On the Via Francigena - Switzerland to Italy
I arrived in Montreax Switzerland on August 11th but it seems like much more than a few short days ago. Montreax is a beautiful city with a wonderful lakeside boardwalk stretching for miles. I had my picture taken with the Freddie statue and enjoyed the boardwalk's constant flow of people. I stayed at the youth hostel (no comments please) and was ready to start the Francigena early the next morning.
The Via Francigena runs from Canterbury England to Rome Italy but I decided to start with an easy part - the crossing of the Swiss-Italian Alps. 😯 My first leg took me along beautiful Lake Geneva, into the agricultural fields along the Rhone River, and through the first of dozens of vineyards. Although I started in the shadow of the mountains, the sun soon reached my path and quickly heated the valley. Throughout the next few days, I would be walking south into the sun while the prevailing wind would come from the north into my back. There was little cooling effect and I found myself often turning around to enjoy the breeze in my face and on my body.
The first day was a hot one with temperatures reaching near 30C (86F). In the valley there was no relief from the sun's rays but in the latter half of my hike, I began a climb into the pre-Alps and the much cooler forest. The climb at times was very steep and challenging however I was rewarded with beautiful views along the path. The last climb of the day also necessitated me to descend steeply back into the valley through some magnificent vineyards. I was hosted at a B&B by a wonderful and generous couple, Sébastien and Louisa. We sat on their terrace chatting for hours and I thoroughly enjoyed the evening.
The second day was filled with walking through vineyards on the steep mountain sides. This region has a 250 day growing season because of the effects of Lake Geneva and vineyards are dominant. The route itself is not well marked in some areas and I know that I wandered off the official path at times but I always knew which direction I needed to go for my daily destination. I loved today's journey and arrived in Saint-Maurice hot, hungry and thirsty. I stayed in the abbey and was very excited to get a private room only 40 feet from the church bell tower (carillon tower as well) on a day when the town had a carillon festival. No afternoon nap!
The next morning, a history lesson by the priest accompanied breakfast with three other pilgrims and I was on the road shortly after 8:00. That day was the start of the real climbs and soon after commencing, I had a significant ascent and descent to warm up the legs. I passed a group of about 10 hikers on the mountain and at my first break, I met Pierre, their logistics coordinator. He offered me a coffee and I had a great chat with him and the group when they arrived. According to the experts, the most dangerous part of the entire Via Francigena followed in the next few kilometres. A very narrow goat path of loose rocks and sand in the middle of a very steep hill made for a challenging hike. One slip and you would be careening down the hill and if the trees didn't stop you, the rocks in the glacier fed river 50 metres below would. It was imperative that every step be stable and secure. This part was not for the feint of heart and several pilgrims took the train around this area instead of walking. The remainder of the hike into Orsières was incredibly beautiful and the pictures cannot do the scenery justice.
The route to Bourg-Saint-Pierre was another beautiful journey and despite another 'all up' day, I thoroughly enjoyed it and the B&B I stayed at. The final climbing day was today (Wed the 17th) and it was probably the most challenging day I've ever had on a Camino. About 1,000 metres of vertical ascent was accomplished in about 12 km. The views were stunning and despite the threat of rain and a brisk wind, I loved it. But I was very tired and sore at the end of the hike. At 2473 metres (8114 ft), Grand-Saint-Bernard is a beautiful spot on the Swiss-Italian border and is the origin of the breed of dog of the same name.
And now, the people. I have been so privileged to have met some wonderful people since I started this phase of my journey. In no particular order, these are some of the people who have impacted my journey or crossed my path: Mary, aka Mufti (England), Caroline (Belgium), Karoleen (Belgium), Nuria (Spain), Elian (Netherlands), Carl & Nancy (US), and Sam & Joanne (US). Carl and Nancy are celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary this year with a two-week hike through Switzerland. Sam & Joanne are in their 80s and in their 59th year of marriage. All of them are fantastic people and I loved my experiences with them. There does not seem to be a lot of hikers yet we are having difficulty finding beds. I suspect that tourists in vehicles are reserving beds that the pilgrims really need.
Another long post! Tomorrow I walk into Italy and begin the descent phase. Easier on the heart but more difficult on my knees. Every day I continue to be so grateful for this journey I am on and my smile continues to grow. I am one lucky man!
I'm still having difficulty posting pictures to this site but they are available on Facebook. I will continue to try and resolve the issue.
Phase 1 is complete!
It's been well over a week since I last posted and the only reason for my tardiness is that I've been very busy enjoying this adventure. I'll provide you with a 'quick' recap of what's happened so far.
