San Gimignano

Today we went for a day trip to San Gimignano - this pedestrianized hilltop town boasts 14 towers in it's skyline. In it's day, it was a mass of stone towers as local affluent people built towers as a display of wealth and power, all vying for the tallest tower.

It was a hot day, 35 degrees and moderately busy. The drive from San Felice was a bit twisty and at one point we stopped so I could get some fresh although hot air! We enjoyed walking the streets and the shops of San Gimignano, stopping occassionally for a refreshing Gelato from the "World Champion Gelato Maker" shop in town or a cold drink in one of the beautiful Piazza's.

On the return journey back to our hotel we tried the GPS that came with the car, not sure how we got back but we did although not the route we would have chosen on the map! Had a nice run once back along the road to Bossi, very quiet and almost met darkness on our return. Glad it was quiet as I was wearing black with no reflection!

Dinner on the patio tonight with the Canadian waitress as of last night. She commented in a roundabout way how nice and polite the Canadian guests always are compared to some of the more onerous nations around the world! Tomorrow we have a tour of the winery where we are staying and plan to go on to the town of Cortona.

Chianti Country

We started the day with a run - it was hard going with the sun beating down on us but a great way to pick up some colour! With the Hotel package there was a trip to the spa included. Neil gracefully declined, ;-) but I gave it a go! Lots of "wine therapy" the most beneficial I think was the actual glass of wine I received! We headed out by car to explore Chianti Country. First stop Gaiole in Chianti where it was really warm as we walked around. Most of the shops were closed with the heat of the day. Next stop Badia A Coltibuono, a winery. Some of their wines are available in Canada so we were somewhat familiar with them. They have a nice gift shop where we picked up a few items. Next stop Radda in Chianti which was bustling with tourists. Awesome views and some great gift shops. We stopped for some Bruscetta and Coffee before heading on to Castellina in Chianti. I found the leather shop that 10 years ago I bought a hand bag at and sure enough on this trip, there was a pair of shoes which I desperately needed! We stopped for a cold drink before driving back to our hotel. The evening was so peaceful and with the temperatures dropping to 25 degrees this evening, we went for a run down the hill and back up with the sun setting on the Tuscan hills...nice! Tonight we enjoyed dinner on the outdoor patio, our waitress was from Quebec City, Canada so we had a good chat...concluding that Canada was a good place to live! Tomorrow we are off to San Gimignano one of the most famous and picturesque towns in Tuscany.

A Bike Ride in Tuscany, a Visit to Siena.

The temperature felt cooler when we set out for a bike ride this morning - it didn't take long for the air to warm up and so did we with all the hills we set out to conquer! The bikes had quite heavy tires which made the hills a little more challenging. We managed fine and did not have to get off to push although when we were going down a large hill section I had little faith that I could ride back up. Amazing how if you use the gears in a timely way you can get to the top! It was so peaceful and the scenery spectacular to ride a bike here in Tuscany. It was hard work and very hot but well worth the effort!

We showered up and then drove to the city of Siena. We had a few challenges finding a place to park the car and almost went in on the "Exit" in a parkade which provided some entertainmnet for the locals! First stop, Piazzo Del Campo for a cold drink. It was spectacular to sit and watch the lively Piazzo filled with people and activity. It is a fan shaped sloping wide open space that is home to the biannual Palio horse race. Next stop the Duomo, passing many nice shops along the way. The Duomo is a massive Gothic cathedral which has many pieces of art. It was hot so our inside visit was brief. The rest of the time was spent enjoying walking the streets of Sienna. We bought local bread, cheese, olives and wine for a simple but venerable feast back at San Felice where we discussed plans for tomorrow's Tuscan adventure!

Good to be Back Under the Tuscan Sun!

Some of the Grapes here at San Felice.


Running the road here in Tuscany - nice!


Grapes ripening!


The view from our room at San Felice.


The Notting Hill Carnival.


