Our time in Italy was cut short due to the looming Brexit deadline. We discovered in mid-November it would be much easier for Miki to stay for a longer period in the UK if we arrived before 11pm on 31st December 2020. So bags were packed, notice was given at the flat in Genova, and …
A Taste of Italy
Miki and I arrived at Milan station with just enough time to buy tickets for our next train, and for me to try my new mediocre Italian skills by ordering some slices of pre-prepared pizza, before heading to the platform. This final part of our bike journey was to take us to Miki’s parents’, an …
From the UK to Italy
(August 2020) As I’d mentioned in my previous post, we spent the majority of the lockdown with my parents and saw a couple of friends and other family members along the way. The time had now come for us to travel south to Italy, to visit Miki’s family. We had decided to cycle to Italy, …
Spring and summer 2020 – lockdown in the UK
After our stressful exit from Sri Lanka, we were very grateful when we finally touched down in the UK. This was Miki’s first time in the country and was most likely a very strange way to experience it, when most things that help create the culture and atmosphere are closed or off-limits. We had flown …
The city of Kandy and the start of COVID-19
Having left our bikes in Colombo, we caught a bus into the centre of the island to Kandy, wanting to experience something other than the beach life Sri Lanka had to offer. Waking up on our first morning we were greeted by the sun raising his head from behind tree covered mountains; light was flooding …
The final ride (…in Sri Lanka)
Our time in Sri Lanka was drawing to a close and though we had been enjoying our lazy lifestyle by the beach, we wanted to make sure we saw a little more of the country before leaving. After some contemplation we decided to make our way to Kandy, a mountainous city situated in central Sri …
Life in Weligama
We settled on a town called Weligama as a place to call home through January 2020. We’d been looking for somewhere to rent that included a kitchen so we could cook healthy vegan meals (as there was limited choice available when eating out) but this turned out to be more difficult and expensive than we’d …
Riding South for Surf and Sunshine
We touched down in Sri Lanka’s capital city, Colombo, in the early hours of Saturday morning. After locating our bike boxes we wheeled them outside on a trolley and put the bicycles back together under an airport street light, the sky above still dark. It must have been one of the more unusual scenes that …
Starting 2020 with a bang
We stayed in Alibag for Christmas, in our small hotel room. On Christmas day Miki sat out on the little balcony cooking us pasta, while I taught online. In the afternoon we took a walk to the beach and had a meander along the front which, despite the downside of smoggy air (presumably drifting down …
Time to go back
Just as Sid and Priya had told us, Alibag turned out to be a very popular beach destination. It also seemed to be way off the tourist track as we didn’t see any other foreigners around while we were there. Having cycled all morning to arrive there, we found a park by the sea to …