Day 7:
We met Neal for breakfast and then went to the Pitti Palace to look at more artwork. To be honest I couldn’t give it the attention it deserved being “galleried out” and getting a case of cathedral neck, a chronic disease of the neck caused by looking up too much. From there we made our way back over the “Old Bridge” or “Gold Bridge” at Ponte Vecchio to gather our bags for the bus ride to Villa Pitiana, an old monastery, now converted to a resort hotel. The Villa Pitiana is beautiful, with wonderful rooms, and great views of the surrounding countryside. A nap would have been in order, but we had to assemble shortly for a meeting and to go over paperwork. We enjoyed a beer and a Cuban cigar in the sun, conversing with our new found friends. We were soon acquainted with our motorcycles; everyone looked like children in a candy store. Mine was to be a silver R1200RT with only 1KM on the clock. Funny now that I look back about this machine I knew so little about, to think that it would become an extension of myself. At 8:00PM we had dinner, and as we would come to find out with all the Edelweiss dinners, it would be dining experience. The night ended early, to get a good rest for tomorrow’s first ride.