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[5]Adventure: Riviera Maya, Mexico

[6]October 15, 2017 [7]by Claire

Mexico's Riviera Maya, the stretch of Caribbean coastline that spans from Playa
del Carmen down to Tulum, has been featured on many "go-to-travel destination"
lists in the past few years thanks to its abundant beaches, jungles, world
class diving, and Mayan ruins. This part of the Yucatan Peninsula is easy to
get to, and has just about everything you'd want in a vacation. And since our
trips almost always revolve around hiking, biking, or camping, we were
especially excited when our friends Joe and Cindy asked us to join in their
destination wedding celebration here in late September. Here's a recap of our
four-day adventure! 

Where We Stayed 

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The wedding was held at the all-inclusive, adults-only, Heaven at Hard Rock
Hotel Riviera Maya. This massive 1200+ room resort has everything -- private
beaches, giant swimming pools, a swim-up bar, a dozen fine-dining restaurants,
two spas... the list goes on and on. We somehow lucked into a Deluxe Platinum
Sky Terrace room, a 1000 sq ft palace of a room with a King Bed, in-room liquor
dispenser and -- you guessed it --  a private 2nd floor sky terrace, complete
with lounge chairs and hydro spa tub. Rumor had it that the hotel ran out of
the JV rooms and upgraded quite a few wedding guests to the fancy rooms. (Note:
The pictures below are from Expedia and do not depict our actual room or
terrace. In my excitement after check-in, I forgot to snap a single pic of our
room.)

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The resort was an A+ choice by Joe and Cindy for their wedding. All-inclusive
resorts, which are plentiful in Riviera Maya, can sometimes get a bad rap for
being impersonal and inauthentic, or for prioritizing quantity over quality à
la cruise ships. And while I'm sure our experience in Riviera Maya would have
been much different had we stayed at a 10-room boutique hotel in Playa del
Carmen or Tulum, the Hard Rock was absolutely perfect for the occasion. The
property is stunning and elegant, and we were blown-away by everything from the
service to the food quality to the sheer amount of things to do. I've stayed at
two other all-inclusive resorts in this part of Mexico (Dreams Tulum in 2005,
and Royal Catalonia in 2011) and I'd definitely recommend this lodging option
for anyone (honeymooners, adventure-seeker, families, etc.) looking for luxury
and convenience at a great value. 

What We Did 

Our flight landed in Cancun on Thursday around 11am, and the 1hr trip down to
Riviera Maya was quick and easy. We checked into our room right away, grabbed
lunch at one of the oceanside restaurants, and spent most of the afternoon
reading and drinking beer on the beach. We also watched (but did not
participate in) a foam party at the pool. After a fun day in the sun, we
power-napped, then joined the poolside wedding welcome party on Thursday night.

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We decided to spend Friday on the resort to take advantage of (just a fraction
of) the activities offered by the hotel. We woke up early and ordered a
delicious room service breakfast feast. Then, we headed down to the beach for a
guided paddle board tour. Hard Rock Hotel Riviera Maya’s beach is divided into
a few different naturally-protected lagoons and coves, which all have calm,
flat, crystal clear water. The paddle board tour took us around the different
coves, and it was fun to get some exercise and see some more of the hotel from
a unique vantage point. We spent the rest of the afternoon lounging in one of
the beach cabanas, which we booked using the hotel's "resort credit" program.
The cabana came with a personal assistant for the day, a bottle of white wine,
and lunch from a special menu. In hindsight, while it was nice to have a
dedicated shady spot for the day, it ended up feeling a little unnecessary and
ostentatious. 

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We had to pry ourselves away from the snacks at Joe and Cindy's post-rehearsal
party Friday night to save room for dinner at [8]Ciao, one of the fine-dining
establishments on the property. The food was delicious -- better than it had
any right to be. After our fancy Italian meal, I got my first taste of Club
Heaven. It’s (apparently) famous for the indoor pool and two Jacuzzis that are
set in the middle right in front of the DJ booth. Although we are not big
clubbers, the club drew a big crowd every night, and it was fun to dance with
(what seemed like) the vast majority of wedding guests.  

On Saturday, we ventured out on an excursion with [9]Aventuras Mayas, an
eco-tour company that partners with the hotel and offers a plethora of land and
water sport activities like snorkeling in cenotes, the underwater caverns that
are one of the signature geological features of the Yucatan Peninsula. After
SCUBA diving in cenotes with my family when we were here 10+ years ago, I
pushed this activity hard and I'm so glad I did. It is a truly incredible
experience, and I had forgotten just how magical it is down there. If you're in
this part of the world and don't get out to swim/snorkel/dive in a cenote,
you're really missing out. The tour we opted for also included zip-lining and
rappelling, which were both super fun. It was pouring rain during the
rappelling bit, which added an extra dose of adventure! We bit the bullet and
bought a CD of our pictures afterward, mainly so I could have access to these
hilarious gems.

