In the US, you can’t stay somewhere without arranging payment first. Even if they don’t run your credit card until you check out, they have it on file. In parts of Europe, if you ask about a room (or campsite) they offer you the opportunity to see the room, and expect you to view it prior to agreeing to stay. Even after viewing the room, they expect you to settle in before paying. Campgrounds routinely tell me I can pay in the morning (a practice I abhor). Today I demonstrated why I prefer payment up front, as I left the campground this morning without paying. I realized it and returned (on thankfully flat roads) but added 5 km to my day.
A day already slow to start. Rain last night continued this morning, and I waited until a dry patch to pack up.
My second flat tire today, again the seam on the rear tube. 20 minutes of unpacking, tube repair, and repacking and I was on my way again.
Shortly thereafter, cycling down the boardwalk, Lorenzo (a name that always makes me think of Lorenzo von Matterhorn) passed me; out of the corner of my eye I noticed him turn around. When he caught up he told me he’d just returned only yesterday from a 7,000 km cycle trip. He offered me a place to stay, but the day was still young with only 20 km under my belt. He gave me his contact information in case I ran into any problems in the next couple of days.
While reviewing today’s path, I found those hills Jon mentioned. No road within a kilometer of the coast clearly indicates something’s up! Routing around it meant major highways, and two complex interchanges where the Autobahn intersected. The mountains concluded with two steep climbs … err, walks.
I camped on the coast again in Senigallia. After days of being alone, the first two campgrounds were full! The season has started. Tonight’s campground cost more than I’d prefer, but I’d rather not wander from campground to campground. Ironically the hostel I booked tomorrow costs less. Hopefully I can also resupply some basic cooking essentials there. Short ride tomorrow theoretically making it three reasonable days to Bologna instead of two long extremely long ones.
What I get for posting my list of lost stuff – lost my knife today. It was in my lap when I leapt up from lunch to avoid the sudden appearance of a bus next to me. In the excitement I forgot about it.