Wed. November 19,2008: Train to Venice with Bike

We feel so lucky. The weather turned sunny for the next several days. We will need it! Taking the bike on the train was our final phase. There were three trains to change. The first train went from Lucca to Prato, Prato to Bologna, and finally, Bologna to Venezia. Luckily, train schedule allowed for extra time at each station eliminating panic attacks at each station. Here is how it goes:

We ride the tandem with panniers attached into the train station. In Lucca, at least, a ramp leads down under the platforms. However, we must climb three sets of stairs up to our designated one. At the bottom of the stairs Elaine removes the two front panniers and carries them up one level so that we can keep an eye on them. Meanwhile people rush up and down as different trains arrive and depart. Mauny balances the bike until Elaine is back to help push the bike up. Tandems don't like panniers on the rear only. It is all or none! What a tandem bike does is flip corkscrew fashion when no one looks. It is absolutely necessary to be vigilant, and prevent this from happening by keeping steady hands on the handlebars. Elaine gets behind the bike, Mauny at the front. Both push the bike up one set of stairs until front wheel clears the top step. This is when the front wheel must be lifted rather high until it touches the next set of stairs. If the front is not lifted the chain and chain rings hang up on the top step. After the second third sets of stairs are tackled, bike safely on the platform, Elaine brings the front panniers and mounts them back on the bike. Now the bike must be positioned in a strategic place. Since no one can tell us where the bicycle car might be, we position the bike perpendicular to the arriving train, in the middle of the platform. When the train arrives, we both try to catch the bicycle icon. Is it stamped in the front of the train, or the back? Sometimes there is no icon, and we have to take a wild guess. Once identified, we push the bike and run along the usually empty opposite side of the platform. All the passengers are pushing to get on the train while we approach in a military maneuver from the rear. When we are parallel to the bicycle car, we turn the bike around, and reverse it toward the bike car. Here, again we must remove the front panniers, throw them through the door into the train. We both lift the heavy rear heaving the bike onto the train. Elaine immediately jumps inside to grab the rear of the bike as Mauny lifts the front wheel and pushes the bike all the way inside. This is not where it ends. The bike cannot be left blocking the sliding doors used by other passengers to embark, and disembark. No, it must be put inside a special compartment. Problem is the door is usually narrow (designed to accommodate a single bike), and swings open rather then slide. It is necessary to tilt the bike, push it back and forth, and lift the front wheel up until it touches the ceiling. The ever present middle post is right in front of this door, which makes things even worse. Somehow, finally the bike makes it inside. All this time the conductors say things Italian to us, but we can't understand. It seems from their hand gestures that they want us to disassemble the bike and hang it up on provided hooks, but we pay no attention until it is inside. Now they smile, and forgive us. The train leaves on time. Mauny uses a bungee cord to secure the bike in place. We take a seat, and give each other a five. Two more such drills and we are in Venice. From the Venice Mestre station it is about about one kilometer to our hosts' residence. We mount the bike and ride into traffic blending in, but no more than 300 yards ahead we get caught in a traffic jam. There are cars, bicycles, scooters, push carts, baby strollers, and people all in a tangle. It is impossible to ride, so we dismount and walk the bike. Not easy either. There is just not enough room with everyone going in every direction. What in the world? Three months earlier the place was easy to navigate. We soon find out. There is a major street resurfacing project in a major intersection ahead. We walk the bike on hot wet asphalt with buses cars, and everything else trying to smash us. Police officers blow whistles, and yell. Are they yelling at us? Elaine shouts a warning. A bus is about to cut Mauny's head off. We rush, turn, and duck for cover on a tattered sidewalk. We make it. We mount the bike again to ride the final few blocks toward a grocery store. We want to get a bottle of wine and cheese for our hosts. With bike in hand, and a plastic shopping bag, we ring the bell. Stefano and Germana greet us with hugs, and we get inside. We have dinner, wine, talk, and go to bed. Everyone is tired from a long work day...