Why and How

Why should a family from the Southwest of Germany walk through a good part of Europe into Central Italy? More precisely, why should a Mom want to do it (as it is she who's telling this story)?

Well, pilgrimages have become a kind of fashion in Germany these days. Most people choose the "Camino", the way to Santiago de Compostela on the Northwest coast of Spain. But somehow, nothing seemed to connect me/us to Santiago or St. Jake. And after reading the account of Hape Kerkeling, a well-known comedian, I was sure this wasn't my way. I'm not exactly shy of people, but wary of crowds. And there are crowds on the Camino, especially towards the end. So many people that some decide to walk during the night so that they surely have a bed to sleep in during the day... no, that's not my cup of tea.

Then, in the spring of 2008, Daughty, who is in a school run by the Franciscan nuns where Berta Hummel, creator of the drawings that are models for the famous Hummel figurines, was a member of the congregation in the 1920's, went to Assisi with her class. She came back all inspired. That set our goal.

Now, how to achieve it? We had always been hikers, but had done only day trips so far. So we scouted the Internet to find out from which of the villages in the hills to the South of our little town we could come back by bus and train on Sundays after 6p.m. And one fine morning, we set off to try if we could walk the 25 km/16 miles a day needed for such a trip.

All went well, only Mum's old shoes broke, their soles crumbled.

During the next months, we did more hikes and bought new equipment, doing another day trip from the end point of the first, then a weekend trip, and then a whole week, always finding places to stay via internet and using topographic maps with hiking trail overlays. As this is no established pilgrim route, finding the way is part of the quest...