Slovenia Blog, May 27, 2008

My hosts Ursa and her Fiancee Luka

My host Luka, Ursa's finacee, out pedalin'

Take a photo adventure of latest Slovenia pics at: http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=9AauGbRi3aNUc&notag=1

Greetings from Kranj, Slovenia! I’m chillin at the home of 2002 Slovenian guest rider Ursa and her super cool fiancée Luka. Ursa and Garryck rode on together for several weeks in western China near Tibet. Six years later Ursa is still just as cheery and adventurous, but now she is 4 months pregnant and getting married in 3 weeks!

The hospitality has been beyond words. Luka and Ursa met me at the border and Luka rode with me to a local mountain bike race where we met more great people relaxing in the sun. Ursa then took a go on the bike and we rode to the stunning town of Bled for dinner, meeting Luka’s grandma and a stroll on the lake. That night it was off to a birthday party of her friend Ana and more great people, yummy Slovenian wine and lots of great chats!

The next day the local crew took me out on one of the best mountain bike rides I’ve ever been on! It was 60km of perfection, rolling hills, steep hills, green landscapes, mountains, turquoise blue rivers and lakes, rushing waterfalls—all with great Slovenian people to chat with! What more could I ask for? Follow that up with a great meal, more interesting and friendly people and it’s pretty much bliss out here!

My cycling crew near Bled, Slovenia

Yesterday I had planned to pedal onwards but it was Ursa’s birthday now so I HAD to stay and celebrate! I whopped up some caprice salad, Luka got a cake and the entire family and many friends came for an awesome evening. I rode with Ursa’s 93 year old grandfather through the streets of Kranj, as well as several other family and friends. There were three generations of Ursa’s family there and the laughter and smiles in Slovenia are like no place I have ever experienced.

Ursa's 93 year old grandfather had some powerful legs!

No need to tour when the biking with the locals is so fun!

So I’ve been torn today whether I should pedal on solo into the countryside or accept an invitation to go share the passions of two rock climbing enthusiasts and super cool Slovenian friends Luka and Blaz in the pristine mountains here in Slovenia. Although I love to ride, the main objective of the tandem cycling is to meet and connect with the locals out in nature. It seems to be happening without having to go out touring here in Slovenia and I’m happy to explore the passions of others since I always seem to get folks to share mine out on the bike. So I’m going with the flow and will be hanging from a rock in a few hours ;)

So I may only get a few days of actual “traditional bike touring” here in Slovenia, but plenty of great times and meaningful new friendships that I’ll never forget! Yet another great place to come back and visit in the future! Lovin it!

Over n out from paradise!

Jamie

Blog from Austria--May 24, 2008

http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=9AauGbRi3aNP0&notag=1 is where to get all the pics from Austria! For now, a quick update of Austria! Enjoy!

Cheers from Austria!

I’m on a train now and will be arriving shortly in northwest Slovenia. My adventure in Austria came and went pretty quickly, too quickly really, but I’ll never forget it! I’m not staring out the window at glimmering lakes, crisp mountain peaks and every color of green watching the last bits of Austria roll by in the bright sunshine.

The sun is such a nice change of scenery and it just came out yesterday after almost a week of grey, cold, wet and windy conditions in Liechtenstein and Austria. Literally, the second I left Switzerland the sun disappeared. But fortunately host Helene was bright, energetic and between her cooking and her parents I managed to stay warm, cozy, entertained and well nurtured Feldkirch, Austria.

My body was sore from my adventures in Italy and Switzerland and the extra day of rest at Helene’s pad was more than welcome. I also had several administrative and business affairs to take care of so the weather was a blessing in disguise really. By staying an extra day I could also include Helene in my riding schedule as she had a day off! So it was all meant to be!

I eventually hit the road on Tuesday, May 20th to cycle over a huge 1800 meter pass towards Innsbruck. I studied the terrain and knew it would be one of the hardest physical challenges of my life—and the sour weather would not help. Luckily I had a mild tail wind heading out of Feldkirch and only showers without too many major downpours. I basically started climbing right away and did not stop until I hit the town of Dalaas five hours later where the rain started to get heavy and the temperature downright freezing.

