Date: Saturday 18 August
Distance covered to Rome: 273.8/1027km
Terrain: Flat with some Bush bashing
Overnight: Ostello Santa Maria in Betlem, €20 (including air conditioning!!!)
Feeling: under control.
I obviously survived the night to walk another day and I was soon stepping out into the dawn. I fired up the head lamp this morning as I knew I would be going slightly off piste to start with. I didn’t want to misstep and tumble into the canal to sink without a trace.
More rice, rice, rice, corn (see previous posts) and then a little hay and perhaps some lupins(?). My early morning peace was overtaken by multiple camouflage-clad men with dogs in dusty 4WD cars. Obviously Saturday is ‘huntin’ season’ and I scuttled along a bit faster.
I was lucky to score a coffee stop at about 730am and had a little moment when John Farnham’s ‘You’re the Voice’ came lilting out of the bar! Where am I? Moments like these really make me smile.
From then on I felt like I was in a very tame David Attenborough documentary. The path took me off the road and down by the riverside. There were birds aplenty and then there were the multiple lizards, rabbits and a very shiny black snake! Who knew that Italy had snakes? Thankfully we scared each other in equal parts and headed speedily in opposite directions.
Relaxing in Pavia as we speak. A really beautiful city with an amazing covered bridge.
Tip of the day: Don forget that you’re the Voice and you’ve just got to understand it!
Life...one big adventure 
Looks like you are doing well Mel. Almost 1/3 of the way. Carry on………
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Thanks David. I look forward to following your and Lue’s progress. It will be weird to be all in Europe, but in different countries!
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Such a treat to read your posts. You are really moving along and seem to be taking everything in your stride, pardon pun! How much does your pack weigh? I am trying to get mine down to 15 pounds (about 8 kilos). Empty pack weighs 4pounds and I have to carry a almost 2 pound CPAP machine so everything else has to weigh in at 9 pounds (about 4 kilos). Tossing things aside!!
Continue to do well, hope you meet nice people when you have the need to socialize and comfy beds and FOOD at the end of each day. 🏃🏃🏃🏃🏃
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Oh Lue, I don’t think you really want to know how much my pack weighs! I suspect it is at least we
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Sorry, hit the button too soon….I suspect it weighs at least 13kgs and possibly more at the beginning of each day as I start with 3 litres of water! Needless to say, the water is all gone by the end of the day
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That is almost 30 pounds. What on earth do you have in there!!!! Take a couple of the bricks out!!!! No wonder you are knackered at the end of the day Mel.
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I just keep telling myself that everyday it is a little bit lighter. Or maybe I am getting stronger
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Ah that’s better. Beautiful spot. Enjoy!!!
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🙂
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Thanks for sharing this. We always meet snakes in Italy and have had too many close encounters particularly on the bikes 🙂
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Wow! At least you would be moving fast on the bikes and probably just as well!
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Oh I would have belted out You’re the Voice with gusto. I love that song and it would have definitely been my earworm song for the rest of the day. Not a bad song to keep pace to as well 😉
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You haven’t heard my singing voice! It’s enough to frighten small children and animals! But I did have the earworm all day! 🙂
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Wow, that is a beautiful bridge!
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It is that. A real talking point and meeting point.
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