We are loving our time in Paris! We expected that we would, but we did not anticipate that Paris would be fairly affordable even in high season. We have rented an apartment in the 2nd arrondissemont with everything we need and some lovely additions, like a cappuccino maker. Other than our rent, museum and velo lib passes, and groceries we have spent very little here.The ...
Our last day on the Via Francigena was a difficult one largely as a result of failing to follow good Swiss instructions. The signage for bike and pedestrian routes is amazing here. For the past two days we have been following bike routes primarily, so it seemed sporting of me to take the pedestrian route for our last day. Apparently the word pedestrian does not ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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. ...