Robur

'Robur' is simply the Italian for strength and is one of Siena's mottos and there are a couple of reasons why I have chosen it; firstly because one endeavours to improve there strength and abilities throughout the Winter ready for the race season and the weight and core sessions done to improve your strength are not done through the Summer usually. Secondly beacuse you need a lot of mental strength to stay focus on the goal and to do all that is necessary now when the goal seems so far away. Lastly, because I went to see my beautiful girlfriend in Siena.

I will begin this post in chronological order so that it is easier for all to understand and this is where the first team ride for Aprire Bicycles comes in, on Saturday 10/11 most of the team for next year decided to have a meet up and ride followed by a meal and even thought the weather was bad, it didn't dampen our spirits. Malcolm Davies led the ride and took us on an apocoplyptic ride around the Isle of Grain; lots of mud, wind and rain. This was probably best summed up by Harry Evans, 'I didn't know we were a mountain biking club?!' As always, on these sort of get-togethers, me and Harry preceded to get a fair few punctures between us, Harry punctured both his front and rear wheel whilst I had rear that kept on puncturing and so I had stop every 10mins to reinflate it, hopefully we have better luck next time on the team ride on 9th December in Maidstone. After the ride we all got showered in Cyclopark's amazing showers then headed to the Cricketers for a great meal with Josh Parkin's Dad and my Nan also joining us alongside Aprire's and mine new coach Ben Wright who has recently set up his own training company, Ben-efit Personal Training, (see what he did there with the name). A great and worthy day out for the whole team and I can't wait to see how all the guys go next year and I really look forward to helping the team out, when I can and I'm back over from France . Now for the next proper meet, like I said on 9/12, which promises to be even better and where Aprire Bicycles will be doing their photoshoot, hopefully there should be some pretty good faces being pulled.

A week later I went off to one of the most beautiful places in the world, Siena and to Italy for the first time properly, by that I mean and I had been to one of Milan's and one of Romes airports before when I went on a school trip to Russia, but I that don't really count as going to Italy does it? Anyway I piled into the free-for-all that is a Ryanair flight at Stanstead, knocking a woman with a baby over and punching an old Italian man in the face before he took the last space in the overhead luggage space and sat down next to this couple at the back of the plane on an aisle seat as I thought 'if this tin can with paper wings goes down I've got less chance of dieing being at the back and central.' However my fears were put at ease as soon as we were over the Channel where I feel into a deep slumber before waking up to a stunning, ethereal sight

The Alps on a clear day, miles of snowy white moutains, simply unreal and to think I was crossing these daunting walls 1,200 years after Hannibal had just done so...  the hairs on my neck stood on end at that thought. What Robur

Anyway I arrived in Pisa with the Med bearing a scintillating blue, blending on the horizon with the sky, looking enchanting, yet somehow I had arrived 20mins early. So I had to wait for my gorgeous partner Verity Ockenden to meet me. For those of you who are unaware, Verity studeis Italian and English Literature at Swansea University and is encouraged to take a year out in the third year to go to the country that speaks the language she is learning and so she plumped for Siena hence why I went there to see her. As I got an early flight, we decieded to spend the day in Pisa enjoying the sights and sounds and this we did tp the full. I would highly recommed Pisa to anyone going, great train links to the rest of Italy, a major airport and a beautiful city with some lovely people. As it was lunch time we decided to pop into a local restaurant just off on the main streets in Pisa on the south side of the River Arno called Captain of Garlic, but in italian of course. Now I am one of those people that has to try and attempt to eat and drink like a local so my main was wild boar and tomato spaghetti and between me and Verity was a gorgeous bottle of Chianti. Unfortunately Verity decided to knock over the remainder of it in my glass, as we had finished the bottle, over, what a Neander-tool! After apologising profusely and helping tidy the place up, as it went everywhere, leaving a big tip we left to explore the rest of Pisa. Fortunately whilst we were there Perugia's choclatiers decided to have a small fair there, it looked like the goddess Fortuna was smiling down on us and would continue to do so for the rest of the holiday. Also for those of you who do not know Perugia is the heart of Italian chocolatiering.

