Feet, heat and the urge to cheat

The hardest two things about walking a long way is not your two legs.
Even someone as banged up as me, (with reconstructed limbs x2) can take it one step at a time. After you have done that 30000 times you have probably earnt 🍺, beef, brocolli and bed. The biggest b of all however is blisters, the bain of all bipedal beings.
They struck today and I (Ross) did not cope well. The heat didn't help either as days are now reaching high twenties.
Tomorrow we need to walk 32 Kms and so our plan includes
Two compeeds for my worst blisters
Plasters for minor ones.
A six thirty start with breakfast at a patisserie that Google says we will find ( open) at 8.4kms.
We will buy half our water along the way. That stuff sure is heavy.

Day 5 Massa to Pietrasanta

476.8 kms to Rome
17.2 kms today
99.7Kms walked

Today should have been a breeze
So few kilometres and only about 300m altitude climbed.
We saw eight pilgrims ( five German  women, a German couple and a French lady) all in their fifties with limited English.
The view of the coast was special

 As was the fresco in a church in Pietrasanta and the sculpture in their main square

With the aid of coffee and peanuts
Still smiling

Day 4 Sarzana to Massa

494kms to Rome
27.7 in today's walk
82.5 walked so far

OMG (Wow) today was an epic. It went on and on and on. We were walking in the hilly suburbs and towns in from the coast around La Spezia. In the afternoon we climbed into terraced vineyards on farm tracks and very minor roads.
After lunch we turned a corner and saw this

We were amazed that there could be glaciers so close to the Mediterranean

The truth to this apparent climate anomaly can be found in this photo of a backstreet lane near Massa.

Below is our view of Massa from about two hours ( eight Kilometers out).

Quite stiff but

Still smiling

Not all hard work

So, here is the routine.
Awake refreshed😀
Most B&Bs and hotels are doing breakfast from 8. Our packing routine is quick as we only have seven kilo each of stuff.
Breakfasts vary a lot. In Massa our host has asked if we like sweet or salt.
There are cheeses, pastries, cereals yoghurt and of course breads. So, we are away before 9. We buy lunch, pastry or bread on our way out of town, usually two or three flat breads or foccacias with 🍅 and cheese. A hard day's work needs​ a big cold 🐻 and so we will stop at one or two bars during the day for a cold one ( of some sort). Bars are everywhere and they sell icecreams, water, pastries and big cold 🍺.
All that health food has fuelled us for 15 - 30kms.
So, we arrive exhausted, collapse on our bed for an hour, wash our clothes  (we have two main sets) and then head out. We don't bother pre loading because ordering 🍺 come with perks

After that we are ready for dinner.

Two hours before the locals

Pizza or pasta with red wine

We buy 4 litres of water on our way home and collapse in bed

Repeat if necessary

Still smiling

Look carefully

Aulla vs Sarzana

I shouldn't do this!
As one night visitors how can we judge a town!
In this case - very easily
I'll use the sandwich technique
Aulla is lovely and flat.
It is noisy, dusty, derelict and characterless.
Our marble mauselleum of a hotel (possibly Russian owned) had an early breakfast.
We are sitting at a bar on the edge of the old town square of Sarzana enjoying a 🍺 and nibbles. We cannot hear a motor car. Children are squeezing with joy on the merry-go -round. Our B and B was in an ancient building with 12 foot ceilings up three huge flights of foot worn marble. The owner gave us a guided tour in Italian with expressive hands.

I choose Sarzana

Why wouldn't I be

Still smiling

Day 3 Aulla to Sarzana

513Kms to Rome
18.8 Kms today and 54.8Kms walked.

Today was a test. We climbed to about 540 metres altitude and climbed about 850 metres throughout the day.
We walked through our first hilltop towns and met our first fellow pilgrims.

It's all good now. We are having a beer in the warm evening (post siesta) air and our host Ricardo has recommended

We will be eating verrry early (maybe 7pm) as tomorrow will be a bigger test.
Still smiling