Writer. Creative Leader.
A couple weeks ago, I was e-mailing with a friend and mentioned we were trying to figure out what to do with our remaining time in Italy. Leading up to this point, we’d spent days riding ugly, busy highways in the rain. Each spray of filthy water from passing Mack trucks—or MAN trucks as they’re called here—was a …
I couldn’t decide: “You don’t need a lot of money. If you live with less, enjoy the day and think something good will happen tomorrow, something good will happen.” – or – “They say if you walk in your garden in bare feet, the ground can feel your energy and grows what you body needs,” …
“So, what’s your plan?” We get asked that question a lot. Because local knowledge is invaluable–and, let’s be honest, because we don’t have a plan–we typically answer with, “What do you recommend?” It hasn’t led us astray so far. In fact, it’s taken us to the gorgeous mountain town of Garmisch, Germany, and through the heart …
A peek at where we laid our heads at night–from Vipiteno to Perugia: *** Home is…a forest clearing behind a hotel in Vipiteno. *** Home is…three nights in an apartment all to ourselves in the center of beautiful Brixen–a chance to catch up on work, do laundry and eat like locals. *** Home is…a night in San Martino …
L to R: Justin, me, our awesome rock climber/bread baker host and Sekiji, a Japanese bike tourer who has been traveling the world for the past 5 years. Our host rode his bike across China. During his bike tour, he was invited into people’s homes and commonly offered chicken legs. Unable to communicate that he was …
“It’s just something small,” she said as she handed us a bag overflowing with sandwiches, fruit, eggs, cereal bars and juice. Our route involved multiple mountain passes that day. “You need food,” he said. *Warner & Natacha, thank you so much for everything you gave us. You are the good in the world.
“The people. You will meet so many stories—and that is beautiful.” He invited us back in February to ski tour in the Dolomites. *Moritz, thank you so much for the generous stay in your hotel.
We crossed into Italy at dusk via Brenner Pass and–right on cue–smelled pizza! I’m pretty sure I also spotted the first woman with black hair, aside from myself, since we arrived on foreign soil. As the evening light waned, we coasted down a smooth bike path into Vipiteno, where we found a wooded area behind a …
Home is…right behind that bench, on a hillside just outside of Innsbruck, Austria.
Austria, Julie Andrews was right about you: Your hills are indeed alive, and they are no joke! From Garmish-Partenkirchen, we pedaled up, up, up and into Austria via gravel trekking paths. We couldn’t escape the hot sun and steep climbs, so food breaks were frequent. Legs screaming in pain, I sang songs from The Sound …