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The Wedding

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David knows Joe through a big group of his [10]TJHSST friends. (They all went
to UVA.) They've also gotten together for the infamous March Madness Vegas trip
for the last 10+ years. The whole weekend felt like a fun vacation with a huge
group of lifelong friends, and the main event on Saturday evening was no
exception. It had been raining on and off all day, so the wedding ceremony was
moved from the beach to a covered terrace that overlooked the ocean. It was
really lovely. After cocktail hour, we moved to a giant ballroom for the
reception. 

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David's TJ friends, their honorary TJ friend (Joe - he gave a toast at their 10
year High School reunion), and beautiful Cindy. 

David's TJ friends, their honorary TJ friend (Joe - he gave a toast at their 10
year High School reunion), and beautiful Cindy. 

Chichen Itza & Tulum

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We pulled ourselves together on Sunday morning and braved the 2+ hour car ride
to Chichen Itza with our friends Dhivy and Olga. The trip was totally worth it.
The complexity and sophistication of this 1000-year-old Mayan city is
incredible to learn about, and seeing it in person is even more remarkable. We
hired a guide for a private one-hour tour, then Olga and I did some exploring
on our own while David and Dhivy rested in the shade. I could devote an entire
post to Chichen Itza, so for now I'll just say -- if you have the opportunity
to go, you should go, even if you're terribly hungover or running on three
hours of sleep. 

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We stopped in Tulum on the way back from Chichen Itza. This is a cute beach
town that reminded me a lot of Siem Reap in Cambodia, tranported to the
Carribean. Think dive shops, dive bar tiki bars, and beach bums. It also looks
nothing like what I remember when I was here in 2005. I remember small shops on
the side of the highway; Forbes recently referred to Tulum as a "[11]sizzling
hot yoga town". It really has exploded in the last 10 years. Anyway, we really
only had time to wander along the main street and make a quick stop for pizza,
but this is a quickly-growing trendy millennial spot, and I can see why. After
Tulum, it was back to the resort for Dhivy and Olga, and up to Cancun for David
and me so we could catch our early flight back on Monday morning. 

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We really couldn't have had a better time in Mexico, and our only regret was
that we didn't stay longer. Let me know if you're interested in traveling to
Riviera Maya -- we've got a lot more tips and recommendations we can
share.  'Til next time! 

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[12]October 15, 2017 /[13]Claire
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[14]Adventure: Yosemite National Park

[15]August 17, 2017 [16]by Claire

After a great July 4th week in Berkeley and San Francisco, we left the Bay Area
on a Friday afternoon for a weekend in Yosemite with our buds [17]Ann and Matt.
We made a pit stop in the historic gold rush town [18]Mariposa, CA to buy
provisions for the weekend and explore some of the small shops, then made our
way into the park. Considering we booked this trip just a few weeks out, we
counted ourselves pretty lucky to be able to find an available condo for the
four of us in [19]Yosemite West, a community that's just within the park and
only 30 minutes from the Valley. Hotels and campsites in the Valley, we
learned, book up months and months in advance.

Speaking of Yosemite Valley, we caught a stunning glimpse of Tunnel View just
before sunset on our drive up to our condo.

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This is how I feel about sitting in hours of Friday afternoon traffic out of
the Bay Area. 

This is how I feel about sitting in hours of Friday afternoon traffic out of
the Bay Area. 

Since we only had one full day to experience the park, our strategy was to pack
in as much as possible on a full-day hike. We woke up very early Saturday
morning (around 5am), made bagels and PB&J sandwiches, and filled up our water
bottles. This is probably a good time to mention that if you're planning an
full-day hike (or any hike) in Yosemite in the summer (or anytime), you should
hydrate as well as possible the day before, and carry more water than you think
you’ll need. 

We decided to take on one of the most strenuous routes in the park -- second
only to summiting Half Dome -- a 14-mile combination of [20]Four Mile Trail
from the Valley floor up to [21]Glacier Point, [22]Panorama Trail from Glacier
Point back down to the Valley, and the back half of [23]Mist Trail past the
popular Nevada Fall and Vernal Fall. 

We made it to the Four Mile Trailhead just before 7am. There was abundant
parking on the side of the street, although we later learned that this was
maybe not the best parking strategy. Four Mile Trail is actually a misnomer --
it's five miles up to Glacier Point, with about 3200ft in elevation gain. We
knew this would be one of the toughest stretches of our hike, and temperatures
threatened to climb to the 90s by mid-day. Thankfully, we were on the shady
side of the mountain, on fresh legs, and the cooler morning air for most of the
hike. It took us about three hours keeping a pretty moderate pace. Through some
combination of our early morning start and this being a less popular trail, we
only saw about a dozen other hikers the whole way up. 

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Four Mile Trail starts as a flat path into the woods, but curves steeply (top
left) as you start ascending up into the mountains via tight switchbacks. 

Four Mile Trail starts as a flat path into the woods, but curves steeply (top
left) as you start ascending up into the mountains via tight switchbacks. 