Obviously me and Verity could not turn this down and so after buying a few bits we crossed the main bridge over the Arno into Pisa proper where we headed to the Piazza del Duomo alternatively called the Piazza dei Miracoli and here my breath was taken away by the sheer beauty of the place and unfortunately for Siena's and Florence's many wonderful UNESCO World heritage buildings, I believe I saw the most beautiful set of buildings on my very first day...

Unfortunately this picture was not taken by me or Verity, but by Wikipedia, however if you do wish to see any of the photos taken from the trip you can see them on my profile on Facebook, I will put some of the ones we took on here though. One such picture is the one below, where the red wine we drank earlier clearly came and played its part on Verity as the Leaning Tower is now straight

Later in the evening we caught the two trains to Siena and here is where I will digress, in Italy I presumed as it is poorer country than us that its first calss on trains might not look so good, but would still be a lot better than the standard class on trains over here in Britain, so when we first got on to an Italian train I said to Verity that we can't sit in either of these compartments as they look first class standard (Italian standard), but to my surprise they were standard. So not only do Italian trains have better comfort, but they are also cheaper, two trains and 80 miles cost the grand total of 9 euros. Unbelievable. then once we got I visited some of Verity's frineds and went to a party at one of their houses which was brilliant, followed by my first taste of Italian and Sienese night life, believe me and somewhat ironically, Wine Street it ain't. I tried me best to teach everyone the basic tenants of binge drinking by downing red wine at some considerable velocity, but they just looked upon me with horror, as if I was Quasimodo stepping out from under the shadows of Notre Dame. On the way back from the club me and Verity took a diversion past the Duomo in Siena which happens to be near her abode, I might of said Pisa's Duomo was the most beautiful but Siena's is the most majestic and front facade is exquisite. (I did say Siena had more than one cathedral, but that is because there is another church in Siena, the second church of Siena if you will called the San Domenico which is huge). I am not afraid to say this, but I shed a small tear at the amazing detail and fine art and architecture in front of me on a clear night with the moonlight shining down upon the gold leaf and marble.

Here is the Siena's Duomo

And here is the San Domenico

The next day Verity showed me around the city where I bought A.C. Siena's last season's football top that was in the sale in the team's store, I wanted to blend in with the locals and this was my attempt.

Here I came across another Italian surprise, clothing is expensive, last year's football jersey cost me 40 euros, the same amount in pounds that a top team's newest football jersey cost in Britain. If you were a supporter of any of the major Italian clubs it would be cheaper to get your team's strip off SportsDirect U.K. and get it sent to you in Italy. So after a delicious meal in another traditional and quirky resturant and our lovely wunderlust throughout Siena we went to the football match to see a relegation dogfight between A.C.Siena and Pescara. One of my most favourite experiences ever.

Here I had another Italian surprise football matches are cheap, 12 euros per person to see a Seria A match that we bought from the store earlier and the price only goes up to 20-25 euros for when one of the bigger teams come to town like Juventus or Milan, as well sometimes it greatly reduced or even free for women.

The football match was quite a good game, two Pescara players sent off, a saved Pescara penalty, the Siena manager was sent off 5mins before halftime and a very well worked and taken Siena goal, the reactions of the crowds were amazing, a shame it was nowhere near a full house a sorry sight that merely proves the story that Italian football seems to be on its knees. How on a Sunday afternoon with over 60,000 people living walking distance from the stadium not attract 20,000 to fill it up is beyond me, particularly when you also get a free matchday programme upon entering the stadium, another Italian surprise. As well there were not too many travelling fans from the opposing team, but I love those diehard Pescara fans, even when Siena scored they did not stop singing from 20mins before kick off till we had left the stadium. On another note, the A.C. Siena manager, Serse Cosmi is legend.

After we headed back via a real Italian rarity, the supermarket, here it seems to be that one particular chain dominates, well in Siena at least and that is Conad's. Unfortunately for them I have now forever renamed Gonad's beacuse I'm immature and believe this is by far a better name for them, not to say they are rubbish they sell big pint-size bottles of imported beer for just over a euro, look if you don't believe.

