CRASH

It was my best ride yet.  

Ged and I drove to Rimini on the east coast of Italy on Friday morning for some riding and camping by the sea.  That afternoon, we headed out on our bikes up into the mountains until reaching San Marino.  The climbs were beautiful—miles of lush valleys, the bluest of skies. 

I was pushing myself and feeling great; I didn’t even downshift to the small chainring.  We rode about 45 km before deciding to turn around. 

The downhill rush was incredible.  I felt like one those Olympic bobsleds just blazing down the pavement without effort.  

My body leaned and bent with every twist and turn as if it were the most natural thing in the world.  And when the descent was just about finished, it happened:  I miscalculated the sharpness of a turn and crashed into a guardrail.  Hard.

At first, I didn’t realize how serious the damage was.  I was laughing because of how stupid the mistake was, but when I looked down at my bike I wasn’t laughing anymore.  I severed my carbon fork, bent my wheel irreparably and scratched up my handlebars.

And in that moment, I cried.  I didn’t care about the blood streaming down my arms or legs as I bent over the guardrail.  I was in more pain looking at the dismemberment of my week-old Bianchi. 

Ged squirted water over my wounds while I wept on the side of the ride.  Ten minutes later, a family in a nearby house escorted us into their home, assessed my wounds and drove me to the hospital.  Although they spoke no English and I spoke no Italian, I felt comfortable and safe with these perfect strangers.  They were constantly offering ice packs, glasses of water and wet towels to wipe off the dirt and blood.

The hospital visit was quick and painless.  The emergency room tech disinfected my road rash and bandaged my gashes.  Lying on the table, my body would occasionally jolt from a sob, and in broken English the tech would ask, “Why crying?  Pain?”  I simply told her that it was my that bike I was ailing me, not my body.

Here are some pictures of the story I just told you:

Our sweet little campsite.  Taken just before we set out on The Ride:

Leaving the hospital in San Marino:

Fresh wounds:

Sleeping in the tent that night was probably not the best choice, but I love sleeping outside and I didn’t want to leave.  We had only just gotten to Rimini. 

SATURDAY

Some early morning reading in the fresh outdoors:

We spent all day in the sun.  I wanted to let my boo-boos breathe after having been wrapped up in gauze the whole night.  

If this beach is any indication of what other Italian beaches might be like, then I’m in for a treat.  There were all shapes and sizes here—young, old, fat, skinny, half-nude, hairy.  I got a real chill vibe that made me not care about the hideous gashes on the left side of my body.  I really appreciated this easy-going atmosphere because some South Florida beaches are full of judgmental and plastic people. 

Ged took some shots of the day-old injuries:

MY POOR BIKE!

 

SUNDAY

Ged’s boss scored some tickets to the Italian Gran Premio, a big motorbike race just outside Florence, so I spent all day in the sun again.  

I was limping around and trying to put on a happy face while Ged and his boss gallivanted around the paddock area.  

It's quite funny actually because the really famous Italian rider Valentino Rossi fell off his bike too and couldn't compete in the race.  I feel your pain, bro.

The best part of the day was watching the crowd rush the track after the last race finished.  People went nuts!  There were mopeds speeding around, people burning flags and motocrossers tearing up the sand pits at the track’s edges.  

Ged's pics:

Here's the man himself:

It was a LONG day.

I was glad to get back home to my apartment and clean my wounds.  The one on my arm started to turn colors and I could feel the bandages on my leg beginning to stick to my skin.

TODAY

I went to the bike store where we got the bike and talked with two guys who worked there.  They said to leave the bike there and call back tomorrow afternoon to find out their assessment.  I’m nervous because I know it’s going to cost a lot, but I’m determined to fix this problem.

Ever been in a really terrible accident involving a bike?  Do tell.

Going to a MUSE concert tomorrow.  If you haven't heard of them, look 'em up!

No Internet = Long Blog Post

Hi.  I haven’t had Internet since Tuesday morning on account of moving into our new place.

So let’s start there.

THE NEW PLACE

We were staying in a dorm-style apartment temporarily last week until Ged and I could move into our more permanent place in Florence on June 1.  The new place is north of the center of the city and right next to a tasty vegan/vegetarian restaurant called “Il Vegetariano.” 

Let me be straight up with you:  We’re living in a freaking historical monument.  It’s called the Palazzo Pandolfini and it’s actually listed as an historic building on one of my maps.  It has its own Web site.

We’re all the way up at the top in an attic-like room.  Getting there is quite the task. 

I have four different keys for four different doors.  Let’s just say I feel safe inside this 500-year-old fortress.

Let me take you through a step-by-step process of how to get to my apartment.

Giant front door:

Another big wooden door:

And a glass door behind that, which leads to a room with antique paintings and furniture:

Walk to the teeny-tiny elevator and press "2":

Go up some stairs (I've tripped a few times on these because it gets really dark in here):

Go up some more stairs:

And you're in!  This is the living room.

Kitchen table with bedroom behind the arches:

Bike by the door:

This place is definitely the most unique place I've ever stayed in, and it's cute in it's own way.

The only problem is the kitchen/lack of kitchen.  There's no oven and the stove is something I would take with me on a camping trip.

TUESDAY

I had a delicious lunch at "Il Vegetariano."  Some sort of seitan concoction with yellow rice and a mixed salad.  Yum.

And then I tried to ride Ged’s “Lunchtime Ride” but ended up getting lost for an hour and a half.  A nice Italian man tried to help me with directions when I was stopped on a corner looking dazed and confused, but he only spoke Italian, and alas, I don’t.  I kept trying to tell him that I didn’t understand but he kept going with a big smile and eccentric hand gestures.  I listened anyway and then pedaled away when he was done.  I eventually found my way back.

Dr. Pandolfini, the man who owns our building and lives there as well, caught me with my bicycle in the building and told me that I can’t bring it in anymore.  He said the floors I was wheeling my bike over were too old and delicate for bicycles.  Looks like we’ll be storing our bikes in Ged’s car, and I’ll just have to take off the wheel when I put it away.

WEDNESDAY

Wednesday was wet.  I went for a walk in search of a large supermarket and then the heavens opened up and soaked the streets.  I stood in someone’s doorway for 30 minutes while the rain poured and people skipped over puddles. 

I ended up staying inside most of the day and started watching Ged’s collection of “Rescue Me” DVDs.  It’s a pretty good show.

We headed to the MUV Music Festival in Cascine Park.  Basically, it was like this:  Throbbing bass, neon-colored lights, three cups of wine, funky dance moves.  It took place in a mini-colosseum.  Quite cool.

I'm not exactly sure what happened to the lighting in this next.  I think a spotlight just happened to shine on us when I snapped the photo.  Regardless, we look pretty cool.  Especially Ged.

AND FINALLY, TODAY

Today is wet as well.  I just got back from an indoor produce market.  There was A LOT of meat, and I was definitely grossed out by the slabs of bloody ribs hanging everywhere.  But the fruit and veggies were good.  I didn’t take any pictures because my camera’s battery is dead.

I managed to pick up:

• strawberries
• bananas
• oranges
• Fuji apples (my fav)
• sundried tomatoes
• sultanas
• almonds
• cashews
• walnuts

I might have splurged a little...

Lunch was another delicious experience at Il Vegetariano.  Tasty bean and lentil dish with sesame carrots, yellow rice and salad.

**BERLIN PROJECT UPDATE

I just found out that my professor has made a rough draft of the Web site showcasing all of the student projects from the Berlin photojournalism study abroad trip I did a couple weeks back.

Here's the Web site

My project is the one labeled "London-born musician looks to become grounded in Berlin."