Home Again !

Well, as I said in my last post, my plans will have to change - and change they have!
I decided, as the day approached, that I did not want to spend my 60th birthday so far away from family and loved ones, so I found my way home from Toulouse, and arrived unnannounced to give Diane one of the biggest surprises of her life, which was the present I wanted.
So after nearly 8 weeks and 1348 kms, my pilgrimage ends, but as always, the journey continues.   The challenge for me now, is to try to maintain the same degree of present awareness as I return to my day to day routine.
I want to thank everyone who has supported me in this amazing undertaking. That support has been manifested in many different ways: many gave generously to the Leukaemia Foundation; others offered support and good wishes; some offered advice and suggestions; many stopped me along the path to wish me well; and some asked me to carry their prayers to Santiago.
Although I was unable to do this in Santiago, I did seek out the Chapel of St James in the Basilica of St. Sernin at Toulouse and offer the prayers there.
Perhaps I will return to complete the walk at some time in the future, but at the moment I am happy to be home, and look forward to catching up with many of you soon.
Thanks again.
Ultreya and suseya!

Toulouse - the half-way mark!

Today I'm in Toulouse, having covered 1348 kms so far, which is just over half way to Santiago. However, I am more than half way through the days available, so plans will have to change.

I had been looking forward to walking the Canal du Midi, but as with a lot of expectations, the reality turned out to be very different. Based on hearsay, I had fantasies of wine, women and song - well at least I was hoping for the odd bar along the way. However, for the 4 days of Canal walking, I passed only one bar. Okay, I didn't walk straight past it, I did stop for lunch and a beer. Okay, maybe 2 beers. But it was a very long way between drinks.

In many places, the canal was quite beautiful, with huge plane trees arching across the canal, and creating a 'natural' cathedral a hundred feet high. It is amazing to think that it was built in the late 1600's, with a workforce of over 12,000 people, including over 1000 women, who contributed a lot of knowledge because they were the ones involved in the construction and maintenance of the water supplies to their home villages and towns.
Unfortunately, the weather wasn't the best with rain threatening all the time, the odd shower or two, and a fierce westerly wind, which didn't encourage taking time out to smell the roses. I tended to just put my head down and slog on until I reached my destination for the night. As it was downhill with good surfaces underfoot, I could easily manage 5 kms an hour, so the days weren't too long.

I now have the Pyrenees in sight to the south, and will parallel them west for a week, before starting the 3 day climb to the Somport Pass.

Saturday in the South of France

Saturday morning in Revel is market day - the lovely big covered market in the main square which was empty yesterday, is a hive of activity, as is each square and roadway nearby, and lots of people out early. Very colorful!
After a couple of kms walking across Revel, I reached 'le Rigole' which is an artificial feeder canal to take water from these mountains, down to the highest point on the Canal du Midi, where it crosses the divide between the Mediterranean and Atlantic watersheds. I will walk for 2 days along the Rigole before reaching the Canal, then 2 days from there along the canal into Toulouse - so all downhill for the next few days - can't say I'm complaining.
The countryside around here is very pretty, some of the nicest scenery I have seen in France, and the day was topped off by the village of St Lauragais, where I spent the night. It is a little village up on a ridge, about 3kms from the Rigole, so I did do some climbing.   It's a quaint little village, with a large Church, huge Chateau, and pretty houses with the timber framing showing through - a little Tudor-style, but very different.
If you think I've walked a long way - now over a thousand kilometres, today I met Mike and Petra, who have walked East from California, across the US, then to Portugal, and are now heading east on to Jerusalem - they have been on the road for 15 months! We had a good chat for 20 minutes before each taking our separate paths - I'm heading west! Their website is WalkingEast.com.
As I get closer to Toulouse, the pilgrim traffic seems to have thinned, but it's probably that I am now stopping in larger towns rather than the small villages, where the one bar is the centre of local (and pilgrim) activity.

I wonder what surprises today will bring?

Out of the mountains

The last week since my last post has mainly been spent in the mountains of the Haut Languedoc, where mobile phone service is unreliable, and WiFi almost unheard of.
Fortunately the weather had been fantastic, fine and sunny eacch day tending to getting hot in the afternoon.
This section has been by far the most difficult of my pilgrimage to date, but I have been rewarded by the most fantastic views from on high, and each day has presented a different aspect of these mountains, as you cross the ridges from one river system to another.
It's a bit similar to walking the Cinque Terre, but each days climb is in the thousands of feet, not the hundreds. Ed, an English walker, has a SatMap unit that shows a profile at the end of each day, as well as altitude climbed.  One day was 28 kms covered, with altitude gained of 4900 feet, so no wonder it took us nearly 10 hours to walk and boy, were we knackered at the end.
We have now descended down into more open, agricultural areas, and as I head towards Toulouse we are in much easier country, including 2 days along the Canal du Midi into Toulouse.
The walk has started to have a much more pilgrim feel to it, as more walkers join in for different sections, and you start to get to know the pilgrims that are keeping pace with you.  Have had some wonderful meals, with multi-lingual discussions, and much good food and wine consumed.  It's a lot harder to lose weight walking through Italy and France than it was in Spain, but we're only here once, and I don't intend to miss out on those experiences.