I did not see any potential guest riders and was honestly happy to have some time solo with my music just enjoying a day of riding. After six amazing riders in Switzerland it was actually nice to just pedal solo. Dalaas is at about 850 meters (about 2600 feet) above sea level. I planned to camp that night so it made no sense to go any higher where the temperatures would surely be well below zero. So I found a cute restaurant and saddled up for a local meal called Jagertoast—pork cutlets on bread smothered in cheese washed down with a cold beer. I dried off in no time and the owner of the hotel took a liking to me after I was able to share the meaning of my huge bike in front of her place in my broken German. She offered me a free place to crash in a spare outside room that was just perfect, as well as a nice glass of pear schnapps to keep me warm. It rained hard all night long and it’s no fun camping in that nastiness!

The next day I knew was going to be a doozy. I had about 1,000 meters to climb, over 3,200 feet, with a 100+ kilo bike, by myself, no guest rider. And, unlike Asia where the roads are graded for low horsepower cars and trucks, I knew I would be grinding up some 12-15%+ grades. Ouch. But the weather was not too bad when I set off and I could actually a bit of the stunning scenery that was hiding behind all the clouds once in a while—but it was rare, especially as I climbed higher into the alps.

Once I hit Klösterle I knew it was time for the serious work to begin. Tunnels were the luxury for trains and cars to avoid the high pass, but bikes had to go right over and into the clouds. For four hard hours I averaged about 7 kilometers and hour grinding away over the pass. The green scenery was replaced by snow as I eventually was riding through a ski resort. It was amazing, but very challenging. At times I was on a 15% grade and could only pedal about 50 meters before having to stop and rest with my legs and lungs burning. It was brutal. But inch by inch, meter by meter, I finally hit the summit of 1,802 meters and was welcomed by several kids and local construction workers rooting me on.

I chowed down some local salami sticks for raw energy, put on the same Assos beanie I used in the Himalayas in 2002, and got ready for the decent. Like my last new friend in Dalaas, I met the owner of a small café up there who set me up with a coffee with a shot of local pear schnapps. She said it would “calm my nerves and keep me warm”. She was right! I was warm all the way down and very relaxed!

The other side of the pass was just as steep as the first and I was hitting 65km/hour winding through the forested hills. There was some marvelous scenery peaking out here and ther but unfortunately I now had a mean headwind to deal with and when the grade became a mellow downhill. I still had to pedal pretty darn hard to keep my speed up with the wind pushing me back up the hill. By now, I was pretty dead tired and my legs were like rubber. Fortunately during this time of year I still had plenty of daylight left and Helene was not expected for a few hours. I decided to just pedal nice and slow, spin as much as possible, conserve my strength, and suck in the scenery.

I finally arrived in Landeck just as I got a call from Helene saying she was just around the corner. Perfect timing! The local campsite was closed down and I was looking forward to a nice shower, but we decided to ride onwards towards Innsbruck until we found a place to camp for free in nature. It was good to see Helene again and have someone to share my crazy stories with of life heading over the summit, not to mention some pedal power!

We found a nugget campsite and, although it was a bit close to the highway and train tracks, it was flat, had our own picnic table, and was right on the bike path. I had gone shopping while very hungry (not a good idea) and had a huge bag full of yummy food and bottle of prosecco to celebrate our reuniting and my successful mission over the summit. We laughed, chatted, ate heaps and philosophized until we were pretty much soaking wet sitting at the table in the constant drizzle. We slept like babies and slept in until about 9AM when cyclists on the bike path were beckoning us out of the tent.

Helene does not own a car and chooses to commute each day to work on her bike so I assumed she would be super duper strong—and she is strong. But, she HATES hills and does not like getting her heart rate pumping too much. And that day there were plenty of hills, especially in the morning following the bike path versus the road. My legs were totally sore and tired after 2 days of climbing the Alps so we were not doing so well in the morning. We rolled into our lunch stop knackered and in search of the easiest way to ride the remaining 52km to Innsbruck.

We opted for a secondary road, which was mostly flat, but boy did that afternoon headwind blow as a mean storm seemed to be brewing. I was hoping it would pass and we would get some chance to actually see the Alps and maybe to do some filming as the weather report said it would be party sunny that day. Luckily Helene likes the flat terrain and we both got our leg s back after lunch and were still able to keep 20km/hour into a wind and get some kilometers behind us.

