We had to sprint through Italy and France
We can't believe how far we have come along
Cycling in Barcelona was easy and very safe
Milan canals provided great access to the city by bicycle
The only issue we had with the cycleways were some of the route designs. It seemed like the planners were mainly focused on safety and never cycled themselves. For example, to get through a roundabout, they propose crossing the side roads which adds another 100 meters or sometimes lead you completely the wrong way.Cyclists-only path at the waterfront of Imperia, Italy
Cycling infrastructure in Barcelona was world class
For cheese you start with the lightly flavoured ones (something like ricotta), then a stronger yellow one (parmesan), and then the real stinky stuff (blue). We've been told not to drink water afterward, it's better enjoyed with wine. Also never touch smelly cheese - especially the blue cheese! When you want to eat some, only use the knife and fork to cut a piece and avoid using your fingers. They will become really smelly.
Selection of cheese we shared with our Montpelier host Clement
With bread we learned that the freshness of the baguette is really important. In the film Ratatouille, the bread has to make a crunchy sound showing it's freshness. The French love their morning baguettes, every morning we would see people carrying one or two baguettes home. Our memory of France is still fresh: look around the street and see people carrying a baguette with them - no matter the time of day.In July 2018 whilst in Bishkek (Kyrgyzstan), we met Bruno in the city square as he was touring around Central Asia. He kindly invited us to his home back in Triest, Italy, if we ever pass that way. Well, in October 2019 we managed to get to Italy! It was a long time for a reunion, he thought we'd never get there! First day in Italy we got in touch with Bruno and he hosted us for 3 wonderful days. We learned so much about Triest's history as part of Italy and Slovenia.
In August 2018 we met the Pareti family in Sary-Tash (Kyrgyzstan) inside a small restaurant. They had been travelling on their four-wheel drive vehicle through the Pamirs. They too kindly invited us to visit them in Italy and in October 2019 we stayed with them right before we left Italy! We stayed for two nights and had a nice time with them, visiting small Italian villages, trying Italian cheese and some local food from their hometown of Cuneo.
In October 2018 we met Clement while staying at the same WarmShowers host in Bukhara (Uzbekistan). Clement was much faster than us so he got home to France before we did. Finally a year later we arrived at his place in Hyères (France) but only had time to stay a night. It was a big shame because we missed out on wake boarding behind a boat the next day! We still had a great night together eating aperitif up a castle at sunset and meeting his baby girl Anna.
Eric being playful with Magali as we took this photo
The next day rolled over quickly and we all got into Magali's car heading to Revest-les-Roches. The weather had improved a lot, the sky was blue and views weren't blocked by clouds anymore. We arrived with some red wine to share. It wasn't something we usually drink but it was something our host would surely enjoy. The star of the meal was the fresh homemade aïoli sauce. Everything else did not need seasoning because the sauce was the star of the meal. The sauce was cold, smelled of garlic and yellow. The taste of aïoli is very strong, hitting your nose similar to wasabi. This was completely different to what we remembered in New Zealand: white, lightly garlicky and not the star of the meal.
Rochelle serving up some vegetables
Simonetta and Pheng having an after lunch nap
We spent an entire afternoon together at their home, soaking in the lovely sun and enjoying the valley view. Such warm hospitality we haven't received since the Middle East.
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