Although our entire day of hiking offered spectacular views, the amazing vistas
on Four Mile Trail were some of the very best. I'd heard that pictures of
Yosemite are a poor substitute for seeing it in real life, and that became more
and more apparent with every twist and turn up to Glacier Point. Ann was also
nice enough to hang back with me when my pace slowed considerably after the
DSLR came out. 

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The Glacier Point summit, which we hit just after 10am, was an ideal
mid-morning pit stop. It was already starting to get crowded (though not nearly
as busy as some of the sights closer to the Valley, we’d later discover). There
were still ample spots to sit in the shade and relax. There are also restrooms,
water fountains, and a small store that sells just about anything you'd need
for day-hikes, backpacking trips, or keeping small children entertained.
Collectively, we bought beef jerky, 5-hour Energy shots, Red Bull, granola
bars, a blister kit, sunscreen, and a hat. We rested here for about half an
hour, people-watched, and hiked the quarter-mile Glacier Point trail to pose
for pictures in front of beautiful Half Dome.

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We traveled onward from Glacier Point away from the crowd on Panorama Trail.
This was not a misnomer -- the views of the glacial-cut valley on the way down
as spectacular. We hiked down through a canyon, into a forest, and past a
beautiful overlook for Illilouette Falls. We eventually found ourselves at the
creek over Illilouette Falls where we stopped for lunch. We sat on the rocks in
the river and enjoyed Chef Matt's only-slightly-smushed PB&J sandwiches.

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The next part of the hike up the Illilouette Gorge was tougher and more uphill
than we expected, particularly in the mid-day sun. After we crossed the bridge
over Illilouette Creek, we climbed 700 feet in about a mile and a half, and the
uneven terrain took a toll on our tired legs and weak ankles. But, what goes up
must go down, and we were soon descending back through the forest to Nevada
Fall (about 4.5 miles from Glacier Point). The sights and sounds of the rushing
river and the "top of the waterfall" vantage point made this an idyllic place
to rest and snap some pictures. 

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Nevada Fall is the last stop on the out-and-back Mist Trail, which begins down
in the Valley and is one of the most popular in the Park. The relative solitude
we'd enjoyed for most of the day was replaced by a pretty big crowd at Nevada
Fall, and it only got busier as we continued onward. It wasn't just hoards of
people we encountered, though. We were soon greeted by endless steps down the
side of Nevada Fall, which were tough on our tired knees. We were incredibly
glad not to be traveling in the opposite direction (which was the far more
popular route), especially in full sun and 90+ degree heat. The view alongside
Nevada Fall was somehow even more impressive than the view from the top. 

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We learned how the Mist Trail got its name at the bottom of Nevada Fall,
although we were too eager, worked too hard, and scrambled over way too many
slippery rocks to feel the chilly spray at the base of the waterfall. We
realized very shortly thereafter that the mist assault is virtually impossible
to avoid further down the trail, but the detour and subsequent rest were
welcome and well worth it.

Ann didn't come on this part of the adventure. She is not about this life.&
nbsp;

Ann didn't come on this part of the adventure. She is not about this life. 

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Then it was on to Vernal Fall, where we hit the "8 hour" mark. Our pace had
slowed considerably due to fatigue, frequent pit stops, and the trails becoming
increasingly busier. We walked down very slick steps beside Vernal Fall, which
were dicey on our Jello legs. 

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We made it to the Valley floor just after 5pm - a full 10 hours from when we
set off. My GPS clocked us in a little over 16 miles for the day.
Unfortunately, our journey was not over... it took us another 2+ hours to get
back to Yosemite West between two long shuttle lines, then an even longer line
of cars to leave the Valley. I'm not sure what we could have done differently
to avoid the crowds or traffic without adding on many extra miles to the hike,
but it was definitely more hassle than we bargained for, and we were pretty
pooped on the drive back up out of the Valley. 

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Tiredness and soreness from the day before ruled out any chance for a sunrise
hike at Mirror Lake Sunday morning, which was on my must-see list. Instead, we
made breakfast and went down to the Valley for a leisurely stroll on the Valley
View trail with stops at Cathedral Beach, Sentinel Beach, and the Swinging
Bridge. This gave us a chance to take in some of the classic views we missed on
Saturday, like El Capitan (below) and Yosemite Falls. 

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In spite of all we were able to cram in in a short time period, we left on
Sunday afternoon feeling like we'd barely scraped the surface of this beautiful
national park. We'd love to car camp (or maybe pack-in!) next time, stay for at
least a week, and really get to enjoy everything Yosemite has to offer! 

[24]August 17, 2017 /[25]Claire
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[26]Our Weekend in Cinque Terre

[27]July 19, 2017 [28]by Claire

There's something about losing a passport abroad that forces you into survival
mode. The loose plans we'd made to end up on Elba Island for our last few days
were all but forgotten when we realized David's was missing on Wednesday night,
and "dealing with the passport stuff" became our first priority, second only to
figuring out the bizarre numbness, tingling and clumsiness in my hands. Little
did we know, our series of unfortunate events would lead us down a totally
unplanned, unexpected and unbelievably awesome path to the seaside cliff
villages of Cinque Terre! 

