A funny thing happened on the way to the laundromat.

I got abducted by a biker gang. I just went down the street to do laundry. I didn't bother putting on my leathers. It was a beautiful warm day. Well, on my way back, since you can't just go around the block in Italy, I had to get on the main boulevard by the sea. Just then, a group of ~50 bikes, almost all Harleys, rode up beside me. One turns to me and says, in English, "You ride with us now." It's funny, just a couple of hours earlier, I read an email from a good travelling friend which said never turn down an invite when you're traveling. How could I say no? Falling into line, it became obvious these guys were going for a ride. Well organised, there was a ride captain and flankers who stopped other traffic from breaking up the group. We rode like Italians do, laws be damned. Cars may have been stopped and dead in traffic, but we just cruised up the middle of the road. Eventually we reached the Marina de Pisa at the mouth of the Arno River, about 10 miles up the coast. A sag wagon unloaded cases of beer, bread and a huge slab of beef for sandwiches. The ride was organised by the Golden Drakes, but I saw a bunch of other colors - the Roadrunners, Malaria, and some I can't remember. It was a good party, Low key, but fun. And on the way back, I got to practice riding like an Italian. I think I'm getting the hang of it. Two-wheelers really do rule in Italy. They go to the head of the line, park anywhere, break just about all the rules of traffic as long as no one gets hurt it seems to be OK. I can live with that.