May 13 Journal Entry. Catanzaro Lido to Lecce.

Training along the Ionian Sea shoreline: Red poppies. Cactus. Olives & grapes. Palms & pines. May is a lovely, ideal time to be traveling here, sunny, pleasantly warm. A breeze from the sea and no mosquitoes. But I look out and can imagine the late-summer heat and its sweaty days. I can conjure the oppressive closeness of the Mediterranean humidity and the desire for cold water and moving air. This late spring is a golden time for citizens to savor.