Thursday

David called the Consulate General office from [29]our hotel in Pisa first
thing in the morning and found out he could get a same-day emergency travel
document... if we could get to the Consulate in Florence by 11:30am. We got our
adrenaline fix for the day racing across Pisa to the train station (with my
hands at about 20% usability), navigating the ticket-buying process, carrying
the bikes up and down stairs to get to the correct platform, and doing it all
again in reverse an hour later in Florence. Thankfully, our "Amazing
Race"-esque morning paid off. We biked from the Florence train station to the
US consulate as quickly as possible. David ducked in to the ornate,
heavily-guarded building with a train station photo-booth headshot, $135, and
about 10 minutes to spare. An hour later, he reemerged... new passport in hand!
We couldn't believe how quick and seamless the process was, making us all too
aware of -- and incredibly grateful for -- the privileges of being an American
traveling abroad. 

So there we were, back in Florence (nowhere near our planned bike route) four
days before our flight out. Biking to-and-from train stations that morning
brought into sharp focus just how bad the (temporary) nerve damage in my hands
had become after so many miles in the saddle, and spending time on the bike for
our last weekend in Italy didn't seem appealing or safe. We decided to go
straight from the Consulate to [30]Florence by Bike to see if they could hold
the bikes for us while we figured out our next move. 

Florence by Bike was the real deal -- rentals, bikes for sale, gear and an
impressive workshop. The mechanic needed a couple days to pack the bikes up for
us for the return flight (good thing we didn't wait until Saturday to pack the
bikes!). They also agreed to hold our gear in the meantime. Without blinking an
eye, we stuffed everything except the bare essentials in two of the three
panniers for them to hold, and stepped out into the beautiful Florentine
afternoon feeling totally unencumbered. I remember saying something to David
like, "y'know... we can do anything." 

Fast forward an hour, and we're on the train headed for Riomaggiore, the first
of the five centuries-old coastal fishing villages that make up Cinque Terre, a
UNESCO World Heritage site on the Italian Riviera. I used the train WIFI to
read a single blog post ([31]this one) about the area and [32]book a room,
figuring we'd sort the rest out when we got there. Upon our arrival, we took
the blog author's recommendation and stopped for a drink at A Pie’ de Ma’, a
cliffside wine bar that is about a 30-second walk from the train station. After
five days of biking + 24 hours of non-stop stress, we were both overcome with
emotion at the beauty and tranquility of this little spot. (Spoiler Alert: We
came back to this bar twice more during our short stay.)  

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We followed the tunnel below the train station and emerged on the other side in
Riomaggiore proper, where we met our AirBNB host on the village's single,
car-free street. We went straight back in the tunnel, and came out in a
beautiful little harbor. We walked right through the harbor, up the stairs on
the far side, snaked through winding, narrow passageways and soon found
ourselves on the balcony of one of the most picturesque pastel-colored case
torri (tower buildings) overlooking the harbor. 

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The view from our balcony out over the Riomaggiore harbor. 

The view from our balcony out over the Riomaggiore harbor. 

We stayed on the top floor of the grey building, third from the left! 

We stayed on the top floor of the grey building, third from the left! 

With no plans and nowhere else to be,  we spent the rest of the evening walking
around getting to know the town. We followed the path on the opposite side of
the harbor along the side of a cliff to a gorgeous pebble beach, where we met
another bird friend. We were told this is a popular spot for swimming and
sunbathing, but it was pretty well deserted by the time we arrived in the late
afternoon. 

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With daylight waning, we back-tracked to the train station and twisted up "the
scenic route" on our way to Riomaggiore's castle. We watched the sunset from an
overlook near the castle, then headed to Ripa del Sole for seafood (me) and
pasta (David). The restaurant was off-the-beaten path, had a good view and was
worth the hike to get up there. But, we did see some familiar faces from happy
hour at A Pie’ de Ma’, leading me to believe that we weren't the only ones
following the recommended Day One itinerary in the blog post I found, which
just happened to top the Google SERP (search engine results page) for 'What to
do in Cinque Terre.' In other words... SEO is real.  After dinner, we walked
down the main street and found a bar with outdoor seating. The bar patrons
seemed to be a good mix of locals and travelers, and it wasn't at all crowded.

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Friday 

We got a pretty early start Friday morning, since we planned to spend the day
hiking the Sentiero Azzurro -- the 14th century goat herder trails carved in
the cliffs between each of the five towns. Abundant hiking opportunities was
one of the deciding factors in choosing Cinque Terre for our weekend excursion,
even though a devastating freak [33]rain storm/ landslide/flood in 2011 has
indefinitely closed two of the four portions of the trail. The two open
portions are between Monterosso al Mare (the fifth and final village) to
Vernazza, then from Vernazza to Corniglia.

