This is Life

"This is life," Eva said to me as we looked up at the town of Lamole.

The house of Mona Lisa in the distance. Her vineyards in the foreground. A glass of Chianti Classico in my hand. Mud on my legs from the dirt road leading up to the house. My bicycle leaning against the ancient Tuscan home.

My life has stories before that moment and it will have more in the future.

But on a Saturday afternoon in the valley below Lamole, Italy, there was life.

And it was beautiful.

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My second trip to Europe began on a Thursday and as if to prepare me for my adventures ahead, I ended up at a sushi bar in the Philadelphia airport talking to a Coast Guard officer who had just returned from a two-month trip to Europe. Over a couple Sapporos and a bento box for myself, we shared itineraries and he gave me some great tips about what to check out in Barcelona.

His trip to Barcelona with a buddy allowed them to meet a French girl who would take them to her home on the French Riviera where they would spend a few days enjoying the good life.

In some ways, I wasn't as fortunate during my trip but in other ways I was about to have a great vacation. Thanks Will, for the great advice regarding Barcelona.

Next time I'll remember to ask where to find the rich French girls.

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I had a long layover in the Philly airport so I went to have another drink at Vino Volo (a really nice little wine, food shop) and enjoyed a class of Spanish wine.

On the 7 plus hour flight to Europe, I watched "Invictus" and it was really good. In Frankfurt, I missed my connecting flight but the ladies at the transfer desk in Germany were very nice and I took a nap in the airport while I waited for the next flight 4 hours later. Lufthansa is now my favorite airline. My flight from Frankfurt (where I did indeed have a Frankfurter!) to Florence included a sandwich, free wine and a nice selection of newspapers. The pilot exclaimed "Andiamo" and we were off.

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Getting into Florence I realize how excited I am to be in Europe. I chat with the young, attractive female cab driver on the way to the hotel in Florence and discover that the restaurant I've picked out for the night is indeed a really good local restaurant -- Osteria del Cinghiale Bianco.

In Florence, I'm meeting my dad and the group of Waldorf students on the Communication Dept. trip. They aren't at the hotel when I get in, so I go out for a 4-mile run through Florence. It's raining but I could care less.

How amazing is it to turn a corner and just happen upon the Great Duomo of Florence?

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I meet my dad and some of the group at the hotel. We take off for the restaurant. The meal was fantastic! Even though we have reservations, we have to wait for a few minutes but the owner brings out white wine for us while we wait.

My meal includes house Chianti wine, Lardo di Colonatta (indescribably tasty!), carpaccio with arugula and parmesan, cinghiale con polenta (wild boar in an amazing, rustic tomato sauce) and then dessert. For dessert we all shared tiramisu, grappe and panna cotta with caramel sauce. A beer at a British pub next to the Duomo and then it was bedtime. I slept hard. Really hard. I fell asleep thinking about how awesome it feels to be in a foreign country on the first day of the trip. Such adventure ahead. So many people to meet. So many new foods to try.

The trips are never what you expect but they are always full of expectations. My expectations were high for Saturday but they were about to be surpassed!

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On Saturday I woke up at about 9:30 am and headed down the street to rent my road bike for the day. It was an older road bike but nice. Only cost me 35 Euro to rent it for the whole day and that included helmet and lock as well (I just had to bring my own bike shoes). I also bought a Camelback pack that holds 2L of water and allowed me to bring my camera along for the day -- it was expensive but worth it -- I'll definitely use it a lot in the future.

The guys at the bike shop were great and gave me a route for the day of about 60 miles.

Maps in hand. My camera and water in my backpack. Shades and helmet on. "Andiamo!"

After navigating through the tiny streets of Florence (more than once I had to place my hand on the car to my side in order to avoid running my bike into the vehicle!) and crossing the bridge to the west of Ponte Vecchio, I was climbing up a steep hill and leaving the city of Florence.

I had so much energy that I just zipped up the hill. I ended up taking a different turn than I had planned on but ended up in the tiny little town of Impruneta within a few kilometers. I picked up a Red Bull and banana, and got some good directions from the shop owner. On a side note, cycling is huge in Italy and everyone gives you a lot more respect when you have a bike jersey on -- it's like you've joined their culture for a day!

As I ride south on the hilly, winding streets, I started to notice a few Lamborghinis and Ferraris traveling north. A few became a dozen and pretty soon I noticed that people were on the sides of the road watching the cars go by. I stopped and asked what was going on.

A nice Italian gentleman and his kid told me that the day was part of a 4-day tour from Southern to Northern Italy for Italian sports cars -- known as Mille Miglia.

My casual bike ride through Tuscany suddenly had become a nerve-wracking ride with hundreds of Italian sports cars.

Mille Miglia used to be a race but has been a "tour" ever since 1957. Too many deaths in the race turned the race into a tour. But many of the drivers still go over 100 mph and pass up steep hills and around corners.

I had trouble deciding when I should stop and get a class of Chianti Classico wine -- this wine can only be bottled in the area between Florence and Siena.

For some reason I just kept riding and riding, not wanting to stop. I got rained on a little and was starting to get a little tired of the craziness on the road with all the sports cars -- so I took a turn onto a dirt road that looked interesting and rode for a few miles in solitude.

Mud was splattering my legs and the quiet was deafening but I soon came across a sign for a Chianti Classico winery and decided to check it out.

I climbed up a small hill to the old stone house and looked around for the owner or people. At first I couldn't find anyone, just two scrubby looking dogs taking a nap. Too lazy to get up for the visitor in the cycling jersey.

Eventually Eva came out of her office and introduced herself. She and her husband had purchased the small winery a few years ago -- they were preparing a meal for a group of cyclists coming to stay a few hours later.

Eva is Swedish but has been living in Italy for 20 years with her husband. She was awesome and the winery was beautiful. She poured me a glass of the 2006 Chianti Classico and gave me a cold bottle of water. I walked around the winery with her and got a tour of their home, which is a small bed and breakfast.

Poggio Asciutto is a place I will certainly visit again!

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Eva encouraged me to ride 7km to the town of Lamole. So I did.

Holy shit! It was a really tough climb with grades up to 9% and just a non-stop climb. By the time I reached Ristoro di Lamole, I was exhausted. I took a seat outside and the very friendly Italian waitress brought me a glass of Chianti, some water and a great cheese and prosciutto sandwich. She even paired a mild cheese with a tasty prosciutto that worked perfectly with the fresh bread.

I had an espresso for a little caffeine jolt and I was heading back to Florence after the 30 minute rest in Lamole.

The descent from Lamole was the most fun I've ever had on a bicycle. I was going anywhere from 25 to 40 mph and flying around narrow corners -- nearly passing the few cars in front of me at times.

I couldn't stop smiling. I couldn't stop thinking that surely this day had been one of the best days in my life.

I had yet to speak to an American all day. It had just been myself and the kind people of Tuscany. The wine and food had been outstanding. The climb to Lamole exhausting. The scenery gorgeous.

At one point in the descent, overtaken with emotion and happiness, I just let out a loud "Wooooooo!" -- like a kid going down a slide.

This was life.

.....to be continued.....