With just 30km of riding left we were both in great spirits and feeling strong. But it was just then that the rain started to fall, and it got stronger and stronger every kilometer we rode. By the time we rolled into Innsbruck we were soaking wet and exhausted after a tough 82km ride. We found a hostel right in old town, lugged all the wet gear up to our room and got cleaned up.

Helene had to be on a 4AM train to get back to work the next day and was totally exhausted so we decided not to go out again into the rain. We opted to cook up some dinner at the hostel and sip some vino. We spent our last night sipping nice Chilean red wine, eating yummy pasta with a special Helene cheese sauce and we managed to have some long chats and do some filming to share all the nuggets we discovered during all our philosophizing together.

I took Helene to her train in the pouring rain at 3:30AM and it was sad to say goodbye to really my only true Austrian friend I met while in the country. I went back to bed and woke up to crystal clear skies and sun entering my room for the first time in about a week! I wished Helene could have been there to share it and I was happy it was out, but sad to be alone once again.

Fortunately I got some very nice emails from family and friends, one of them from my Slovenian friend Ursa saying she and her husband to be Luka would be meeting me in the border town of Jesennice in Slovenia! Also, a Croatian friend in met in Nepal would be hosting me after Slovenia! So I had great adventures to look forward to and the sadness finally lifted in the afternoon as I checked out the famous Olympic ski jump with endless views—something I had always dreamed of seeing.

I spent the rest of the evening with my jaw hanging in awe at all the endless precious scenery, historic buildings, funky architecture, interesting people watching and chomping down some yummy sweets and treats! Life is good, especially when the sun is out!

So I’m just a few hours from being in Slovenia and the scenery passing by my train window makes it hard to keep typing—waterfalls, wildflowers, tall peaks, rivers, cute villages, crisp blue skies! Yeah, I would have loved to ride in this kind of weather, but I’m sure there are some lessons to be learned somewhere and I was meant to ride in the nasty weather in Austria. I guess I’ll have to come back—WITH PLEASURE! It’s magical and I strongly recommend a visit here!

My hosts in Zurich--about 18 college students in a huge 100 year old house

Greetings from Feldkirch, Austria where I'm all packed up and ready to ride off into the mountains. No guest riders today, but plenty on the horizon :)

The "Swiss Chick Relay" continued after Zurich with the 5th Swiss rider Dragi, who was a foreign exchange student who stayed with my mom while I was traveling in Africa. We got along super and she was a champ working with Tele Zuri TV station who was following us about 1/2 our ride to film for a segment of their evening program. (check the broadcast here--brushup on your Swiss German first--http://www.peacepedalers.com/video/Tele_zuri_mpeg4.m4v) We made it to a small town in between Zurich and the Liechtenstein border just before the rain started and just in time to see ourselves on the tele. It was classic! A perfect 60km ride with a tail wind blowing us in before the storm.


Dragi and I at the end of our ride

Roman, Dragi and Me in between Zurich n Liechtenstein


Roman and I on a PERFECT day on the alps!

Yes, we pedaled up a 25% grade! With over 200 pounds!

Then Roman, another Swiss foreign exchange student who stayed with my mom, drove out to where Dragi and I stopped. I treated us to a room to a small Swiss hotel, we took Dragi to the train back to Zurich, and Roman and I spent the evening chatting and sipping beers. Roman was my 6th rider, but only the 1st male in the entire country--a trend that seems to be continuing. I'm clearly making up for the imbalance in Africa where 98% of my riders were men! Bring on some estrogen power!

Roman and I were totally blessed as the weather predicted rain and clouds but we had sunshine all day! And the views were amazing from the previous day's rain. We did about 70km of blissful cycling with endless views before reaching Liechtenstein and meeting up with my Hospitality Club (http://www.hospitalityclub.org) host Trix. Roman's girlfriend Simone drove from Zurich to Liechtenstein to pick up Roman and we all celebrated the new friendship with some prosecco sparkling wine overlooking the mountains of Trieste, Liechtenstein that Trix happened to have in her fridge (and is my favorite!). Life does NOT suck!


We rode beside this lake for 1/2 the day! Unreal!

Stunning!


Cool Swiss farm houses along the bike route

Checking the bike map to discover we made it!