We started our journey with a train ride up the coast to Monterosso. Of all the
Cinque Terre villages, this is the flattest, and the only with a proper sandy
beach and resort-style hotels. We were amazed by how picturesque the village
was, despite overcast skies and the threat of rain. We took our time meandering
on the boardwalk, and fueled up for our hike with coffee and pastries. Fifteen
minutes later we were enjoying second breakfast (a hearty slice of fresh
focaccia topped with potatoes and rosemary) after passing a focaccia shop with
unreal smells, and a long line, coming out of the door. We bought our passes
for the trail (16 Euro each) and found the trailhead based on some very Italian
directions -- "take the big street until you see an orange building, then walk
around behind it and you'll see some stairs." 

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The two mile trail from Monterosso to Vernazza is tough -- lots of climbs,
narrow paths, steep drop-offs, and a very real danger of falling 15+ feet if
you lose your balance. Suffice it to say, you need to be in pretty good shape,
wearing proper footwear, and towing along plenty of water to actually enjoy the
hike. It started raining just as we started climbing, which made the already
uneven rocks and steps every more slippery. Our bike-weary bodies weren't happy
with us at all, but it sure was worth winding through the olive orchards and
vineyards that have sustained these villages for so many generations, and
coming around the bend to dramatic ocean views. 

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Although we started out the hike in the rain, the storm blew over and soon gave
way to blue skies. We could see the Monterosso beachfront miles behind us, wild
lemon trees and beautiful plants along the trail, and about an hour, and a half
into the hike, Vernazza came into view! 

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We spent about an hour in Vernazza, another one-street, no-car town. Vernazza
seemed busier, more touristy and less homey than our Riomaggiore -- but
beautiful all the same. We found our way up to the 500-year-old lookout tower
quite by accident, ambled through the little streets, and stopped for lunch
(more foccacia, because now I was hooked, and pesto pizza.)

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The next portion of our hike took us from Vernazza to Corniglia. This portion
of the trail was shorter (1.5 miles) and a bit less hilly, but with the clear
skies came the blazing hot sun, and we had both worked up an impressive sweat
by the time we got into town mid-afternoon. We made a cursory stroll through
Corniglia's main street and stopped for a beer at an outdoor cafe. 

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Both in need of some R&R, we caught the train back to Riomaggiore for a lazy
afternoon. The rock jetty that extended right out from the staircase to our
building into the harbor was the perfect spot for an afternoon nap, book
reading and swim. WE spent a few hours there doing nothing. It was incredible.
We went back to our seaside cliff bar to watch the sun set, and so I could try
their flight of local wines. Then we had a full no camera / no phone evening,
complete with drinks and the chef's aperitvo platter at Fuori Rotta, followed
by a bottle of wine on our balcony. 

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Saturday

We met a couple from Virginia on Thursday night who were making their third
visit to Cinque Terre. Besides hiking, they recommended we rent a small motor
boat from the marina in the harbor (which just so happened to occupy the first
floor of our building!) and putter up and down the coastline. Although we'd
earmarked that as our activity for Saturday, I had an inkling we wouldn't be
able to take boats out when we woke up to the sound of giant waves crashing
into the rocks just below us. I traded texts with the owner of the marina and,
as suspected, the seas were too rough for boat rentals. We were pretty bummed,
but after snapping some pics from our balcony, we decided to sleep in for the
first time of the whole trip, and that was lovely.  

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When we finally felt like getting up, we walked to the bar from Thursday night
(also a coffeeshop!) and read our books and drank many cappuccinos. The longer
we sat there, the more crowded the main street in town became, giving us a
quick glimpse into how busy the villages get in the summer. We retreated back
to our side of the harbor and climbed further up into the buildings than we had
before, which lead us to a high rock wall that may or may not have been open
for tourists to climb on. We sat out on the rocks for an hour or so and
listened to the waves crash on the rugged coastline.

We talked about lessons learned on the trip, possible destinations for our next
bike tour, which afternoon train we wanted to take back to Florence... but
mostly, we couldn't stop talking about how incredibly lucky we are for getting
to do this amazing adventure together. :) 

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[34]July 19, 2017 /[35]Claire
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[36]Volterra to Pisa

[37]May 26, 2017 [38]by David

Given that yesterday's day of rest turned into a day from hell AND that today's
planned ride, from just outside Volterra to Massa Marittima, was the longest
and hardest on our itinerary, we decided to pull a hard zag and head north for
Pisa. The train system in Italy is good enough that we figured we'd have no
problem getting down to Elba Island that way, though SPOILER ALERT that's not
how it ended up working out.

Despite this being a chill day in the saddle, it was still the longest ride of
the trip, so we got an early start and made the short climb from the farm to
Volterra, where we stopped for breakfast and I made a new friend.

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We both wished we had gotten to spend more time in Volterra, but we did catch
of a glimpse the Roman Theater just outside the city walls on our way out of
town. It was built sometime around the end of the 1st Century BC. 

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Leaving Volterra, we enjoyed a long, scenic descent. It was bittersweet -- we
were both too aware that this was the last of these we'd get to experience, at
least on this trip. Still, it was some of the best riding out of all five days,
and felt like a reward well-earned after yesterday's endless climb.

