The Mincio in the Rain: Mantua to Peschiera - Cycle Tour in the Po Valley - CycleBlaze

May 13, 2012

The Mincio in the Rain: Mantua to Peschiera

Janos doesn't like it when I start my sentences with "If we had only ...", but in this case I have to. If we had only gone to the museum in Mantua in the morning while it was raining and waited to cycle to Peschiera in the afternoon. But neither of us thought of this plan at the time. The bike path along the Mincio from Mantua to Peschiera on Lake Garda is said to be especially nice, but we cycled it in wind and driving rain and needless to say, didn't enjoy it at all. By the time we arrived in Peschiera, we were exhausted.

Stopping before we left Mantua to put on a few more layers. It wasn't just wet, it was also cold.
Heart 1 Comment 1
Charmaine RuppoltYes, checking out a museum when it's raining is always my plan! :)
Reply to this comment
1 year ago
Wouldn't it have been lovely in better weather.
Heart 1 Comment 0

We had booked a hotel that was conveniently located on the bike path leading into town. It had stopped raining but we were still dripping wet when we checked in, or rather tried to check in. It was an unpleasant surprise to see that the concierge in Mantua had forgotten to return our passports - and we never noticed. Our hotel in Peschiera didn't make a fuss and accepted our word for our birth dates and nationality. I suppose we didn't look much like terrorists. But the question still remained, how do we get our passports?

Since we had intended to stay two nights in Peschiera, we decided one of us could take the train back to Mantua on the following day. The hotel in Mantua was across the street from the train station and it wouldn't be long before we could be on the return train to Peschiera. A nuisance, especially since a change of trains was involved, but do-able.

In the afternoon, we rode to the train station, intending to take the train back to Mantua to fetch our passports. We had decided to go together to make the time pass more quickly but we didn't like the idea of leaving our bikes locked up at the station. More bicycle get stolen at train stations than anywhere else. We made another plan. Since our trip was to end in Verona, we decided to wait and take the direct train connection from Verona. We had already telephoned with Hotel Rigoletto, our passports were safe and waiting for us.

I didn't take any pictures today.

Today's ride: 45 km (28 miles)
Total: 381 km (237 miles)

Rate this entry's writing Heart 2
Comment on this entry Comment 2
Scott AndersonYou’re making me feel better about how often I lose my glasses.
Reply to this comment
2 years ago
Charmaine RuppoltAck! Fortunately you got your passports back!
Reply to this comment
1 year ago