Simone, Roman, me n my host Trix at Trix's sweet pad

And worthy of a celebration

Trix was a marvelous host and made sure I ate my first of keisekanufel (way misspelled but that's how i remember it) which was amazing! Her couch was super comfortable and with the rain we ended up chilling instead of going out riding. We had long chats, I listened to her cd's of various bands she sang in, and I'll never forget her suggestion that men should pee sitting down--I tried it and I dig it! But not so easy to remember to do!


My first taste of the Liechtenstein Kaseknefel ;)

Waking up full of love and appreciation on Trix's couch

But I took off later the next afternoon to meet my next host here in Austria Helene from couchsurfing.com where I've spent that last few days in her warm flat, meeting her lovely parents, dancing till 5AM with the friendly locals and catching up with myself and business stuff hoping the weather would clear. No chance, time to break out the Assos rain jacket n warm stuff :)


Helen and her lovely family. And another AMAZING meal

My host and great Austrian friend Helene sippin a yummy Austrian beer :) She's riding with me in a few days...

So I'm finally on the road again--into the cold, windy and damp weather that's over Europe now--but very, very excited! Hoping to get a day of skiing in Innsbruck when I arrive, and perhaps find some more male riders. But for now, I'm happy to balance up my guest rider count with as many female riders come out!

Over n out!

Jamie

Zürich, Switzerland, 1:50AM, 5-15-08

My how time flies when you are having fun! Although, contrary to popular assumptions by many, I work my butt off out here, I’m having a total blast. I am digging Europe! The scenery, history, traditions, people, food (ohhh, the food!), wine—all still rocking my world!

So left off last update in Lucca, Tuscany, Italy. From there I took the advice of my friend Anna and hit up a hot spring outside Montecatini and ended up camping at a school yard with a million dollar view over the Tuscan hills to avoid the $150/night lodging at the springs.


Free lodging gives $$ for great food and wine! Dig it!


The view from my tent at sunset. Not bad...

The rolling vineyards and light industrial roads finally weaved their way along a river to Florence where I rolled in with perfect weather and the awe inspiring views in every direction of this marvelous city. If you have never been—GO! It’s like a fairytale and so much more!

I had no idea where I was staying as I somehow lost both my map AND my Lonely Planet Italy section of my book so I just rode around until some “sign” came of where to go next. Anna mentioned a campsite overlooking the city so I figured I’d somehow find someone to lead me there. Ask and you shall receive! Out of nowhere came my fired up Florence Angel named Silvano pedaling alongside me. Silvano is 67 years young, has 5 bikes, and has ridden all over Europe through about 20 countries. When he saw me and my bike he flipped out and we bonded right away.


Silvano to my right leading me to my campsite

Silvano spoke no English, but great Italian, French and some Spanish. So somehow between all these languages we were able to chat as if there were no barrier at all! Before we knew it he led me to my campsite up overlooking Florence and we set a date to meet up at sunset to ride together in the city!


Just one of the endless stunning monuments in Florence


After another "day in the office" we relax by the river

Silvano and I had the most amazing tour of Florence that evening as he laughed, sang and directed traffic through the tourist filled city. We ran 2 video cameras on a wide arm and tall tripod but somehow hit nobody and no old buildings. We were a classic sight! He loved the Peace Pedalers story so much he committed to take me out the next day to get us into the papers so I had my breakfast date set.


Silvano with his new Assos gloves riding me to the press

And meeting the crew at the bike shop

My last day in Florence we got an interview with La Nazione national paper, met all Silvano’s buddies at the local bike shop, ate great food, sipped strong coffee, tasted great wine and got ready to take a train back to my Italian family back up in Cislago you may remember, the Saggioro family. My friend Anna warned me about taking bikes on the train, so fortunately I got a bike box all set and was able to cruise right on the train with zero hassles, no extra fees, and met Anna back in northern Milan for my last few moments in Italy.

The Saggioro family went all out to send me off with the very best hand made caprese salad, gnocchi and a surprise Tiramisu Anna made that rocked my world. Wow!


The real thing baby! Soooo yummy!


My last lunch on a perfect spring afternoon!

Anna then took me to my grandparents favorite place called Como Lake where more fresh food, fine Tuscan wine and lakeside dining just kept me pinching myself whether I was dreaming or if it was real! I will never forget Italy—it’s truly heaven!


Lovely Lake Como!

Anna's lakeside cooking--homemade gnocchi!


