15.05.2010 A wood near St Giacomo – to Soprariva 40km

This morning all I can remember of the day before is walking, walking, walking and grey skies. There were other parts too, I am sure. Glimpses of the Po rampaging in places it had no right to be, lunch in a bar with Nellie tied up in a parking space and a policeman giving a ticket to a car next to her, some villages that may have been better than others, but in essence our intention was to cover the kilometres for two principle reasons:
1.We wanted to be with our very good friend Danilo Parisi (Po Ferryman) and his wife, Gracia, for Sunday lunchtime, at the very latest, when Samuel and his family (also a good friend and part of Danilo's pilgrim group, Homoviator) would be there. We had already missed the day when a film company from the UK had been there to film Danilo (we had recommended him to the film company), but Samuel had phoned us while we were travelling to see if we could possibly make this second date. We had to and the best way was to get there the night before.
2.We had nowhere to stay, other than outside in the tent again, but after the previous night and so many others before, the prospect of yet another wetting was just one painful step too far.
So we took a thousand more steps, painful too, but with a positive goal. Nellie, plodded on without complaint, I plodded on less silently while Paul kept his eyes glued to the GPS with occasional references to crow-flying distances that he hoped would raise my spirits. Suffice to say that after this experience I will throttle the first crow I can get my hands on.

But we arrive, finally, at 21.00 after a 7.30 start, and Danilo is there, cooking for hundreds of people (he also a restaurant on the banks of the Po) but with time to welcome us with open arms and plates and plates of food, accompanied by wine. We almost feel human again, and if it wasn't for my right foot that has ballooned to the size of a pumpkin, Paul's back ache and a suspicious/worrying lump on Nellie's back (I suspect pressure from her rug) I would say that we had survived the experience unscathed.