Truth is, he probably rode several horses as he journeyed from Canterbury to Rome and home again. Who was Sigeric? He was Archbishop of Canterbury and in 990 he went to Rome to receive the pope’s endorsement. He kept a journal of his route and that is the foundation of the Via Francigena.
Now in Sigeric’s day there was no EU with its agreement that certain non EU people such as Canadians have to get out after a ninety-day visit. But these days there are such restrictions, so Pat and I have been hurrying along to make the trip in the time allowed.
This has proved to be an ill-conceived idea. Although we trained for distance, we didn’t take into account how much hard pavement there would be and we didn’t factor in carrying extra food to sustain us through village after village with no shops. This combination and not taking enough breaks has lead to Pat straining her knee so she’s been riding the proverbial horse for the past couple of days. The bus.
I’ve been walking and we meet up in the evenings. A walk that takes me all day takes the bus a few minutes. Most accommodations don’t want to see anyone until well into the afternoon so Pat’s been suffering from a lot of boring waiting around as well as a sore knee.
Today’s weather can, at best, be described as foul. It has poured without stop since about seven yesterday evening. It’s also bone chilling cold. Today I got smart and joined Pat on the bus to Pontarlier. Tomorrow the weather is supposed to improve. I plan to walk for three more days then join Pat in Lausanne. She is going by train the day after tomorrow. Then we’ll see what our next steps should be.
We are also concerned about how much snow may be accumulating on the Col-Saint-Bernard. Our dream of crossing on foot is under considerable threat.
So - Rome. All roads lead to Rome and no doubt we will find our way there but I forecast some adjustments in how we achieve that goal.
Meantime we’re glad to be warm and dry in a very pleasant hostel. For you hostel-phobic types - we have a private room with en-suite bathroom. So unlike the fancy digs last night where we had to go out in the rain for an €80.00 dinner, our room had no heat and our bathroom was down a chilly hall; tonight’s lodgings are half the price, much more comfortable, we can eat in and tomorrow’s breakfast is included.
Not all blog followers also wander around in the Facebook and Instagram world so here’s a brief recap of the past few days.
Picture #1 - This little hotel in Champlitte offered the best service and dinner in the cave restaurant underground was delicious. Our room - that top floor window.
Picture #2 - Despite Pat’s smile, we’d spent over an hour trying to mail a few things home. The postal workers refused to help us navigate the automated process that required a French address as “our address” until a young woman, Marie - another customer with her own parcel unmailed - came to our aid by shaming the reluctant staff and using her own address. We took Marie out for lunch at her favourite restaurant in gratitude.
Picture #3 - Sometimes walking alone in the woods can be a bit spooky, and signs like these - well they don’t really add much to my confidence.
Picture #4 - Even in the rain this was too pretty a sodden garden to pass by.
Cheers
Kim …. Adapting to the situation!
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