< ![CDATA[  Trains are a great place to write... or knit... or sleep. I’ve been knitting, Ezra is doing the sleeping. We weren’t sure we’d make this train this morning. The plan was to take a short local train into Pescara, where we’d make the connection to Rome. We got up early, packed up camp in record time and went to the Herculean effort of schlepping all of the bikes and gear up a flight of stairs to the train platform (no lifts at most local stations). Then we waited. And waited. And waited. No train. The train schedule seemed to indicate that there would be a train. The lady at the bar (where we bought the tickets) assured us that there would be a train. There was no train. Evidently Sundays are the exception. So... we hauled it all back down the stairs at twenty past eleven and pedaled hard for Pescara. We made the 25 km with ease and even had enough time to eat our lunch on the platform before the 2:10 p.m. train pulled away. We’re headed for Rome, via the Apennines. These mountains remind me so much of the White Mountains in New Hampshire. They’re of medium height and very rocky. The slopes are alive with reds and oranges and golden hues. It seems that fall is following us south. We’ve rolled through valley after valley that would break your heart; any one of which is worthy of a lifetime of exploration. The olive trees are heavy, the grape vines are bare and everywhere you look there are families harvesting the fruits of their labors. We’ve fallen in love with Italy. We were planning, originally, to save the Mediterranean coast of Italy for next summer and get to run through Italy twice, however, as it is looking more and more like our trip will be shorter than we’d planned we wanted to be sure we didn’t miss Rome. Being the history buff that I am, I’m looking forward to standing in the colosseum and the Roman forum. I can’t wait to see the Sistine Chapel and St. Peter’s in the Vatican. I’m all jittery at the prospect of being at the capital of the Roman Empire in just a few hours. One of the best parts? We won’t be staying in a hostel or a campground. We’ve been invited to stay with total strangers for the days we are there. We’ve never met them. Hadn’t even exchanged e-mail until yesterday, and yet they’re taking us, four kids and all; we’re looking forward to getting to know them. How did we find such kind souls? Through an excellent website called warmshowers.org which connects traveling cyclists with host families around the world. You don’t have to be a cyclist to be a host and it is a great way to meet all sorts of interesting people.]]>