place is teaming with tourists so we end up pushing our bikes to our apartment.
Entry into the building is easy enough using a keypad code. Inside, according to the self check-in instructions, there’s a screen with names and apartment numbers but ours doesn’t seem to appear. A bit odd but this is Italy. We’ve been sent the code to our lock box and try that on apartment 3 which is along the hall. Bingo it works and we’re in. There are 3 beds but only one bedroom, not the 2 bedrooms that were advertised. Contacting the host goes to voicemail so John rechecks his booking and realises he’s booked for the following Thursday.
By now we’ve strewn our stuff everywhere as on removal from panniers gear expands by 3-4 times and hurls itself into every corner of the room spontaneously. We are now technically intruders so we depart poste haste. It’s now 5 o’clock as we push our bikes to the square and order another beer to work out where to stay.
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Theres not many options but we manage to jag a nice place thanks to a last minute cancellation. Post beer we prepare to ride to our new place but I can’t seem to find my helmet. I’ve left the bloody thing in the apartment we broke into. No problems. The apartment is just around the corner so I’ll sneak in and get it. I enter the building just as a French couple with 2 kids are leaving. They smile nervously at me as if I’m some kind of burglar and their gaze lingers a bit longer than it should. I race in, open the lock box but there’s no key. Fuckety fuck fuck. The proper guests have moved in. Then I think, maybe it’s the French family so I race back out, guess that they’ve headed downhill (as they didn’t look very fit) and chased after them. I found them near the main square tapped the middle aged dad on the shoulder and asked him a question he’s probably heard a thousand times before. “Bonjour, vous eté un biciclette helmette dans votre chambre?” Thank you Mrs MacLachlan my year 9 French teacher for teaching me a sentence I never thought I’d use. He replied yes in perfect English. How lucky am I! I try to explain the circumstances but it seems a bit far fetched so I give up and we have a good old chat walking back to the scene of my crime.
It’s almost 7pm by the time we legally check in to our place. So much for a short day! I’m also thinking how lazy the first air BnB place is as they obviously don’t bother changing their codes between guests. I momentarily think of heading back to apartment and robbing it good and proper. I feel I had a certain swagger when I broke into the apartment the second time. Maybe breaking in a third time is pushing my luck. I think I’ll stick to playing chess.
Today's ride: 46 km (29 miles)
Total: 1,575 km (978 miles)
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