Jake and I began our Camino in Bourg-Argental and over five days, we covered close to 100 km hiking through the beautiful French countryside to Le Puy en Velay. One of my goals was to introduce Jake to the true gîte (hostel) environment. The one with several bunkbeds in one room with all the associated human noises and smells. I wanted him to enjoy the communal dinner with several people of various nationalities around the table, breaking bread and drinking wine together. I failed. Miserably. In every gite we stayed in, we had either our own private rooms or it was just us in a one room. In fact, twice we had the entire place to ourselves, no other pilgrims, no owner. Way too much luxury for true pilgrims! And then, the first day that I was on my own after he went his own way, I was in a gîte with four other people in the room, with a snorer. And Jake missed out on this. Such is life!
This route was very quiet compared to other Caminos I have done. Throughout the five days, we met three other pilgrims and saw about four others. At our first gîte we met Sara and Daniel, siblings who started their journey a few years ago from their hometown in northern Austria. Both teachers, they take two or three weeks each year in the summer to continue their journey to Santiago, Spain. We walked with them a few times over the first few days and thoroughly enjoyed their company. They are wonderful young people who have very interesting stories about their adventures. We hope to keep in touch with them.
The first three days of our trek were a bit challenging. Decent climbs and descents coupled with a bit of jet lag and hot temperatures (+30C/86F) put our bodies to the test. But we were in no rush so we took breaks when required and enjoyed our time. A couple of cool streams enticed me to soak my feet which always brings me great pleasure. On one morning, we had to take a path that was partially overgrown with plants and shrubbery brushing against our legs. At our first break, I checked myself for ticks and sure enough, one had already embedded itself in my calf. I carefully removed it with tweezers and can now say that I've survived my first encounter with these pesky arachnids.
Other excitement - we were hit by a line of severe thunderstorms about 2.5 back from our gîte one day and had to take refuge in a forest. The other options were walking through open fields or hiding under a single tree along the path. After about an hour and a half and during a very brief ‘lull’ in the lightning flashes, we briskly hiked to our destination and made it safe, sound and wet.
On one of our last days, we arrived in town looking for the municipal gite where had a reservation only to discover that it was now occupied by Ukrainian refugees and no longer available to pilgrims. A trip to the local tourist office and a very helpful young man resulted in us staying in a private gite with very hospitable owners and a delicious supper.
We walked into Le Puy five days after we began phase 1 of our adventures. We met my good friend Karen from Windsor with whom I walked for a while on my first Camino. It was great to see her and spend time reminiscing and talking about the old and upcoming adventures. The three of us attended the Pilgrim's mass in the morning and in a very unique fashion, walked through a grate that opened up from the floor and down steps to the street. I then said goodbye to Jake as he headed to Spain to do the GR11 by himself. I can't tell you how much it meant to me to be able to spend over a week with him wandering through the French countryside. I feel truly blessed and will continue to look for further opportunities to spend quality time with both my lads.
I spent the day walking with Karen which was very enjoyable. We had a late start because of the mass and the heat of the day came quickly however we managed a decent 17 km before making our way to Saint-Privat-d'Allier. It was nice to return to the same path where I started my Camino last year and to walk it with Karen for one day was an added bonus. With no bus or train service available the next morning, I hitchhiked back to Le Puy where I caught a train back to Lyon.
Clément graciously offered me a place to stay for a couple of days and I gladly accepted so I could have a bit more time with him, sample more of Lucie's great food at her restaurant, and get some planning done for the next phase of my adventure. I'm grateful for his friendship (and cooking) and for the time we got to spend together. I'm waiting for him to come to Canada so I can show him our hospitality.
Long post! I'll try to do this more often so I don't take up so much space. 😁 Weak WiFi and technical difficulties means that I will post pictures on the blog later. New country under my belt today! More to follow....
Bienvenue en France
It all begins with an idea.
And so another adventure begins! This time, I'm starting with my oldest son Jake as we begin a westward walk for a week or so along the GR 65, about 70 km east of where I began my Camino last year. We will hike together for a while then he will reposition to Spain to walk the GR 11 from the Atlantic to the Mediterranean along and through the Spanish Pyrenees. I plan on repositioning to Switzerland to begin my route heading south along the Via Francigena into Italy. While Jake has a very set plan, I will be ‘winging it’ much more than my past Caminos and taking ample time to smell the roses. I will concentrate more on the adventure rather than maintaining a daily blog.
On July 31st we started with a train from Ottawa to Montreal, a flight to Paris, and the TGV (très grande vitesse) to Lyon. The TGV regularly hit almost 300 km/h - pretty cool. We were met in Lyon by my good friend Clément whom I met on day one of my last Camino. Such a great pleasure to see him again. He gave us a thorough tour of the city which ended at a restaurant where my other good friend Lucie worked. To be reunited with both of them was absolutely wonderful as they are such amazing people. Dinner, drinks and conversation joyfully filled the remainder of the day.
Today, Aug 2nd, we reposition to Bourg-Argental, a small village along the GR 65, to begin our journey on foot tomorrow. My posts will be random and intermittent but I will endeavour to give you a taste of our adventure. Living large takes a lot of work!
