A symphony of forks... that's what dinner-time sounds like as I step out onto my balcony, my gateway to real Italy. The sound of a fork clanging as it hits a ceramic pasta bowl. That's the sound of Italy that I've been searching for. It's surprisingly everywhere in the little back alleys of Verbania. I don't know if it's because Italians tend to drop their forks during impassioned dinner conversation, if it's more evident because everyone here has their windows open to let in the brisk mountain air as the sun drops behind the curtains of the Alps... I don't know, but in all the years I lived in Philadelphia, I never noticed this cacophony that is a symphony to my ears. Maybe it's because everyone here eats at the same time. It's like they're all in sync with the church bells or something. Everyone in Verbania must agree that 8:30 is dinner time.
Either way, I decided to contribute to the symphony tonight. The grocery store and my little kitchenette were calling. After a quick run through the supermarket before they closed (at 7PM, we're not in America anymore), I had a bag filled with everything I'd need to make myself some pasta. May I present Penne alla giardiniere... pasta the gardeners way. Pasta with eggplant, zucchine, roasted pepper, onion, garlic and basil. Plus a little mozzarella di bufala (it's still on sale so I stocked up). The dish was totally worth getting soaked by a thunderstorm on the walk back from the market, and I'm building up quite a little pantry in the process. I'll never stay in a hotel again.
So, besides cooking and eating, I also went for one hell of a ride today. It was only 43 miles, but there was this 4000ft mountain involved, up to Mottarone. The climb from Baveno is 20km long with an average grade of 6.2%, climbing 4108 vertical feet. It was really tough, especially because I was tired from yesterday. And, it wasn't a nice consistent climb either. There were some flatter parts and then quite a few long sections above 12%, sometimes hitting over 15%. It hurt, but finally I got to the top, where the ski lift-type thing from Baveno ended. The funny thing was that Enrico, the apartment manager told me I should take the lift up and then ride around up there. When I told him that I was going to ride up, he looked at me like I was nuts. So, yeah, maybe I am.
The descent was awesome! Nice wide road unlike yesterdays goat path! Luckily at the top I was able to stop and put on my arm warmers and grab some old newspaper from a bar for insulation. They must get that request a lot, because when I asked the lady, she knew I wasn't looking to read the paper. By the time I got rolling, it was a little chilly and the fog had rolled in at the top. There was nothing really to see unfortunately, but it must be beautiful on a clear day.
The rest of the ride was a flat 15km back into Verbania. But it was a race... a race to beat the rain. And I won by the skin of my teeth. I swear, the moment I opened the door the rain came down. And it rained for hours. Trapped without an umbrella, I made myself some lunch and took a nap. I was beat! Plus what else was I to do with the rain pouring down? Finally it stopped, and that brings me to the grocery store and dinner, as you've heard already.
I think the most interesting thing so far has been running into (not literally) the herding animals along the roads. Yesterday, as I was descending the goat path, make it sheep path, I ran into a herd of sheep. They were European sheep of some sort, taller with longer dangling ears. I stopped because the last thing I wanted to do was hit a sheep. They look fluffy, but I think it would hurt. Today, I saw an even bigger pack of pigs grazing on the side of the road. I didn't know that pigs roamed around mountains, but they were definitely pigs. Strange.
The riding here is definitely hard. Either I am in poorer shape than last year (probably), my legs are not yet ready for this much climbing (also likely) or the climbs are just harder (don't know until I get them on Strava). Either way, they're tough but I am having lots of fun. I must not be doing that badly because I pass or drop every cyclist I run into along the climbs. And it's not that I'm trying to go that fast, I'm just going my tempo. I can't imagine going any slower. I don't want the climbing to last any longer! I mean, I love climbing, but in the moment you always want it to be over and I'm always wondering, why the hell am I doing this to myself? But that's what I'm here for.
Well, with that all said, I look forward to tomorrow. Who knows what the forecast will be like, but maybe I'll get lucky again. That's all for now. Back to sleep.
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