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 ...
I am making my husband very happy tonight. Now don't worry, I am not about to say anything inappropriate. I am making my husband happy because tonight is our third night in free accommodation. This area has really embraced pilgrim hospitality with either the Marie or the church offering very basic places. Last night we stayed at the Presbytery in Bar-sur-Aube. It was as nice ...
Ruth:How quickly we forget the cold weather now that summer is really here. There wasn't a cloud in the sky all day today. The area has also transformed from a flat plain into the rolling green hills and valleys surrounding the river Aube. We said goodbye to Paulo this morning as he headed off for a side trip to Troyes and a rest day. We ...
Ruth - The only thing better than a hard packed grassy towpath to ride along is a paved one and today I had some of each. Twenty of our twenty-five kilometers were spent gliding along the Canal de Marne into Chalons-en-Champagne. Gord and Paolo walked together as I rode ahead and periodically stopped and waited for them. During our picnic at one of the locks we ...
Gordon:It was a beautiful 30 km walk today. The first 10 km were on the towpath along a canal. We then passed though a series of cute towns nestled in thousands of acres of vineyards. Champagne is the life blood of this area. In one town, population 1100, there are no less than 80 champagne houses. This is Disneyland for wine aficionados, with champagne tastings, ...
When in Champagne one must tour a Champagne house and taste their product. We chose the Taittinger house and were not disappointed. Taittinger is located over what was both a 4th century chalk mine and the subterranean remains of a Benedictine Abbey. Perfect conditions for the fermentation of Champagne.In the afternoon we visited the Cathedral and appreciated the pilgrim's welcome there. Champagne even figures prominently ...
Ruth:Not all roads lead to Rome as it turns out. I left Corbeny shortly after Gord and headed off confidently in what turned out to be northeast. It was the right road just the wrong direction. I realized my error about 4km out but with a map in hand I didn't want to retrace my steps so I compounded the problem with a 20 km ...
It was cool but sunny as I coasted down off the hilltop of Loan.Today was a beautiful day with rolling vistas and forests steeped in history. If you are a historical fiction junkie like me you know the area between Laons and Reims well. Whether you are reading about the Carolingian kings at their capital at Laon, or Marie Antoinette and Louis XVI failed attempt ...
Ruth - After a long day yesterday, today we just had a short 10km up to the fortified city of Laon. It is wonderful to be back in a Medieval world with twenty first century comforts. Nous sommes bien enstaller dans le hotel des Chevalliers( I love that expression). To be well installed anywhere in France makes it sound like a more permanent arrangement.Laon is fantastic, ...
Work in Progress: I will continue to edit this page as we travel. Please forgive errors and omissions. 1. Canterbury to CalaisWe stayed in the older section of the Canterbury Cathedral Lodge: 60£ with huge buffet breakfast. It was lovely to be on the Cathedral precincts. We followed National Cycle Route 16. Longer than Raju and Chinn's route by two or three km. Pros: very ...