We had difficulty figuring out the time this morning as our watches and computer times were out of sync by one hour. Then we discovered that Italy went back to standard time last night! Unfortunately, daylight in the evening will now be even shorter.
Scott began his day by making coffee using an Italian Bialetti coffee maker on an induction stove top. A first attempt using one of these small percolating espresso type machines and the coffee turned out quite good! With only the coffee to fuel us, we were out the door to find a cafe down the hill on the main piazza. The narrow road down was steep and very poorly paved so we walked our loaded bikes into the square where a large group of people were participating what appeared to be a Sunday morning walking event.
Our apartment was large enough to comfortably fit everything.
Our breakfast was Italian, which means some type of pastry and more coffee. Just sufficient to get us going . We like to arrange to eat breakfast in our apartment but we have been having difficulty finding small corner stores where we could purchase yogurt, cereal and bananas. So grabbing something to eat on the road has been necessary.
A good part of our ride today was on quiet rural roads through kilometres of amazing olive trees. More really nice touring. It was not until we were back on the coast nearing Brindisi that we found an open restaurant where we could have lunch. Being Sunday and past the best summer days, many places are now closed. We did well by pulling into a fancy beach club resort. Here, we enjoyed a pizza and great views before completing the last 10KM into Brindisi.
Leaving the small roads, we were concerned that we would need to ride a short distance on a busy road. But there was no need as this old service road was right beside the highway. I took this picture because of the swarm of birds above us.
The large port town of Brindisi was not excactly high on our list of places to see in the Puglia region but the road network and distance from Ostuni were a great fit. Reading about Brindisi, they have been working at sprucing the place up and making it more tourist friendly. Based on this we chose to stay in a hotel on a main street near the harbour. It was very quiet on Sunday afternoon when we arrived. It seemed everything was closed. But in the evening the stores and restaurants opened their doors and it became a busy, vibrant place on the warm evening. We enjoyed walking and exploring the area.
Virgiliana staircase, upon which two Roman columns indicate the end of the Via Appian. The road starts in Rome and ends in Brindisi - about 560 KM in total length.
Today's ride: 45 km (28 miles) Total: 230 km (143 miles)
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Rachael AndersonI’m sorry to hear you’ve had difficulty finding yogurt, fruit and cereal. That’s my favorite breakfast but I like eggs also. Reply to this comment 2 weeks ago
