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FRI JUNE 13: Fidenza to Medasson; A beautiful days walk after an interezsting night...the hills are back
and I love ith it was a challenging day. Last night I had a beautiful room in a monastery facing west, so after sunset I opened windo to let in the air, but within a gfew minutes was attacked by mosquito, so decided I would try and face the night with window closed. Two hours into sleep I awoke sweating and very hot, so I thought maybe I open just a little...another hour, no sleep, so I think I brave the mosquitos. As soon as I open the window and set back down,,,within seconds a storm blew in and cooled off my room...MAYBE I DO HAVE PILGRIM OR COQWBOY MOJO!!!! It was so cool listening to all the shutters bang against the walls, etc.
Later in day I was forced to do some CIRQUE DE SOLEIL BALANCING ACT at the mens toilet again...I JUST DONT GET IT...but I scored well!!!!!
SAT JUNE 14: Medesano to Cassio:
This was my longest day yet at 32 km, about 20 miles. The morning was good and I made amazing time, but the afternoon was all climbing and I had not eaten well or prepared good for this. One stage had a stone stream bed rising up at the steepness of a stairwell for over a mile...imagine going up a mile of steps!!!
When i got here, i was taken a few steps and then stopping,,,it was crazy, and I realized more than physically tired, I was PSYCHING MYSELF OUT...I kept looking up and thinking I CANT DO THIS. When i realized this, I was sitting looking out over 50 - 75 miles of Italy that I had already walked through and I thought to get my music player. The song that came on was a spiritual song called "I just cant give up now" whose first line is "there will be mountains that I need to climb", I almost cried. at the serendipity. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=37PCbh9KppA ). A huge shout out to my colleague at brookhave Jason Cates for pushing me to bring my music, when i told him I just wanted to listen to me....now I realize that often what is in front of me is not what causes me the biggest problems, its whats going on inside of me.
Later at the top was a beautiful bar, with a woman who treatemet me as her child and made sure I had food and drink, a lovely salad and beer. Then even more fun, as I began walking the last 4 miles to the village I was staying in, I saw ahead of me two hikers, a little woman and tall man. I could tell they were tired as the woman tried to flag down cars and then they almost veered off the road when it was close to where we needed to go, as I came upon them, they turned around and said, "Are you Michael Bailey?"
What the hell???? It seems they had been following me by a couple of days and seen my entries in the quwst books, where I always sign with a lil smiley face with cowboy hat and the label of cowyboy pellegrinni, They had also met several people I had met along the way. Annette and Charlie are from England and have done may walks, we would walk together for the next few days as well as Sigrid from germany, who we would meet later that night in the Ostello in Cassio...which has another fiunny story! I forgot how wonderful it is to have company and would greatly enjoy the next few days.
SUN JUNE 15: Cassio to Cissa Pass:
The weather was overcast and rainy all day, evidently, Northern Italy is experiencing floods...OOH LAA LAA what an experience. so I stuck to the road, and truly did not mind it. It was a bit cold, but I like walking in the rain and there was little traffic. I AM ALSO NOW IN TUSCANY!!!Sigrid and I met up in a bus stop and sat out a hard rain and later a bar in the afternoon, and she told me a funny story about the house manager from our place the night before. Andrea was so kind and had tons of food for guests to prepare on their own and then pay on the honor system. Sigrid and Annete made a lovely
salad and pasta, we had wine and it was lovely and fiun to be with pilgrims again. It also was the second night I could sleep well with windows open, cool breeze and no mosquitos. in fact last night I got cold!!
Anyway Sigriod saw our house manager having a lively conversation in the garden with this old lady manaquin that he had sitting in a chair....she said it was very odd...remind you of anyone...maybe NORMAN BATES!!!!!! Glad she did not tell me the night before. Again we all end up in another lovely hostile and they prepare us dinner which was wonderful!
MONDAY June 16: Cissa Pass to Pontremoli:
Another overcast day. An easy walk energy wise as it was all downhill on road surfaces, but again tough on the legs. But it eneded in a beautiful village Pontremoli that was incredibly charming and Sigrid, Charlie and Annette and I shared what I believe is our final meal as they move onto to visit family. A great few days!
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