Distance: 163km (projected 141 km)

Palazzolo’Oglio to Chiavenna http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chiavenna

It’s a beautiful warm and sunny Sunday. We run into several cycling teams on training rides along Lake Como – they most likely originating out of Milan. The lake is such a special sight – certainly beats Holland Marsh near Toronto as cycling backdrop. Run into a rain storm going north of the lake, along with a bunch of Swiss day tourist leaving the beaches. Traffic became heavy and a bit chaotic but it clears up – along with the rain – in about half an hour. We veer off the main route to Switzerland and on to an old quiet highway toward Chiavenna.

albergo villa & roma

en route through Samolaco

CHIAVENNA
Once in Chiavenna we locate our B&B La Specola, very comfortable accommodations situated in the heart of this picturesque town. We were warmly greeted by our hosts Signora Rina and her son with tea and cookies. We spent some time talking of our travels and her son was very helpful in providing advice on the route we were to take the following day. We highly recommend staying at La Specola if you ever visit, http://www.bblaspecola.it/

View of city & view from bedroom window

9 June 2007: Stage 2 - Mantova to Palazzolo’Oglio http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palazzolo_sull%27Oglio

started out late today, 11am. stayed to use the internet cafe that was supposed to open at 10am. at 10:30 still no sign of life and I had a ride to do. Couldn’t wait any longer, off to Palazzolo Sul’Oglio.

It was sunny and quickly became very hot. took it easy along the route north west toward Palazzolo Sul’Oglio. Cycling through the heat was well worth the journey. Palazzolo Sul’Oglio is a beautiful small town nestled by hills.
Got in to town around 8pm found a lovely hotel, Villa & Roma,
http://www.parks.it/parco.oglio.nord/operatore.php?progressivooperatore=10077&ap=Oglio_Nord

We had an amazing dinner. finally a town with a restaurant still serving dinner after 9pm! we were getting sick of ham and cheese sandwiches, the only thing available once the kitchen closes, usually at 9pm sharp.

Distance: 195 km (164 projected)
Weather: partly cloudy, 20-30 C

It was a gorgeous day to leave Venice. Couldn’t locate the boat to Fusina – a campground and parking lot south of Mestre. Decided instead to ride the causeway and navigate through Mestre. Don’t try it! There is a sidewalk on the causeway, and after a bit of expressway like road you can locate a bike path north of Mestre, but getting all the way across the city is very difficult because of the main expressway bisecting the city E-W. The city is trying though, as the system of separated bike paths was the best I’ve seen anywhere so far. The espressway seems to be the insurmountable barrier. Eventually made it out to decent 2-lane road going south. We stopped for coffee in Campagna Lupia, in the lovely CafÈ Pieta. Great pastries and the owner gave us chocolate for the road.
The rest of the ride went beautifully: Dolomites in the distance, flat as a pancake fertile plain all around. Several large religious cloisters in some of the villages. We modified the route along the way to avoid traffic and moved to small country roads through most of the day, adding about 10km to the day. Mestre was responsible for the rest of the increase.
Arrived in Mantova feeling good after a fairly long first day (12 hours). Then the real fun started!

The B&B Scam
Here’s how it works: innocent tourist decides that to be on the safe side on a Friday, to book accommodation online. Visits hostel and B&B site for Italy cities… ah there’s a nice sounding B&B in Mantova. Books room with twin beds. Great. Then you try to find it… and it turns out to be non-locatable… cyclists ride around in the darkening city. Lights go on the bikes… Calls to the supposed B&B prove to give only vaguer and less likely directions. Then the travelers stumble on a strange, near-empty Albergo on the city limits… staff there seem to know something about the purported B&B, but their directions are even less likely… there is no ‘white house with lights on’. No sign, no lights, just darkened buildings, all empty or residential. The other Albergo offers a room at competing rates. Final calls to the supposed B&B prove that it doesn’t exist.

In the end, we simply rode into downtown and found a beautiful, roomy hotel. It was so simple, and a buffet breakfast included at the 3-star Hotel Italia, Mantova. Excellent room rates. (hotelitaliamantova.com, 0376 322609)

Venice http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Venice
La Biennale di Venezia 52nd International Art Exhibition - http://www.labiennale.org/en/art/

We arrange to meet a group of colleagues outside the Giardini to retrieve our preview passes. We get them from the flag-draped ‘Canadian’ table located just outside the Biennale entrance gates.

