Orbetello and the sea

This afternoon, we walked into Orbetello, the 18th day of our Italia Coast 2 Coast adventure. I am in a nice hotel room. Tonight we have our last group dinner, and in the morning we’re all catching the local bus to the train station. We will go our separate ways.

Today we got a ride for the first half of the 29 km walk, it was too far for all of us except for Giuseppe. We have walked every day, although on four occasions, I (or we) had a ride for some of it. Some of those days were just too long for our old bodies.The maximum we walked was 27 or 28 km, the minimum 14.

The history and landscapes we walked through are deep. This area has been inhabited for thousands of years, the oldest known culture is Etruscan.

Giuseppe and Laura interpreted much of this for us. Gayden organized transportation for our packs, which was helpful in the ups-and-downs of the mountainous terrain of the walk.

These four French women, an American, and a French guy were the only other coasters we met. We saw them periodically, they overflowed with joy and laughter.

The start was on my 72nd birthday, and I am not the same person I was 18 days ago. I have been blessed by this group of friends. We all helped each other through this physically demanding experience. My body has held together.

Each time I cross the finish line, I wonder if there will be another.