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Oct 7-8: Etroubles to Quart

On the other side, down from the St Bernard Hospice, it was walking and it got warm quickly.

We stayed the last two of the three nights at the St Oyen Hospice. St. Vincent was on the way. First of many forts and castles seen in the Aosta valley.

Rain or shine, the Walk goes on.

10/10 Verres to Ivrea

Rain again today (27 km). I was able to walk today (5+4 km). Knee getting better. Staying at a protestant church in Ivrea in the sanctuary between the pews!
Had pizza for the first time tonight for supper.

10/11 - Ivrea to San Germano

Passed through Crea and stopped at the Sacro Monte di Crea, the Church of Death. Inside were morbid pictures of accidents that happened to locals,
but turned out miraculously to be near-death experiences. See http://yomadic.com/sacro-monte-di-crea-death-church for a good account and many of the pictures.

Losing mountains and start of rice fields being harvested now. Stayed at old town home belonging to the town church. All was very dusty and dirty, but all pitched in to clean up. Had problems with my leg - hardly slept.

10/12 - San Germano to Casale

More rice, bigger and bigger fields. No more mountains in sight. Drove about 20 km or so past where we stopped to stay at this place. Historic - the Crusaders prayed to Mary of Crea before going off to Jerusalem. After the WWII, a peace treaty was signed here beween Italy and France. Large accommodations. Patty and I, as a married couple, had a separate room with very old furniture and pictures and a night potty in the bed stand!

Kids in San Germano.

10/13 - Casale to Allesandria

Stayed in Valenza, about 20 km away in a sanctuary all alone. They fed us supper and breakfast and gave us food for lunch. What hospitality!

10/14 - to Arquarta

Stayed in a rec room belonging to a church, Oratorio San Giovanni Bosco. It started raining hard, after a fog all day, and we placed a tarp between the two vans as we cooked supper. It rained hard all night.

10/15 to Genoa in a hard rain

Everyone very wet. We stayed in a Methodist church this night, Chiesa Evangelica Methodista. I didn't walk today, drove the baggage van, and I was the only one semi-day.

10/16 in Genoa

We moved to a hilltop sanctuary, Paracchia San Siro Casa Degli Angeli, just up the hill from the hexagonal building seen here. Many steps up. First
day of rest - shaves, kitchen, washing machine (but no drier).
10/17 in Genoa.

Second day of rest. Patty and I went with Jean down the steps into town, did some shopping, and went to a good Italian restaurant for supper. Our clothes are still wet. Ready to start walking again tomorrow?