Walk across a continent with us from London to Rome on the Via Francigena
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- Some HistoryThe Via Francigena (VF) is a medieval pilgrimage path from Canterbury England to Rome Italy. It roughly follows a path recorded by Sigeric the Serious circa 990 AD. Our plans* for this Pilgrimage however start in London England where we will walk along Becket’s Way from … Continue reading Some History
- Pre-Flight Day17 – O Covid! My Covid!By Mark “Oh Captain! My Captain!” Walt Whitman … sometimes it feels like this trip is being governed entirely by Covid. Allison spent a frustrating day winding her way through U.K. testing requirements which must be arranged pre-departure. This is something that could likely be solved … Continue reading Pre-Flight Day17 – O Covid! My Covid!
- Pre-Flight Day13 – Last of the Prep HikesBy Mark Sitting at Brinegar cabin with Allison after we flew up the cedar ridge trail and arrived here an hour early. We’re waiting for Cindy, Andrea and Jessica. It is both exciting and terrifying to be done all the prep work and still have so … Continue reading Pre-Flight Day13 – Last of the Prep Hikes
- Pre-Flight Day12 – Playing with technologyBy Allison Sunday, the day of rest is perfectly situated after a long day of hiking. A joyful day beginning with praising the Lord and worship with so many friends. This afternoon we chatted with Madeline about our upcoming adventure. Seeing maps with our walking routes … Continue reading Pre-Flight Day12 – Playing with technology
- Pre-Flight Day11 – How do I count this down?From the mind of Mark I’m not entirely sure how to count this one down. Normally I’d count down from the moment we take our first step, but the Covid preparations are so much of this trip that I feel like the flight over (even if … Continue reading Pre-Flight Day11 – How do I count this down?
- Pre-Flight Day10 – Decisions decisions<Allison> To walk in England or not to walk in England? The UK is certainly putting a kink in our original plans. The 10 days of quarantine has yet to be lifted. What a pain! France and Italy are welcoming US visitors with no quarantine so…in … Continue reading Pre-Flight Day10 – Decisions decisions
- Pre-Flight Day7 – The UK it isMark 7 Seven Days til we fly out to London. We made the decision to forego the easy/safe option and take a chance on the UK. It was a real relief to get that behind us. Now the flurry of activity begins as we make our … Continue reading Pre-Flight Day7 – The UK it is
- Pre-Flight Day6 – Permethrin PartyHard to believe that we’re less than a week away from our trip and the date may yet change (but maybe only by a day). Due to some funny math involving Day0 vs Day1 of quarantine in the UK we might end up moving up our … Continue reading Pre-Flight Day6 – Permethrin Party
- Pre-Flight Day3 – Things are happening fastThings are happening fast now. Our list of to-do’s is getting ticked off quickly and things are falling into place. But I’m eager to start walking. There will be days in the near future that I’ll undoubtedly wish for a down-day, but for now I just … Continue reading Pre-Flight Day3 – Things are happening fast
- Pre-Flight Day1 – Are we REALLY doing this?So much has happened in the last 48hrs. This may be a long post. First, Tuesday evening ended with some really great news. As some of you know, the Ferry from Dover to Calais no longer allows passengers on foot. After investigating several other options for … Continue reading Pre-Flight Day1 – Are we REALLY doing this?
- Via Francigena Gear Review – What is in those packs?For all you hiking geeks…check out my gear review. Find out what we’re bringing on our 1500mi trek from London to Rome.
- Pre-Flight Day0 – It’s Travel Day!!!Despite the 90% chance of thunderstorms at 3pm (yep, our flight is scheduled for 3pm), we are excited to get this boat on the road so to say. I did one last weight reduction exercise following a tradition from our previous Pilgrimages. In many ways it … Continue reading Pre-Flight Day0 – It’s Travel Day!!!
