June 1, 2023
Lecce to Ostuni
Today is the longest ride of this year’s tour at 87 km. Our humble hosts dropped by this morning to thank us as we left the B&B and wish us well in our journey. It was a simple thing but much appreciated as it gave us a chance to thank them for their kindness.
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We had little difficulty getting out of Lecche and were soon on a small highway headed east to the Adriatic coast, which meant we were riding directly into a easterly headwind. We knew it would be actively in our faces for two-thirds of the ride today (any wind that is not coming from the rear feels like a headwind). It was nothing too severe, however.
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You might be wondering how the Italian drivers are. I can report that we have zero complaints, although I don’t want to jinx anything by saying that.
What does puzzle us is that the drivers are so patient with us and one another and have a distinctly laissè-faire attitude compared to drivers at home. Take parking as an example. We have seen one of everything. They will park parallel to the curb or 30-45 degrees to the curb, depending on how much space there is. They like to park on corners, either nose in or saddled up beside the cub. They will park in the direction of travel or opposite the direction of travel, so cars are parked butt to butt and nose to nose. Then there is double parking. No worries. It’s standard here. If you are in a parking lot, don’t be surprised to find a car wedged in behind you. The driver will be back, eventually. And if you think a street is too narrow for a car to drive down, think again. Oh, and if you think it’s one way, think again. Drivers will go against the traffic to get where they are going.
Check out the Piaggio in the photo below. It is saddled up to the corner, with its back end blocking the intersection. The car facing it is parked in a no parking zone. The white car has parked on the opposite corner.
We had been cycling along the coast road for a considerable distance when we started noticing the traffic blowing right through the stop signs. It was odd at first, but then it became downright laughable. No one stopped for the stop signs except us.
This section of highway is separated from the seashore by a band of privately owned properties accessed by small roads leading to the seashore, about two city blocks long . The bizarre part was that these feeder roads had no signage whatsoever where they met the highway. It was the highway that had the stop signs and nobody paid any attention to them.
It was a different situation later in the day along a busier highway where there were traffic lights at every small country lane. These lanes were deserted, but the traffic obediently stopped and waited the 90 seconds for the light to change.
Perhaps it’s a different scene when the road is jammed with cars in the summertime and without these stop signs and lights, drivers would be trapped and unable to cross or enter the roadway. We have seen hints of this in the form of signs indicating that traffic would be jammed up ahead. Of course, that’s not going to happen until July.
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As we got closer to Brindisi, we could make out a large industrial complex on the horizon. Our highway eventually went right past it so we could see it up close. It is a thermoelectric plant. Connected to the plant was a tangle of electrical towers that stretched into the distance.
After passing the plant, we headed west and the wind was at our side. This is when the road became as straight as an arrow. It’s our least favourite sort of road and we just gut it out to get it over with. We call it putting the hammer down. And that’s what we did. Not many photos to show but I did notice that the land was cultivated with wheat, oats and sometimes tomatoes, as well as olive orchards. The tomato plants are surprisingly small so it may be that the damp cool weather has had an impact on the planting schedule.
We rode hard and steady until we reached Ostuni. Then the hunt was on for our accommodation . We eventually located it mid-way in a long series of stairways and it turned out to be another absentee landlord. The communication was entirely online and we did not meet the owner. Not was there any wi-fi. The suite was compact and comfortable, but something seemed lacking in our opinion.
After finding the B&B, it was time to find some beer, which we located without incident. Along the way, we also found a lot of tourists, many if whom were struggling to drag their oversized luggage across the rough cobbles.
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We are almost always first tombe seated at dinner. Most often, we have lucked out and got a table rather easily but now that the tourists are starting to appear, things are changing. Still, we managed to get a table in our chosen restaurant in Ostuni. It was a small restaurant in a multi-level cave.
We ordered two starters and two mains. It was one of our favorite meals of the trip. And the setting was so unique.
It was a warm evening so we took a stroll around the central storico to see a few sights and stumbled upon a gorgeous view of the sunset over the Adriatic. Many others had found the same spot to watch the sun set.
We dropped into a gelateria and then sat on the steps nearby to enjoy our cones and the view of this ancient gate in the old city. Then we strolled home and called it a day.
Today's ride: 87 km (54 miles)
Total: 776 km (482 miles)
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