26 km — 32oC and mainly cloudy — We met 52 more pilgrims on their way to Rome and 2 going in the direction of Canterbury.
(By Laurel)
Well, another perk at the Casanova was a breakfast buffet! Though it didn’t start until 7:45 a.m. (late by our current standards), there was no way we were going to pass it up. So, in the morning we took our bags down to the lobby, turned in our keys at the hotel front desk, and were the first in line at the dining room … with a dozen spandex-clad German cyclists right behind us … the door opened at 7:40 and we all rushed in. What a sumptuous spread was laid out before us — fresh pastries galore, cakes, bread, cereals, yogurt and toppings, boiled eggs, cheeses, cold cuts, fruit, etc. — more different breakfast foods than we had seen yet in Italy! The German cyclists, in a peloton formation, made a dash en masse for the pastries, while Jim strategically hugged the inner curve making a bee-line for the espresso machine! Good move, Jim, as we got our coffees before a pile-up occurred there! I, meanwhile, slipped through the pack and procured some protein items.
Although we enjoyed the substantial and tasty Casanova breakfast, we later paid the price for this indulgence. It had delayed our departure until 8:00, when otherwise we’d have been out of there by 5:30 (knowing that it was to be a hot day with several kms to walk). Then, we were about 7.5 kms or so along the VF (or so we thought) and heading into a nice shady glade when Jim decided to check the map. Darn!! We had somehow missed our turn and now had to backtrack one and a half kms, up a hill with no shade. We got back on the VF and trudged along to the next town, Torrenieri. At this point, what with our late start and the backtracking, the morning was spent and the heat was still building. Time to utilize public transit! A very helpful young lady working at a pizzeria assisted us in deciphering the bus app — tickets had to be purchased online, in Italian — and we caught the bus to Buonconvento. From here, we walked the final 4.5 kms to Ponte d’Arbia and arrived at our room for the night (“Affittacamere Martelli” from our guide book).
On our way, outside San Quirico d’Orcia, after having our buffet breakfast
Soon to miss our turn ….
Through an olive grove (back again on the VF)
Scenery en route
That's a lot of kms in on a hot day! Beautiful sights thought
ReplyDeleteYeah, I was so relieved to get on the bus during the middle section of our route.
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