Pride cometh before a ......

Leaving Montpellier the other day, I happily took their tram to get a few Kms of suburbs behind me. What a fabulous system - cheap, easy to use, ticket machines on every stop (with instructions in English), easy ticket validation and so new and clean. They are what we'd call light rail, and they have obviously chosen to give up road space to have dedicated tram lines. They also have priority at all intersections, and just sail through most of the time.
Can we tell them about myki?

My plan was to walk down to the river that I would follow to the next town, and duly found the river and set off happily, thinking "I haven't seen any waymarks, but when you're following a river you don't need waymarks". After 15 minutes the path started to deteriorate, and I decided to check the notes for this route that I'd copied from the net.
Right river, right place, but wrong direction - "upstream". Stupid! I think subconsciously I'd rather walk down stream, so I went that way.

Yesterday was one of the most enjoyable on my journey - about 22kms to St Guilhelm-le-Desert, a little town at the foot of a cirque, above the Gorges of Herault. The walk up the gorge and over the bridges was not kind to my vertigo, but I arrived at this beautiful little village, had a late lunch in the square, filled with tables under the shade of a huge plane tree.

St.G reminds me a lot of Assisi, although much smaller. I think it's the small streets and alleys, stone houses, and lots of colourful flowers and greenery.
Sometimes, the number of tourists put me off, but here they really seemed to add a vibrancy which I liked - so different to many of the towns that you enter around siesta time, which are mostly closed up and appear deserted. However, I have noticed that there is a direct relationship between the number of different languages you hear in a town, and the cost of consumables, especially food, and to a lesser degree of drinks. Even so, I am finding that except for the large towns, the prices are still lower than back home. But I am glad to be walking, not driving - unleaded is about 1.5 Euros per litre - about AUD$2.15.

I had read about the cirque behind St G, but thought it seems a bit over-rated for what I could see from the village, but I walked up the valley after lunch, and you turn a corner and it's WOW! Very spectacular. It's a town I'd happily come back to!   ( Yes Dad, I know I finished with a preposition!)

A great day!

A day in Arles

Arrived in Arles late yesterday and had a "shopping" day today.
I've managed to wear out my socks (not unexpected) but also one shirt - the synthethic content must be high and it has crinkled up and fused where my backpack sits on my back - looks and feels revolting.
Googled a sports store in Arles, which didn't look too far away, but felt like almost a half-days walk to get there, not helped by the pouring rain. It was a large 'Anaconda' style outlet on the outskirts of Arles, but it was what I needed.
I got the largest size of hiking socks, but don't know European sizing, and they look a bit small to me. Time will tell!
I also needed to get a new credential - the pilgrim's passport, which you get stamped along the way to 'prove' you have made the journey. It provides an entree to the religious accommodations along the way, and some other lodgings also have a reduced rate for pilgrims.  The one I started with is almost full.  I am staying in Arles at the home of Paul and Babette, who write guides to different pilgrim paths, although they are on the road at the moment doing the legwork for a new guide.  Hugh, their house-sitter, kindly offered to come with me to find the Parish office where they issue the credential, and I was glad of the company because he speaks good French, and mine is limited to a few key words and phrases.  Arrived at the Parish Office to find a notice saying it closed at 12 on Wednesday, and it was about 12.30.   Rang the bell anyway and a lovely and most obliging lady opened up and issued a new credential, and a most impressive looking credential it is - much more so than the one I had already.  Hugh's French came in very handy as she had quite a few questions.
Hugh showed me some of the sights of Arles and then we sat in a bar and people-watched for a while.
They say Melbourne has 4 seasons in a day, but let me tell you - Arles gives it a run for its money - pouring rain, sunshine, then thunderstorms and more rain - never a dull moment.
Hugh cooked me a lovely dinner over a bottle of the local vin rouge, and it was nice to have some English conversation for a while. He is a retired architect turned painter, and showed me some work in progress and some of his portfolio.  I loved his French characters - you can get a glimpse of some at hughsart.co.uk
Hit the trail again tomorrow in my new gear - think I will cut a neat figure.

Just when I needed it most!

