Cloverleaf Fields and Quiet Conversations

Daily miles: 29.52 | Total miles: 11,872.24

I got up, had my coffee, felt my body, got dressed, and decided to see the day as a new day. To enjoy the walk and simply see how I would feel.

I walked past olive trees growing in fields that looked like soft cushions of three-leaf clover. It made me wonder about four-leaf clovers — how many of them might be hidden among so many three-leaf ones? I felt lucky in every possible way. The ground looked so soft, and the olive trees, with their gnarly, ancient trunks, carried such a deep sense of time. Some of them must be incredibly old. Their resilience and their symbolism of peace felt almost tangible.

I first walked a bit inland, up over a hill, passing fields of cacti, broken old building structures, and small villages sitting quietly in the distance. Once I reached the top, I was back on the coast, high above the sea, with a sweeping view down toward a fish farm. The coastline stretched out rugged and unbelievably beautiful. On one hill stood a church, quietly inviting thoughts of what it might be like to be there.

After about 10 miles, my sister showed up. A short chat, a familiar smile — and off I went again. That stop was along a corner of the coastline where camper vans and fabric-built shelters stood, places that must only come alive during summer. As soon as I stepped out of the van, a cat appeared and started meowing very loudly. So I meowed back — and we had a great conversation. The cat walked beside me, then came so close to my legs that I had to be careful not to step on it. Suddenly, it threw itself onto the ground, still meowing loudly. When I knelt down, it jumped straight onto my legs. I told it to stay there, but instead it decided to accompany me for quite a while before finally staying behind. Funny little tiger.

The walk was gorgeous. The views were stunning. I expected rain again, but it never came. The little villages scattered along the coastline and tucked into the steep hillsides were beautiful to observe. Today I saw very few orange trees, but once again countless olive trees — so old, so strong, and so beautiful.

The sky stayed dark throughout the day, and later in the afternoon the air turned cool, as if rain might arrive at any moment. Google even sent a warning about an extreme thunderstorm in the region, so I felt prepared for anything. I took one last look down at the rugged ocean. From above it looked peaceful, but looking closer, the wildness beneath the surface was unmistakable.

Then I turned right, heading inland toward Leonidio, walking into the little old village with its narrow streets. I stopped at a supermarket to buy some fresh produce and then met my sister down by the river — dry at the moment. The scenery here is spectacular, with high vertical mountains rising all around us.

We’ll see what the weather does over the next few hours. We had a great dinner: spaghetti with pesto and salad. I haven’t had spaghetti in a long time, and I loved it.

And by the way — the package I sent from South Korea to Switzerland at the very last minute one morning in Incheon arrived today. The label had even been translated from Korean into Latin alphabet writing. Thank you, DHL. Great service!

Thanks for checking in, Andrea