Kids are on planes. Peter and Kyong are in Florence. Jeff, Arielle and Liliane are here in Siena with me today, but after dinner, I’ll be on my own again. I like walking alone on the Camino, but this week was so much fun, I’m sure I’ll feel a little lonely the next few days.

I asked the rookie pilgrims a few questions before they left. Here are some summaries of their answers.

Q: Did you bring the right stuff with you?

Everyone would have brought a few more warmer clothes. We expected highs in the 70s, and had highs in the 60s. Great for walking, but chilly when we walked around in the evening.

Q: Are you tired of walking or could you do a few more days on the trail?

Everyone would have liked to walk a little more, but they all said they needed a rest day first. That 21 mile day definitely affected people.

Q: Would you train differently?

Everyone wished they could have done more hills ahead of time, but our local terrains didn’t really offer many options.

My assessment… everyone was in great shape and handled it well. Ali is 5-months pregnant, so hills were especially tough on her, but even so she still covered a ton of miles and did really well. Physical readiness was not an issue with this group.

Q: What were your favorite towns?

We loved most of the towns, but Vernazza, San Gimignano and Monteriggioni seemed to be the favorites. Arielle really loved Lucca.

I think everyone agreed that we saw a lot of great places, and really got a good flavor for the Cinque Terre and Tuscany.

Q: Did you get tired of Italian food?

No, although Kwong, who prefers seafood, liked Ligurian food more than Tuscan food. Tuscan food is focused much more on meat.

Meals were a highlight of the trip. We visited so many fantastic places for dinner and even had some great lunches. Italian food is hard to beat.