Oh no - I am 5% English!

I have my family tree on Ancestry.com, and a few years ago I did their DNA test which has been very interesting to investigate and discover relatives I didn't know I had. A few years ago, back in 2014, I did the National Geographic DNA test which told me that I was mostly European, but also that I was 2% DNA match to Native Americans. When I did the ancestry test it showed me as 97% Irish, and 3% Welsh. Not a big surprise, so far I have not found Welsh cousins - but given the proximity of Wales to Ireland I guess some DNA crossed the Irish Sea many years ago. 

In the past few days, Ancestry.com has sent me "updates" to my results which tell me that I am now just 94% Irish, but that I am also 1% Icelandic, and 5% English. I'm sure today's DNA research is much better than back in 2014, but I think I would think I would prefer to be 2% Native American than 5% English!

Geneva

To wind down after our Italian Job Tour, we decided to spend a few days in Geneva on the way home. We took the train from Milan to Geneva (about 4.5 hours) through the mountains and valleys of the Alps - a very nice comfortable way to travel, and not much longer than what a flight and airport checks would take. We stayed at the Hotel 9Paquis near the city centre and settled in for a few bike-free days. I had never been to Switzerland before. Roma had been there years ago and warned me that it would be an expensive place to stay. Boy was she right! On our first afternoon we stopped at the Pitstop Donut café on the Quai des Bergues overlooking the Rhone river for an aperol spritz (fast becoming my go-to holiday aperitif!) and I was shocked to discover that one would cost 16 francs (about €17).

We did a lot of walking and also used our free travel pass on the trams/trains/buses/ferries to get around. We went to the Musée d'Art et d'Histoire which was a great way to spend a couple of hours. We also went to see the Musée International de la Croix-Rouge et du Croissant-Rouge where we were fascinated by the archives of millions of records of missing people in war. Most shops were closed on Sunday, and a lot of other attractions were closed on Monday too. Eating out was expensive, so we went to the food markets where we got sandwiches and much cheaper wine. We also had to try a Swiss fondue - it is just an expensive way to eat a bit of steak.

We also enjoyed taking the free ferries across the lake to get a good view of the Jet d'Eau - one of Geneva's best known landmarks. 

Geneva was never on my Bucket List, and I think this is a been-there-done-that experience that I can tick the box on. It is a lovely city, very multi-cultural, very friendly, easy to get around - but soooo expensive. Not so sure that I will be back - I'd need the Lotto for another visit!

Enjoying an aperol spritz overlooking Lake Geneva.

Steak and chips - fondue style.

Jet d'Eau

Outside United Nations offices.

Rue de l'Hôtel-de-Ville.

The Italian Job - Reflections

Back home in a cold and wet Dublin, I already miss Italy and its roads. Some thoughts on our ride and experiences:

The Bike
The bike we had for the tour, a Harley-Davidson Road Glide Ultra, was excellent and comfortable for two. This was our second tour with Eagle Rider and I highly recommend them to all bikers.

The trip was 2,970 kms according to reading on my bike. We had every type of road and conditions that tested us all. Only four riders out of the nine bikes were Harley-Davidson owners, and many of the others struggled with the weight of the big bikes. It took me quite some time to get to grips with the many hair-pin turns in the mountains, but after a while I was having so much fun - bring it on! On the rainy days we stuck to the motorways for safety and comfort.

There was a lot of motorway riding. Even allowing for the rainy days, I felt there was far too much of this type of riding on the trip. All the motorways we were on were tolled, so each time the group had to enter and leave one-by-one - by the end of the trip I was fed up with this. I appreciate that we have to get from A to B (with hourly breaks for comfort stop) but riding on a motorway at 130 km/hour is hard work. 

The Sights
Italy is the place to go for sights and marvels, and we saw lots of them. Highs for me were: the Leaning Tower of Pisa, driving by Mt Vesuvius in Naples, the streets of Sorrento and Amalfi, the caves in Matera, the trullis in Alberobello, the Greek and Roman temples in Paestum, and of course Florence where we got to see the world famous statue of David and the Birth of Venus painting.

Food/Restaurants
We had too much food! The food in Italy is delicious and plentiful. Some days we would have a simple lunch at a motorway service station, other days we were dining on the street in style. Lots of pasta and pizza of course, with delicious wine to wash it all down (not during day!!!).

Hotels
All the hotels we stayed in were good. The best was the Trullo in Alberobello - brilliant restoration work for a unique place to stay. Incidentally, an aperol spritz here was €3.50 - later in the week when we were in Geneva, the same drink cost almost €17! Some hotels were quiet as the holiday season is at an end. We stayed in 10 different hotels throughout the tour. If I ruled the world I would make every shower unit the same in hotels!

