Month: September 2021

Our first rest day since Day40 in Besancon France. That was 36 days ago peeps. This was certainly overdue and what a fun city to choose.

Back in 1999, Allison and I visited Lucca for an afternoon and hoped one day we’d be back. We’d never have guessed we’d WALK here, but that’s how life changes you.

Morning Update

Lucca is a walled city and has its full share of tourists and vendors hawking touristy goods. But it’s such a pretty place that you can overlook all that as you walk around its twisted streets that all have Roman roots.

In the piazza Anphiteatro you are literally in the center of a Roman Amphitheater.

The 13th century Duomo borders the Roman Forum. It contains several important art works on the interior (some of which irritated me for reasons I won’t explain here). The one image of the last supper I enjoyed because it was from an unusual perspective.

But the two things that intrigued me most were the labyrinth carved onto one pillar and the carvings for each month and the zodiac on the front portico.

Labyrinths are associated with a pilgrimage and some full size ones exist throughout Europe. The exterior has magnificent marble columns as well.

The 13th century Cathedral at San Michele is just as beautiful. The interior is stark but the crucifix above the alter shows Christ not suffering but triumphant in death. I like different representations like these.

Since this was a rest day the “waking around” had to stop. So Allison and I sought out a good spot for lunch. Serendipitously (good word right), we walked passed a couple who sat beside us at dinner last evening. They recommended the bistro called Ciacco who’s “motto” was “No pasta, so pizza, no stress”. There were no tables available so we walked on. Finding nothing better we returned and a spot had opened up. “Due insalasti per favore!”

We talked again to Jim and Brenda, and their two friends Scott and Lisa. Brenda had already hooked up with this blog so…a shout out to these guys and the laughter we shared one afternoon in Lucca.

After the late lunch we were done for the day. It was time to take off the vacation hat and become pilgrims again. A quick trip to the supermarket yielded groceries for dinner (microwave stew and a pre-packaged salad) and breakfast and lunch for the next day. It was sad to return to living in relative poverty. We are once again poor pilgrims.

Funny story to end the evening. The microwave we thought we’d see in the Ostello….was a toaster. Hmmmm. We’ll figure it out somehow.

P.S. more and more pilgrims joining the route. Yay!

Early morning and fast packing meant that we were on our way by 7 after already having a yogurt breakfast.

We shot a morning update but embarrassingly left the lens cap on. Oh well, enjoy the audio anyway.

The morning was cool when we left Camaiore. Four Polish ladies who’d shared the B&B left at the same time and we walked with them briefly until Allison’s 5th gear kicked in and we were off to the races.

It’s good that it was cool because three strenuous climbs awaited us. Ok, so they were nothing like the Alps in expanse but for a morning it got us huffing and puffing. The first climb was intentional, the second was labeled Via Francigena, but apparently it wasn’t the main route but rather an alternate “panoramic route”. We didn’t see that detail until we’d rejoined the main route and looked back at a sign. Oh well… ?? We needed the exercise ??

The third climb was also intentional but this time the “official route” climbed but there was a flatter/easier alternative…and that was our morning.

We started running into “Passion crosses” which were popular at the turn of the 20th century when a group called the Passionistas (no joke), were popular. These crosses all share features from the biblical account of the crucifixion such as a spear and a sponge on a pole Sometimes there is a crown of thorns and a hammer and nails as well.

We ate a rather posh lunch of Parmesan cheese, crackers and smoked salmon before making our way into town. Lodging had not been firmed up but in the end we opted for a hotel/B&B instead of the Pilgrim Ostello. We both needed a break.

The walk into Lucca along the Fume Serchio was nicely shaded and but the suburbs were big and the afternoon dragged on until we met the walls of Lucca.

22yrs ago, Allison and I visited Lucca. Here is our reflection of that event and a brief tour walking into the town.

We checked into our b&b which is just inside the old Roman Amphitheater.

We ended our evening with some class. A concert (opera) and a nice dinner together.

Here’s to over 75% through this adventure.

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First this depressing start…don’t worry, the day got much better.

It took a while for us to wake up today. The length of today’s walk was at least filled with interesting sights.

First we woke to a scene shrouded in mist and cloud. It was really pretty and make the morning feel like the start of an adventure.

Our history lesson started in the Copper Age about 4000BC. It is around this date when the Lunigiana people of this region created stone carvings or stele. The reason is uncertain but the human representations are interesting. The oldest are symbolic representations of people on rectangular stone. As the ages progressed the representations began to take more human form eventually become more statues that stele.

As was common practice, buildings were made from existing materials and some of the stele were incorporated into churches. One such church is Santo Stefano di Sorano near the village of Filattiera. While visiting we dropped by the Tourist Information booth and got a stamp and a gratis coffee.

The previous village was founded in the early Middle Ages around 550AD. A surviving tower demonstrated an interesting defensive principle. The entrance was on the first floor (for Americans that would be the 2nd floor – the first about Ground Floor). To reach the entrance, a ladder was lowered. The second floor (3rd floor for Americans) was reached by another ladder lowered from that floor etc. All that was interesting but just the fact that the tower still stands and has been incorporated into a house is amazing.