Two days ago, i was at my lowest ebb since starting this walk, as a result of a number of factors, and thoughts of pulling the plug were even going through my mind, but I decided I would just focus on getting to Arles in 2 days, and once there I was planning a catch-up and clothes shop day, and I could re-assess then.
Woke up to another rainy morning which didn't help my mood as I had a long day ahead, but at least the rain stopped before I headed off.
I was about 90 minutes into the walk when I came to a corner and was checking out the options and just setting off down the right road when along come a couple of cyclists. I asked where they were from, and he said Canada and America. I said "are you Doug" and he said "Yes, are you Alan".
We had emailed a few times and Doug had sent me some maps, and we knew we'd be there at roughly the same time, but he was meant to be going through ahead of me. However, I was ahead of my schedule because I'd trained ahead, and he'd been delayed a week by the volcanic ash fallout, e voila. He was as delighted to see me as I was to see them, and I was the first pilgrim they had encountered on the road. We chatted for about 20 minutes and then they rode off into the distance, but I could see their tracks in the wet soil and mud all day so that maintained the connection.

I was staggered by the timing - it couldn't have come at a better time for me and I took it as a sign that I'm meant to continue this undertaking. They are riding to Toulouse, then hiring a car back to Nice, so we swapped numbers and may catch up again in a couple of weeks when they pass me going the other way.
I'm not religious, but it was another one of those times when I think - there has to be more to it than co-incidence. What do you think?

Arrivederci Italia

After nearly 4 weeks and just under 500kms I crossed into France today, and it's going to take my mind a while to switch languages. I am fine when I have a 'prepared' question to ask, but when they respond, I then lapse back to "si, grazie, e va bene" instead of "Oui, merci et d'accord".

A highlight for me today was when I was passing through Ospedaletti, and I had passed an old gent when he yelled something, but I didn't catch it, then I heard it - "Hola" - spanish for hello. He'd seen the scallop shell on the back of my pack and hailed me. I stopped and he came up and asked if I was going to Compostella. I said Yes, and out came a flood of Italian, which I couldn't catch, but it turns out his name is Giaccomo (James in Italian) and he wanted me to say a prayer for him in Compostella, and pushed two 2 Euro coins into my hand, following the old tradition of giving aid and hospitality to pilgrims.  I was really touched and quickly agreed that I would certainly do that.  It's these simple human contacts that mean a lot to me, and while I'm not religious, I certainly respect and admire their faith.
As I am a fair way behind schedule, and as there is a TGV from here in Menton, I have decided to take the train tomorrow to Aix-en-Provence which will put me back on my original time-frame, which I can hopefully follow a bit better in France than I could in Italy.
I will be very glad to say goodbye to those footpaths, high on the edges of the headlands, and while I'm sure my vertigo will re-appear in some of the mountainous sections, I think that will be easier than being caught between Italian traffic and a sheer drop-off.
I love Italy with all its contrasts, and this time I will especially remember the number of times I was offered help or directions, mainly by young Italian guys, especially when I was walking the Via Francigena - probably also because I was heading the 'wrong way' - they would be used to pilgrims heading south, and not see many going north.
I also got many toots from drivers going past - I like to think it was because they recognised either the Australian flag or the scallop shell (symbol of the Santiago pilgrim), and not because this bloody tourist is walking the wrong way up our highway!
Having mentioned the flag, I'm now an advocate of the "let's have our own flag school'. I have been asked dozens of times if I'm a Kiwi, and only a couple have recognised me as a Aussie.
So for now - adieu.

Frog-hopping to France

As those of you who click on the W.T.F.A.I. button would have seen (aka. my location), I am now heading south-west towards the French border.

To avoid 2 days of walking through the burbs and industrial areas of Genoa, I took a train across to Arenzano, and started walking from there. Part of the first day was on an abandoned railway track that has been converted to a bike/foot path, but after that a lot of walking has been along the side of the Via Aurelia, which (apart from the autostrada) is the main route along the coast. Sometimes there's a footpath, but a lot of the time there's not, and quite often tunnels without footpaths add to the 'spice'. Couple this with walking on the edge of high rocky headlands, and it's not much fun, especially for someone with vertigo and a fear of heights. Add in a forecast of heavy rain today, which proved correct, and I opted for the bus and train to move ahead to Imperia. When I saw the road I would have been walking on, through the rain, I was so glad I'd taken the bus. From here, I think the coast flattens out, and for the last half of the distance to the border, the recycled rail-trail reappears, so the next couple of days should be ok.
Time to practice la francaise!

