“BACK TO MAINLAND”
Travelling along the uncertain pandemic conditions forced me to skip the next intended goal which was Sardinia Island. Instead, shipping from Corsica to Sardinia was the famous “Plan B”. So Чернотa and I took the ferry from Corsica to the Italian mainland-city Livorno, from where our ride back homewards to Austria/Vienna continued.
Overall, I’m not used to stay with my motorcycle in a city along my tours. Therefore, it was no surprise, that I didn’t sleep very well the last night, because I was afraid that something could happen with the bike (damage, theft). From my room window I had direct sight to Чернотa, which gave me a bit of safety, but despite nearly each uncommon noise down at the street forced me to get up and have an observing glance if everything was wright. It happened, what always happens when playing such head games: Besides some bad sleep –> NOTHING. o_O
Around 0445 I left the bed, did the morning toilet and …
a very strong coffee for breakfast. As I said before, …
Чернотa was still where I left it the day before and everything was fine. So I threw the saddlebags over her back, buckled them up and we both went off for the nearby …
ferry port. Besides showing my ferry ticket I also had to fill out a COVID 19-form and had to sign twice, that I will enter Italy by boat only for transit purposes. Duration of transit time was limited with 48 hours, beginning with entering the ferry.
Overall that was no problem for me, because within two days it was easily possible to reach my homeland Austria. During filling the form I was wondering myself, who in goats🐐 name will be able to prove, if I was fulfilling these rules. But who cares …?, mainly I was reaching the mainland! When paper work was done I …
drove with Чернотa into the multilevel belly of the ferry. I secured the bike with the provided lashing straps. Before leaving, I packed my inner tank bag with my values and electronics and took it with me. The first stop was …
the canteen, where I had another coffee, some orange juice, a chocolate croissant and a roll with butter & jam for breakfast. Meanwhile, the ferryboat left …
the city Bastia/Corsica. I made a …
a short walk on the upper deck of the ferry. Afterwards I strolled back to one of the …
dinning areas, where I started to plan an alternative route back home to Austria along some unnamed back country roads. It was obvious that nowadays and tomorrow’s first 350 km or 220 miles will be boring to ride, because they went directly through dense populated areas of Italy, along some sort of flatlands. Only a short crossing of the hill range of the Apennines will bring some variety.
But the planning also showed me that after that boring part, some proper alpine roads were awaiting. The planned route led my black beauty and me right into the area of the famous “Dolomite Mountains”, which were always a huge fun to ride. Especially when the weather is great, what a look at the forecast confirmed. Also, the missing mass tourism will gain the fun along this great mountain roads! A look at the just made plan showed me, that; when everything was happening like planned, Чернотa and I would reach …
Austria in the afternoon of the next riding day. Right in transit-time! So I saved my planned routes and had a short nap, sunken deeply into a cozy sofa in the café area of the ferry.
Short after midday the harbor oft the city Livorno was reached. The ferry slowed down …
and followed this fully loaded containership into …
the protected harbor area.
For me travelling with such ferries is a necessary evil, because you have to arrive at least two hours before leaving. Using them with a motorcycle means that you will enter the big ferry ships as one of the first ones, but therefore you also have to leave it as one of the last ones, caused by having only one entry/exit. It’s so sad because this way you’re loosing about three to four hours of riding-time each ferry trip. But without the ferries I won’t be able to travel with my own bike on such islands. Hmm … 🤔
After nearly every car and truck has left the ferry in front of us, Чернотa and I also did. I made a short stop at the harbor terminal for making …
this shot from a boat of the shipping company “Moby”, which provides many ferry boats for getting to the Mediterranean islands. Their boats are well known for their funny paintwork. Most of them are painted with Toon-characters. My favorite is the ship with the Batman-Paintwork. We left the harbor behind us …
and went from Livorno through some plains eastwards.
Along some winding and well …
maintained roads the ride …
went into …
the calm hills, near the …
famous city “Imola“, which is well known for its Formula One Racing track.
“Where the street is heavily bend, a proper biker café isn’t far.” This old whiteness also …
the boss of the local carbody-shop knows. ^^
The ride through this country-dividing hill range called “Apennines” was short but very entertaining. Sometimes I thought my ears will start bleeding when local motorcyclists overtook us in a spectacular manner, while their full open exhausts had been throwing flames. Trying to hunt these of those local riders (most of the time racing an overbred, dry-clutch-rattling Ducatis) with my old pony with its 50/50 hooves was no good idea. So I stopped for some …
soothing flower picking and enjoyed …
the great view conditions over the Appenine Mountains. After the hills …
the edge of the city “Bologna” was scratched in late afternoon. Now our ride was following again …
a fruitfully …
flatland. The boredom of riding through such areas was skipped sometimes …
with kind of variety like this stylish entrance to a little house, …
a power plant, …
the “Michelin Man” …
and some nice …
industrial stuff aside the road.
Just a few miles after the village “Santa Maria Magdalena”, Чернотa found a …
great place for camping on a big sandbank of Italys main river called “Po” (what means “butt” in German ^^ )
I built up …
the shelter …
while dusk was approaching. There was still some …
left over salami, a few fruits and sweets stowed in the saddlebags. So I had them for dinner. Like most of the time I enjoyed…
a bottle of beer to the meal. I was slowly sipping the tart hop brew while …
the moon was rising slowly over the river. With the fading sunlight nearly every natural noise hushed away. The silence was only disturbed from some fly eating fishes, sometimes splashing in the calm water of the stream.
Life can be so simple and easy … .
With a full belly and very satisfied after such a calm and mesmerizing moment, I had a quick wash and went into the tent. *Yawn*
Total covered distance along this riding day: 265 km or 165 mi.
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