San Gimignano

It was another strenuous day of walking. I thought I might lose Phil for a little bit, but everything straightened out and we made it to our destinstion.

Early this morning, we met 4 Italian pilgrims. They seemed very fit and quickly left us in the dust. We stopped at a winery to get a stamp and then a short while later, Phil was having trouble with his pack and walking really funny. At one point he really scared me and said he just couldn't carry his pack any further. I knew I could not carry both our loads, but after stopping for a rest, he unpacked and repacked things more evenly and seemed better.

We hiked through mud, vineyards, and olive groves again. We met a man named Mario who owned a large tourist villa and was out walking his dog. It was good to chat with him as we walked. He told us there were deer and wild boar in the area and at least two wolves, which is quite rare in Europe. He told us how it was to the next road, etc.

We managed to get on the road 40 minutes too late for today's bus, so we just walked the last 4 miles. Lots of very steep hills. We are pooped, but I am proud of us. We'll shower and treat ourselves to a restaurant supper tonight if we can stay awake that long.Read more