"There are some things that make a long shadeless trek through mosquito swarms and record summer temperatures actually wonderful and enjoyable. One of those things is most certainly the company of friends. Thank you my fellow pilgrims Paola Bovone and Francesco Beck Guiotto for your freindship and companionship these past two days."
I met Paola and Francesco, along with Laura, Beatrice, Giuseppe, on the way to Estrella on the Camino in Spain. I had stopped at a store where a lot of other pilgrims also had stopped to buy food. Nearby I heard Italian being spoken so I thought I would introduce myself and try my limited Italian. It seemed to me that they knew each other for a long time, but they just met at the beginning at St Jean-pied-du-port - a friendliness and love of life that added so much to the Camino. That afternoon I saw them again at the albergue at Estrella and over other parts of the journey.
Social media, mostly Facebook, kept many of us pilgrims in touch with each other, which is why I thought it good to share the Facebook post above.
Garlasco to Pavia and Pavia to Santa Cristina was a flat, hot, humid, mosquito ridden walk through the rice fields of the Ticino and Po river valley plains. We didn't even make it to Santa Cristina having to end at Belgioiso and take the train because of the constant sun and record temperatures. There was one moment of relief when Francesco took a swim in the Tacino after he found a path to a river bank beach. 
All in all a great two days with some special people that I can say that I have shared two pilgrimages with.
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