It was going to be an early start today to get to the river for 9.00am pick up by the boat. Unfortunately today when DC wakes, the cold he feels has been looming has taken hold. No chance of walking 18kms today. He goes back to bed for a bit more sleep and with the help of Federico I cancel our boat trip up the river.
So revision of our plans.
We had already decided to miss the next two stages of the trail: the last 54 kms of path across the plain. Had enough of the plain. The dusty, smoggy plain needs some rain.
So. To the map and Booking.com – Parma looks nice! The home of parmigiana, Parma ham. Onto the train and in Parma by lunchtime. 2 nights at a hotel for a chance to recover. Lots of tasty food. And some sightseeing.
But the fog / smog continues. This morning chatting to Federico, the owner of the lovely B&B we stayed at, he reported no rain since April. They are seeing substantial effects on the environment, including the pollution levels. The air feels so thick. Once we get back on the path the route takes us up and up, through the Apennines, but on the train into Parma we cannot see the Alps on the northern horizon, nor the hills just a short distance to the south.
But first some sightseeing. Parma is lovely with some real gems and few tourists.
On the afternoon of the second day, there is a bit of rain. We didn’t see it; having a siesta. ( when in Rome ………).
After two days of rest (we still walked about 10kms each day) we hit the track again tomorrow. DC feeling a lot better.
Will see how it goes.
Richo and DC 