Obviously I could not turn down such an offer, another one they had was a beautiful 2010 Chianti reduced from 6euros 50cents to 2euros 50cents, lovely. Alcohol is so cheap here it is ridiculous, like a 6 pack of Carling cost 3euros, there literally must be no tax on alcohol in supermarkets and such shops at all in Italy. This joy quickly turned to anger as I had recently read a BBC article detailing how 57% of the E.U. budget deficit is Italy's, therefore they are costing me a hell of a lot as a British tax payer to keep their alcohol prices so low. Italy I beg of you raise your duties on alcohol, cigarettes and anything else that is articfically cheap so as to relieve the burden upon Northern Europe's shoulders, we are not Atlas and we will not be able to take the strain forever.

The next day I decided to go for a run whilst Verity was having a morning lecture to stay fit and do something else other than biking, weights or core for once, but I had forgotten how painful running is, my muscles clearly had forgotten how to run and couldn't deal with the extra weight in my quads that just waved around uselessly as I painfully put one foot in front of the other. I did feel better as the run went on and I tried to do some different things in it like drills and sprints and doing it within the walls and a top the walls of Fortressa Medicea made it bit easier, but still... Unfortunately more agony was to come during the day as I recovered from my run. Here is the views of the city from the fortress, the fortress's walls and the internal view fo the fortress with the parade ground.



I then met Verity after her lecture where we then went on a stunning, all encompassing and time consuming tour of Duomo, 10euros allowed for access to everywhere and everything, well worth it. Here the Siensese Duomo's architecture is very different from the northern Tuscan cities of Pisa and Florence, there the Bapistry, the bell tower and Cathedral are all seperate, in Siena they are one. As well Siena and its churches seem to be obsessed with the Madonna and Baby, not just on street corners like the beautiful one below.

However in Pisa and Florence they tended to concentrate more on Hell and Judgement Day.

Unfortunately in some parts of the Cathedral Tour you were not allowed to take any photos, but here are just a selection of my favourites.

Siena did attempt to double the Duomo size with and eastern wing, however that only was pertially constructed as you can see below.

You are allowed to go the top of it and these are some of the photos that I took from atop this unfinished venture.

The next day was kind of similar, only this time I did only a 15min jog followed by 1hr 30mins of stretching then another 15min jog as Verity was in lectures in the morning. After lunch at a fantastic place, ironically called 'the Skyscraper' we headed out to the Piazza del Campo and into the Palazzo Publicio. Unfortunately photos were not allowed, but let me assure you this was another stunning experience and well worth the time and money. There are some stunning 12th centruy frescos with one showing a heavy naval defeat the Venetians inflicted on Frederick Barbarossa (this is in the main hall) and two oppossing frescos in room out the back of the main hall where deliberations would occur, one showed what would happen to Siena if bad government was at the helm and the other showed the exact opposite. Breath-taking.

Later that evening Verity splashed out and took me to a gorgeous restaurant Osteria la Taverna di San Giuseppe to celebrate our anniversary (a couple of days early mind you), a Michelin Star resturant no less, it was the first time I had been to one of those. The meal was lovely and the staff freindly, but the fact that you were given a time limit to finish (1hr 15mins) and the snobby crowd meant that it was not our favorutie resturant, but the quality was undoubted and we still had a lovely evening though. As well it was great value for being a Michelin Star resturant and so I just being a bit picky really.

The next day I went to Verity's lecture on Roman and Greek archeology and needless to say I didn't understand a word, but I went because straight after we went to the Wednesday market in Siena that is quite a big deal. It was right by the stadium, Fortressa Medicea and Piazza Gramsci. Anyway it was a great experience and the amount of fruit and vegetables on offer, the size and smells were fantastic. That's because even the most poorly maintained Italian garden it seems can still support some magnificent, big olive trees. Game meats and pork were relatively cheap as oppossed to Britain, but fish, red meat and cereals are more expensive in Italy, which, I'm sad to say I find quite interesting. After grabbing a slice of spicy tomato pizza each and getting Verity's groceries we headed back to her's enjoying and savouring the sights and smells, simply intoxicating.