- Quarantine Day 0 – SeagullsThere will be little to write about for the next few days as we’ve now made it safely to our quarantine home in Christchurch UK. Thank you again Madeline and Mark! The journey was uneventful overall. Our daughter Sarah drove us to the airport in Greensboro, … Continue reading Quarantine Day 0 – Seagulls
- Quarantine Day2 – Life In QuarantineWell, just a brief report about life in quarantine. We spent days 1 and 2 of quarantine getting used to our surrounds and being quite pampered by my 2nd cousin Madeline and her husband Mark who are hosting us. Because of the isolation rules we feel … Continue reading Quarantine Day2 – Life In Quarantine
- Quarantine Day3 – Walking in placeAllison’s thoughts Today is Tuesday and day 3 of our required down time. I am sure you are wondering what we do to entertain ourselves. Besides completing crossword and sudoku puzzles, route planning for our hike, eating and sleeping, we do exercise. But creativity is key! … Continue reading Quarantine Day3 – Walking in place
- Quarantine Day4 – Looking forwardhttp://www.gaiagps.com/public/bXUlUOkRUuOHaAQJcnCdwzLH I’m just trying this out so, let’s see what happens. This link is our intended route out of London for Day 1 of our pilgrimage. It departs from Southwark (pronounced Suthuck) and travels along the Thames past the Tower of London and tower Bridge among … Continue reading Quarantine Day4 – Looking forward
- Quarantine Day5 – Early Release TestJust a short update… Today we completed our 5th day of quarantine and became eligible to take advantage of the Day5 Early Release Scheme. Madeline drove us into town (the first time we’ve been out of her home and back garden) for the administered Swab. The … Continue reading Quarantine Day5 – Early Release Test
- Day0 Quarantine to London – Negative is PositiveBuckle your seatbelts … this will be a long post. Well let’s start out with the great news this morning that both our Day5 Covid tests came back negative and we are officially released from quarantine. Yay! That means that this morning we boarded a bus … Continue reading Day0 Quarantine to London – Negative is Positive
- Day 1 London to Woolwich – The Thames“The Thames is liquid history” John Burns Well we did it, we’ve finally begun. We are on Pilgrimage. We were in no hurry to leave this morning. A final ritual remained before I felt I could leave on this journey. The route from London to Canterbury … Continue reading Day 1 London to Woolwich – The Thames
- Day2 Woolwich to Dartford – CommonsYesterday we completed 1/100th of our entire pilgrimage! It’s not much of a milestone but it is a milestone nonetheless, because every journey must have a start. After a fabulous night’s sleep in the Travel Lodge in Woolwich we hit the sidewalk/pavement at 7:15 am. This … Continue reading Day2 Woolwich to Dartford – Commons
- Day3 Dartford to Wrotham – Rivers and DownsWhat a beautiful morning following the River Darent through small villages and peaceful meadows. THIS is more like it. First a catch up story from last night. The proprietress at The Fulwich gave us a nice gift. Our rooms were so hot from the days sun. … Continue reading Day3 Dartford to Wrotham – Rivers and Downs
- Day4 Wrotham to Thurnham – Ups and Downs“Up and down the Downs through woods and fields” pretty much sums up our morning. We’d left The Bull after accepting a gift of picnic sandwiches for our lunch and we made good progress through the warming and humid day. After crossing the Medway (at Peter’s … Continue reading Day4 Wrotham to Thurnham – Ups and Downs
- Day5 Thurnham to Boughton Lees (Ashford) – Missing Ned<musings over an English breakfast> Sitting for a late breakfast after drying all our gear. Mark is having a having a proper Full English (Sausage, Bacon, Fried Bread, Field Mushrooms, Tomaahto, Black Pudding, Egg); I’m having “Eggs Royal” which includes smoked salmon, poached eggs, hollandaise sauce … Continue reading Day5 Thurnham to Boughton Lees (Ashford) – Missing Ned
- Day6 Boughton Lee’s to Canterbury – BecketWhat a beautiful day. The weather was dryer and just a bit cooler. The fact that we will arrive in Canterbury after a short 12mi walk also makes me feel happy. Better yet, we have a rest day planned there. And to top it all off, … Continue reading Day6 Boughton Lee’s to Canterbury – Becket
- Day7 Canterbury to Canterbury – Rest DayToday is a rest day. This was always in our plan but it feels pretty luxurious to take a rest day this soon. Then again, resting on the seventh day is also quite appropriate. It’s just not something that the EU visa time limits will allow … Continue reading Day7 Canterbury to Canterbury – Rest Day
- Day8 Canterbury To Dover … the Via Francigena begins.Well, today is our first day on the Via Francigena. Because all the lodging at the midway point of Shepherdswell (Siebertswold) were either full or no longer in operation, we had to convert the first two short legs into one long leg of 21.3mi. So…we are … Continue reading Day8 Canterbury To Dover … the Via Francigena begins.
