Gubbio

11/10/2008
The GPS died on the way to Gubbio today so we had to rely on our intuition and maps to get here.
Gubbio like most Umbrian towns is perched on a steep hill. We found an elevator that took us up to the Palazzo Ducale and the cathedral.
Anna, Jeff and I took the Funivia Colle Elletto up to the Baslica Di SantÚbaldo. This is like a chair lift except in this case we stood in something that looked like a birdcage and trundled away on a dodgy old cable and dangled precariously over the rocky escarpment up to the top. We held on tightly as we approached the bumpy pulleys at the pylons along the way. The view is magnificent and great for photos if you are game enough to let go.
Bob decided terra firma was more the go and cheerily waved us off and gave a rendition of what he was going to tell parents, relatives and friends about the last time he saw Anna, Jeff and Helen departing on a rickety old birdcage.
Getting off at the top was a bit scary as the birdcage didn't actually come to a stop so we had to make a jump for it.
At the basilica is the body of St Ubaldo a 12th century bishop. I said to Anna it probably would be a wax dummy but it was real alright. Every year he is taken out and given a tour of the town on his special saints day.
Coming back down the mountain once again in the birdcage was exciting and like a rollercoaster ride. Going over the precipice all you see is sky and the descent seems at a faster rate of knots down to the bottom. We were very jubilant when we got back to safe ground. Jeff made a point of taking photos of the courageous ones and the one who wasn't.