Toilets
Why can't there be more toilets in Italy? Men are not used to queueing, but us guys had to wait a lot in restaurants where there was just one toilet for men and women. The women on the tour just said "welcome to our world". Motorway service stations were fine, but everywhere else seemed to leave us a bit short. Now that I am a Senior, I have learned never to pass up the opportunity to use the bathroom!

Group
Probably the best thing about the tour was the group we were with. With folks from Italy, Switzerland, Scotland, England, Australia, the United States, plus us from Ireland - we were a very multi-cultural group that seemed to gel and get on great right from the start. Strangers on Day 1, great friends by Day 15.

The Italian Job - Day 15

Our Italian Job trip is now over, and after 2,970 kms on the road it is time for us all to head our separate ways. We had an early start and thanks to our wonderful tour guide Stefano, we made it to Treviglio station for a 07:05 train to Milan Central. We had just 10 minutes to spare to get our train to Geneva, but we made it and have nice comfy seats to enjoy for the next 4 hours.

Day 15 is the official last day of the Italian Job, but it is really a departure day. We had a fantastic time over the past two weeks with a wonderful group of people with whom we had so much fun. We are off to Geneva for a few days to wind down before going home. I have never been to Switzerland before and am looking forward to getting there. I will write a reflection on the trip over the next couple of days.

What a bunch!

The Italian Job - Day 14

Our final day on the road started out in Florence in light rain. We set out early to try to avoid downpours, with partial success. Mostly dry today, but we needed the wet gear on for most of the day in case of showers. Our big stop today was at the Ferrari museum in Maranello. Not that many cars on display, but nonetheless fantastic to view. Our guide seemed keen to tell us how much each car on view was worth (up to to eight million euros). Some fantastic cars were on display - I especially enjoyed the old cars.

We continued on our way with many toll gates for the next few hours until we reached Treviglio where our tour started two weeks ago. Our farewell dinner was so much fun as we said goodbye to all the friends that we made over the past two weeks. Day 15 is the official wrap up - more tomorrow.

Some photos of the day… 

Roma with her new car!

Beers at the end of the ride.

More beer!

The Italian Job - Day 13

What a fantastic day of art and culture in Florence, or Firenze as the locals call it! This city is totally over-crowded with tourists, but well worth the effort to shuffle past thousands of people all visiting Firenze for the same reason as us. Our motorcycle free day started out with a three hour tour of the city centre. This was interesting in parts, but our tour guide was boring for most of the time. There is only so much about the Medicis that I can take, and after a while - one building’s architecture was just like the next. Firenze is beautiful with the magnificent Duomo at its centre. We crossed over the Ponte Vecchio bridge to see the Royal Palace, and came back to look at the outside of the Uffizi Gallery (I thought our guide had said “Graffiti Museum”!) I didn’t realise that this is where some famous Botticelli, Michelangelo, and Raphael paintings are held. Our tour ended in the Accademia Gallery where Michelangelo’s statue of David is located. Nothing prepares you the magnificence of this statue - I along with everyone else, stood in awe looking up at one of the world’s most famous statues. Amazing!

For lunch we moved away from the tourist spots and enjoyed Coccoli and an aperol spritz at the La Petite restaurant. Later we went back to the Uffizi gallery and to our surprise the queues were quite short, so we went in to see Botticelli’s Birth of Venus painting, plus many more magnificent pieces of art. By the end of the day we had culture overload, but we were so thrilled to get to opportunity to see this art in just the one day we had here.

Some photos of the day:

In front of the Ponte Vecchio bridge.

The most stunning backdrop to a selfie - ever!

Beautiful!

Eagle rider group photo in front of the Duomo.

The Duomo again.

Another glorious backdrop.

The Italian Job - Day 12

You meet the nicest people in Launderettes! Today was laundry day as I was down to my last jocks and socks, we spent nearly two hours in the launderette close to our hotel. First we had to wait for a free washing machine, and then needed two drying cycles. We had a great conversation with Jill and Dave from Ohio while we waited. I write this because this was basically the most exciting thing that happened today!

Watching our clothes dry.

We set out from Gubbio a little early, and we agreed as a group that we would go directly to Florence because there was going to be a lot of rain. We stopped on the way at lake Trasimeno near Perugia for a delicious coffee and cake. At first the rain stayed away, but the further north we got, the light rain started. It was only towards the end of the ride that the heavens opened. At least my arse remained dry because I used the old stuff a big cloth (we used t-shirts) under your crotch trick. It absorbs the water and keeps your arse dry. A little water did get into though my suit, so I hung out on the shower to dry.

Hung out to dry.

