So when I tipped a glass of red wine all over Merran in a restaurant this evening it was just about as much as we could do not to dissolve into 1/2 laughter, 1/2 tears!!
The day started with Soph in all kinds of pain due to blisters and sore feet, not at all sure she could manage our 20kms. But she bravely soldiered on. The track today went backwards and forwards around hills and valleys. It felt like every time we came to the top of a hill, there was Siena, again, no further away than when we last looked.
Some new highways, not marked on the map, made the going difficult, with multiple routes marked. We had to back track at one stage where our route ended at a new unmarked highway and take a different path about a km back. Thanks to the GPS we could at least see where we needed to get to.
Then we had to laugh coming into the last town, which is off the main track, where we were staying. Google maps gave us a good route plan, only to find the planned road was completely closed due to major roadworks, not just with warning signs, but serious non climbable barricades. At this point we were not about to look for another road. Soph found a way around the barricades through a disused farm, and at the other end of the closed road we tracked through a ploughed field and crossed a deep ditch to regain the roadway to town. Just as we cleared the road works it started to rain!!
Soph was in lots of pain today, our 20kms took 4 hours yesterday and 7 today. I even strapped her pack onto mine for part of the day. So we were feeling a bit discouraged and down as we unpacked our gear and showered.
Merran was finally comfortable and clean in bed at the place we are staying and looking forward to my freshly brewed espresso coffee, which I thoughtfully delivered and then spilled over her, the bed and pillow.
So we were thankful for a really good meal in a simple restaurant, so good we decided to share bits with each other...... Which is how I came to start this saga!
Some of Sophie's photos of the day.....
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