Day 65 - Bologna to Rimini, Phil

130.6km in 5hrs48min, avg 22.4kmph. Odo 1515km.


Bright and early start, we're on the road by 7:30am, much to the surprise of both ourselves and a bleary-eyed Simone, who insists on making our morning coffee before we set off!!! Following detailed instructions from Simone, I manage to negotiate our way out of the city in next to no time, and we're flying along the SS9 into the rising sun...Straight, straight, straight road....what more could we ask for?!?!
Stopping for coffee number two 30km in, there's little slowing us apart from the odd roadworks and traffic accident. We pass through Imola (home of Formula One) to Hazel's excitement but don't notice anything of interest. Roadside picnic, happy horns are honking at us, and the Italians have plenty of smiles to spare. We pause again in Cesena, where the Bologna boys have advised that we can't continue along the lovely SS9 as it somehow attains motorway status... We head into the countryside and weave towards the beach, where sadly the clouds have begun to roll in, as per the forecast so its a quick paddle but no swim, before we decide to carry on to Rimini...

Much to Ali and Hazel's consternation, any form of open accomodation seems few and far between. (Up until this point I have found myself struggling to explain the concept of summer season in Italy - come mid-september, everything, hotels and beaches included, closes up for the winter regardless fof how warm it continues to be. This is of course less prevalent in the larger cities, where a few hotels will stay open year round, and in southern Italy where the warm climate allows a longer summer season.)

Finding our way back to the coast road we arrive a little ragged around the edges, and I pop in to our favourite city destination, tourist info where we are treated to a booking in a near-seafront hotel, for just €65!! Bargain!!
Bikes locked safely under the verandah under the watchful eye of the resident parrot, we enjoy a delightful dinner of fresh salad with smoked salmon, mozzarella and fresh foccacia...delicious! Plans for gelato are scrapped with the increasing sound of raindrops, not to mention my increasing desire to get to sleep earlier and earlier.... On this particluar occasion, I'm pretty sure I was sound asleep on my chaise lounge well-before lights out!!!