Well we can sure hear our dogs barking. It's Thursday morning here in Lucca and our feet are sore. No blisters just sore. We walked 33 km to get here yesterday. That wasn't really our plan - we actually spent an hour yesterday morning in Pietrasanta looking for taxis, trains or buses to get us part way here. We did this (admittedly with guilty feelings since we are certified pilgrims) because we didn't think we could do a long distance so early in the walk. However, we got skunked trying to find a ride so we just started walking. We arrived at our B&B just before 6 last night.
The b&b is nice and we're taking a rest day here in Lucca. It is one of the few Italian cities not damaged in a war so it has a fully intact wall around it. The big 'to do' here is walk or cycle around the top of the wall. Hopefully our feet will let us do that.
One of the interesting things we discovered yesterday is the proliferation of timber bamboo. When we first saw it we thought it was an intended grove but we kept seeing it as we walked - and in patches of a hectare or more. It's abundant and flourishing beautifully but there's no evidence it's utilized so I think it is an invasive weed here.
We are also amazed at how much food there is everywhere. You can't go 10 feet without encountering a tree or plant that you eat. Rosemary, thyme and other herbs grow all over the place and help make the air smell nice. We see people collecting plants and herbs along roadsides and paths. Olive groves vineyards and vegetable gardens are everywhere. Italy may be a small country but its productivity is amazing.
I'll put some more photos in the next post.
Russ
Sent from my iPhone
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