July 15, 2024 to July 16, 2024
Bologna
Monday, July 15
The breakfast buffet at the Grand Hotel Trento was well-stocked, with a good variety of breads, pastries, meats, cheeses, muesli, yogurts as well as egg and bacon. Interestingly, there was also a sign posted to the effect that “We prefer that you eat your breakfast items here and not take them away.” I know I am not the only CBer who sometimes makes a lunch sandwich from items on the breakfast buffet, and the many times that I’ve asked permission I have always received an affirmative response. In all of my hotel breakfasts on tour, I can only recall one other lodging with a sign admonishing us not take breakfast items to go.
My train to Bologna left at 9:37 with a 90 minute transfer in Verona. I arrived at the station around 9 am and, finding the platform number already listed, I made my way down and up the stairs – two trips each time. The platform was crowded with passengers waiting for the train to Milan, but in due time to train to Verona arrived. It was a short stop, so I hurried to the car with the bike logo and prepared the two-step process of loading panniers and bike into the car. Suddenly, a Trenitalia attendant stopped me and said the bike car was at the other end of the train, a significant distance away. I feared there would not be enough time to get to the other car, and so argued that the car I was standing in front of was labeled with a bike logo. He again insisted that this was not the bike car at which point I was about to give in and head down the platform. Just then, three other cyclists hurried up to the car, clearly intending to board with their bikes. As the attendant turned to them, I hoisted VG into the car – where there was another cyclist with his bike!! In the end, all five of us remained in the “non-bike” bike car without further ado.
The transfer in Verona was much easier – I had lots of time and was able to explore a bit of the station and how best to access the platforms. The Verona station is stretched out horizontally and there are three long corridors that each lead from the main terminal to platforms 1 – 12. However, only one of the three corridors has elevators to the platforms; the other two corridors have only stairs. Once I sussed that out, I found a nice spot to wait until it was time to head to the platform and await the train.
The bike car on the train to Bologna was clearly marked – I lifted up Vivien George and was stunned to find myself staring at two rows bike hooks extending the length of the car. No seats, just space for bikes. And there was a similar arrangement in the next car – more bike space than I could ever imagine. There were only three bikes on the train, and though there was plenty of space to lean VG against the side, I had nothing to secure her with and hoisted her up with help from one of the other riders. The conductor came by and said we could not stay in the bike car, and so I found a seat in the next car and trusted that everything would arrive in Bologna safely. And they did.
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A little digression before moving on: Suzanne Gibson and I recently discussed the state of train travel with bikes in Europe, agreeing that things seem to be getting more difficult while at the same time many countries are trying to promote bicycle tourism. My observations over the past month suggest that the popularity of eBikes has led to a real increase in bike tourism, and my hope is that railroads are trying to figure out how best to accommodate the increased number of bikes. That seems to be the case for some of the regional TER trains in France, for example, that just recently began to require a reservation and sometimes a fee to travel with your bike on certain holidays or summer months. For the cyclist, it is not always clear if/how to get a reservation or buy a ticket on the regional TER, and my experience is that the requirements are sporadic and not often enforced, at least for now. (NOTE: this is not true of France TGV/INOUI or intercities trains where a bike reservation with a €10 fee has long been mandatory). One solution Suzanne and I mentioned would be to add bike-specific cars on popular routes during the summer months, along the Loire or Canal du Midi, for example. That was the case when I toured the Danube from Passau to Vienna several years ago – we handed our bikes to an attendant in Vienna and retrieved them in Passau. It may be that Trenitalia is trying this option for handling a large number of bicycles. In the meantime, I’m keeping a positive outlook that traveling with bikes on trains will improve, both with respect to increasing transparency and reducing anxiety.
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4 months ago
Now, back to my journey.
I arrived at Bologna Centrale just before 2 pm and made the two-mile trip to Christiane’s house, arriving hot and sweaty. They’d saved some pasta for me from their mid-day meal so the first thing I did was chow down and catch up a bit with Christiane. Although I desperately wanted a shower, I decided to pack up Vivien George while I was still dirty. There was a shaded spot in the courtyard and I set to work, getting all the bike bits into the travel sac before getting myself cleaned up. We all decided it was too hot to go out to dinner, so we had a relaxing meal and evening in front of the fan.
Tuesday, July 16
I was originally booked to fly back to Paris tomorrow morning but for logistical reasons changed my flight to 6 pm today. I spent the morning sorting and repacking, putting some items in the bike bag but not too many lest I exceed the weight limit. Christiane’s son Tomas had come to town for some appointments and we all had a nice lunch with the four of us - Gianni, Christiane, Tomas, and myself. Then it was time to go - I said my good-byes with promises to come back soon.
Nothing major occurred during the trip back to Paris, but everything other than the taxi ride seemed to take an extra-long time: the check-in lines; credit card authorization for special baggage; waiting for the oversized baggage at both departure and arrival points; baggage delivery at CDG; etc, etc, etc. In addition, the plane was 90 minutes late. I got back to my apartment about 10 pm where I dropped off the luggage and headed to the local café for a bite to eat.
Paris was cool and quiet, and it was nice to be home. I’ll be in Paris for the next few weeks and posting intermittently from the Olympics – I’m sure you can’t wait :)
And finally, a few comments on the tour through Northern Italy
It was a wonderful route that in many ways exceeded my expectations. Following the rivers through the Dolomites allowed me to experience the beauty of an alpine tour without all the steep ascents –some climbing was inevitable for sure, but it was none too taxing was most often enjoyable. The cycling infrastructure was overall fantastic, especially in the Trentino region where the route was primarily on small local/farm roads or dedicated bike paths. It is an area that I’d be happy to return to, and may even take another go thru the tunnels of the Alpe Adria.
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