Verona - biking, Shakespeare, friends, and more wine (well, duh!)

Fri, Sept 12, 2014

Bike ride

Another early morning, this time packing up after 4 days in one place and on to Verona!  Tracy booked a bicycle wine tour for us, which at first sounds great, but after several glasses of wine you start wanting a van to bring you back to the start, but I'm jumping ahead of myself.  I was looking forward to the biking, to see the city that inspired Shakespeare's story "Romeo and Juliet" (being a former theater person), and also seeing our long-lost friend, Fathi.

Ok, he wasn't lost, but Fathi used to work with Joe oh-so-many years ago, and since he moved to France, we haven't seen him for 9 years.  He has since gotten married, and we were looking forward to re-uniting with him and meeting his wife.  Which was the first thing we did once we got to Verona - met them for breakfast while Ed and Tracy checked into the apartment and kindly lugged our bags in.  Seeing Fathi again was so great, especially for Joe.  He hasn't changed much over the years and I knew this would be a fun day.  His wife Theresa is very sweet, and as the day went on and I got to know her better, is very funny as well.  With the weather looking good, I was anticipating a great day!

We met up with Tracy and Ed, introduced people, then met our bike guide, Michela (or Mike).  We got fitted on our bikes, put our helmets on, and started out on the most dangerous part of our trip - avoiding getting hit by cars or running over people in the crowded streets of the walled part of Verona!  A little nerve-wracking, but I gotta tell ya, by the end of the day, I wasn't phased by it at all.

We rode by the castle in the city (yeah, there's a castle or 2), left the wall and got on the bike path.  That's when I really started to see how pretty Verona is.  With a river flowing next to it, the bike path was lined with trees and bushes, creating a very peaceful area apart from the city.  Over the next couple of hours, we rode on the bike path, over a 1 lane bridge, up and down hills, through a tiny town, past vineyards where we tasted the sweet grapes (yeah, I don't know if we were supposed to but Fathi made me do it!), then into a little square where we stopped for lunch.  This is where I realized Michela's job is pretty sweet as he sat at the table with us, eating good food, drinking good wine, and laughing.  He said different groups are different and some are very easy (like ours, of course) because we're so awesome, I mean, very friendly, know how to ride bikes, and easy going.  Other groups can be a little difficult and that makes for a long day.  Still, it could be another career for me if we move here...

Eventually we had to get back on our bikes and make our way through the beautiful countryside to the Valentino Cubi winery.  Wow, more wine.  Well, OK!  A woman brought us down to the cellar and explained how the wines were made, but I couldn't hear her very well.  And honestly, I didn't really care.  I know that sounds so bad, but we had just had a bunch of wine at lunch, and I just wanted to try their wine and hear about it then.

Finally the 7 of us sat down and a very dapper Italian man wearing a scarf (like women do) began to pour and explain the wines.  On a recent Facebook post, I talked about how generous Italians are, and this was proven again in the generous pours they gave us for tastings.  These were very tasty wines, and I did NOT want to dump any out, but the long bike ride back was looming in my mind and I didn't know if there would be any more hills.  I did ask Michela once or twice if there was a support van that could come get us.  He just laughed (then ignored me, so I guessed the answer was no).  I SOOOO much wanted to buy some of this delicious wine, but how I would fit it into my pack was beyond me.  Oh, and about his scarf?  Lots of men here wear them I noticed later, but he was really able to carry it off!

Back on our bikes we go and aim for Verona center.  About the bike ride - Fathi and Joe were in the back the whole time thick as thieves and at one time almost got lost because they weren't keeping up.  The rest of us changed positions throughout the ride, chatting with each other at various points when we could ride next to each other.  The bikes were pretty nice, although Tracy lost her chain at the beginning, then I think Fathi's chain came off as well.  No biggie.  I will say, the bike seat was becoming more and more, uh, uncomfortable (if you know what I'm saying, ladies).  When we stopped again and had gelato, I was happy for more than one reason.

Filled with gelato, wine, pasta, bread, cheese, and prosciutto, we made the final ride back to the bike shop in Verona Center.

Later that evening we had dinner at a place that Michela recommended.  We sat outside under umbrellas, which was fortunate since it started to rain!  Tracy was pretty tired but she somehow rallied.  I got pizza but didn't take pictures because the pizza really wasn't that good, but was envious of Ed's soup which looked so warm (it was getting chilly by now).

The next day Fathi showed us Juliet's balcony.  "Romeo and Juliet" was written after William Shakespeare was inspired by the city of Verona, where the story is set.  As Fathi pointed out, it's a story.  Fiction.  As in, not real.  Yet, there is balcony in Verona that is dubbed Juliet's where everyone goes to visit, to see where Juliet, if she had been real, may have leaned out of, if she had lived here, which she would not have because it's in an alley and not in a nice house which is what she lives in, according to the story.  BUT, I studied theater, and felt the need to see it.

Then the 4 of us had lunch, then Fathi and Teresa left for Pisa for a wedding, but not before Fathi invited us to come to Nice and visit him.  Hmmm, we still have no plans for the week after Lucca, so definitely something to think about.  Then he said "I'll make Algerian food and Tiramisu for you!"  Well, that's just not fair.

Joe and I wandered around Verona a little bit, then joined up with Tracy and Ed, where we drove out of the city into the hills to a little store that, for just 12 euros a piece, we got to have a wine and food tasting.  It was really more of a meal than a tasting, because we got 2 large plates of various meats and cheeses, as well as a bottle of wine.  We were seated in the chilled basement of the store where it was beautifully lit and had tons of meats just hanging on the walls, curing.  Except for a group that came down for a few minutes, we had the whole place to ourselves.  It was such a cool environment.  Kudos to Tracy for finding this place!

As the sun began to set we drove back to our apartment, then walked up the stairs to an overlook of the city.  Many pictures were taken, then we quietly just soaked up the scene.  Our last night together (sob!) was completed with a game of hearts, Ed winning (again!), and some nice wine.