Santhia to Vercelli, 29km, overcast start, then the sun poked through the clouds.
Last night’s dinner at the hotel…very traditional risotto rice with Maccagno cheese…..the rice is grown locally (we started walking through the fields yesterday,) and the cheese is also made locally.
We are now in the “Land of the Rice Fields.” Here, they grow the notable Arborio rice among other kinds. Fascinating to see how the rice grows. Apparently, in the spring all the fields are flooded, attracting a multitude of water birds. But now, they are in the middle of/getting ready to harvest the rice.
On our walk out of Santhia this morning, we came across this small shrine, surrounded by greenery and flowers, almost impossible to see from the road.
We walked about 8 km to San Germano where we stopped…
BECAUSE- As Mike explains:
“Today was the ‘walk interrupted’ day. We left our hotel early and were really cranking out the km’s at a 4km/hr pace. At 5km my back began to ache. It had done so yesterday at about the 20km mark… an ibuprofen and short rest allowed me to finish. And after a shower and brief rest at the hotel, it was forgotten. But today the ache returned with a vengeance… i took another ibuprofen, took a short rest and all seemed to be improving. 2km later just 1km short of San Germano it began to really ache again. I knew it was time to consider that i wouldn’t be able to complete our planned 29km today. A lot of mental gymnastics followed… I could medicate more heavily, apply arnica cream and “TOUGH it out” & ”COWBOY UP” as my family traditions insisted I should. OR I could “WHIMP OUT” and in shame take a ride (train) to our next destination. Realizing I am in my 8th decade and don’t really care what anyone else thinks, I thought to give myself a break and do what was logical/smart thereby giving my body a chance to recover from whatever was causing the pain. Even realizing the sane choice was to pack it in for the day, I needed Tilly’s assent to finalize the decision. Stopped at a local cafe for a tea and cappuccino to discuss the options. She made it easy – “ It’’s a done deal we’re taking the train!” I imagined what she was really saying – “ Do you think I want to listen to you whinge for the next 6 hours??” LOL… god love her.
Ultimately, we walked almost 14 km this day 8.5 to San Germano, took the train to Vercelli, where we walked another 6 through the town to the hotel and then out for dinner. Time for a complete rest day.”
ENIGMAS 