Day 23 train to Bern

Milan connections by bike are complicated this morning. Wanting a faster connection than yesterdays slow local train created complications. A true catch 22 - tickets and reservations for bicycles are available on the direct train but when trying to purchase them in Italy the program crashes and needs to reload. 2 agents and 5 crashes later the station agent sends us to a Swiss ticket office in town. There they explain that you can ride the fast train with bikes but you must purchase the tickets in Switzerland. We have 2 hours before the train departs so we head to the old city to see the the 4th largest cathedral in Europe. The main square around the cathedral is crowded and a number of people are attracted to our bikes. John does his regular recumbent ambassador story. Time is short and we get lost finding the train station but we eventually board without bike tickets. We get half way and are told the tracks are blocked and we must board a bus. Bus driver tells us no bikes on the bus. We think about riding but an Italian roadie tells us the pass is not good for bikes - miles long uphill tunnels with no shoulder. We go shopping for lunch at the grocery. We stop by the busses again and on this last bus there is room in the baggage compartment. Up the pass we go. Narrow and definitely not a good bike road. Great views. On the other side we hop another train and arrive in Bern. John finds a chocolate shop outside the train station. We find a map to the campground and guess what? we get lost again. We head down river when we should have gone up. Nice tour of the river with good bike trails and we finally arrive at camp - beautiful. I take a quick dip in the Arne river and we each have a couple of $5 dollar beers at the campsite - spends town. We eat bread cheese and salami. Did laundry in sink and dry in dryer. First wash for Johns shorts in 22 days.

Keep Rolling,
Pete