- Day 9 Dover to Dover – A Day of prepToday began with us making quite a list of things to do. First we walked to a barber shop where we picked up two bikes we had purchased online. We needed these, not because we’ve decided to ride to Rome but because the ship to Calais … Continue reading Day 9 Dover to Dover – A Day of prep
- Day10 Dover to Wissant – Bye bye England, hello FranceThe morning started off bright and early at 6 am after a less-than-perfect night’s sleep. Did I mention we weren’t staying in the “best” part of town…lots of parties and shouting at all hours. Once awake, we quickly packed up and headed off on our bikes … Continue reading Day10 Dover to Wissant – Bye bye England, hello France
- Day11 Wissant to Guines – Rain and MudWell, we awakened to a thunder storm and heavy rain. By the time we’d packed up and headed out for the day it was a steady drizzle but no downpours yet. Farewell to the sea. We won’t see you again until Italy! Because of the rain, … Continue reading Day11 Wissant to Guines – Rain and Mud
- Day12 Guines to Tournehem sur la Hem – FriendsWe had a really mixed day today. We woke up early from our campsite and quickly packed our tent and gear, fully dressed for more rain. The path out of Guines was muddy after the previous day’s rains and our progress toward lunch at Licques was … Continue reading Day12 Guines to Tournehem sur la Hem – Friends
- Day13 Tournehem sur la Hem to Wisques – An AbbayeThis was supposed to be a long day, but we woke feeling a bit off (not sick or anything, but just still tired). Our packs just felt heavier today. It’s hard to explain. Despite this, we marched on. After a couple miles, we ran across this … Continue reading Day13 Tournehem sur la Hem to Wisques – An Abbaye
- Day14 Wisques to Therouanne – Groovin’When the alarm went off this morning, it was hard to get out of my cozy sleeping bag. Our night at the Abbaye was the quietest night’s sleep we have had so far, and it was wonderful. After finishing our breakfast of fresh bread and homemade … Continue reading Day14 Wisques to Therouanne – Groovin’
- Day15 Therouanne to Amettes – Oh Sunny Day!<Allison> It was another short day of only 20.22km (12.6mi). For the first time in many days, the sun was shining as we started off. Sunshine is so much more inspiring than rain; although to be fair other than the one day, it has mostly just … Continue reading Day15 Therouanne to Amettes – Oh Sunny Day!
- Day16 Amettes to Villers-Chatel – OMG!!Actually today’s 26.7km was from Amettes to Villers-Chatel, but you won’t believe the ending of today’s story. Honestly today’s walk wasn’t hard, but it had its moments. We awoke to a checkered forecast of 80% chance of rain, and it was quite cool. So, we once … Continue reading Day16 Amettes to Villers-Chatel – OMG!!
- Day17 Villers Chatel to Arras – Digging HistoryWe started the day after a light breakfast. Our host, Jean, was so gracious to walk with us into a nearby town to find an ATM. He continued with us acting as tour guide for a bit before breaking off to head back to the chateau. … Continue reading Day17 Villers Chatel to Arras – Digging History
- Day18 Arras to Bapaume- StruckWhen you walk for days and days, sometimes they blur together. Despite what I say in this update, it was day 18 and not 17. Today will be a short post for two reasons: First, it was a tough day of slogging through some mud and … Continue reading Day18 Arras to Bapaume- Struck
- Day18 AnecdoteI was so tired this evening I ordered water in Italian, but we are in France. I was very confused when our multilingual waiter responded back in Italian. Allison got a good laugh out of that one! Regardless, dinner tonight was yummy.
- Day19 Bapaume to Peronne – Crossing the LinesOur 32km day found us walking through more open fields and across the German Hindenburg Line into territory primarily controlled by the Germans for the greater part of WWI. In fact, our destination for the day, Peronne was itself part of that famous defensive work. An … Continue reading Day19 Bapaume to Peronne – Crossing the Lines
- Day20 Peronne to Seracourt le Grand – More fields and more milesIt was a rough start for many reasons. For some reason, likely the microwave pizza we ate late for dinner, neither of us slept well. It was hard to get up and get moving. In fact despite getting up easily at 5:30am because we had a … Continue reading Day20 Peronne to Seracourt le Grand – More fields and more miles
- Day21 Seracourt le grand to Bertaucourt – Camping with the CowsNo entry today to save battery. We are well and much encouraged after today’s long walk of 21+mi. Wild camping in a field next to a stream Tomorrow Laon. Will fill you in tomorrow. Well, actually we tapped into a power source at a nearby house … Continue reading Day21 Seracourt le grand to Bertaucourt – Camping with the Cows
- Day22 Bertaucourt to Laon – Warm up those climbing musclesSleeping last night in a pasture was so relaxing. Ok, it used to be a pasture but now the upper half is a building site of a new gite. I slept wonderfully! Mark…meh. It is early morning again but what a beautiful place with all these … Continue reading Day22 Bertaucourt to Laon – Warm up those climbing muscles
- Day23 Laon to Pontavert – a complicationLast night we were the guests of Mme Tordeux-Bremand. She has looked after pilgrims for many years and was so kind to us during our stay. Her daughter Agnes was also visiting, and we enjoyed getting to know them both for a short while. Mme Tordeux-Bremmand … Continue reading Day23 Laon to Pontavert – a complication
- Day24 Pontavert to Reims – What a haul…pop the bubbly!Waking up in the country after a good night’s sleep is a wonderful thing. We had breakfast on the glassed-in patio overlooking a lovely yard and a huge vegetable garden. Our hostess, Nadine, even sat and had her morning coffee with us after her husband poured … Continue reading Day24 Pontavert to Reims – What a haul…pop the bubbly!
- Day25 Reims Rest DayDay 25, wow. Today is a significant milestone. We are 25% through our Pilgrimage. It’s also our first rest day since Dover, and it is coming after 5 consecutive 20+mile days. So…great timing! We slept in late … what a blessing… and had a leisurely morning … Continue reading Day25 Reims Rest Day
- Day26 Reims to Trepail -oooh…now we’re famous!All rest days must come to and end. So we packed up our bags, took a few parting shots of the Reims Cathedral and hit a grocery store on our way out of Reims. An honest moment We immediately came to the Ainse/Marne canal full of … Continue reading Day26 Reims to Trepail -oooh…now we’re famous!
- Day27 Trepail to St Martin sur la Pre – Two Words, Canals and MosquitoesHi everyone. This will be a short post because today was kind of a slog with little to see. We knocked out about 17.4miles though. I had trouble getting up this morning, not because I didn’t sleep well, but because I took a Benadryl before bedtime … Continue reading Day27 Trepail to St Martin sur la Pre – Two Words, Canals and Mosquitoes
- Day28 St Martin sur la Pre – Coole – Working on that tan!Well that was a hard day. We walked a full 20mi today, most of it without shade on a day that ironically we had our first cloud-free day since arriving in France. We were blessed however with only moderately hot temps 84F. Still, the sun exposure … Continue reading Day28 St Martin sur la Pre – Coole – Working on that tan!
- Day 29. Coole to Donnement – Heads DownBefore we begin the day let me give a shout out to our hosts Brigitte and Jean-Claude Dulieu. They fed us well, and we had a wonderful night of conversation. We saw their pilgrim book of all those they have hosted, and Brigitte received a Key. … Continue reading Day 29. Coole to Donnement – Heads Down
- Day30. Donnement to Dienville – Back on the VF, time to whip out the tent – perhaps.Looking forward, 10 of the next 11 days will be walking less than 17.5miles per day . It’s odd to say that that is going to feel like a break. As we walk out of the “desert” today, the VF will rejoin us. We will be … Continue reading Day30. Donnement to Dienville – Back on the VF, time to whip out the tent – perhaps.
- FlashbackDue to poor reception yesterday I couldn’t post this so…here ya go.
- Day31 Dienville to Bar sur Aube – MilestonesWe hit triple milestones yesterday and today. At the end of today’s hike, we will have completed our first month of walking, We will have passed the 500mi mark, and sometime today or yesterday we passed the 1/3 mileage marker for our trip. Our Day31 Morning … Continue reading Day31 Dienville to Bar sur Aube – Milestones
- Day32 Bar sur Aube to Cirfontain – Dear AbbeyWhen we took our first step outside of the presbytery, it was quite cool with a cold wind blowing in our faces. I was happy to have on my long sleeve shirt. The fact that it is cold usually makes us walk faster. But this morning … Continue reading Day32 Bar sur Aube to Cirfontain – Dear Abbey
- Day33 Cirfontain to Leffonds – A road in the clouds.There were some concerns as we started off this morning. Firstly, we didn’t get enough sleep because we stayed up chatting too long. Secondly, we had a long day ahead 20+ miles and to shorten it we needed to walk along a lot of road and … Continue reading Day33 Cirfontain to Leffonds – A road in the clouds.
- Day34 Leffonds to Langres -“Yes madam, I am crazy”Our morning began as others have. We woke, groaned as we got out of bed, packed, and headed off to our hosts table for breakfast. Here we were served bread (including a really yummy cranberry hazelnut loaf) with jam and honey and of course COFFEE! We … Continue reading Day34 Leffonds to Langres -“Yes madam, I am crazy”
- Day35 Langres to somewhere in the woods after a ChalindryThis is all y’a get folks. Saving battery. Wild camping somewhere in the woods tonight. More later…including the reasons why. Luv ya all. We’re safe and happy.
- Short post.We are here. Today’s short day Langres to Chalindrey became a 22miler with a stop to Wild camp. Tomorrow Champlite. Safe and with water and food. All is well. More tomorrow.
- Day36 Somewhere in the woods to Champlitte – a two day story – Part IHey folks. When we last left off, Mark and Allison were stealth camping somewhere in the woods between Chalindrey and Champlitte. Let’s rewind a bit and see how they got there. Day 35, as we left Langres we had planned a relatively short day of 24km … Continue reading Day36 Somewhere in the woods to Champlitte – a two day story – Part I
- Day36 Somewhere in the Woods to Champlitte Part IiA word about the Word of the Day The feeling the morning after tent camping is an experience that anyone who has done it doesn’t need explained. You aren’t the MOST comfortable but you survived and the best thing to do is start moving. So we … Continue reading Day36 Somewhere in the Woods to Champlitte Part Ii
- Day37 Champlitte to Seveux – CowsDay37 Morning Update Today was a bit odd. We started out a little late because we made our own breakfast of scrambled eggs and cheese with some tomato juice and yogurt to top it off. We next hit a bakery for a fresh baguette to make … Continue reading Day37 Champlitte to Seveux – Cows
- Day38 Seveux to Bucey le Gy – Growing HillsThis morning started like many others…too early for my body. Haha ,at least the pleasant toll of church bells echos in the street, a sound that I actually enjoy. Morning Update After a breakfast of bread, yogurt, homemade jam, butter, fruit and, coffee and orange juice … Continue reading Day38 Seveux to Bucey le Gy – Growing Hills
- Day37 supplemental commentComment from our host via a Swiss interpretation regarding our difficulty with French. “At first I thought you were bad Americans. But you’re wife is delightful…. and at least you try.” I’m not sure… but I think I was just insulted! Haha Bon Nuit.
- Day39 Bucey les Gy to Besancon – Hills“No man is brave that has never walked a hundred miles. If you want to know the truth of who you are, walk until not a person knows your name. Travel is the great leveler, the great teacher, bitter as medicine, crueler than mirror glass. A … Continue reading Day39 Bucey les Gy to Besancon – Hills
- Day40. Rest day in BesanconWe slept in late …aaah! We rested; we toured; we relaxed. Our bodies and souls needed this. Then we got some breakfast and a coffee before heading out for some shoe, hiking pole tip, and grocery shopping. Allison’s shoes are wearing out and it is time … Continue reading Day40. Rest day in Besancon
- Day41 Besancon to Foucherons – up and into the woodsRest days are a blessing and a curse. Our bodies and minds really appreciated the rest day, but starting up again sure is hard. You’d think with toned muscles and a nice rest that you’d be invigorated and ready to go, but the opposite is true … Continue reading Day41 Besancon to Foucherons – up and into the woods
- Day42 Foucherans to Mouthier-Haut-Pierre – Beauty beyond measure.Our night ended yesterday with a note from Gilbert. He hoped to see us again and I responded with an invitation to walk with us today. I woke to a message saying he’d love to join us. So we woke and readied ourselves with breakfast and … Continue reading Day42 Foucherans to Mouthier-Haut-Pierre – Beauty beyond measure.
- Day43 Mouthier-Haut-Pierre to Pontarlier – Gorges and ElevationSome trouble this evening with uploading images so despite the beauty, there will be few images and no video until we get home. (Post Via note: It’s all here now) The expensive night at the hotel ended early with our 5:45 alarm. We’d left the window … Continue reading Day43 Mouthier-Haut-Pierre to Pontarlier – Gorges and Elevation
- Day44 Pontarlier to Jougne – Taking it to the borderMorning Update Day44 Well, here we are folks, about a mile from the Swiss border. We’ve very nearly walked across another whole country. It seems so odd to be here in a way. France, particularly the latter half of it (once it dried up a bit) … Continue reading Day44 Pontarlier to Jougne – Taking it to the border
- Because you askedHere is where we crossed the border. It was a farm track. It wasn’t surprising to find no one there to greet us. Haha (The dash dot dash line is the border).
- Day45 Jougnes to Dizy – Switzerland!This morning the alarm sounded at 5:30am and honestly I was already awake. We both share in the writing of this blog, but by that single statement, those that know us have already correctly guessed that this is Mark writing. Morning Update Day44 We did the … Continue reading Day45 Jougnes to Dizy – Switzerland!
- Day46 Dizy to Lausanne –We woke early and got downstairs quickly (well quickly for us anyway). Despite a poor night sleep for me due to some flies and mosquitoes in the room, I felt pretty good after some coffee and bread and toast. Day46 Morning Update We left to another … Continue reading Day46 Dizy to Lausanne –
- Day47 Lausanne to Montreux- GrapesWe woke again early this morning and had a good breakfast at the Lausanne hostel. We both had cereal with milk – something I rarely have at home but had been desiring for a while. The coffee was bottomless – bonus. Morning Update Day47 Disappointingly the … Continue reading Day47 Lausanne to Montreux- Grapes
- Day48 Montreux to St Maurice – faux Alps5:30am alarm….you know the drill by now. But all that ends today (for awhile anyway). Ok, brain is moving too fast…let me back up. Morning Update Day 48 We had a great nights sleep at the hotel. Did I mention it had one of those articulating … Continue reading Day48 Montreux to St Maurice – faux Alps
- Day49 St Maurice to MartignyMorning Update Day 49 This was going to be a great day. I knew it from the start. In some ways ,yesterday was the end of the beginning ,and the beginning of the end of this voyage. We finished our last day of pushing and had … Continue reading Day49 St Maurice to Martigny
- Day50 Martigny to OrsieresDay50 Morning Update Mark> Breakfast was home cooked this morning as I got up early to make the girls some eggs bacon and sausage to add to our yogurt and coffee. As I cooked I watched the compressed VT vs UNC college football game on my … Continue reading Day50 Martigny to Orsieres
- Day51 Orsieres to Bourg Saint Pierre – 2/3rds AlpineMorning update Day51 Last night ,at the Hotel restaurant ,Allison and I had what we voted as the worst meal on the trip. To put this in perspective our lunch the other day was canned tuna fish and Mayo on a 2day old baguette. Haha. Our … Continue reading Day51 Orsieres to Bourg Saint Pierre – 2/3rds Alpine
- Day52 Bourg Saint Pierre to Grand Saint Bernard – A FeatMorning Update Day52 <Mark> We started our morning with breakfast at the closet cafe to our lodging. They were very kind to let us in at 7 even though they normally don’t open until 8. Usual fare with the bonus of unlimited coffee or tea. Today … Continue reading Day52 Bourg Saint Pierre to Grand Saint Bernard – A Feat
- Day53 Grand Saint Bernard to Etchevannoz – Coming off a High aka Buongiorno!Day53 Morning Uodate Tough night last night since both Allison and I were having GI issues. At breakfast others also mentioned issues. So either the food or altitude or combination of the two caused some problems. We went to a special Pilgrim blessing service at 7:15am … Continue reading Day53 Grand Saint Bernard to Etchevannoz – Coming off a High aka Buongiorno!
- Day 54 Etchevannoz to AostaMorning Update Day54 Well what a cool way to start a day. We had a short day to Aosta today so we could sleep late and have a late (8am) breakfast at the B&B. After packing we headed down to the cellar/stalls for breakfast. This was … Continue reading Day 54 Etchevannoz to Aosta
- Day55 Aosta-Châtillon – “Who put this hill here?”The day just started off poorly. When I was putting on my brand new shoes, the pull tab on the back broke. Clearly, a workmanship issue, I intend to write to LaSportiva – but I don’t hold out hope for much of a resolution. Aosta is … Continue reading Day55 Aosta-Châtillon – “Who put this hill here?”
- Day56 Châtillon to Verres – Roman Yo-yo.Morning Update Day56 After a late start to the day we really struggled to get moving today. Perhaps it was the hard day yesterday, but we were dragging. The day started by waking into Châtillon. We’d actually spent the night just outside of the village so … Continue reading Day56 Châtillon to Verres – Roman Yo-yo.
- Day57 Verres to Pont St Martin – History and a lack of PizzaWe woke up early for a 7 am breakfast after a rough night on a super saggy mattress. Mix that mattress with a sore back and not much sleep is forth coming. But we had hot croissants for breakfast which I covered in Nutella. I am … Continue reading Day57 Verres to Pont St Martin – History and a lack of Pizza
- Day58 Pont St Martin to Ivrea – Italian 101!Ok, first – two thumbs up to La Casello for a great night sleep in a super clean private room and a lovely balcony where we could have a take out pizza for supper. Funny thing – the only restaurant open in town was a NY … Continue reading Day58 Pont St Martin to Ivrea – Italian 101!
- Day59 Ivrea to Cavaglia – HarvestMorning Update We had a great nights sleep with the windows open and the sound of rushing water of the kayak course acting as white noise. But we wanted to get out a bit early today so the 6am alarm got us up and moving. There … Continue reading Day59 Ivrea to Cavaglia – Harvest
- Day60 Cavaglia to Montonero – RiceOur alarm went off earl this morning at 5:40 am. Let me clarify that first statement, Mark was the alarm. Why and how he wakes up every morning 5 my minutes before the alarm goes off just blows my mind. Morning Update We packed up as … Continue reading Day60 Cavaglia to Montonero – Rice
- Day61 Montonero to Robbio – StrugglesAn issue arose last night with this blog. I hit a storage limit. Not sure what I’m going to do about it, but a starting point was to delete the Camino de Santiago pages. Another strategy is to post less video and utilize YouTube links more … Continue reading Day61 Montonero to Robbio – Struggles
- Day62 Robbio to Tromello – MilestonesMorning Update – and a major milestone. Today was a 30km day in humid, but blessedly cloudy weather. The light rain over night however really brought out the Zanzari (mosquitoes) , so we quickly coated ourselves with Deet and reapplied during the day. That did the … Continue reading Day62 Robbio to Tromello – Milestones
- Day63 Tromello to Pavia – Rice-field freeToday had us walking our last bit of the VF by the ever lasting rice fields. Day63 Morning Update The day began cool but incredibly humid. Coating yourself with bug spray before 7 am just feels wrong, but you have to protect yourself from the thousands … Continue reading Day63 Tromello to Pavia – Rice-field free
- Day64 Pavia to Miradolo Terme – PainIt was a tough start to a tough day this morning. Last night the sound of traffic well past 4am made sleeping difficult. It didn’t help that I had a really bad headache (likely due to dehydration). We taped our morning update from the Ponte Coperta … Continue reading Day64 Pavia to Miradolo Terme – Pain
- Game Day
- Day65 Miraldo Terme to Corte Sant’Andrea – Wind and Good FriendsI slept a long time – a very long time. I woke at 6:30am feeling 1000% better. Sleep is good medicine and so is water. Today being an extra short day made it all the better. Morning Update Day65 There was no rush to leave the … Continue reading Day65 Miraldo Terme to Corte Sant’Andrea – Wind and Good Friends
- Day66 Corte Sant’Andrea to Cadeo – Paying the FerrymanAfter a great sleep in the awesome Templar donativo at Corte San’Andrea and a slow morning we began our short walk to the Po river. Morning Update At this same location over 1000 years ago Sigeric also crossed the Po after paying the ferryman his wage. … Continue reading Day66 Corte Sant’Andrea to Cadeo – Paying the Ferryman
- Day67 Cadeo to Fidenza – Near Death to Near LifeSorry for the ominous subtitle. Let me explain. Morning Update – Near Death. This is hard to hear because of all the traffic flying by at 100mph Morning Update Part II. – Near Life. It was only “near” life because the walk today wore us out. … Continue reading Day67 Cadeo to Fidenza – Near Death to Near Life
- Day68 Fidenza to Medesano – Hills have appearedThe morning started early and we were out walking at 7 am. Of course we had to make a couple of stops at bakery and a cafe for breakfast and a lunch too. “Slices of pizza” for a well rounded diet. That is how the saying … Continue reading Day68 Fidenza to Medesano – Hills have appeared
- Day69 Medesano to Berceto – Killer (Placeholder)I’ll amend this entry tomorrow but for now….. Shortest entry ever everyone…. Because of this:
- Day 69 recapWe had yet another long day 70 so I’ll make the day 69 recap short. Sorry. First this. Then we ran across the solitary oak tree if read about. ….and then found this: https://youtube.com/shorts/D6SaoxTZcpc?feature=share The Appenines are beautiful: Then we made this momentous decision made with … Continue reading Day 69 recap
- Day70 Berceta to Pontremoli – A steep decent into TuscanyMorning Update First we promised not to have a long day today…and failed. Today was 29.6km (more than 31 after you add in the grocery shopping excursion). Tomorrow is 31….but then we are done with it….I promise. The day started with a nice leisurely morning. We … Continue reading Day70 Berceta to Pontremoli – A steep decent into Tuscany
- Day71 Pontremoli to Aulla – Walking through historyFirst this depressing start…don’t worry, the day got much better. It took a while for us to wake up today. The length of today’s walk was at least filled with interesting sights. First we woke to a scene shrouded in mist and cloud. It was really … Continue reading Day71 Pontremoli to Aulla – Walking through history
- Day72 Aulla to Dogana – Shocking!!!First a bit a note about our maps. I found out today that I has ant been updating. (Someone should have told me!! :). But it is fixed now. Check out the Maps page. Morning Update: Despite our attempt to have a short day, there were … Continue reading Day72 Aulla to Dogana – Shocking!!!
- Day73 Dogana to Massa – CoastingMorning Update Well the storm we passed through yesterday was apparently no ordinary storm. See today’s headlines. Since we’d been forced along to Dogana we resisted the urge to move farther ahead and just kept with the original stage ending in Massa. This stage would have … Continue reading Day73 Dogana to Massa – Coasting
- Day74 Massa to Camaiore – Forts and StatuesWe really struggled to get out of Massa due to a triple take exit of the city. The walk started with a climb up a steep set of steps. Halfway up I noticed an unusual <click> sound. Looking down at my pole I noticed the rubber … Continue reading Day74 Massa to Camaiore – Forts and Statues
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