More Kilometres = More Adventures

In this area many routes interconnect

With over 500 kilometres under our boots, the reality of this walk is setting in. After so much time thinking about the trip and planning - it felt surreal for the first week or so. We’re now into the rhythm of the daily routine. Simple French breakfast of bread and croissants with café-au-lait. A stop at a bakery on the way out of town - when there is a bakery. We buy our lunch baguette and a pain-de-raisin for our morning snack. We usually resupply with cheese in the evening. When there is no village bakery we ask our host if we can take the rest of our breakfast baguette and everyone has let us do so.

Since our three days on the straight white road between Chalons-en-Champagne and Brienne-le-Chateau, the countryside has been more hilly and very scenic.

Such pretty countryside

We’ve walked through a couple of quite large forests - sharing the space with shot-gun toting hunters. The hunters are a bit ridiculous all dolled up in their manly camouflage topped with bright orange safety vests. The hunters seem to spend most of their time perched on little stands awaiting their prey which we hope doesn’t include two old ladies from Canada. Boar and deer seem to be the victims of choice. We’ve seen lots of sign of the boar and a couple of days ago, a beautiful stag.

Stag - hiding from orange-vested hunters?

Staying with farmers who host pilgrims has been a highlight. Monique and Jean-Pierre in Coole provided a warm welcome, great dinner, insightful conversation and comfort. They told us about the impacts of COVID on village life, the struggles of farmers to stay afloat, the emptying of villages. Despite the industrious farmers we see - there is some despair - life is really challenging in this area right now with not much hope on the horizon. We heard much the same story from our hosts near Brienne and in Mormant.

The champagne houses seem to be doing well. There is a harvest quota and judging from the bunches of grapes that have been left on the ground - it appears the majority made their quota and more.

Bar-sur-Aube

After having coped with heat during the first couple of weeks, the weather has turned quite chilly very quickly. Low single digit temperatures in the mornings and the afternoons warming to pleasant walking conditions. There’s been a bit of daytime rain but more at night which is just fine with us.

We’ve met very few other pilgrims although we know from the Via Francigena Facebook group that we’re following several and that more are behind us. We all seem to be progressing at a similar speed. We had an enjoyable meal at the pilgrim guesthouse in Mormant with two cyclists from Avignon. That meal was completely sourced from the host’s farm and garden and included a delicious venison stew.

Yesterday we had a funny if terrifying experience when a jet fighter came in for a crazy low flyover - Pat was counting the underbelly rivets as it roared over. Wish I’d taken a photo but I was crouched down with my hands over my ears!

Pat on the Ramparts of Langres

This afternoon we are sitting in a beautiful sunny garden at La Vallee de Verte in Grandchamp. A bit over our normal price range but our host, this house - built in the 1500s, our palatial room and the dinner to come make this a welcome stop!

Beer has been served. Time to enjoy it and the last of today’s sun.