Reading and biking. 17 August.

Now that I am a bit more settled in my lodgings, and sleeping in the same place every night, I am appreciating certain creature comforts. One of these is reading. It is nice to sit out on the terrace and read in the mornings to start my day. I must admit that I feel a bit of pride that during my time here in Italy, I have actually found a lot of time to read (either in transit, or in the mornings and evenings). To some, this might not seem like a reasonable way to spend a holiday, but having most of my needs met, and not being able to attend to other real-world obligations, I do appreciate this quiet time in which I feel a bit forced to relax. In fact, it is not the easiest thing for me at home to relax and find time to read. I understand that it seems a bit absurd that I have flown half way around the world to read some books that I have been meaning to read, but life is sometimes absurd. 

One other activity that I really like doing is going out and riding a bike. I do have a bike in my home in New York, but it has been several years since I have taken it out for a ride. Perhaps one reason for this is that (again) I find it difficult to relax at home, and take some time for myself to ride my bike around town. In any case, I am doing that here in Bolgheri.

It reminds me of riding my bike during childhood. This is because, like a child, I know nothing about my surroundings here in Italy, and I am just riding without a purpose, or a destination in mind. It's fun to ride, and explore, and discover little gems in the neighborhood, and let myself get lost. 

Being a rural area, most of the neighborhood is farmland, and several roads are not even paved. I am very close to the Aurelia, which is the ancient road that connects Rome with Marseille, France, but because there is a lot of traffic, I stay away from that road (although that doesn't stop more serious bikers from trekking along this classic route, all the while with cars zooming by). 

Riding the bike around here, some of the prettiest roads are those that are covered with trees rising on both sides, sometimes arching over to make a canopy.