Caiazzo!!

Tonight I am in Caiazzo, Italy.  After last night’s non-adventure in a tiny country village, this is a real treat:  a city with stores and restaurants and people!!  I arrived at 1pm, realizing that I told the owners of the apartment that I’d arrive at 3pm.  So, I changed in the alley into some appropriate dining attire and made my way to the restaurant around the corner. 

Halfway through my meal, the waiter said the B&B owner was sending over the keys and that he would walk me over and check me in after I finished lunch.  I guess in a small town like this, everyone knows everyone.  

After checking in, my usual routine commenced:  shower and nap.  I am really starting to love this life!  Bike all day, sleep all evening and then check out the town at night.  The towns out here really come alive at night!   

Looking back in the direction from which I traveled, I was thinking how amazing it is to travel by bike.  When I have visited in the past, I’d either ride the bus or rent a car, always traveling with someone else.  It’s one thing to share this experience, but it’s really cool to do this alone.  Riding through these small towns and being forced to communicate in order to get food, directions or to do something as simple as checking into a hotel is really fun. Taking the back roads, for the most part has been the perfect experience.  Today, however, was a little different.  Today was big ass truck day.  Gone are the quiet mountain roads with cars passing slowly every 10 minutes or so…..  I could definitely tell I was leaving the mountains and getting closer to the big cities by the amount of traffic I was experiencing.  For the most part, cars and trucks have been respectful but more than a couple of times trucks whizzed by me with little concern for the amount of room between us.  And the roads aren’t very wide to begin with!!  There are no shoulders in Italy!

Trucks going up a 10% grade and a truck coming down…  Not enough room for both so I pulled over to let them figure it out.  

As white knuckled as today was, I am going to miss the streets of Italy.  They’ve challenged me and rewarded me time and time again.  

Tomorrow, after 50 quick miles, I will arrive in Sorrento.  I’m not ready for this trip to end, but it’s time.  I miss Toby and I miss my bed.  I’ve also been dealing with some work issues today which is a reminder that it’s time to go home.  

But first…

I am eating my way across Italy!!!  Good night, friends!