But let’s not forget Switzerland, where I write this now. Anna and I rode together from the Italian border to my Swiss sponsor Assos’ headquarters where we were greeted with open arms. Assos has been my cycling clothing sponsor now for over 6 years and is really one of the most important relationships I have both now and in the future. They took Anna and I out to a gourmet lunch, lined up a live interview with Swiss Radio, found me two beautiful Assos employees to ride with me down to Lugano and styled me out with a lakeside hotel room with a view to die for! Not a bad start to country #2 of my European adventure!


Team Assos Relay Rockin the way from HQ to Lugano!


And the view from the room Assso styled me out with!

Turns out the pass over the mountains from Lugano to Luzerne was full of snow still and I had a short window to meet some Swiss friends so I hoped a train to a small town called Steiner. About 18 months ago I was on a plane from UK to South Africa and met a jolly Swiss gal named Clarissa. She stayed in touch and I was invited to stay in her parent’s 100 year old Swiss chalet with my own room right on a river. It was so peaceful, even with the church bells right next door. I had breakfast with her parents, neither of which spoke English, and without Clarissa who had to leave early in the morning to Austria. But luckily Clarissa’s mom spoke Italian so here the American was, in Switzerland, speaking Italian to communicate with the parents. Classic!




Heading over the snowy hills by train. The snowboarder will enjoy em, no doubt!

First stop: Clarissa's house. Bye bye to her parents before setting off

I did an epic 65km solo ride along the lake to Luzerne, got some nice rest, soaked in the stunning city (go there, it’s a winner!) and then was greeted by two new Swiss princesses I met in Ghana, Shanti and Mirjam the next day. They came take me around the city, enjoy a picnic and give me some more estrogen pedal power as Shanit rode with me to Mirjam’s house in Geuensee. Life was good! Like Clarissa’s parents, Mijam’s family opened their home to me with amazing warmth and trust, we ate raclette cheese and potatoes (yummy!), and had a night cap at their cute local bar in Sursee to take Shanti to her train home.


Taking some time to relax and check the map...


Reunited! From Ghana, W. Africa to Lucerne! My Swiss friends Mirjam and Shanti!

Shanti and I on KM 1 of our relay from Lucerne to Zurich

Shanti paying her dues for the ride to Mirjams ;)

Mirjam and I checking the maps for the long ride to Zurich


Mirjam's family made me feel super duper welcome!


And we gave Mirjam's brother a ride to high school before our ride

The next day Mirjam and I took her younger brother to high school and then set off on an epic 92 kilometer adventure to Zurich. Luckily, Mirjam was a real cyclist and had strong legs and knew what it was like to spend a long time in a saddle. But 92km was her longest ride and I’m sure she felt it! We rode along remote rivers, through cute villages, and all sorts of grades of hills following the Swiss cycling routes. In 92 kilometers we only rode with cars about 10 of them. Imagine 80 kilometers of car free riding in Switzerland! It’s possible—bring your bike and check it out!


The amazing scenery in the "midlands" of Switzerland

The awesome bike lanes of Switzerland!

92 Kilometers later we make it to Zurich!!!

Mirjam and I arrived pretty exhausted but very proud of our efforts. She treated me to one of Switzerland’s famous 8 dollar ½ liter beers by the river and she headed out to meet her boyfriend and move on with life. I took a cool, sunset swim in the lake and then rode up a 14 percent grade hill to where I sit right now, in a 100 year old Swiss home those houses 18 students at the local University of Zurich. Turns out that my buddy Tim I met out traveling used to live here and was able to find one of the guys on holiday who offered to let me use his room for two nights.

So I’m here now at 11:54PM, drinking Prosessco wine with the students, waiting for a sweet smelling cake to come out of the oven, listening to French music, going over online cycling routes to Liechtenstein and Austria and again, pinching myself that this is all really happening. Sure, I have my low moments, but they sure do pass faster than they did down in Africa with conditions like this!


Chillin w/ a few of the 18 college students in a 100 year old Swiss home :)

Enjoy the pics, enjoy life, come join me out here! It’s so amazing! I dig Europe--you will too!

Jamie

Greetings from Lucca, Tuscany in Italy! This beautiful city is where my grandparents grew up and immigrated from so it's been a hoot being among my roots indeed! Here's how it got here...