Later that evening we decided to enjoy this spectacularly clear and beautiful day by going for a wonder around the city and taking a tour of Siena's Olive Gardens, here were some great views and it also happens to be the place were all of Siena walk their dogs. Another Italian surprise I found over here was how many Italians like German breeds of dogs and also favour the more 'fashionable' dogs, alotgehter I doubt I saw more than 5 types of dog, regardless here are some of the pictures from the Olive Gardens.

Then we ventured out again later that night to partake in a tradition that was left behind by the Britsih during the previous 300 years, taking tea, a passion for which Siena has bought in too and clearly embraced. So we went to The Tea Rooms, a great, though slightly frilly place that serves a wide ange of teas and cakes at great prices in proper China and eith loose tea leaves. It was a great experience and it weren't just for the tea drinkers, they also had a wide range of Belgian Leffes as well as serving some British cider and London Pride. Definately worth another visit and they also do great live band evenings, (so do alot of these places in Italy as I was to discover).

Thursday... the big day... a dream of mine since I began watching cycling properly when I was 18 and something I will never forget... I got to ride on this stuff.

Now to the uneducated that might just look like really white gravel, but this stuff has made heroes from men, forged legends that will long be remembered, myths that are lost and then rediscovered in a never-ending cycle... I could go on, but to ride on the strade bianche with 13th century castles and olive and grape terreacs as backdrops on a gorgeous day. This was ectascy. The bikes me and Verity got to experience this stuff on were from Siena's only bike shop in the proper centre of the city itself, the Rossi Bike Shop who were very polite and affable and where I bought this amazing jersey from.

They only charged 5 euros each to hire out bikes worth in the region of £500 for the whole day. suggested a great place to ride to and experience the white roads of Tuscany. Also being a typical Italian bike shop, though only small, they did an extensive trange of stunning Bianchi in the classic celeste colour. The bikes were in great nick to and with it being such a beautiful day the ride was heavenly. Another important issue to note is not only how well the roads are maintained, but as a cyclist you are given some much time and respect on the road it is unreal, Nirvana for cyclists. Here are some of my favourites from the ride.

The place that was chosen as our destination was the walled fort twon of Monteriggioni. It is at the top of a steep hill overlooking some flat Tuscan plains to the North defending the passge south to Siena from Florence. It was built in 1213 and is not only still in remarkable condition today, but also still is a living town with a primery school and everything. This was another Italian surprise to me, whilst we here in the U.K. turn even buildings with a blue plaque on into museums, here in Italy they do not, but still use the same facilities and places built centruies ago, often for quite varied purposes. Take for example Fortezza Medicea, that is now a primary school, a jazz school, a big wine tasting cellar and restaurant.

I digress, but the place was great, they were harvesting the olives on the ramparts and there were some more spectactular views. We also grabbed a lovely hot chocolate whilst we there, very thick, like custard I suppose.

Later that evening me and Verity met some of her mates at a bar in Siena that specialises in cocktails and they were gorgeous, the house special was orange and ginger and it took my breath away, literally, due to the amount of fresh ginger in it. Revs, eat your heart out. At the same time they did have a live jazz band playing who were pretty solid, but a bit too loud for my liking so I asked them to turn it down a bit. This was because at the time I was struggling to make myself understood by one of Verity's acquaintances, Alice, who happened to come from Normandy and not a million miles away from where I was going to be living next year. Needless to say this does not bode well for me. However this fact did little to dampen my evening as I found and still find it quite funny, maybe she would better understand me if I did a Joey Barton?

On the Friday morning me and Verity decided it would be good to a stroll through the bountiful and free botantical gardens in Siena, these really did put the ones in Singleton Park to shame. Saw some pretty plants and flowers and as it was terraced with it next to the old city walls, again some great views were on offer looking at the countryside beneath. Again thoroughly worth visiting.

We got back packed our bags and left to spend the night in Florence.

Here we arrived at Florence Central train station, which to the unitiated, with its 15 platforms and no information desk nor much in the way in signage is where Chaos reigns and you know you are not necessarily entering a well-to-do cultured place where the last 5miles on the journey into the station is just one long procession of graffiti. Not only that, but as soon as you have got off your train, walk a couple of metres and you turn around to look back, half of your previously plain, clean train as been covered in graffiti in the traditional Florentine colours of the red, white and purple. It is a very disorientating place and with Verity having failed to write down any directions to the B&B we were going to spend the night in, we ran around the station lookinf for maps of which there were zilch.

