It is amazing what a beer in the sun can do to ones spirit. The via Francigena may have lucked out. I arrived in Peronne after another wet and cold ride to the sun! I am sitting in a bar looking at the chateau thinking that perhaps it is too soon to bail on this trip and head south. We started seriously talking about heading ... Read More
This is a picture of Arras before it was demolished in the first world war. It was restored perfectly brick by brick with German war reparations. July 11, Ruth:Ok I really was not going to talk about the weather but today the heavens have poured out on us. I am writing this in a Bus shelter in Gomiencourt, where I had over optimistically hoped for ... Read More
We stayed at Abbaye Saint Paul for a night on either side of our Brussels trip. Père Hotellier was very warm and welcoming. He not only let me leave my bike and trailer, but also told us just to leave our stuff in our room and take the key with us to Brussels. He also seemed quite pleased with the chocolates we brought him. From ... Read More
We stayed at the Abbaye Saint Paul in Wisque last night where we left my bike and trailer to make a little side trip to Brussels to spend two nights with our friend Béatrice. The journey today involved a 9km walk to Saint-Omer and a planned 4 hour stop in Lille, before heading to Brussels. Lille was lovely, but I was tired and a bit ... Read More
Ruth:You have no doubt heard of the tour de France, but have you heard of its hearty grandmother the tour de valise? The true test of ovaries of the France racing tours demands that you not only cycle impressive distances daily of around thirty kilometers, but that you also pull a samsonite suitcase ( la valise ) over unsurfaced roads. This is not a race ... Read More
Ruth:It was a beautiful and varied day. We followed a Canal to Guines. There we confirmed our remaining route with an extremely helpful young man at the tourist office. I was not sure if I should take the road or the Via Francigena, but he not only reassured me that the VF would be better, he printed us detailed maps of the forest we were ... Read More
Gordon - We walked/rode together from Canterbury to Dover yesterday. It was about 36 km, including a few extra kilometers caused by losing our route. The way is not well signposted, and everyone who has written about the Via Francigena (VF) has mentioned the route finding difficulties.The walk was beautiful, passing through an agricultural landscape dotted with small villages. We were particularly taken with the ... Read More
The travel day : thoughts about why I want to be a pilgrim again.June 30-July 1st 2012Writing with jet-lag to an audience of more than just Gord is never a good idea. So no great expectation of wit please. The trip was one of our quickest yet, arriving at Canterbury Cathedral 14 hours after leaving Vancouver. We splurged and hired a drive right from the ... Read More
Detail of Pilgrims in Canterbury Cathedral The Via Francigena is already feeling like a small family affair in comparison to the extended family clan reunion of the Camino de Santiago. I have been in contact by email with Alison Raju and Paul Chinn, both of whom have written guides for the VF. Gord and I met Alison on the Le Puy route in France the ... Read More
Gord and I have air tickets purchased and Alison Raju's new guidebook hot off the press. Our planning for the Via Francigena is now offically under way. We fly into Gatwick on July 1, 2012 and we are booked into to the Canterbury Cathedral Lodge right in the Cathedral grounds for our first night.This year we will do about half of the route to Rome ending somewhere in ... Read More