A complete change of scenery

After having walked the length of Tuscany, I finally met the sea, and had two of the most boring days walking of the trip. The Versiliana Coast may be fantastic in the summer season, but at this time of the year it is dead,dead, dead! I walked north for 2 days along the 'seafront' which was a very nice piece of road, with wall to wall 3-4 story apartments and hotels on the inland side, and along the beach, wall to wall private beach clubs, with a 5 metre access every kilometre for 'free' access to that strip and anything within 5 metres of the high water mark. At this time of year it is deserted and run down, although workmen have just started appearing to set it all up for the summer season. Even the little villages, located 1 street back from the 'beach' are also deserted, with high-end boutique stores all closed for another month at least. It took me an hour to find a bar that was open, and it was it's first full days trading for the season - most stores snd hotels dont open until the end of May - talk about a great place to film a story about the end of the earth!
From there I left the Via Francigena, the pilgrim's trail that I have followed for 10 days, and headed west to the Cinque Terre. As i have walked the Cinque Terre before, I decided to head further north to Framura, and walk 'back' from there to Monterrosso, which is at the northern end of the Cinque Terre.
I was able to use the train to stay at Levanto, and decided to have a rest day here, which has been great, and it was really nice to get up knowing I didn't have to don the pack today.
The thing I had forgotten about walking this coastline is that every time you meet a village you descend to sea level, and then have to climb another 300 metres on the other side of the village to get back to the 'transit' level - multiply that by 4 and you have my walk from Framura to Monterosso in some aspects, and it will be the same again tomorrow when I head north from here. There are a lot of holiday-makers out walking here, doing short day trips between the towns, so tht has made it quite different on the trail.
A couple of days walk and I will hit Genoa at the head of the Gulf where I turn South-west towards the French border. I had planned to start listening to my French lessons well before this, but the conditions on the roads have meant I wanted to listen for the traffic, so I'm behind on that too. Quelle domage!
Only 2 days to May Day, which will make it a holiday long weekend here, so it will be very busy.
Ciao tutti.

A new way to go?

After arriving in Lucca at lunch time, I crossed an item off my Bucket List, and took a ride around the city walls on a bike - I cerainly enjoyed the change of pace, and delighted at how much quicker it is, but then there were no hills.
I've been to Lucca twice before, but never had time to fit in a ride, but this time - YES!
If you get the chance - DO IT !

I have now walked over 250kms, and although injury and boot issues have seen me fall behind my schedule, I'm happy to report that my feet seem to love my new boots, and that there are no problems, other than a little initial stiffness. Hopefully, I can now start to build up the pace, and once I'm following the coast, I shouldn't have the getting lost issues to slow me down!

Ciao ciao

International Pilgrims Day

Dont know if there is such a day, but I think it might have been yesterday.
I have walked for 7 days along the Via Francigena, an ancient pilgrim's route from Canterbury to Rome, having only met 3 French women walking to Rome from the north of Italy, and 4 Italians out for a day-walk on the VF.
So a bit surprised, when in the first 15 minutes, I meet a French couple also walking to Rome.

A few hours later, I meet 2 Austrians who had just started walking that day from San Miniato, my destination that night. A few minutes later I pass another man who barely says hello as he rushes past - I imagine he's another Austrian trying to catch his mates. After my lunch stop, I head off and see 3 pilgrims ahead just stopping for lunch, and to my surprise, they turn out to be Aussies, from Perth, who have been on the road for 6 weeks, again walking from the north of Italy, having done the French 'half' of the VF the year before. Their daughter was accompanying them, but from the body language, I don't think it would rate as her ideal holiday. Rod is 74, so made me feel like a youngster, and while we are talking another pilgrim struggles down the road, carrying 2 packs with his wife following a way behind. This time 2 Italians, who have been walking 2 weeks, and as Rita is fluent in Italian, they chatted away full speed, asking all about us, and interested that I was going to Santiago. I duly wished the all Buon Camino, and headed off in the 'wrong' direction as I'm heading North and against the 'flow'. Not 20 minutes later I pass a young male pilgrim who says "Bonjour" but keeps going.

Amazing - 11 pilgrims in 1 day, when I expected I'd be lucky to meet that many in all of Italy.

On another note - have you checked out the "My location" link at the top of the page?
Peter has done a lot of work on this, and it now shows my intended route as straight line between points, and also maps my progress, and if you click on each marker it gives stats on distances from Assisi and Santiago, as well as a distance walked to date, which is understated as it is based on straight line distance between each of my log-in points. As you know, probably the only place you travel in a straight line between 2 points is on the Nullabor, and let me tell you - this aint no Nullabor! - although at the end of the day, when I'm climbing up to yet another Tuscan hill-top town, I wish it was.

But thanks for the effort Pete, it's a great improvement.

What a difference........

................a new pair of boots makes!
Hope I'm not talking too soon but I now have the Rolls Royce of boots - in comfort, not price, as they were less than you'd pay in Australia.

Took a taxi back to Siena, which was an experience in itself - he was doing 140kph on the autostrada, mobile phone in one hand the whole time, and taking his hands off and swapping hands every 30 seconds - quite terrifying.  I kept thinking thank God I'm in a Mercedes, but then so was Diana.

I had passed an outdoor gear store on the way out of Siens, so he dropped me there, and the 3rd pair fitted like a glove - I couldn't even feel the painful spots in them, so I wore them around Siena for the rest of the day without any problems.

