Day 6: The Siesta

Date: 9/13/07
From: Bagno di Romagna
To: N/A
Miles: N/A
Miles Completed: 206.7 (7,900 ft. of climbing)
Lunch: La Gardina
Dinner: Ristorante in Hotel Miramonte
Accommodations: Hotel Miramonte (in Acquapartita)

Today we took an unscheduled day of rest. I suggested we rest after the difficult day and Dr. Ed quickly agreed. Good teamwork at its best. Dr. Ed asks the front desk to call our hotel in Siena and cancel our room. In another Fawlty Towers episode, she instead books another night’s stay. Luckily, Dr. Ed catches her mistake.

The banter with our enigmatic waiter is increasing. “Bonjourno”, we say – “Goood Mourning”, he responds; “Grazie”, we say – “yoouuu’re welcome”, he quips. In fact, his characterization of the ride to Siena and the mountain pass we must climb is one of the main reasons we decide to rest. When we quizzed him on the ride to Siena, he states it’s 300km away (180 miles!) – this is dead wrong – we know it’s only 80 miles away, yet somehow it still scares me. Then he starts talking about the mountain pass as if it’s Mt. Everest. I explain to him the ride we did from Ravenna. “Ravenna? The ride from Ravenna is a JOKE compared to this…Raaavennnnna, heh!!” The fear factor is high. He tells us it’s an average 15% grade for 9 miles. I can’t imagine this is true but I’m still scared. Basically, we have to do this mountain pass whether no matter what, but we decide to skip Siena and go straight to Florence tomorrow (which will be a more difficult ride because we actually have to do two mountain passes).

The waiter is beginning to warm to us now. I start calling “mi amico” – which means my friend in Italian. He rolls his eyes. I tell him he’s crazy. He responds “My friend, I am many things, but crazy is not one of them.” I suggest a little bit crazy at least. “Ok, maybe a little be crazy”, he concurs. We take a picture with the waiter but I lost it – need to get Dr. Ed’s copy.

Time for bed – we have a loooong ride tomorrow.