Those new to the blog may not realise that the title each day is a song title that sums up the day's activities. Today's reflects that my main role for the week is to make sure that Carmel and other ladies get to where they need to go at the right time. I wasn't keen at all about driving in Italy, having had prior experience of the vagaries of Italian roads ; but suprisingly I feel a lot more comfortable driving on the "wrong side of the road" this trip, even having not done it for four years. Maybe the brain does retain these things ?So that was how I found myself on the road at 7 o'clock ferrying Carmel and three other rowers to Lago di Candia, the rowing venue. They had boats hired for a practice session from 8.00am until 10.00am, but in typical Italian style nothing was open until 8 o'clock on the dot, and even then they found that boats had come straight from the recent World Championships with all new oars and nothing set up on the boats. The Eights crew took until 9 o'clock just to get everything right , but then had a good half hour session on the water. Carmel then swapped to a double scull for a practice with her partner. Reports were that it was very hot out there, but there is a change forecast with some thunderstorms coming. That - together with potential organisational problems - could make for an interesting next few days. Bunbury managed to continue their practice until 11am, then we returned to Chivasso for lunch : my cuttlefish and pasta dish cooked in squid ink was particularly good and washed down with the customary couple of beers. With the weather being so hot and muggy Carmel and some others went shopping to try and find a nice cool (and fashionable) summer dress to wear. Instead she came back with two pairs of socks for me - albeit nice Italian light socks. Pre-dinner drinks occurred as was becoming the custom, then we had dinner at the same place again for the fourth night in a row. This is because we haven't found anything else open yet besides our ristorante and the Ristrorante Di Salvatore, where the food is excellent but you are either too hot seated inside or eaten alive by mossies outside. So after beating a hasty retreat from the mossies after dinner we menfolk had a quiet drink on the hotel courtyard landing to finish the day - with lightning flashing overhead. The rowers had an early night in anticipation of the days racing ahead.
Those new to the blog may not realise that the title each day is a song title that sums up the day's activities. Today's reflects that my main role for the week is to make sure that Carmel and other ladies get to where they need to go at the right time. I wasn't keen at all about driving in Italy, having had prior experience of the vagaries of Italian roads ; but suprisingly I feel a lot more comfortable driving on the "wrong side of the road" this trip, even having not done it for four years. Maybe the brain does retain these things ?So that was how I found myself on the road at 7 o'clock ferrying Carmel and three other rowers to Lago di Candia, the rowing venue. They had boats hired for a practice session from 8.00am until 10.00am, but in typical Italian style nothing was open until 8 o'clock on the dot, and even then they found that boats had come straight from the recent World Championships with all new oars and nothing set up on the boats. The Eights crew took until 9 o'clock just to get everything right , but then had a good half hour session on the water. Carmel then swapped to a double scull for a practice with her partner. Reports were that it was very hot out there, but there is a change forecast with some thunderstorms coming. That - together with potential organisational problems - could make for an interesting next few days. Bunbury managed to continue their practice until 11am, then we returned to Chivasso for lunch : my cuttlefish and pasta dish cooked in squid ink was particularly good and washed down with the customary couple of beers. With the weather being so hot and muggy Carmel and some others went shopping to try and find a nice cool (and fashionable) summer dress to wear. Instead she came back with two pairs of socks for me - albeit nice Italian light socks. Pre-dinner drinks occurred as was becoming the custom, then we had dinner at the same place again for the fourth night in a row. This is because we haven't found anything else open yet besides our ristorante and the Ristrorante Di Salvatore, where the food is excellent but you are either too hot seated inside or eaten alive by mossies outside. So after beating a hasty retreat from the mossies after dinner we menfolk had a quiet drink on the hotel courtyard landing to finish the day - with lightning flashing overhead. The rowers had an early night in anticipation of the days racing ahead.
Don't you just love the Italian clocks!
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