It was a beautiful and long day of cycling today from Piacenza to Rea. Already from Cremona we follow this wide river that meanders through the low landscape of the Po plain, and we will continue to do so for the next few days. But we start today in Piacenza where after packing everything this morning we cycle first past the bike store “Biondi Store” who repaired our bikes for free yesterday to drop off a tree and take a picture together with the bike mechanic. Today Yka bikes with me and Daan and Richard drive both cars to the new location where we are staying for three nights. We bike to the town hall of Piacenza which is located on the beautiful central square, where we are received somewhat reluctantly but that changes as more people arrive. There is coffee, we see the old council chamber and tell our story among others to Andrea Pasquali the secretary of the mayor Katia Tarasconi. We hand out tree saplings, give a forest book and take pictures at the tree bike and tell them we will visit again in three years. From this square we cycle out of the historic center of Piacenza and enter the periphery, which actually looks the same in every big place: big straight boxes, well-known brands with big letters and bright colors, a lot of paving and little greenery, a lot of dynamism, hustle and bustle and traffic, in short, a great contrast in atmosphere and architecture with the old center of the city. Why do areas like this always look so bad as a whole anyway, too bad because it is almost always the entrance to the city. Thus, after following a long straight road with lots of traffic, we end up in the quiet countryside where, in Comune di Calendasco, which is on the line, we meet in bar Zoe the enthusiastic owner Mariaelena who immediately forwards her video she makes of the tree bike to the mayor. We also walk into the town hall and there we are already expected. The mayor Filippo Zangrandi is not there, but the tree and forest book are warmly received, and of course a photo is taken at the tree bike. From here we drive through the rural area of the Po River, many unpaved roads and lots of agriculture, soybeans, grains, corn and tomatoes. The farms are large and much like fortresses, turned inward and with a courtyard. Because they are asphalting the bike path along the Po (did they know we were coming?) we have to detour quite a bit, we almost get stuck on the dirt roads not meant for the tree bike, and the tree bike creaks and squeaks. Glad the tree will not be happy with this route. Just before Arena Po we meet Richard and Daan and together we ride on, the tree bike in front. In a small village a little further on, some men are playing cards on the terrace of the bar and enthusiastically invite us to have a drink. It becomes a pleasant conversation and a girl of eleven has her birthday today and is super happy with her birthday tree. Nice anyway! Another 10-15 kilometers or so to Rea. Much of it over the dike on an unpaved path. Bump the bump, hot and lots of mosquitoes. It is around six when we enter Rea and park the tree bike opposite the small town hall. Seventy kilometers cycled today after all. Enough. We drive both cars to our residence in Salice-Terme. It is a bit of a drive but the house is spacious and detached, and we were able to rent it cheaply, we cook and eat outside. Wonderfully quiet here. How well we will sleep.