Europa eh'

Alps from my bird.

Of course I couldn't make it easy. Originally I booked a hotel in Venice, but on the way I heard that getting around the streets with a bike box and my other stuff would border on boot camp training. So I tried to go to the campsite I originally looked at.
I took the bus the wrong direction, got off at the 2nd stop as I was told and spent 4hours hauling my bike box around trying to figure out what was going on.

A clarification about the Camp Site. You could bring a tent, or use a tent that is already there, or rent a prefab dorm-room by the bed, My prefab home away from home.

or bring in your RV, or get a rustica cabin. Plus they had a pool, an overpriced restaurant and internet (mostly). Really a pretty nice set up. Unfortunately the riding was not worth hanging out for, so after a visit to Venice to stare at dirty water and tourists wandering amongst the quaint, and yes beautiful, streets I hightailed it out of there.

Don't try to catch public transportation during a Catholic Holiday in Italy. Pentecost caused me a lot of headaches. Trains were full, so I decided to wing it by bus. That put me into the second most beautiful place I've to been this year. The Italian Dolomites.

That's a Whole Foods shirt, where he found his cheese passion....

Made a night of it there in Cortina, rode the WWII loop, then caught a bus out, finally on my last leg to Graz. On the Dolomite loop I rode to the top of a pass, where the ski lift stops and a restaurant was waiting for me with an espresso and the rap song, 'I don't want no short dick man' was gently playing in Muzac style while people sipped their espressos and a waitress cleaned berries.

"Awesome" is how I describe moments like that.

I rode the big climb of the Worlds course today, and I'll post some pics later..

I have to say thank you to all the people who have donated to this trip. I swear I'm not blowing it on "my european vacation." This trip is the opportunity of a lifetime and you can bet I'm going to make the most of it. Thank you for sending me here!