This morning, I woke up after a very good night of sleep. Pretty cool to have your bed on a mezzanine floor. Breakfast had been in the kitchen since my arrival. Everything prepacked, not very healthy, but I appreciate that the owner did the effort. And there was coffee! I had to make it myself with a dolce gusto machine. It took me some time to figure out how the thing worked, but I ended up with coffee. Just before I left, the owner passed to say goodbye. He didn't have a stamp, but he signed my pilgrims passport. Like that, I have a souvenir from every place where I will have slept.
Outside, it was still fresh after all the rain yesterday. The streets in Palestro were empty, except for some ladies who came back from the shop. As soon as I left town, I re-entered the rice fields. The birds were still there. The mosquitos had even missed me. They came directly for me. Even with all the products, I end up with an average of 10 bites a day. It takes 5 days for them to go away, so I have constantly around 50 itchy bites. The water levels were pretty high in all the streams and canals, but I kept my feet dry. It was a very clear day and to my surprise, I could still see some snowy peaks while looking over my shoulder. It would take 8km to reach Robbio. This stretch is probably the worst maintained part of the Via Francigena. It's completely overgrown. I ended up wet, scratched and covered in cobwebs, but I made it through. Even with the gps on my phone, I lost the track once. But by crossing a corn field, I made it back to the path. Robbio was very quiet when I arrived around noon. I had lunch on a bench under some trees next to the church. This church and the next one were closed. There is a big packaging factory in this town. Lots of cardboard toilet rolls are produced here. I walked out of Robbio via the football field. The concrete road quickly turned to gravel. At a certain moment, I was on a narrow path closed in at both sides by a corn field. Looked a bit scary, but I probably watch too much movies. Later came more rice fields. I keep seeing the same birds, white with a long black beak. Often they are hidden in the rice and then they fly up when I pass. I also saw a beaver swimming in one of the canals. By now, it was so hot that I was tempted to jump in one of the irrigation channels. Luckily, Nicorvo came into sight. Except for one bar, there are no services here but the Santuario Madonna del Patrocinio was open. This little church was cool and has a beautiful madonna with child fresco. I stayed here for almost an hour. Cooling down and enjoying the peace and quiet. Afterwards, it was time for the last 8km to Mortara. First along a road and that is always tricky. You have two kind of drivers. Some who slow down and even say hello. Others who pass you very close at high speed or who would hit you because they are busy with their phone. Please be the first kind of driver. Luckily after 1km, I could take a right turn into the fields. What fields? Aha corn and rice of course. Later, I passed a huge cascina. Lots of fields require big farms. At the horizon, I could see some shades of mountains. These must be the Apennines. But first a week more of rice fields. Above my head, there were lots of planes flying low. I realised Milano was not so far from here, but this is a completely different world. This was my first full day in Lombardia. After 5km, a church and some houses. I made it to Madonna del Campo. There, I saw a local guy running towards the rice fields in only a little short. How do they do that? I would be demolished by mosquitos. After some more rice fields, I entered Mortara via the railway station. The city is surprisingly big. I had booked an airbnb in the center. My hosts Herika and Cristiano are very friendly. They gave me a room in their appartment on the fifth floor. I even have a balcony overlooking the city. They have some funny rules. Do not stay longer than 15min in the bathroom. Do not run around the apartment in underwear. Ok, I can do that. They left for a party pretty early. It is saterday night. I enjoyed the warm evening on the balcony looking at the people below and the stars above.
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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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