Honeymoon in Style - Part 3
Day 5 - Almost there
May 15
Being a woman is not easy anywhere in the world. Growing up in a conservative country my thought western countries must treat women very well in comparison. Of course later on after some traveling and more reading this illusion began to fade and I became more aware of ongoing struggle women have all around the world. A red bench raising awareness of violence against women outside our B&B made for a sobering start to the day - it seems every country, even those as relaxed and beautiful as Italy, suffers from the same problems of equality.
This day turned out to be one of the longest of our trip because of a lack of accommodation options. We were not able to book anything much before Florence, therefore decided to aim for Pian de Mugnone, a village outside Florence where we had booked a small villa for the time we would have left after completing the Via Degli Dei. With not many places on the actual route this day, we took a detour off the trail to the small village of Bivigliano for lunch. I was becoming accustomed to the fact that every tiny village along the way would still have amazing food, despite there often being no competition for the one local eating establishment.
However, my tiredness was growing rapidly and three cups of coffee were not helping much. Blisters were also really taking their toll, with the prospect of a couple more climbs before the end of the day really scaring me. The views from the top were still great, but it’s much harder to appreciate it when you are tired, suffering from the culmative fatigue of days of hiking, and struggling with sickness that won’t shift. From the final peak we admired the beauty of the tuscan hills and saw beautiful Florence on the horizon. It was so close already. We made it all this way and we could see our final destination. So close, so reachable.
But first we had 6 more km to go to our destination. It was downhill yet still challenging because of steep descents and tiredness. I was still making an effort to keep positive, but taking a ‘shortcut’ through an overgrown path that Chris found on Komoot (maybe one person had ever been through…) tested my patience to the limit. But eventually we made it. We could finally relax, secure in the knowledge that for the first time in five days we could set no alarm, and wake up when we wanted. There was less than 10km to go until Florence.
Day 6 - Mission completed
May 16
I love slow mornings. You don’t have to rush anywhere. You can do just nothing and enjoy your time. This was perfect - siping our coffees and eating pastries in the AirBnB garden, with the sun on our faces and a view of the picturesque village of Fiesole on the opposite hillside.
We had only 10 km left to get to Piazza della Signoria, the famous square in Florence that marks the official end of the Via Delgi Dei. When we both felt like we had enough of doing nothing we got ready and hit the road, with carrying no backpacks making it much more enjoyable! We sauntered through Fiesole, picking up some more medicine for my still aching throat on the way, and stopping for a light lunch. But on the descent down into Florence I was finding it harder and harder - with blisters all over my toes from multiple hard days in a row, and back ache from changing my gait to alleviate the pain in my feet, what should have been a gentle stroll felt harder than anything we had done so far.
Eventually we made it to the center of Florence. But it was strange - I had been looking forward to Florence so much - Chris always teases me for being a ‘city girl’ - but being surrounded by the hustle and bustle of tourists felt a little cliched and overwhelming. Certainly, the quiet villages with their untouched beauty along the route had given me a warmer feeling than this undoubtedly beautiful, but over-visited tourist city.
Getting back home was another adventure as we had to make it on time to the train station to catch the last train back to our village. Some running, some speed walking and my husband’s quick ticket purchase and orientation helped us to get on to the right train to head back home. And with that, we had completed our challenge that we started 6 days ago. It is a great feeling to accomplish something together and to have all the sweet memories that we had throughout the trip. Looking back at photos, reading our blog, and just remembering parts of the trip will always bring a smile to our faces.
I am so happy we did this trip as our honeymoon. It was unique and gave many opportunities to overcome challenges together to bond even stronger. It might not have been a conventional honeymoon, but I’m so thankful that Chris organised it in this way😊
Catching the bug - signing up to chess tournament number two.