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From there, it was about 40 miles (or 65 chilometri) to Pisa, mostly flat and
more industrial than we'd experienced so far. We hit the outskirts of Pisa at
about four in the afternoon, and it was fun to navigate our way to our hotel by
bike.

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As we got closer, things got noticably more touristy, until we turned a corner
and BAM! this thing:

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If you've never seen it in real life, it's wayyy closer and squatter than you
would have thought, like the Disney version of what you were actually
expecting.

We found the hotel and got the bikes into storage, and as part of the check-in
process, the concierge asked to see our passports. I opened my handlebar bag
only to find ... everything I expected to find ... except my passport. F--king
idiot. We dumped out all the bags, but it was nowhere to be found. The
concierge was understanding and let us check in without it, and we headed to
the room to determine our next steps, which you can read all about in our next
entry. 'Til then, ciao.

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Bike route: 48.0 miles // 1,221 ft of elevation gain. [39]https://
www.strava.com/activities/993297872

[40]May 26, 2017 /[41]David
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[42]San Gimignano to Volterra

[43]May 19, 2017 [44]by Claire

Unfortunately, Tuesday (my birthday!) did not exactly go as planned. We missed
our first turn and found ourselves at the bottom of the wrong mountain with no
way to go but up. I would not recommend our route to even the most avid
cyclist, but it did offer some amazing views, and eventually we made it to our
lovely farmstay (pictured above) just below the town of Volterra. 

We woke up Tuesday morning in Casa Aladina, our guesthouse near the city center
in San Gimignano. With a scheduled shorter (2/2.5 hour) ride ahead of us for
the day, we took our time with breakfast (cappuccinos and chocolate crossaints
at Cafe Giardino) and getting our stuff together, and rolled out of town at
about 10:30am. 

That's more-or-less when things went awry. We planned to take the 'scenic
route' to Volterra, and we knew the directions said to ignore two left turns to
Volterra but take one. We mixed up the order of operations, mistakenly ignoring
the first one. By the time we realized our error, we had come down a pretty
steep hill that I had no interest in climbing back up. The next ~5 hours were
an exercise in constant climbing, wayfinding with Google Maps... and patience.
In hindsight, retracing our steps to get back on track as soon as we knew we
were off course would have been the better call. Lesson learned! With the
exception of a few funky-smelling industrial areas, the landscape was
beautiful. And, the weather was gorgeous. Not too many pictures were snapped
during the ride or at our one pit stop for the day (cokes, ice cream, potato
chips and Nutella-filled candy bars at a convenience store).

This downhill glide was fun while it lasted.  

This downhill glide was fun while it lasted.  

See San Gimignano? See Volterra? See all the green? See the road that juts out
from San Gimignano at 10 o'clock that doesn't go through the green? That's the
way we meant to go... 

See San Gimignano? See Volterra? See all the green? See the road that juts out
from San Gimignano at 10 o'clock that doesn't go through the green? That's the
way we meant to go... 

Here we are at the bottom of our glide, blissfully unaware.  

Here we are at the bottom of our glide, blissfully unaware.  

We climbed the mountain in the background.  

We climbed the mountain in the background.  

After about six hours of riding with only one real stop (if you don't count the
time we pushed our bikes up a 10% grade for 20 minutes then I fell over and sat
on the side of the road sobbing), we finally made it to Agriturismo Podere San
Lorenzo, our one "fancy" place of the trip, and the only place we booked ahead
of time. Although we didn't get to enjoy it as much as we hoped, the villa and
grounds were stunning, and we did get to relax on our patio and participate in
a cooking class where we learned to make fresh pasta — then had it for dinner
that night! 

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Despite the setbacks, this was an unbelievably great birthday. And even with a
few frustrated snaps at each other along the way, I'm so glad David and I are
doing this together. We make a pretty good team. :)

Bike Route: 32.3 miles // 2,788 ft of elevation gain.  [45]https://
www.strava.com/activities/989541042

[46]May 19, 2017 /[47]Claire
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[48]Siena to San Gimignano

[49]May 18, 2017 [50]by David

Our third day of riding, from Siena to San Gimignano, was supposed to be our
first "PG-13" day (in the parlance of our guidebook), but after our first two
days of "PG" riding, neither of us felt inclined to take on a more difficult
ride. Fortunately, we found an alternate route that was much more manageable,
with only one major climb.

Getting out of Siena was tricky -- cars, hills, traffic circles -- but soon
enough we were back out in open country.

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​A few hours riding brought us to Monteriggioni, a castle/town dating back a
thousand years. Climbing the city walls yielded great views of the surrounding
area, and it was neat to learn a little bit about the history of the place --
there's such a rich backstory to everything in this part of the world, which we
just don't get in the states.

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After a quick bite, we set out for San Gimignano. The ride included one of the
standout decents of the trip. Imagine 20 minutes of tight switchback turns,
like a roller coaster you control.