Eventually we decided the best thing to do was hop in to a cab to take us there. Here I will go on a bit of a tangent, stereotypes exist for a reason and all the Italian stereotypes were confirmed whilst I was here, the beggars were better dressed than me, the food was great, everyone was friendly and made rapid hand gestures as well as wanting to kiss. They all ride something with two wheels, either a bike or Vespa, alochol is cheap and so are cigarettes and the driving is mental!!! I have never been so scared in my life on the taxi ride to the B&B. And that's another point, the Italians don't really do health and safety. I did not see a smoke alarm once, the taxi didn't have proper seat belts, a lot of people don;t bother with helmets when on a bike or Vespa the list goes on... Crazy!!!

After I had stopped reeling around thinking I was going to vomit from that mile journey, (incidentally if you are a big fan of rollercoasters you will inevitable love the Italian school of driving), we rang the doorbell hoping it was still open, this is because me and Verity had arrived a bit later than our anticapted arrival time. Unfortunately we had to call and it turned out we booked for Saturday night instead, not Friday night. Kindly they said they would be there in an hour and half, in that time we grabbed something to eat and walked along tha bank of the Arno. Here was another special reason to love Italy, no matter how big or small the city, they will have always have at least one velodrome, outdoor or indoor. After that we eventually settled down for the night in the en suite. Sweet.

It was a cute little B&B, the staff we great and the room was immaculate then after breakfast (where I had my first ever proper cappucino) we headed into Florence proper, only a mile away to see what i had to offer. It may have been the heart of the Renaissance and have some beautiful buildings, but it is a bit of a rip-off, 2 sandwiches and a litre and a hlaf of water cost 9euros 50cents. It is also very touristy, with queues even at this time of year to get into some of the Musuems and the Florentine Duomo. But it is special and Palazzo Pitti Firenze represents great value for money if you wanted to go in and experience its numerous museums and botanical gardens. However we couldn't as we also wanted to fit in the numerous over sights Florence has to offer before catching the train to Pisa and flying back out to home.

A lot of buildings Florence has are all quite imposing like the Palazzo Pitti Firenze with it's huge square in front of it, immediately it struck me as quite Russian as the only other time I have seen such domineering architecture was when I visited St.petersburg and Moscow, but espcially Moscow it reminded me of. This does not stop it being beautiful like the Florentine Duomo, which is huge as it possesses the third largest dome in the world behind St Peter's and St Paul's. I also enjoyed what they have done to several of the public piazzas where they have replicated some of their infamous statutes and put outside for those unlucky enough not to be able to get in and see the real deals. Unfortunately during our time in Florence the camera died and so we were unable to take as pictures as we wanted to do, but here are some of my favourites.

On our way back to the train station we were stopped by an Italian woman who was clearly campaigning for something who asked me and Verity if we spoke English or were. Verity told her in no uncertain terms in Italian we didn't, so the woman sloops off saying, 'oh ok danke'. For the Italians believe if you are not English, you must be German and vice versa. Quite funny really and from there we got the train to Pisa, I jumped on the plane back to Blighty and waved goodbye to my sweetheart. Before I knew some 3-4hours after waving goodbye to Verity in Italy we were both back in our respective bedrooms talking to each other over Skype, this modern age really does amaze me sometimes...

In summary it was a great expedition to a foreign land I had yet to experience and I loved it to the full, Italy and the people are amazing, they do have a different lifestyle to many of us over here, but you have to embrace it otherwise, if you don't, you will not be able to properly appreciate the beauty, the madness and the serenity that you some how find yourself. It really is a place that hits you, but not too hard, in all your sesnses, savour this, for not many places or people are able to deliver such wonderful gifts. What I gained most from this trip was Robur and I will take it for wherever I will go.

A massive thanks has to go to Verity, for putting up with me, for showing me around and paying for the B&B in Florence as an early Christmas present. Love you