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San Miniato to Gambassi Terme

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Hello again,  another good nights sleep had us feeling good…..until we started our hike at 6:30, it was already hot.  I hate to sound like a complainer, but the heat and sun have been brutal.  We stopped for a pastry and drink at our 1.5 mile mark, knowing it was the only stop for food or drink all day.  We would have to finish the rest(13.5 mile) with what we carried.  We bought and carried 4.5 extra liters of water, above what we normally would.  By 9:00 a.m the sun was searing, and only going to get worse.  The trail today offered very little shade, we were out in farmland and vineyards.  After many breaks to cool down and drink under a lonely tree somewhere, we finally caught a break with 3 miles to go.  A storm was brewing somewhere close, and started to block out the sun, and cool things down, but by then, we were exhausted by the constant sun and heat.  It was a blessing though, because the last 3 miles were all up hill…..again! T...

Altopascio to San Miniato

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Leaving out of Altopascio this morning. Hello y’all, after good nights sleep, we woke up feeling well both physically and mentally.  We felt like we could do the 18 mile hike in the heat today.  As we left the Hotel at 6:20, it was already warm out, we decided to get some miles in before it got much hotter.  We also knew that this hike today would afford us plenty of little towns to stop and get a drink and something to eat, and for the most part that means a coke and a pastry.   We stopped in 5 little towns today along the way, it keeps you up mentally , and gives you a rest physically.  We finally encountered other hikers along the Via Francigena, after our third stop, we came along a young couple taking a break along the sidewalk, Rudy walked by, but I had to engage.  Sveva and Nikolo, from Milan, had just started their hike today.  They are only doing 5 days because of their schedule.  We would run into them several more times on the trail, th...

It Begins! Lucca to Altopascio

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  Leaving our AirBnB this morning at 6:15 Hello y’all, our Via Francigena has begun.  We left this morning at 6:15 hoping to beat the heat. 🥵. It ended up 100 degrees, 20 degrees over average temperatures.  It was relatively cool as we started out this morning, we chose to take the longer, more scenic route.  We walked out of Lucca along the aqueduct, that is no longer in use, for 3 miles or so.  We then started up into the hills, where the spring waters used to supply the aqueduct, it got amazingly cool, and we thought, maybe this won’t be so bad.  It stayed cool as we continued up and across the ridge, but as we descended, the temperature and sun became more brutal.  Another factor on the alternative route, was there would be few places to get drinks or food.  As it turned out, nothing was open, and we didn’t find a place until around 1:00(after12 miles), as the alternate route met the standard route.  We were exhausted and in need of some...

Florence and Cinque Terre

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Il Duomo Cathedral   Hello y’all, since I last wrote, we spent a day in Florence and two days in Cinque Terre.  We toured Il Duomo Cathedral in Florence.  We climbed to the top of the dome, using the narrow, spiral staircase which seemed to go on forever, for someone who has a little claustrophobia.  It certainly was worth it for the view, both inside and outside the dome.                        Lower portion of the Dome Upper portion of Dome Narrow stairs The view from the top of the dome Sunset in Florence  Off to Cinque Terre, the five towns built on the rocky coasts, and connected originally by paths over rocky mountains, or what I call cliffs.  The day we arrived, we hiked the shortest, but steepest path to Riomaggiore.  This was one of the steepest, toughest hikes that I think I’ve ever done.  Wth that being said, I have a bad memory, there is currently a heat wave here, and I ...

Moving On

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Sometimes everyone doesn’t cooperate…..who raised these boys? Hello Y’all, Well, our family vacation / cruise has come to an end.  It was a perfect venue for a family trip.  We were able to spend so much quality time together.  We played card games whenever we weren’t on a shore excursion or being entertained on the ship.  We had plenty of laughs together, and are already looking forward to our next year’s family trip.   I don’t think Rudy and I are particularly “cruise people”, but having the boys along made it a much better time. Today, we sent Nicky off to the Airport, while the three of us went to the Acropolis today for a morning tour, some more Greek food, and more cards.  Tomorrow Steven will head back to Florida, and we will head to Rome, then on to Florence, we will do a couple more days of site seeing before we start our hike in Lucca.  That’s it for now!                     Climbing the walls...