Then yesterday, I took the train and bus from Siena to San Gimignano to pick up my route, and had a short day from there of only 15kms, and my feet felt fine at the end.  After feeling so low 48hours ago, I'm now recharged, especially after the dinner I had last night. .  I had made the booking at this agritourismo, just outside of Gambassi Terme, with Geraldo, who had responded in English, but when I got here, I was greeted by Papa, Andrea, who has no English, and I have yet to see Geraldo - maybe at breakfast.  But the dinner served up by Andrea and his wife was fantastic, washed down by their own vino blanco, vino rosso and Prosecco with dessert.   Truly the best meal I have had in Italy - all fresh food, and made with care as they were eating the same out in the kitchen.  When he came out to ask how I wanted the meat cooked, I didn't understand the alternatives (which were probably well-cooked, or rare) and he then used other words - when I heard "Rosso" I said Si - I love my meat rare!

It was great, but such a biig meal I had trouble getting back to sleep in the middle of the night.

I have a longer day today to San Miniato, so my boots will get a better grounding.  I also stocked up on Compeed (a second skin for blister prevention), just in case!

Ciao

Que sera, sera

Yesterday, I left Siena feeling very gratefull to be leaving it behind.
It's a lovely city, and I'd be glad to stay longer under different circumstances, but even in the off-season, it is so crowded.
Now, I have to return.
Yesterday was my first 30km day, mainly due to getting lost, tracks being closed for army exercises, and having walked from Monterriggione to Abbadia, then back again, due to a misunderstanding in translation.
By the end of the day my feet were killing me, and while I hate having to change boots at this stage, I think the boots are the source of a lot of my feet problems.  My calf muscle injury has settled and no problem from that, but I have a blister on the top of my foot that looks on the verge of becoming infected, and both balls of my feet are very painful - a combination of blisters and bruising.
Some of the problem comes from the insoles, but I threw out my spare pair on day 2 (along with many other 'excess' items) to cut down on what I was carrying.
I could carry on, but I need a large town to have some chance to find a suitable pair of boots, So I'm returning to Siena before I get too far away from 'civilization'.
They say a part of any pilgrimage is suffering, and I now think I qualify!
Here's hoping I can find some boots, and that they're not too hard to break-in.
Ciao for now

La Bella Toscana

I feel so fortunate to be able to be here.

The last few days have been the most beautiful days in the most beautiful countryside. There really is nothing like Tuscany, especially in the Spring when the wildflowers are out, the trees are budding, fruit blossoming, and all the crops are coming through so everything is green. Soooooo nice, and I have been fortunate that for most of the time I have been off on back roads – all that research time and scanning Google Earth has really paid off in spades. The only thing that spoils the mood twice a day is air force jets screaming over at low altitude, but it is only twice a day.

Tomorrow, Siena and the first 100kms underfoot.

A new travelling companion

I was walking to Pienza on one of the back roads, when all of a sudden, out of nowhere, this big, young dog comes bounding up and gives me a sniff over. I gave her a pat and started walking on and she came too, running ahead or off to the sides, drinking from the puddles and jumping in every dam she could find. There were a few houses around but after 10 minutes she had shown no sign of breaking off, so I tried to shoo her off, both in English and what I think was Italian. Apart from putting her ears back when I yelled, she took no notice, and just ran around me and charged ahead again, so we continued. She was having a great time, stopping to wait for me if I took a photo, and exploring everything. After an hour I started to worry what would happen when we came to traffic again? Could I tie her up at the roadside? I had no rope. Would anyone find/help her? I was even starting to wonder if she could come with me all the way.

When we came to a stream with a tiny little footbridge over it I made my stand, growling at her, and throwing a stick in her direction every time she tried to put a foot on the bridge. She seemed to get the idea, even though the stream was only 4 feet wide and she could easily have crossed it if she wanted. With tail between her legs she started to head back. I started on climbing away, and she returned once, so I yelled and carried on again, and she turned tail.

I walked on, missing her company already, hoping she’d find her way home. She had a collar, but no tags. After 15 minutes I was starting to feel relieved that I’d shaken her off, when she bounds up alongside, happy as Larry to see me again.
Once over the stream, the road started to improve, and there were a few houses that I was hoping she might stop to explore. As we went on, we even passed 2 couples each walking the other way, and even though 1 couple stopped and made a fuss of her, she soon came charging back to me. After 3 hours we arrived in Pienza. Fortunately the back roads had avoided all the traffic, as she wandered all over the roads when we got there, and my B&B was right on the edge of town. I left her at the door and explained to the owner that she was lost. After unpacking and a shower, I went out to explore the town. Looking out from the front gate, I could see her a few hundred metres up the road, but I manged to get across the road and out of sight. I watched her, and she came back to the B&B again and sniffed at the door. It breaks my heart to ignore her, but I moved on into town, and when I came back later she was gone.

I hope she’s ok, and I miss her.

Co-incidences or, something else?

