Abbots Way - Part II
Once we reached the hilltop and reconnected to the main variant of the Abbots way, we came across a peculiar structure which turned out to be a temple dedicated to a south American christian guru called Silo. We were mesmerized by the acoustics of the place (shaped like a hemisphere so that all sound from the center was reflected back to the center). Elisa gave an incredible live performance, while I was brewing coffee from a bar coffee machine left unattended and copiously eating leftover apples from a past event. By the time I finished my feast, Eli was already reading booklets on the life of Silo and fast converting to its Teachings. It was tough to convince her to leave and move on.
In the afternoon we arrived in the ghost village of Grazzi. Mysteriously both the hostels in town declared to be full although there seemed to be no other tourist around. Seemed like people were meant to arrive on the following day and the hotel owners couldn't be bothered to put us up for just one night and then having to clean bed-sheet. Apparently they couldn't be asked to cook, either. As we asked for information, we met one of the few locals who pointed to us a couple of falling-apart houses where we could sleep for free...then also pointed us towards a third hostel in town.
Even there, they did not seem enthusiastic to have us around, but then decided to put us up. Since there was nowhere to eat in town we asked for some pasta to cook ourselves...and a discussion ensued which would bring us in direct escalations with the locals. The owners decided to charge us 10 euros for a packet of pasta and some tomato sauce, expecting us to accept without a flinch. But flinch it was...so they retorted by denying us the possibility to dine on the balcony with the excuse that we'd disturb people in the adjacent flat... which was though absolutely empty! Single-handedly we then took the outside table and moved it to a neutral zone: a meadow on the back of the house. We then promptly mobilized all the pans, food and cutlery and in a flash we were setup for dining outside, before they could intervene and shut us off that place as well. You could see the furious look of the owner passing by later on, looking at us solidly settled and enjoying the masterful meal cooked by Elisa. The only retaliation possible from the owners was a request to put everything back into place once finished. Yes, madame, THAT seems reasonable.
The following day we were supposed to reach Bobbio but the first logistic issues started to appear. It seemed impossible to find a cheap stay and the person I was betting all my cards on, Don Roberto, the priest responsible of abbots accommodation, proved to be a total fluke. For some reason we had to be at least 5 and no more. When I proposed that "we are 3 but will pay for 5", he was swept off guard but then started bringing up potential legal issues. I was then negotiating an emergency accommodation in a church when he suddenly asked me if we had sleeping mats. Stupidly I didn't lie and when he heard that we didn't, he swiftly withdrew from the deal on the basis that it would not be good for us. He then called a hotel and negotiated a great deal in a triple room for us. Bravo Don! Pity that he messed up the date and we then ended up having to call the hotel ourselves to straighten things up. Luckily we managed to find a spot. Saved!
We ended up staying 2 nights in Bobbio, enjoying a local festival and doing some sightseeing in town. Apart from a couple of awkward moment related to shopping for food and organizing our days (were we all a bit "dis-organized?":-), it all went as smooth as a baby's ass! How decadent was it sipping drinks in a bar, going to the restaurant and finally heading to the main square watch the local show: teams of beefy young men trying to climb on top of a greasy pole. So much fun!
Earlier during the day, we had visited the castle of Bobbio and listened to far-fetched explanations proving that that was the place where Leonardo painted the Mona Lisa. Our imagination was running wild, thinking about a kindred soul at work in that very same place hundreds of years before us!
We even went across the bridge, to the sulfuric water, to heal our feet and our battle wounds...in the middle of some half-naked elderly locals. Seyi went over to the water source for a full ablution of holy water on his pestered knees, hoping for a miracle. But there's no quick fix for old age, my man.. and for traveling with 30kg of ballast!
And the crypt under the church with the imaginary animals mosaic was definitely remarkable! As soon as Seyi convinced me to get out a coin to switch on the lights, the place got bustling as multitudes of brown noses started to materialize.
The following morning we left Bobbio after scoffing our usual huge breakfast at the hotel. Nothing to report here, apart from me stealing an entire butter biscuit from Elisa and eating it without awareness. Having been asked to replace it, I came back with a different shaped-one without jam and gave rise to the first diplomatic incident of the day. Elisa then decided to walk with us for an extra morning, instead of going to the waterfalls she was planning to see. After a second breakfast at a remote bar (which went this time without noticeable incidents), we bid farewell to her. Great to walk with you, amica!
