We left the Swiss couple, the Englishman, Phillip from Holland who all began in Canterbury, England and the Canadian foursome at home, and went looking for our path. It was superb, like a huge stately forest garden we walked through it quietly as it seemed to warrant. Through fields of hazelnut trees we came to a ‘no-sign’ corner of the field uncertain where to go. Soon the Canadians arrived with a GPS that prefers roads, so took us to the nearest one.
Today just one town, but what a town, another hilltop one with intricate paths, steep oh so narrow streets, bends after bends, ivy covered walls, small nooks in their various shapes, and decorations. This and more was the curious village of Capranica. We stopped here as all our other companions arrived 1 by 2 by 4. Just Phillip joined us for coffee, the others preferring to get to their next sleep. We left Phillip looking for Pasta and ventured off into a small jungle with so many birds happy they had found an oasis amongst the treeless fields. Small waterfalls splashed behind half broken narrow wooden bridges, as the river’s many moss covered rocks caused different water sounds as the water washed against them.
Along dark leafy pathways round intricate bends and past stunningly shaped rocks, climbing and dipping narrow paths the sounds of nature were superb. These types of days do not make us weary as it is an adventure inside an adventure as we were constantly entertained with something new but also very old.
Then a dog stood in our path appearing very frightened and ran away with its anxious bark. Then a man with a mobile asked us if we had seen a dog on the track. After receiving a ‘yes’, 2 cars roared past, then after a minute, another and then one more. We could hear the dog’s bell ring (bells are used so they don’t eat the shooters loot) and were worried the dog was in trouble. We’ll never know, but it takes little to remove the silence of nature.
Soon we were back on the tarmac and climbing that hill for our bed. We will need a lot of rest for it is a long way between sleeps tomorrow.