After a terrible 48 hours when it felt that I could not take a trick and that the universe was against me, everything changed in the space of a day. I was travelling to Villa Ambra, which I had thought was in/near Acquaviva, but which I only realised that morning, was 15kms west of there. I walked out onto the platform to wait for the train, and as I walked along, saw another bloke with a back-pack and we made eye-contact as I went past, and then I returned and sat next to him and we started talking. He was an Alaskan, on holiday for 5 weeks, and was fascinated by my project, and the connection to St Francis, as he was a lapsed Catholic raised by the Franciscans. The strange thing was that only that morning I had moved some of my cards from my bum bag to my pants pocket, and within a ½ hour I was handing one out. He was also turning 60 this year and at a transition point and we talked for half an hour before my station. As we were parting, he made the comment that we were meant to meet, and I had the same feeling about it.  BTW if you are reading this, pls email me.
Then when I left the station to get a taxi, I met Stefano, whose English was more limited than my Italian, but we had a fine conversation for 20 minutes or so, and it really gave me the confidence just to speak “off the cuff” without thinking first. While we were driving I was thinking, "How did I make this mistake, and book a place way out here?"  
When we reached the hotel Stefano followed me in with a map he’d had in his boot which showed a walking path that would avoid the most dangerous sections of the road to Montepulciano. Then as we were talking, Catia (the owner’s sister) offered out of the blue to drive me there in the morning, if I wished. Two cases of the kindness of strangers, that I have often read about in reference to the Camino in Spain, but which I had never before experienced.

To put the icing on the cake, when I went out for a walk, what pattern is all over the paths? The scallop shell, the symbol of the pilgrimage to Santiago. All of a sudden it hit me – all my troubles had been for the purpose of bringing me here today and giving me these very human experiences. Even my 'mistake' in the booking, now seemed not to have been a mistake but rather part of an 'intended' detour.  And, if I had not been ‘forced’ to change my plans, I would not have been here.

No doubt some of you will say that it’s just co-incidence, but I choose to believe that there’s more to it than that, and that belief strengthened me in my resolve, and transformed my formerly ‘negative’ experiences into something more.
This was affirmed again the next morning when I left in fog, to walk about 1km down the road to where the sentiero left the road. I had only gone a few hundred metres when a young Italian guy pulled up to see if I needed a lift, and that I was ok! Yet another demonstration of human kindness – I was sailing along with a spring in my step after that!

Life - not so beautiful

Day 2 was a totaaly different experience - wet and windy, which was ok once I sorted out my rain gear!  Quickly discovered that raincoat that fits easily at home, not fit so well with full pack and 3 litres of water bottles in the side pockets, plus the bum bag in front.  Once I stowed the bum bag in the pack, cosy!
I have also discovered that getting 'lost' twice a day by taking the wrong turn, then having to backtrack, is not conducive to making big distances, and by mid-afternoon when I pulled into Castel del Piano I was buggered, my calf was very sore, and my hammy threatening to go out in support.  All Italian towns look deserted at siesta, but nothing compares to Castel  on a wet and windy Sunday afternoon.  After accosting the few locals I did find in half an hour of wandering, I discovered that there is no inn in this quite large town, and that there was quite a difference of opinion as to where I might find a bed in a nearby town.   I went with the most common answer and took the bus to San Sisto, but after another hour of wnaderings and frustration, I still had no bed, so I decided to take the bus on to Perugia, where I spent 3 months in 2002, and where I was certain of a bed.  To say I was frustrated would be putting it mildly, but by 8pm I had a room.
I decide to give my leg a rest day, as I also wanted to lighten my pack by posting some stuff ahead to a guy I'm to stay with in Arles, and then the next day to get the train out to where I should have been if I'd managed to stick to my itinerary.
A most frustrating and depressing day - not a happy camper.

Underway at last

Assisi to Torgiano

A very interesting first day, starting with getting ‘lost’ on my way to the Basilica! I’ve been in Assisi numerous times, and have walked all its streets, but this morning I wasn’t concentrating on the way, and ended up at one of the lower gates. I had to laugh – here I am setting out to walk 2500 kms across 3 countries, and I get lost in the first few hundred meters.

When I reached the basilica they were just finishing a service in the crypt, so I sat and listened to the singing in quiet contemplation – quite serene. Then I fronted to the Office and got my first stamp on my Pilgrim’s Passport – your entry to the many places of religious accommodation along the way.

Then I left Assisi and descended to a path along a tributary of the River Tiber, which I followed for 3 hours before the path started to deteriorate, and then finally disappeared in the middle of the farmer’s fields. I had missed a crossing, and now I was faced with a detour to a main road adding kilometers to my planned route. By this time I was getting very tired, a factor of both a far heavier pack than I’d been training in, and of the fact that I have been unable to do any major walking in the 2 weeks before I left.

I eventually found myself in Torgiano, and tried to ring the B&B I’d booked which was still 2 hours walk away. I was hoping they would be aqble to come and pick me up, but I couldn’t get through on the number I had, so I checked into an Albergo in Torgiano, fell onto the bed, and went straight to sleep for an hour or so.

