A good early start…..for a day like a game of two halves…except it was rather a game of four quarters…with a prologue!
The prologue involved a lovely early morning ride from Scilla…down to the ferry at Villa San Giovanni…to take us across to Messina (Sicily)
Pulling up to the ferry….we asked…..”where can we buy tickets”? “Just go that way”..they said, directing us straight on to the boat! A bit of a classic really! No ticket…no problem! Bicycles are free on all Greek and Italian ferries….but cyclists? I think not…..! Not normally! No worries!!
A short 20 minute ride later…..and we were pulling in to Messina!
And five minutes later we were visiting the same bike shop
I had visited four years ago!! Funny, that! Three tyres pumped full of gunk….(missing sealant!)…(We did not dare touch the problematic tyre…for it is holding air! And if it ain’t broke….do not touch!…sort of thing!).
And we were off!
For breakfast first…then….the first of the aforementioned quarters!
A glorious windy (nothing to do with wind!) climb through the hills…straight up to 550m…with no traffic (you have got to love some of the motorway junctions…this leaving Messina!)
And down again…..
To the second 20km quarter…which was on exactly the same SS113 road…but full of traffic as the urban environment seemed to go on for yonks!
So we detoured to the absolute coast…and had 20km of lovely riding…albeit down a fairly ho hum coastline! Plenty of aquaparks…not a lot of soul.
And so to the final quarter….and another glorious 550m climb into the hills again.…on empty roads (..it seems that whenever the roads get a bit tricky…all cars etc join the Autostrada which has been running parallel all day!!)..
….and a wonderful flowing descent back down to the coast again! All but deserted!
Not a great apartment….with our host arguing that we had booked only for one person (hence only one towel!)…whilst acknowledging that we had paid for two!! Go figure!!
It is always “difficult” travelling as two but not sleeping together…and none of the booking apps actually work as they should! Twice on this trip, the host has locked the second bedroom… because two can evidently “fit” in only one bedroom…and it saves on laundry etc! Irritating!! As I keep saying…if we only needed one bedroom…why book and pay for two?!! Ho hum!
The beach was only 100m away….so off I went…..!
The local restaurant however made up for our apartment irritation! Laughed at our beer intake! But supplied great food!! Beef Tagliata for me…yum!!
