Today was the start of a 9 day loop with Franklin and Dennis. We were meant to be doing this in Slovenia, but alas, it’s raining cats and dogs there for the whole time. In fact, the weather in this part of Europe is terrible over the next fortnight.
So, the executive decision was made to get a train to Verona and do a loop from there. That decision took a while – 2 days to be exact, as we looked at millions of options with the weather forecast cruelling a lot of good ideas.
So Verona it was. We also left unnecessary gear at the Airbnb there, to be collected on our return. There won’t be any camping over the 9 days. That means easier riding but it looks like I’m with two guys who enjoy riding up hills, so any weight reduction is welcome.
Last night’s meal was at a local restaurant whose speciality was horse. It was recommended by the bike shop where Franklin hired his far-too-light gravel bike.
We didn’t know about the horse specialty until the waiter explained the menu. We shared some horse tartare, then I had ravioli with a horse ragout which was much nicer.
The next morning, we left Verona via the old town, with some well mannered traffic and some great bike paths beside a canal. Riders were out on a sunny Saturday morning. The locals love to wear full team kits while riding, and groups often wear the same team kit. It’s all a bit too coordinated.
We rode to Lake Garda which I hadn’t been to in more than 30 years. Now, the part we rode through was covered in camping grounds and theme parks. It was underwhelming. I realise we just went to the south eastern corner, but after some lunch, we were pleased to get away.
There were some nice waterways, away from the lake and we followed a large river along newly laid bike paths – Eurovelos 6 and 7.
As we neared Mantova, we decided to book some accommodation and the rain arrived while we were standing there. On with the wet weather gear but 5 minutes later it was off again as the showers disappeared.
We stayed on a hotel near the station which was ok. It backed on to the main street and it was a 10-15 minute walk into the surprisingly beautiful town of Mantova.
It was Saturday night and everybody was out for drinks and dinner. We wandered around looking like three homeless guys. For this small trip, we cut back on gear to make the cycling easier. That meant Franklin had only shorts and flip flops and the brightest yellow jacket in existence. I only had my riding sandals, but it was cold so I had socks with them. Dennis just always looks homeless.
We had dinner in a trattoria with an Albanian waitress who translated and looked after us. She recommended the tortellini with donkey ragout which was nice and different. She even called us a cab when the heavy rain started, and after a hair raising trip through the narrow lanes, we were safely home.