The good thing about the day was that my feet and calf felt fine most of the time, the main problem being adjusting my shoulders to the weight of a heavier pack. Have made some changes to the pack straps, so hoping this will ease the pull on my shouders.

Tomorrow has become a longer day, allowing for the extra kms not done today, and I will get away a bit earlier.

The weather has been fine, even hot today walking on the tarmac roads for the second half, and the countryside is magnificent – very green, spring flowers out, and the deciduous trees just starting to bud.

Life is beautiful

Less than 48 hours to go

It's now getting very real, and the time available to do things is vanishing rapidly!
A special thanks to my children, Fiona and Peter, who have been working hard to ensure that I will still stay in touch while on the road.  Their IT knowledge far exceeds mine (which isn't hard) - but they have spent many hours ensuring my new phone is up and running, that I am able to connect in the most cost-effective way, that I have translations on my web-page, and the latest gizmo being a tracker that will show where I last logged-in.
In some ways I feel a long way removed from the medieval pilgrims who made their way without any such back-up, but at least on a physical level, I intend to match their 'devotion'.  Thanks very much to both of you - your efforts are much appreciated!
Glad to report that my calf is returning to normal, and here's hoping it holds all the way to Santiago.
Next post from Italy - WOW.

It gets even better

Yesterday I was presented with cheques and cash totalling $1100.00 from the Mornington Peninsula Alpaca Breeders group - $525 was raised on the night of my send-off, and since then a further $575 has been donated - what a fantastic result, and I thank you all for your contributions.   The interest and support I have received from you is much appreciated!

Mornington Peninsula Alpaca Breeders Send-off

What a great night last night!
Some of the local Alpaca Breeders got together to give me a send-off and collectively pledged a further $525.00 to the Leukaemia Foundation which takes our total over $5000.00
Thanks to you all for your interest and support.

Pic shows me receiving Pledge from David Daddo, President, MPAB

This followed a successful show weekend for us, with our Junior Female winning a very strong Fawn class, and our young male, Bositano, winning Intermediate Champion Suri.   It was a good day, having family there to support me, and my grandson Alexander enjoying his first show.
My leg felt stronger today, so I think the rest and stretching is bringing it round (touch wood)!
I've just tapered off my training earlier than intended!
Only 8 days before I leave - Wow

Injured again - Bugger!

Nothing to do with my boots, but yesterday I tore my calf muscle.  I was out on a walk going down a steep path in Arthurs Seat State Park, and stopped to talk with a couple of walkers heading up hill.  Unfortunately, I twisted around and put my foot down the hill behind me to steady me, and RIP!   Still about an hour's walk home before I could get some ice on it, and a quick visit to the physio later.   Luckily it's not a severe tear, so with a couple of days rest, the 'RICE' regime, and then starting stretching again, it should come good. 
It certainly feels better today, but can't afford to take any chances at this stage of preparation, so "slowly,slowly" will be the key - never easy words for me to follow!
Our local Red Hill show is on this Saturday, and I am showing alpacas, so it will be a long day - will just have to stay off my feet as much as possible, and try and keep some icing going.  This time in a fortnight I will be on my flight to Italy!

Happiness is a good pair of boots!

Delighted to report that the new boots feel fantastic - did a 20km walk today, and as soon as I set off, my feet felt relaxed, like wearing a comfortable pair of slippers - so different to the previous pair, and I was able to do the walk without even a bandaid on the blister from the other boots.
Also delighted that donations to date total in excess of $3500.00 and  I would love to double that, so if you can afford to give, or give more, please do so.
I am delighted that I have been able to raise these funds for the Leukaemia Foundation, and to turn my personal journey into something that may potentially have a far wider reach!
Thanks to you all!
Alan

Back on line again!

After a very frustrating 10 days offline while I changed ISP, I'm delighted I can again get online without visiting the local internet cafe!
Less than 3 weeks to go now - press releases have gone out, emails to all my friends and colleagues have been sent, and the total donated is now nearing $3000.00 .
I now have another new pair of boots - I was fortunate to find a Hi-Tec pair in my size in the 'remnants' box at Ray's tent city - as soon as I put them on I could feel the difference, and I couldn't wait to try them out - they have now survived the first break-in walk with flying colours!  Oh well - that's $230 down the drain, but I feel much more confident in facing the challenge in these than in the other new boots I had bought.
I now have a new 'smart phone', and quickly realised that the 'smart' tag may well be accurate in relation to the phone, but in no way does it cover the person holding it!  Fortunately, I have now been able to download the 310 page User's Guide, so will have to get in some speed reading to get it set up.  Fortunately, my son-in-law has kindly offered to load some programs and apps I may need, and to run me throught the installation process - phew!
It's now getting to the stage where it's hard to find time to continue my walking in addition to all the other outstanding matters, including preparing for the Red Hill Show on the 27th, but it needs to be done.   Have now been able to back up 2 days of 20kms plus in succession without any real problems, so I'm happy my preparations are on track.
Wish me luck, and if you haven't donated yet, please make a donation if you are able!
Ultreia.