Once in we rush to as many pavilions as possible before we make our way to the official opening of the Canadian pavilion. First France, where Sophie Calle has installed (with the direction of Daniel Burin) a mesmerizing array of responses to one email. The text of which can be found in vinyl lettering on the wall opposite to the entrance. It’s overwhelming the amount of material – text, video, film, and photo – an ambitious and obsessive installation. Then the British pavilion, an eccentric presentation for which Tracy Emin has created a series of uncharacteristically subtle drawings … we’re still not sure about the tree branches in the centre of the main space though. At the Nordic pavilion we find an installation that takes the form of a travel agency promoting Baghdad as a tourist destination. Conceived of by artist Adel Abidin, it’s a tragically ironic, often tongue-in-cheek reminder of the Iraqi situation. Russia has a group exhibition entitled CLICKIHOPE, in Spain we view the group exhibition Broken Paradise, Venezuela, Switzerland, Germany are interesting … then we run into some acquaintances. Conversation is quick … what we’ve seen, what’s a write-off and which pavilions are not to be missed. We tear over to America … but with an hour and a half queue, we don’t actually see the much-talked-about Felix Gonzalez-Torres installation. No time to waste, we move on … the Italian pavilion is next … one of the Biennale’s two main international presentations curated by Director Robert Storr. The other component – housed in the Arsenale – occupies vast exhibition halls and includes the African and Chinese pavilions.

We finally arrive at the Canadian pavilion for the official opening reception of David Altmejd’s exhibition INDEX. Sipping chilled Prosecco and nibbling some quite good cheese, we navigate a crowd comprising members of the Canadian and international art world and dotted with colleagues and friends. After a drink (or two) we end-up in the exhibition space – it’s a confounding installation of mirrors with spatterings of white paint, crystals, S&M gear, dildos, faux fur, tree branches, fake birds, men morphing into animals and one big, seated werewolf – quite phantasmagorical and ‘site-specific’. The Canadian contribution felt out of place given the breadth of oeuvres in other pavilions rooted in contemporary issues … often exploring situations of conflict and war. Robert Storr certainly embraced the conflict theme in his curatorial direction and Lebanon’s inaugural participation spoke volumes.

Coming soon.

2 June 2007

Petra

Cheryl

Art Ride 2007 : Venice–Basel–Kassel–Münster … by bike!

DETAILED ITINERARY BY STAGE

· 6 June : arrive in Venice – acclimatization/prep day

· 7 June : Venice http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Venice - tour La Biennale di Venezia 52nd International Art Exhibition - http://www.labiennale.org/en/art/

· 8 June : Stage 1 - 162 km - Venice to Mantova http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mantova

· 9 June : Stage 2 - 127.5 km - Mantova to Palazzolo’Oglio http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palazzolo_sull%27Oglio

· 10 June : Stage 3 - 141 km - Palazzolo’Oglio to Chiavenna http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chiavenna

· 11 June : Stage 4 - 112 km - Chiavenna to Chur http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chur

· 12 June : Stage 5 - 144 km - Chur to Winterthur http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Winterthur

· 13 June : Stage 6 - 100 km - Winterthur to Basel http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basel - tour Art 38 Basel - http://www.artbasel.com/go/id/ss/

· 14 June : Stage 7 - 185 km - Basel to Baden Baden http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baden_Baden

· 15 June : Stage 8 - 114 km - Baden Baden to Heidelberg http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heidelberg

· 16 June : Stage 9 - 267 km - Heidelberg to Alsfeld http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alsfeld

· 17 June : Stage 10 - 80 km - Alsfeld to Kassel http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kassel - tour Documenta 12

· 18 June : rest day in Kassel - tour Documenta 12 http://www.documenta12.de/aktuelles.html?&L=1

· 19 June : Stage 11 - 169 km - Kassel to Münster http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M%C3%BCnster - tour skulptur projekte münster 07

· 20 June : tour skulptur projekte münster 07 - http://www.skulptur-projekte.de/

8 June : Stage 1 - 162 km - Venice to Mantova – e.t.a. 16:30