"Pace" means Peace in Italian--this Community was for Peace!

My stay with Anna's lovely family was unforgettable. I was treated like a part of the family and I'm actually excited that I get to go back for a quick visit before leaving for Switzerland

I started the trip in La Spezia on the northwest border of the Tuscan province and my first day of touring was a short ride to Aulla, where the "Tuscan Alps" really get started. I felt strong, healthy and excited to dive into my adventures in Italy.

Unfortunately, I quickly discovered the vast difference between the African and Italian culture when, after relaxing around dinner time at a local cafe with half dozen local Italians, nobody invited me to eat with their family or even pitch my tent in their yard. They sent me to the local church to find a place to sleep, but the priest was even quite rude and sent me on my way.

So I found a place down by the river, under a bridge, on a bed of rocks. Fortunately, I had plenty of food, water and a good air mattress to catch some good rest. It rained all night and into the morning so it was hard not to get a bit sad.

My home first night on tour in Italy. Could be worse!

But at about 11AM the sun came out, my spirits lifted and I was off on one of best day of cycling I have done in my life right into the alps, with a climb of about 800 meters, or 2,600 feet. No guest riders that day, but I met tons of cyclists on the road and the scenery was to die for.

About 1/2 way up the 800 meter pass. Lovin it!


Springtime in the Tuscan Alps

At the end of a long day of climbing I was determined to give it another go to find a place to stay and eat with the locals. But, sadly to say, I was denied by another four people and told the best place to stay was in the meadow and the pizzeria was best bet for food. Luckily, as you’ll see in the pictures, it was an epic place to stay indeed! But boy these Italians were a tough nut to crack!

My home for 2nd night on the road in Italy. Not bad...

The 3^rd day on the road was bliss! It was mostly downhill on the other side of the pass, and the windy roads through one stunning Tuscan village after another was just beyond words. I was happy, grateful and positive as I rode down into Castelnuovo where I stopped at a bike shop to get some air in my shock. This is where my persistence and steadfast intention to meet some beautiful Italian people would finally pay off!

Some of the scenery in the Tuscan Alps

Mama, Jamie and Antonio at his family home

In come Anotonio, a 34 year old cycling enthusiast an high tech entrepreneur who happened to be at the shop, speak good English, and have a heart of gold. When I explained the Peace Pedalers project to him, how I invite people to ride with me, he grinned and asked me, knowing fully what the answer was, , “So how many riders have you had in Italy?”.

Antonio and I became friends almost instantly, and he took me to his family’s house for lunch where I met my “Italian Mama”, his dad and sister at their lovely house in the countryside. From there he invited me to stay with him and his girlfriend at his house back 10km in the town of Camporgiano and accepted the invitation to ride with me the following day!

Our first pedal strokes to Lucca. His house is just behind us


The amazing Castelnuovo, Antonio's home town


The "Devil's Bridge" outside Lucca


Chiara gets a ride on the tandem into Lucca


a final meal together on the wall of Lucca

The 24 hours I spent with Antonio and his girlfriend Chiara were unforgettable. They have a charming 100 year old Tuscan house with 2 rivers running through it where I had my own room and a nice bed. Bye bye air mattress! We enjoyed great beers, yummy Prosecco and red wines, another amazing meal with his family, Gelato and a nightcap full of great chats until late in the evening.

The next day Antonio and I did a fast and glorious ride of about 60km to Lucca and Chiara was our support vehicle. Antonio logs about 12,000km per year on his bike so we were flying and the moving interview was flawless with great chats, philosophizing and catching awesome scenery without too much traffic.

We met up with Chiara in Lucca and had an amazing picnic on the ancient walls of the stunning city of Lucca. I was sad to see them go, but happy to have a few days to relax and rest my tired legs that now had 4 days in a row of cycling on them. I ended up hitting the town and meeting more lovely Italians that evening and took a full day to relax in the shade while a huge bike race went on right in front of my place where I was staying!

One of 91 Bianchini's in Lucca.


Some of the awesome scenery in the town of Lucca

The bike race on my day off yesterday. Lovely!

All in all, I’m loving Italy! I’m on my way now to Montecatini Terma where Anna told me I have to check out the hot springs and then off to Florence to check out one of Europe’s most beautiful cities before making my way to Switzerland.

That’s the latest! La Vita Bella!!

Jamie