We had a nice lunch in Trattoria Il Giardino near our hotel - I have begun to really like gnocchi. The service was slow, but the food was great and worth waiting for. Later we went to a sushi restaurant and took a short break from Italian food.

At Kikkomi sushi restaurant.

Tomorrow is a free day in Florence and we have a group tour booked for the morning. We can’t believe that we have just one day on the road left, the holiday is going so fast. But we have enjoyed so much so far.

The Italian Job - Day 11

At 50 kms, today was a reasonably short day on the road. We left Montegranaro at about 09:00 to make the short trip to Harley-Davidson Civitanova and of course a chance to buy some H-D merch. I got a t-short and Roma picked a nice hoodie. It’s was a very expensive place to buy H-D merch, but then every H-D shop is the same. We enjoyed looking around the shop and they had some nice bikes to drool at. Most of the group made some purchases, so it was a nice start to the day for H-D Civitanova.

New t-shirt!

At Harley-Davidson Civitanova, Montegranaro.

We had a nice stop for coffee and fantastic cakes in a town called Foligno where our group leader Stefano‘s Dad lived - it was nice to see him meet so many family and old neighbours. 

At Stefano’s Dad’s gaff.

The highlight of the day was a visit to the city of Assisi (along with hundreds of other tourists). We had reserved parking close to the basilica, which was welcome. We walked up to the basilica and almost gasped at the beauty of it. Inside we saw the tomb of St Francis of Asssi where I placed prayer notes for family and friends. I also remembered two Franciscans in our family: Frs Theophilus and Hugh Murphy who were Capuchin missionaries in Zambia. Regardless of anyone’s religious beliefs, one cannot be but impressed with the beauty and simplicity of the church. Later we had lunch in a side street off Via St Francisco, and I bought a souvenir fridge magnet to bring home.

Via St Francis in Assisi.

Finally for today, it happened that I officially became a Senior upon reaching the age of 65. The tour group were fantastic in helping me mark the day with plenty of Happy Birthday wishes. It was also the birthday of Betty from the tour party, who is a little younger than me. In the evening we had an excellent dinner in Osteria dei Re in Gubbio old town - a great end to a fantastic day.

Happy birthday Betty and Eugene.

The Italian Job - Day 10

Today we travelled from Vieste to Montegranaro - a distance of over 350 kms, our second longest day on the road. Despite several thunderstorm warnings on our phones from the Italian Met service over the past few days (take note Met Éireann) we had escaped all the rain and had nothing but sunshine and blue skies on the tour so far. That all changed today with heavy rain all morning. We delayed our start by an hour, but when we got on the road at about 10 o’clock, it was pouring - for the next two hours we rode through the lashing rain. At the beginning of the ride there were lots of hills and hairpin bends - thankfully the pace was a lot slower, as riding conditions were very difficult. We were well protected with our rain gear, but despite this (and hundreds of euro spent on rain gear over the past 25 years) rain got though my suit - where else, but the crotch. I had a damp arse for the rest of the day.

Yellow alert - setting out from Vieste.

Waiting for this to pass.

We had no sight seeing stops or interesting places to visit today. Most of the ride today was on the A14 autostrada, and our stops were for comfort breaks and coffee/lunch/petrol. There were a lot of road works on the way, and we were also caught up in a serious incident that meant a lot of stop-start on the motorway. Eventually we reached our hotel at about 6 pm, and we were very releaved to finally arrive. Most of us made for the indoor swimming pool before a late dinner and early to bed.

Tomorrow promises much more interesting things to see and do - today (day 10) was unfortunately forgettable. Some more photos from today’s ride…

That’s Roma and me on the blue bike at the back of the line.

Going to the pool in our hotel.

A smiling Roma at one of our (dry) stops.

The Italian Job - Day 9

After the highlights of a brilliant time in Maratea, it as time to hit road again on the way to Vieste. We are now heading north again - it seems no time since we last left Ireland. Most of our riding today was in the morning, but again we had some fantastic twisty windy roads to ride on. Lots of hairpin bends, but on everyone of them my heart is in my mouth until we get past them. While I am getting better, I felt the pace on the twisty roads is just a bit too fast for me.

Once again we had a splendid lunch in a place called Capolemea Beach near Siponto - fantastic tasting ravioli, though service was a bit chaotic. This was also the first time since our honeymoon in 1986 that either of us had been to the Adriatic Sea. We had a romantic moment! We then made the short distance to our hotel in Vieste, where we had the first rain of the trip (just a minute).

Vieste is a lovely city and after check-in, Roma and I decided to check out the old town. This of course really meant stopping at a bar for an aperol spritz - of which I am getting too fond. We were joined by our new friends in the group and had a few drinks at the Carpenter bar in the old city. We had shared pizza and lots of laughs at the Pietro pizza restaurant - famous for its gourmet pizzas. 

