This morning, I woke up in a good mood in B&B mood. I had slept very well. It helps when you have walked 24km. At breakfast, I realised this B&B actually only has 2 rooms. I was behind the green door. Behind the red door was an Asian woman. Very friendly, but she didn't speak any European language. After a while, she understood I was from Belgium but the only thing she could answer was 'bon voyage'. We both checked out today and went our seperate ways.
I couldn't leave Pavia without visiting the cathedral. A visit is free and the inside is gigantic. Most impressive is the dome on top, the third largest in Italy. Anyone knows the two biggest? The interior is white which is surprising. It was busy this morning. A lady kept singing italian prayers in the microphone. I didn't understand a lot, but she kept repeating something like la frutta de jesus. Another man was dusting the chairs, has to happen as well. The priest who was there for confessions had no work and was reading his newspaper. Outside, the streets were getting busier. At the infopoint on piazza de la vittoria, I scored a new stamp in my pilgrims passport and then it was really time to go. Entering Pavia was possible via a green park, but sadly, to exit Pavia, you have to go through the suburbs and they are big. It takes almost 10km to really leave the city behind. Luckily, not all the time along busy roads, but cars and houses are never far away. The number of churches I passed, was incredible. There is one every couple of hundred meters. After a dangerous roundabout with no facilities for pedestrians, Pavia was finally behind me. On a pink sidewalk, I entered the town of San Leonardo. Not much going on here, even the church was closed. I had lunch in the shade against the church wall. When I started walking again, I noticed a sign deviazione via francigena. I don't like these signs. It turned out that it was the owner of a bar who had made a second route which passed his bar. Nice try, but I stay on the original route. The next 10 kilometers, I stayed on an asphalt road that winds its way through the fields passing little hamlets every couple of kilometers. The view started to change slowly. Rice fields thin out. There are also less mosquitos. I was walking really close to the Po river which made these flatlands, but I haven't seen it yet. On the fields, there was mainly corn. Ospedaletto has no services and is one of those villages you miss when you blink your eyes while passing. San Giacomo had a really nice rest area for pilgrims next to the church. Thanks to a solar panel, you could even charge your phone here. In Santa Margherita, the church was open. An old man came in, lit a candle and walked back to his house around the corner. And then came Belgioioso. Try to pronounce that. This town sits on a little hill and is slightly bigger. According to my guidebook, you couldn't sleep here anymore. But on google maps, I had spotted a restaurant which also would have a couple of rooms. Impossible to contact this place by phone or mail, so I would go and see. If it didn't work out, I would have to camp in the wild because there was nothing else in the area. Self service laundry: closed and empty. Phone shop: closed down a long time ago. It didn't look good. Then the restaurant came into view: completely locked. Why not try the doorbell? Pretty quickly somebody opened. And to my surprise, I could get a room for 35 euro, only cash. He let me in and asked me to wait. For 20min, I heard lots of noise upstairs and spraying sounds. The guy was quickly preparing a room. I feared the worst, but it was not too bad. Some cobwebs and dust, not a problem for me, I had a bed. So tonight I sleep in hotel-restaurant Cavaliere. I wonder when the last time was somebody slept here. The restaurant downstairs never opened. A bad surprise followed later, the supermarket in town was closed for renovation. So I had to walk 2km to the next town for food. In a meanwhile, I had a look around town. There is a castle here. I saw a rat crawling down the wall. The evening was quiet with a good rest for the legs. It was very hot in my room, but the owner provided me with a fan. Tomorrow, I want to make an early start and walk 28km to Orio Litta. Tonight, a lady confirmed me she has a bed for me there. Looking forward to cover some more kilometers!
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AuthorMy name is Dimitri and I'm turning 40 in 2023. Through the years, I have tried to live my dreams. Everything is possible, the sky is the limit as long as you believe in your dreams and work hard to make them happen. Do what you never did before. Go where you have never been before. It will be scary, but it will also be worth it! Archives
July 2024
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