One month to go

Wow, I can hardly believe I'm writing that, and part of me wishes it wasn't so - there's still so much to do, and I know how quickly 30 days will go!
Fortunately, my foot problems have settled down, and I'm now doing longer walks in my new boots, and I'm feeling more comfortable with them.
I was about to set out for a walk yesterday, but had a look at the radar before I left and decided it wasn't a good time. While the storm descended on Melbourne in all its fury, down here we were spared the worst, only getting 16mm for the day.

I set off this morning (Sunday), hoping to try out my new rain cape (pictured on another day), but only got a bit of drizzle, but it was probably enough to make me feel satisfied that my new gear will do the job.  I was 'sold' on it on the basis that it covered both me and the pack, and unlike putting a cover on the pack, and a separate jacket on myself, it would keep the pack straps dry, while still allowing a reasonable airflow around the body, especially since you can open/close the front with velcro tabs, as well as covering up for storms with the zippers.
I have now started seeking sponsors in earnest, so please, if you are able to make a donation, please do so.
I was very heartened that my local alpaca breeders group have decided to give me a send-off, with funds raised going to the foundation - Thanks to the Daddo's for that great initiative.
I also visited the Leukaemia Foundation on Friday, and got a very warm welcome.  It's nice to feel  that my efforts are appreciated and will help the cause, even if only in a small way.

Injured - BUGGER!

After much indecision, and a discussion with the podiatrist, I finally bought new boots - a low cut pair made By Hi-Tec.
I have worn Hi-Tecs for the past 15 years, and have always found them comfortable and easy to wear in. Started out with a couple of shorter walks, and having no trouble with blisters or rubbing, I thought "These are Ok", and took off on a 20km+ walk.
At the end my feet were very sore, and by the time I got home, felt that I would not have wanted to be walking any further. The next day my instep was killing me, so off to the podiatrist again. The diagnosis : plantar fasciitis. Unfortunately, ALL the Hi-Tec boots are now made with a higher arch, which seemed to be causing the problem. The podiatrist said I needed to wear them around for shorter periods to get them loosened up, before doing any more longer walks. Typical me - getting impatient and rushing things.
So I started icing,massage and taping, and took 4 or 5 days off which eased the pain considerably. I then starting walking again with my old boots, and with much trepidation, I took off yesterday in the new boots to walk down to gym at Dromana - about 8 kms. Fortunately, I arrived in good shape, and although they are a little tender this morning, I'm now more confident they will settle in. Best to be having these problems now, rather than in Italy, and I still have 6 weeks to get them right.

Happy to say that I now have 3 sponsors having lodged pledges on my website in addition to the direct donations, even though I haven't yet started to actively seek sponsorship. Thanks for your support.

Peninsula Trails

Have been enjoying walking the trails nearby - we have been here for nearly 4 years but had no idea how pretty these tracks are. Have been walking with a 12kg pack, and after many adjustments, I think I have finally got the adjustments right - it sits really well, and is not too hot, so I'm very happy with it.
Last weekend I walked 26 kms from Arthurs Seat to Cape Schanck along the Two Bays track - a really good training walk with lots of ups and downs, different terrain, roads in part, and some beautiful scenery to boot. Felt a bit tired at the end, but could easily have gone further if necessary, and don't think I would have had any trouble backing up again the next day - next weekend I will try back-to-back longer walks.
I have now decided to leave the camping gear at home and rely on booked accommodation on the way through.
Still working on the communications and data management gear, with great help from my son-in-law Chris. Have now managed to get GPS tracks for several sections of the track, and although there will be many uncharted areas, these will be a big help, particularly in Italy.
One thing I have not yet encountered is rain, as I need to try out my wet weather gear and pack water-tightness, so please pray for rain! The farm and the animals would love it as well!

Counting down

It's nearly the end of January, and I can feel the days counting down - only 72 days to go!
I have started my longer walks, and am now wearing my boots that I will start the walk in - they are not new, and probably won't last the distance, so I will have to get new boots on the way - not looking forward to that. I have bought my new pack - originally chose a 50 litre pack, but when I got it home and started loading, it soon became apparent that I would need something bigger. So back to Bogongs, and I walked out with a Deuter 75 litre pack - almost an extra 1/2 kilo in pack weight, but I will have plenty of room now. I didn't want to have to spend 3 months squeezing my gear in everyday! Next step is to start wearing it on my walks, gradually building up the weight.
I am also rethinking whether to take a tent and sleeping mat. If I don't it will save me pack weight and also the outlay, but I will lose the flexibility to stop where I like. However, I have now worked out my daily stages in detail, and I am happy I can find accommodation each night and stii retain some flexibility.
Tomorrow I go hunting for new communications gear - can't decide whether to get a smartphone or a mini netbook - the new Sony P looks good, but very expensive.
Ciao for now