Yesterday in London we took in the Notting Hill Carnival. We put our packs on and ran in the direction of Notting Hill, as we approached it became apparent that the police were plentiful and perhaps we should stop running through the crowds. There were thousands of police officers and the crowd was fairly well behaved despite the open street drinking of alcohol and the popularity of the Rum Punch and Red Stripe beer! The roar of the police helicopter overhead played a heavy presence on the crowds. We didn't sty long but it was interesting to experience the street party. We then went on to enjoy dinner at "Jamie's Italian" in Covent Garden. Both the food and the atmosphere were great. Today, it was an early rise to catch our flight to Florence. We have 5 days at an incredible winery/hotel in Tuscany. We picked up a car at the Florence Airport - the drive was crazy despite the GPS trying to tell us the way! We went wrong at some point but eventually arrived at our destination. It was a warm day in Tuscany 33 degrees when we arrived. After becoming acquainted with the property we set out for a drive to pick up the essentials for the room. Prior to dinner, we went for a run on the road passing the burgeoning grape vines that are loaded with deep purple grapes as the approaches. Olive trees compete for space amongest the vineyards and they too bear a heavy crop of delightful promise! Nice challenging hill to run back to the hotel and then onto dinner at the hotel. Outdoor dining - very posh, nice food, great service and lovely setting. Tomorrow we plan to go to Siena - hopefully the drive and parking the car will be OK!

20 Miles in London

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It's amazing what jet lag will do for you! We woke quite early in London and were ready to head out for the day. We had pre-planned a 20 mile running route while we were here. There was no hesitation - we filled our hydration packs, put our packs on and were out the door. The route took us through Hyde Park, Holland Park, down Earl's Court Road, over to Battersea Bridge, Battersea Park (nice park!), over the Chelsea Bridge, along Grosvenor Road to the Vauxhall Bridge, back to the South Side and the Albert Enbankment. We followed the South Bank all the way to Tower Bridge passing the Houses of Parliament, London Eye, Tower of London and lots of tourists. Over Tower Bridge to the Victoria Embankment walkway to the Houses of Parliament where we picked up Bird Cage Walk, passed Buckingham Palace to Grosvenor Place to Wellington Arch where we started 20 miles before. The body is feeling like this road and concrete is going to hurt tomorrow!

So Much Snow!

It's mid August and the snow is very abundant on the mountains here in Vancouver. It looks like the snow is not going away this season. Today we met in the Cypress Bowl parking lot to climb Hollyburn Mountain and Mount Strachan. It was cold to start and we put on a few layers. It didn't take long for us to warm up - hills will do that to you!

I like the climb up Hollyburn - challenging but nothing too crazy for technicality. Once on the top of Hollyburn you can take a steep trail down that leads over to Strachan. It took a bit of route finding in the snow but we did well. This trail is very technical and steep and especially tricky when it is covered in snow and water. Slippery! I pulled up the rear and occasionally heard Neil shout from ahead "are you gals OK?" I think I even got "do you still love me?" There was a silent pause before I replied "I think so!" We had plenty of good laughs out there today. The funniest moment was when Wendy startled me when I was crouched behind a bush. We laughed so hard we were both shedding tears. I can still hear Wendy laughing and I'm sure it is an image she won't forget! ;-)

Going up Strachan we popped out onto the ski run near the top. The flies were bad in this area but seemed to only be bad here today. I have had a bad reaction to these flies before so coat myself in bug spray to hopefully deter them to a bagger companion.

Once on top we had a visit from a Whisky Jack. Dave very kindly share his food from his hand and the top of his head! That bird will have some food stored for winter - it took us a few tries before we captured the perfect photos!

We came down the ski runs which transitioned from snow to rocky slippery ground. I've come down this slope 3 times now and must admit it is not my favourite surface to run on. Once down we headed to the Black Bear for a bite to eat. That's 2 more bags completed!


At the top of Hollyburn - misty and snowy!


Dave perfecting the feeding of the Whisky Jack!


Nice one!


Snow!

A Visit to the Plane Crash on Grouse Mountain

Tonight we did a mid week outing to Grouse Mountain. Neil has often talked about going to the site of the plane crash on Grouse. We met up with Dave, Liza and Craig and were on our way by 6:15. In 1954 a US Air Force pilot flying an F86 Sabre crashed his jet into the side of Grouse Mountain. The F86 was fully armed with 24 rockets. There is lots of speculation of what went wrong. The jet was flying with an estimated velocity exceeding 760 mph when it plowed into the trees and mountain at the 2700 foot elevation near a cabin located a few hundred feet from the chair lift. A 1000 foot swath was cut through the trees and the wreckage was strewn over a wide area. The crash killed the pilot who was still strapped in his seat.(Sources: Vancouver Sun, Vancouver Province and Tacoma News Tribune archives)

There is a nice memorial plaque on a tree with the remains of the jet engine. The family has created a log book for visitors to sign and information about the crash is displayed under plastic laminate.

It was a 2 hour outing tonight - well worth the visit!