Ridin' for the Weekend.

This past weekend was spent riding the bicycle all over Cortona and the surrounding areas.

Saturday

We camped on Lago Trasimeno at this place.  Lots of Dutch people!

Saturday ending up being 32km (20mi) in 1.5 hours.  We stopped and walked around a lot once we reached the summit.

There was even a wedding taking place in the City Hall when we arrived.

And some really amazing shadows.  These are for you, professor Freeman...

One really interesting thing Ged pointed out while we were sitting in the square was how many happy-looking old people there were.

He continued on to say how people who live in tight-knit communities tend to live longer, healthier lives. 

While I agree with what he was saying, I couldn't help but think “Yea, you may be right, but how often do these people leave and explore the world?”  I mean, I do think it’s important to have a strong sense of community, but on the other hand, I think it’s just as important to spread your wings and break away from it all in order to find out about yourself and grow without your family and childhood friends forever determining who you’ve been and who you are.

But he is right though, there’s something about having a stable network of people around you as a support base and a social outlet that benefits the health.

Any thoughts out there?



Moving on to Sunday...


We did a BIG ride on Sunday from our campsite to Montepulciano then to Pienza.  MY FIRST METRIC CENTURY EVER.  That's 100 km (~62mi).


Even though we got a little lost on our way back from Montepulciano, I still enjoyed the ride.  I admit I was dog tired by the end of it and maybe a little cranky but I survived.

We saw a lot of different stuff on our ride:

A bike race going on

Awesome wine cellar that was featured in the movie Twilight

Cute dogs...

Sunflower fields

And incredible views, of course

Ok, so I lied.  We actually ended up riding 116km (72mi).  But that's only because we got a little lost...

Not sure when I'll have Internet next, so I'll post whenever I get the chance in the next few days.

Tomorrow is a long hike through CINQUE TERRE.  Beautiful pictures to follow...

Ciao,
~Amanda