But, as we're quickly learning, what goes down must go back up, much more
slowly. The climb up to San Gimignano was one of the toughest of the trip. We
were lucky that clouds and even a few raindrops rolled in as we started our
ascent, but this one was rough.  

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In our own time, we made it to the top. San Gimignano is a cool town, similar
in feel to Siena but much smaller. After we got checked into our BnB, we took
some time to explore the town. We had drinks in the main square, then watched
the sunset from the city walls.

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Bike Route: 27 miles // 2,054 ft of elevation gain. [51]https://www.strava.com/
activities/987662637

 

[52]May 18, 2017 /[53]David
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[54]Radda in Chianti to Siena

[55]May 15, 2017 [56]by Claire

As expected, our second day of riding was easier than the first -- but still
hilly, and twice as difficult as any ride I'd done before this trip. It was
well worth it to end the day in Siena, a town that's incredibly easy to fall in
love with (once you forgive the ancient Etruscans for building their cities on
freakin' mountains!). 

We started our day with an early breakfast on our terrace (bruschetta with
tomatoes, olives and pieces of fried egg, prepared by our B&B proprietor
Romanita), then set off for the open road. After about an hour of pedaling (55
minutes of steady uphill climbing, followed by 5 minutes of an exhilarating
35mph downhill plunge) we rolled into Gaolie in Chianti, home of L'Eroica, a
retro 200km bike ride held in Tuscany every October. 

We made an unplanned stop at the [57]bike rental shop in town for a quick
tune-up, tire pressure check, and to have Felipe (the mechanic) look at a few
nagging rattling noises on the bikes -- undoubtedly a result of putting them
together ourselves. 45 minutes and just 5 Euro later, we were back on the road!
 

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We were treated to our second tough climb of the day out of Gaoile, and by the
time we reached the turn for [58]Castello di Brolio at about 12:45pm, we were
in desperate need of fuel. We stopped at a small café for overpriced cheese
sandwiches and unnamed beer. Totally worth it. Then, we pushed our bikes up a
steep cliff (zero shame in that) and explored the grounds of the 12th century
castle! 

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Our route map had us getting back on the main road to snake through a few more
hill towns before our final ascent to Siena. We called an audible and followed
the white gravel L'Eroica route (which seemed to be shorter, but about which we
knew absolutely nothing) instead. We were not disappointed! The road circled
around behind the castle, then through the beautiful countryside on roads that
were virtually car-less. 

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Thanks to our shortcut, we arrived in Siena before 4pm and checked into the
Hotel Bernini (which was absolutely perfect – basic, clean rooms, friendly
staff, and a terrace with a killer view). We spent the rest of the afternoon
exploring the city streets and enjoying drinks and snacks on Il Campo, the main
city square that doubles as a race track one day a year with horses
representing each of Siena's 17 contrade (districts). 

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As the Palio di Siena draws closer, the districts are known to march into the
square. (I equate this to a horse race pep rally, sans horses.) We happened to
catch the Oca (goose) district marching on Sunday afternoon. It was crazy
awesome! 

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 We had a few too many snacks during aperitivo (the Italian equivalent of Happy
Hour), so weren't hungry for dinner until late – or, put another way, we're
finally on the Italian dinner schedule. After scouring menus for the osterias
around town, we googled 'best pizza in Siena', and ended up at il Pomodorino
around 10pm. It was the best pizza either of us had ever had, and made for a
fantastic end to a great day. 

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 We had two route options for Monday, Day 3: a Level 2/4 Difficulty and a Level
3/4 Difficulty. After Saturday's killer ride (a 2/4), we felt much more
comfortable taking on the former – although it would take about half the time
as our original planned route. We decided to sleep-in Monday morning (until
9am), go out for coffee in Siena, then sit in Il Campo and map out our bike
route for the day. It was so nice to take our time and enjoy the town (our
favorite so far) before all the tour groups showed up! 

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Stay tuned for Monday's ride to San Gimignano! 

Bike Route: 29.4 miles // 2,711 ft of elevation gain. [59]https://
www.strava.com/activities/986032513

[60]May 15, 2017 /[61]Claire
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[62]Firenze to Radda in Chianti: Our first day in the saddle.

[63]May 13, 2017 [64]by Claire

Day One of our planned six days of biking through Tuscany. It's difficult to
describe how I feel about today. It ranks up there as one of the most difficult
physical challenges I've ever faced. It was also one of the most fun and
memorable days of my life. Where to even begin? 

We said 'good-bye' to our adorable AirBnB just outside of Florence's original
city walls first thing this morning.  

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​After hearing so many good things from friends, locals and the Internet, we
didn't want to leave town without stopping by La Managérè for breakfast. We
were not disappointed! It's a café/bar/flowershop/late night music venue that's
close enough to the city center to be convenient, but far enough away to feel
quaint. ​David said it was the coolest place he'd ever seen; I tend to agree. 

