For "merenda", which is like an afternoon snack, we had a "tagliera" of cheese and a hot drink. We were wet from the fog and some light rain and it was quite cool up here at rifugio Mombarone. A nice place which should he really lovely in the sun.

Rifugio Mombarone at 2312m. Unfortunately completely in the fog, the weather has been difficult since I've arrived. But the walk up to the hut from just above San Giacomo at more of less 1600m was fun just the same. It was Maurizio's idea. I should pass Mombarone again with Christina in about ten days because it is on the stretch of the GTA we will he walking together.

Ivrea is right on the Via Francigena, a long-distance pilgrim route that leads from Canterbury in England to the Vatican in Rome and splits in Vercelli towards Valle Susa and onward, then joining the Way of St. James to Santiago de Compostela. I might decide to walk Via Francigena for a bit to start slowly. Either that or the "Grande Traversata Biellese", a circular route in the Biella area, not too far from my meeting point with Christina, Alagna, from where we will walk together for roughly ten days.

Cascina Moncrava is a very nice place, the former residence of count Palma Alarino da Cesnola, today run by Antonella and her husband. It is quiet and friendly, bread and jam are home-made and my room is very nice. It is the former chapel of the residence, the bed is comfortable and I had a good night's rest after a long day of travelling and a pizza in the evening.

Dear followers and future readers, I am back and on "away" again. I left Berlin yesterday, on an Air Berlin flight to Milan Malpensa. Then I took the train to Centrale, Chivasso and then Ivrea where my friend Maurizio picked me up at the station. And this is my first stop, B&B Cascina Moncrava, on the outskirts of Ivrea, which - contrary to what I had expected - is a pretty place.

I like this tree very much. It touches me every time I pass it on my walks to work and back "home" to my holiday home in Schliersee. Nice walks I enjoyed whether in the sun or rain. And rain we have had more than plenty in the past weeks. LOTS of rain. As those of you who followed the news will know. Three good things I am leaving behind: the sweetest ever cats (I will miss then terribly), the very nice staff at the "Medius" gym (in the end I went there only a few times) and pizzeria "Al lago" with yummy pizza and its very friendly and welcoming boss Luigi. Definitely a place where I would become a regular.

"The end of the road". Yes, I have reached the end of the road here at Almbad Huberspitz. After almost five months I am packing it in and returning to Berlin. This is not the right place for me. In a week's time I'll be on the train back home. But not for long. A few weeks before packing my rucksack and heading straight for the mountains again. This time I will not have a perfect plan (but as we all know plans are futile - mostly) because there is too little time. Surely it will be up to three months of walking, Italy surely and some England and Wales and hopefully Switzerland too. I don't know how far I'll get considering the problems I had with my knees and all. But I will definitely give it a try! Maybe you wouldn like to join me again on my journey, just pop in once in a while and see how things are going...