The day turned out much nicer than anticipated. I did another walk around Pula and picked up some Tartuffi. It's a good thing I have limited (read no) extra luggage capacity, otherwise I probably would have grabbed tons of the stuff.
Mama Hruskar prepared a wonderful stew of Boskarin (Istrian cattle) for lunch. Suitably fed, we set off for Medulin. It's at the tip of the Istrian peninsula and beach tourist paradise. All the bays and beaches were pretty spectacular, so one could see why people would want to go there. However, looking at he campground, which can take 5000 campers, and the harbor promenade, ready for tourists, one could envision the hell this turns into come July. Shudder. Right now it has a strange anticipatory feel - most of the cafes and restaurants were open, but totally barren.
The ride to Udine was uneventful. Not great riding weather. Slightly chilly and very windy. Wind on a bike isn't much fun. Sometimes you wind up leaning into it while doing 90 to keep from getting blown off the road and if you're in "dirty" air of mountains it's even worse - you just get buffeted all over the place. So you try to stay relaxed and not tense up, while keeping a grip on the handle bars and trying to stay in your lane. I was even looking forward to tunnels. Tunnels on a bike a weird. You can't take off your shades, so photochromatic lenses are key. The light seems to kind of create a weirdly distorted effect - I find it difficult to judge turns - yes, I could slow down and not pass people. Also, after a while the fumes aren't much fun. There are lots of tunnels in the alpine areas, so I'm pretty used to them by now. The longest one so far was 4km long.
Udine seems to be a town of piazzas. I know nothing about it and picked it simply because it's close to the mountains. I'm done with highways for a while! It has a sizable old town and a good vibe. My resolution to restart my diet wavered briefly before being tossed summarily. What was I thinking? Really though, I did behave myself. Found an interesting Osteria and only had primi, a carafe of wine and a grappa. Practically starving myself. Very tasty. I wound up dining alone, and I mean really alone. First I though I was early, but then I thought that potentially no one really dines - lunch is the big meal and everyone went home after having drinks.Oh yeah, I did have a Gelato on the way home - hey, I'm in Italy!
Tomorrow, I hit the Alps, and try not to let the Alps hit me!
Take a picture of a salumeria - very jealous!! And all those lovely italian drinkies I don't know about....
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