#7: Udine, Italy

The next morning we were back on our bikes again, biking south through the countryside away from Venzone, toward the city of Udine.

After an hour or so, we stopped at a camp site to rest.

Right next to the fire pit, someone had planted several young bay laurels. Only Italians would make sure they have fresh bay leaves at hand when they have a campfire cookout!

The cycling route to Udine was one sharp turn after another, through village after village. Luckily, it was extremely well-signed, so we arrived there without any major mishaps. Except one.

My bike seat came apart and I had to bungee cord it back together. Sitting on bungee cord for hours isn't exactly cush for the tush. But by that time, I had developed protective barnacles on my butt from cycling.

Udine is the historic capital of the Friuli region of Italy. At one time or another, it's been ruled by Italy, Germany, Austria, the Venice Republic, and possibly even Attila the Hun!

We had never heard of Udine, so we were surprised to discover how beautiful the city was.

Here I am at Piazza Matteotti, a small square.

The principal city square is the Piazza della Libertà, which is surrounded by grand, elaborate structures of Venetian-Gothic and Renaissance architecture, dating to the 15th to 17th century. 

As we strolled around the city center that evening, along with hundreds of local city residents, a thunderstorm suddenly struck, unleashing torrents of rainfall. Everyone quickly ducked under the large covered walkways of the Castello di Udine (Udine Castle).

A bunch of women started dancing...who knows why...Markus just caught the tail end of their dance and the ensuing applause...

String theory

The woman at the front desk of our hotel in Udine was very friendly. Every morning, she greeted us warmly and sprinkled a big cinnamon smiley face on the froth of our cappuccinos. So we took advantage of her affability to help us solve the mystery about hotel showers in Italy that had been dogging us for days/

Why is there a string in the shower?

The string, she said, is there for an "emergency".

So if you're showering and you suddenly need help, you just pull it. In theory, a rescue team arrives pronto.

I say, "in theory," because just to find out what it did, Markus had already pulled the string several times at previous hotels. Nothing happened.

So my theory is that it's just a placebo 911 string, designed to make people feel safer.

Judging by the bathroom decor, it may have been installed shortly after the 1960 release of Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho...