Today was almost a pedal free day for me as I lost most of the height of two day's climbing in just 30 minutes. Gord took the more direct gorge route that was stunning. After such a great effort, particularly on my part, it was time for a coffee break. Conveniently we ran into Alessandro and Magdalena, two Italian pilgrims that we have been following ... Read More
Gord eating lunch just before the Swiss border- oops wrong photo!Ruth:As soon as we crossed into Switzerland the neat as a pin green fields and hills looked like they had been photoshopped into perfection. I was also struck by how flag happy they were until Gordon filled me in ... Read More
It is time for an update of the Tour de Valise. Today the tour climbed up into the Jura mountains on the most challenging leg of the race. The leader of the pack, and coincidently also the tail, climbed up the first 12 kms at shocking speeds ranging from between 4.3 to 9km/hour. The wind generated by these sorts of speeds can almost but not ... Read More
Gordon - Today we were reminded that France has a third dimension - up. We are in the foothills of the Jura mountains, and suddenly we cannot wander at will on a network of secondary roads laid out on a two dimensional surface. While we must now follow river valleys, or pay a surcharge struggling over ridges, we are delighted to find ourselves in such ... Read More
Ok things are getting hilly! Lots of climbing today with more ahead. We now only have five more days to Laussane, where our pilgrimage ends for this year. Now it is time to relax. - Posted using BlogPress from my iPhoneLocation:Rue Moncey,Besançon,France
"Madam, voulez vous regarder l'eglise?" she asked with a huge hopeful smile on her face. When I responded positively she ran home to fetch the key. Skipping back with two others in tow she very seriously opened the church and escorted me inside. She seemed to be as impressed as I was by the well preserved 12th century church. It turns out my tiny guide ... Read More
What a perfect day! This morning we left Champlitte to connect the dots between beautiful villages strung out along the gorgeous Salon valley. It rained last night leaving everything lush and sparkling when the sun came out. We changed our planned route slightly to see the village of Montot when a sign indicated that it is listed as a historical monument. The town was wonderful ... Read More
Gordon - As we have crossed northern France we have noticed significant changes in the architecture of houses and public edifices. Some of this is dictated by the availability of materials (brick in Pas de Calais versus stone in areas further east), some reflects history (everything in the Somme region was built in the 1920's after being leveled in World War I), but some just ... Read More
Langres has been a real treat. It well deserves its ranking in the fifty most beautiful cities in France. It is our favorite city so far. In spite of the heat we still had to do the 3.5 kilometer walk around the cities ramparts. In every direction there are beautiful views of French farmland, hills, and forests. This is an exceptionally beautiful area of France. ... Read More
If I ever come back to France as a regular tourist it will be quite a shock. The pilgrim welcome or l’acceuil du Pélerin is a very special thing. Whether it comes in the formalized welcomes at the cathedrals of the larger cities or the simple exchanges with locals in villages, we are treated as honorees guests. For example,this morning I stopped to wait for ... Read More