May 30: Venezia (day 2)

Kurt felt really bad today. One eye was really red, and he seemed to have an infection in his eyes, ears, nose and throat. We decided that it would be a great day to pack up our bikes.

After breakfast, we got ready to work on our bikes. Our storage boxes were over on the side of the hotel next to our bikes. As I lifted up one of the empty bike boxes, an electric current ran through my back and I had to sit down abruptly. I think all the riding and walking and schlepping luggage and sleeping on rock-hard beds had prepared my back perfectly for the next minor insult to cause it to spasm. Fortunately, it was kind enough to wait until the end of the riding part of the trip!

Ralph and Carol helped me up, and I gingerly walked to the patio, where I "supervised" as Kurt disassembled the bikes and packed them in the boxes. We took this opportunity to pack most of our riding gear (except helmets and one set of cycling clothing) in the boxes.

Ken and Liz were also packing their tandem up, and did so in record time: 2 hours! It's quite an undertaking to take apart a tandem. Kurt and I managed to pack ours up in a little less time than that, with Kurt doing almost all of the work.

Once that was done, Ken, who also happens to be an M.D., nicely took Kurt down to the farmacia to help him select some decongestants. He felt Kurt's maladies were viral in nature, and thought he should wait it out rather than going the antibiotic route. The medication helped him feel better.

We went out for lunch with Ken and Liz and had an excellent lunch a different cafe around the corner.

We spent the rest of the day, lounging around and trying to get better.

In the evening, we had our last meeting and dinner together as a group. I took pictures of everyone (soon to be posted). Sid and Caryl gave their final speech, and we presented them with two cycling jerseys from their favorite spa down as a token of thanks for leading such a great tour.

Upon reflection, I find it quite ironic (and maybe pathetic) that two of the youngest people on this tour would be in the worst shape at the end!

Tomorrow, hopefully we'll both feel enough better to do some sightseeing in Venice.