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After our very un-Italian breakfast feast, we hit the road. Making it out of
the Florence metro area was a bit stressful, but it wasn't long before the
suburbs gave way to quiet country lanes -- and rolling hills. We huffed and
puffed our way into wine country, and just before Greve in Chianti we stopped
at Fattoria Viticcio for a wine tasting / snackfest that turned into our lunch.
After 2+ hours of climbing, it definitely hit the spot. 

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We left Greve in Chianti in good spirits, fueled with wine, bread, cheese and
Tuscan salami (just me on that last one)... only to face the toughest climb of
the day, almost immediately. We sloughed on for miles, back-and-forth up
seemingly neverending steep switchbacks. 

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Right about the time I had resolved myself to quitting, the hills finally
opened up to Panzano (and adorable hilltown) followed by miles of easy downhill
cruising.  

If you've ever run a distance race, you can identify with that feeling of
self-accomplishment and self-pride that comes with finishing -- no matter how
tough it may have been. But it's the completion that's a victory for its own
sake. I never understood (until today) the adrenaline high that could accompany
defeating a formidable mountain foe, taking in the unbelievable views at the
top, then enjoying the downhill glide because it's so well-deserved -- because
you didn't quit, even though you wanted to.   

After another sustained climb, we made it to our resting place for this
evening, Radda in Chianti. Our ride today was 35 miles, and over 3500 feet of
climbing. For comparison, our most strenuous training ride was 35 miles and
about 1500 feet of climbing. 😵 We weren't totally unprepared or out of our
element, but it was... very hard. 

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The exhaustion somehow didn't hold a flame to the desire to soak up this
beautiful place where we've landed for the evening. Our Bed & Breakfast
(pictured above) sits atop a beautiful ridge line that looks like something out
of a movie. The Italian grandmother who plied us with wine and pastries upon
arrival was one of the most endearing people I've ever met. (As it turns out,
speaking Spanish pretty well makes communication with a non-English-speaking
Italian pretty manageable.) After we showered and settled-in, we walked up to
Radda in Chianti proper. 

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Did I mention the weather is unbelievably nice? 

In such a small town, we were able to quickly narrow-in on 2-3 places that
seemed best-suited for us for dinner. We settled on la Bottega di Giovanni...
for the location, outdoor seating, reasonable prices and Veg options. We ate
like kings. 

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And that's it! Tomorrow morning we ride for Siena -- which thankfully, should
be pretty chill. Our second-to-last day is supposed to be pretty gnarly, and
after the difficultly we faced today, taking a bus is not out of the question.
We're going to keep taking it one day at a time! 

[65]May 13, 2017 /[66]Claire
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[67]Florence

[68]May 12, 2017 [69]by David

We made it! Bikes arrived in perfect shape, and we were able to put them back
together in the Florence airport without too much trouble. Big thanks to our
friends at Seven Stars for packing them up so thoroughly.

Since then, we've been wandering the city on foot and bike, enjoying the art
and architecture, as well as the food and coffee. Highlights include Brac for
vegetarian food and Ditta Artigianale for coffee.

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Michaelangelo's David

 

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The Duomo

 

We'd both love to spend more time here, but the road beckons — we leave
tomorrow on our bike tour. 'Til next time!

[70]May 12, 2017 /[71]David
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[72]Adventure: Occoneechee Mountain, NC

[73]May 07, 2017 [74]by Claire

Occoneechee Mountain is a State Natural Area on the Eno River about twenty
minutes away from downtown Durham, just south of Hillsborough. Despite having
lived in the Triangle for almost ten years (Claire) and over fifteen years
(David), somehow neither of us had ever checked this place out. We were
delighted to find three miles of well-kept wooded trails, a beautiful mountain
ridge that looked like something you'd find in Western NC, and relatively few
other visitors!

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There are restrooms, picnic tables and a large lawn with plenty of shade when
you first arrive. We took the main trail (Occoneechee Mtn Loop Trail)
counter-clockwise away from the parking area to put a little distance between
ourselves and a family that arrived about the same time we did. This ended up
being a great choice! The back half of the trail is more secluded and hillier
than the front half, giving Ms. Stevie amble opportunity for some off-leash
walking that promptly wore her out before we reached the Overlook Trail, which
led to the highest point in Orange County! 

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The main trail was well-marked and well-maintained, but roots, rocks and steep
terrain may make it a littler tough for someone who has a hard time getting
around to traverse. The shorter Chestnut Oak Trail offers a more direct route
to the overlook from the parking area, and (by the looks of it) was mostly
gravel. The [75]NC State Parks site has more info about the park and trails.
Like most other NC State Parks, there is no entrance fee. 

If you spent the morning exploring and you're looking for a good lunch option, 
[76]Bona Fide Sandwich Co in Hillsborough is fantastic. If a post-hike beer is
more your speed, check out the [77]Mystery Brewing Pub. You can't really go
wrong in downtown Hillsborough, and a Occoneechee morning + Hillsborough
afternoon would make for a very fine Saturday! 

 
[78]May 07, 2017 /[79]Claire

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