Unfortunately, our stay in Italy didn't work out quite the way we thought it would! We had planned a romantic weekend in Florence at a charming little resort to celebrate our anniversary (We found it when when we visited Florence for the first time .What is that expression, "man plans and God laughs". Well, there's always another time.
The trip through Italy was pleasant. The scenery was interesting and we were really surprised at how much Genoa has grown. Italy tends to build tunnels through the lesser Alps. In fact,"Italy" stands for "Italian Tunnels Are Long, Yes."
As we approached the border, the size of the Alps really started to get serious! It never ceases to amaze me how the riders in the Tour de France (with or without drugs) can navigate these mountains! I even felt sorry for our car! And, it was over 100 degrees and I do not exaggerate! But, oh the vistas were truly amazing. Around every twist and turn, the views were more spectacular than the other. If I could, I would have pulled off the road where it was safe and started to sketch the mountains that we were traveling through. The cliffs, the colors, the crags created by nature, were overwhelmingly extraordinary!!!
We really lucked out because part of the route we traveled will be closed for the Tour in two days and we hadn't even thought to check that out. As in previous years, the towns that host the Tour are really decked out to welcome the riders and all the visitors that flood in to town for the festivities. We've seen two Tours in progress and it is a several hour commitment because the roads close early and you have to be in place to get a spot in the front of the crowd. In one place, we had a perfect location and prior to the arrival of the riders, we were bombarded with all kinds of little souvenirs that are thrown to the crowd by the Tour Sponsor Trucks - bags, hats, candy, cookies, fans, a T-shirt. And, before it turned out that my hero had clay feet, we watched him being crowned the best of the best on the Champs-Elysee several times!
But, I digress. After going up and down too many mountain passes on roads not fit for a donkey, we were ready to turn in our GPS! At one point, on a non-road, with no room to turn around, traffic was stopped while something bigger than us tried to navigate the "road". We followed it since everything had to stop for it. Later, we learned that we were on a "road" that had been destroyed by a mudslide and was in the process of being rebuilt. (At home the road would ave been closed!)
