Last days in Italy and Europe. ..

Saturday 31st August
Our original plan was to cycle to Rome and stay in hotel/campsite for a couple of weeks,  pack up the bikes and freight them back to UK and apply for visa for India using a courier service and once passport and visa received fly to India.

After a discussion on how much we have spent while Dyl is laid up recuperating in hotels we have changed the plan and will endeavour to fly home within the week.
We have checked our travel insurance and we are able to return to the UK for 3wks.
So plan is box up bikes and bring them back to UK and apply for visas personally,  safer than risking a courier service.
So its taxi to airport to check the bike situation and pleased to find out we can take them as luggage for €43 each as long as they’re boxed.
So next stop bike shop in town who kindly  unloaded new bikes to give us the boxes, so with the taxi fare its €136 in total. Excellent.

Sunday 1st September
By know we’ve been hotel bound for about a week and going stir crazy, so gentle poodle out on the bikes for provisions and a hr or 2 on the beach people watching!

Monday 2nd September
We have a flight booked with British Airways for Thursday and sort through our kit discarding items we won’t be taking to India.
We’ve decided we will get bikes when we get to India, so will take our panniers with us.
We also need a smaller tent and lighter sleeping bags.
Dyl strips down bikes, ie remove handle bars and pedals and deflate tyres.
The front wheel has to be removed to fit in box but packing is easy.

We try and book another couple of days at hotel but they are full and Tuesday night we will be transferred to a Holiday Inn nearer the centre of Genova, they have transport arranged so its not a problem and we will return Wednesday.
They are storing our luggage for us and couldn’t be more helpful.

Tuesday 3rd September
After breakfast we are transported to Holiday Inn.
I’m glad we didn’t get to cycle into the centre as it’s very busy.
Opposite is the ferry port, we take a walk over and discover a Coop Superstore, who would think to come to a ferry port to do their shopping!
Its a vast store and the prices are the best we’ve seen.

So we pick up cooked chicken, salad and wraps.
Its very hot and very busy and as there’s nothing we need we return to our room.

Wednesday 4th September
We are returned to our original hotel and finalise the packing before going down the street for our last meal in Italy.

Designer shops each side

We use a restaurant we’ve been to before and after making a mistake the other evening and ending up with a plate of raw fish we order a dish we have had before, pasta and seafood.

With Peroni Red.

We have dessert in the local Gelateria (ice cream parlour) and get to choose from an amazing range and eat seated on pavement, watching the world go by!

It seems every corner you turn there is a Gelateria.

Thursday 5th September
Today we fly home. It feels a bit strange that this part of the adventure has finished and I feel disjointed?
Its been nearly 3months and 1500 miles, the bikes held up well, and I can say its been fantastic, the sense of achievement I feel is hard to describe, not just the miles and mother hills but also the camping which I loved and the whole experience of actually doing this, and the wonderful interesting people we met.
And yes you can survive without your hairdryer/straighteners and make up!

Can’t wait for India!

Flight to Gatwick and apart from luggage delay no problems. We are met by driver from 51 taxis in Lowestoft who was excellent and got our bikes on the mini bus.
So we’re back staying at our son’s Carl’s house for next 2 weeks then its off to India for 6 mths…..

Watch this space