We are expecting rain tomorrow morning.bit hopefully not too much.

Some photos from today…

 

Near Siponto.

At the Carpenter bar.

At the Adriatic for the first time since 1986.

Ready for the road!

The Italian Job - Day 8

Today was the shortest ride of the Italian Job tour - just 90 kms from Alberobello to Maratea. We woke up in the fantastic Trulli house, but had to leave it before 8 am. It would have been lovely to enjoy it a bit more. Following breakfast we stopped for some photo opportunities and then made our way to Altamura  where we had a brilliant private tour at the small La Cantina Ffrud wine museum. How it was created was a fantastic story and we had close up views of all the old wine making equipment on show. We had an early lunch at a bakery founded in 1391 which is still in use - delicious bread, focaccia, tomatoes, salads, and much more.

It wasn’t long before we reached Matera - now a World Heritage site. We had a two-hour long tour around the old houses and caves where people lived in squalor up until the early 1960s. This was a brilliant tour which ended in a lovely meal at the San Biagio restaurant in the centre of Matera. This is a very busy city, more so at the moment because there is a G7 meeting here tomorrow. Lots of police and press around, and a hell of a lot of tourists.

Yet another brilliant day on the Italian Job tours comes to an end. Tomorrow we have over 280 kms ahead of us on the road to Vieste - more adventure awaits!

On the road in Matera.

Matera.

Outside a bakery opened in 1391.

Some of the winemaking equipment at La Cantina Ffrud.

A lovely evening comes to an end.

The Italian Job - Day 7

Today we had the great ride around the roads of Maratea again - we went back the roads from our hotel that we had travelled yesterday. Our first stop was at the Christ the Redeemer statue that overlooks Maratea - stunning views and some fantastic hairpin bends that focussed this rider’s mind. Roma shot some video on our GoPro, but we’ll have to wait until we get home to see this on our computer.. Lots of mountainous roads to ride - a truly great day’s motorcycling. We stopped at the Trocadero restaurant on the beach in Castellaneta Marina. Despite mixed service, I don’t think I have ever had better seafood gnocchi than this - outstanding.

The bike is going well and I certainly am becoming a fan of the sharp bends. There is a lot of gear changing, both up and down coming into and exiting the corners. I am having on-going problems with our helmet intercom - Roma’s is perfect, but I am hearing every sound which is a bit annoying. I bought some cotton wool in a pharmacy in an effort to improve things - I’ll find out tomorrow on the road.

Our destination today was the town of Alberobello - a truly unique town with special Trulli houses. We have one to stay in tonight and it is lovely. We had a great wander around the town and bought some souvenirs. I also sent some photos to my brother Joe to make him jealous, as he had been here a year ago. A pizza and a beer finished the evening well.

Some photos from our day…

Getting ready for a day’s ride!

Just below Christ the Redeemer near Maratea.

At our Trulli in Alberobella.

Alberobello.

That’s Roma and me on the blue bike somewhere in south Italy.

The Italian Job - Day 6

Today was about twisty roads and hairpin bends - lots of fun but plenty of care needed too. I feel I am becoming better at riding the big Road Glide which feels and performs bigger than my own bike. While the roads around Amalfi/Minori/Maiori were terrific, we had much more fun at the end of the day riding around the twisty roads near Maratea - our destination for the day. 

Our first stop was Amalfi, where Roma and I had holidayed in 2015. It was a nostalgia stop for us as we looked up where we had stayed the last time we were here. One thing that has not changed are the prices - €5 for a coffee, and €8 for a gelato! Eagle Rider had organised parking for us as Amalfi is a notoriously difficult place to find parking. We stopped for about an hour before moving on. The heat was intense, and I was sweating profusely under my jacket. When we stopped at a service station, water (sweat) poured out from my sleeves. We had a casual lunch at a service station before moving on to Paestum and its Ancient Greek and Roman ruins. We did not go into the sites as we only had less than an hour to stop, but we did get some photo opportunities, and of course sight of the magnificent Greek and Roman temples. I checked out the souvenir shops, but bought nothing as I really thought the produce was tacky.

Our hotel for the night is the Grand Hotel Pianetamaretea where we had magnificent sun set views to admire over a beer. 

We only covered just over 200 km today, but it felt like a lot more. Many tired folks in our group this evening. Weather was perfect today, but rain warnings are starting to appear on our phones, so who knows what’s in store tom?

Some photos of today… 

Roma (and Debbie) on the Amalfi coast.

Down memory lane - two green doors over my head is where we stayed in 2015.

Greek temple in Paestum.

Roma enjoying the shops in Amalfi.

View from our room at the end of the day in Maratea.