After visiting the Stele sight, we climbed to the town of Filatteria itself. This small town has a medieval layout and was the sight of the Hostel of San Giacomo di Altopascio. The 2nd church in the small town dates to the 12th century but houses the funerary stone of Leodegar of the Longobard Age (752AD)

The final history lesson came with the village of Filetto. This town is of Byzantine origin and has a precise square pattern. The portals to the city are still used by traffic and walking through the main square was like stepping back in time.

Our day ended with pleasant ups and downs that weren’t too tasking but enough to get the heart pumping. The weather however was humid so….let’s just say, we needed a shower.

Finally we headed off for a much deserved 5star dining experience.

We had yet another long day 70 so I’ll make the day 69 recap short. Sorry.

First this.

Then we ran across the solitary oak tree if read about.

….and then found this:

The Appenines are beautiful:

Then we made this momentous decision made with poor facts:

You already saw what happened in the end. Our facts were wrong and we ended with 26.3miles and a 4400+ ft climb. Ugh

I’ll amend this entry tomorrow but for now…..

Shortest entry ever everyone…. Because of this:

After a great sleep in the awesome Templar donativo at Corte San’Andrea and a slow morning we began our short walk to the Po river.

Morning Update

At this same location over 1000 years ago Sigeric also crossed the Po after paying the ferryman his wage. Of course he was going the opposite direction, but still, a ferry crossing is part of the record and we would cross as well.

The Ferryman of the Po (Best watched with the volume down or off).

The ferryman in this case is Danillo.

He has been operating a service for pilgrims for over 30yrs and each pilgrim is dutifully recorded in his walnut backed and leather bound pilgrim book.

It was a treat to be added to his book and to review his records showing the details of each pilgrim. It seems we may have been the first Americans to cross this year and only the 162nd and 163rd for all time.

There are several interesting things at Danillo’s house but my favorite, other than the book itself, was his massive Pilgrim stamp. This thing is huge.

The walk from Danillo’s to Piacenza was pretty but mostly streets. Large open bed trucks full of tomatoes flew pass in a hurry occasionally losing ripe tomatoes along the way.

Crossing the Trebbia “river” was odd. A massive bridge crosses the river, but at this time of year it was completely dry. The Trebbia feeds into the Po at Piacenza, ….well, it would, if there was any water in it.

In Piacenza we viewed the basilica of Sant’Antonio and noted the dedication to Pope Gregory X who was born in the city.

While Allison and I sat on the steps of the Duomo with Jean Yves eating yet another dry tuna sandwich we looked around at others. Jean Yves noted: “you know they are all looking at us saying ‘poor people’. Funny thing is, we were looking at them and saying the same thing.

The rest of the day was a blur. Not a blur of excitement, but a monotonous blur of passing cars and trucks as we walked along a very busy highway. It was far from safe and a small misstep could have been really scary. So for over three hours we plowed along at a rapid pace, head down, focusing on our feet and the traffic zooming past us.

For our efforts we logged over 20mi and after tomorrow we will be in Fidenza a day ahead of plan. It wasn’t intentional. It was purely a matter of the spacing of available lodging.

Despite the miles we opted for a very simple dinner (a chicken leg and some mushrooms for me, and a cutlet and fries for Allison). The bed will feel great tonight.

Morning Update – and a major milestone.

Today was a 30km day in humid, but blessedly cloudy weather. The light rain over night however really brought out the Zanzari (mosquitoes) , so we quickly coated ourselves with Deet and reapplied during the day. That did the trick but they were a nuisance.

We entered Nicorvo and discovered a small Chapel at the intersection of the two major Pilgrimage paths. We got a stamp here.

When you walk through repetitive parts sometimes the conversation and topics for video shoots can get a little weird. Here we are having a lovely conversation about sillage for example.

Those of you that know us won’t be surprised when I state that I’m the more spontaneous party in this marriage. Allison likes to deliberate and feel comfortable with her actions. I’m more reckless. Sometimes however Allison can be quite decisive.

In the village Madonna del Campo, just before Mortara we walked past a tiny chapel. You walk past hundreds of these guys (mostly closed), but this one had a plaque that interested me so we went inside. Wow, what a find. The walls of Santa Maria del Campo (built around 1100!!!) had some amazing frescos but the real treat was the acoustics.

Shortly after visiting the chapel, we met yet another pilgrim today. He had a really funny walk though.

Actually, today we had some other fun animal sightings. First we saw some animals called Nutria. They looked like otters, but they are actually giant rodents and are a nuisance animal. ….but they look so cute, don’t you agree?

We also saw flocks of Royal African Ibis.

Finally we saw bunches of decapitated crayfish. Apparently they are what all those water birds are feasting on. The whole circle of life thing ya know.

Well, that’s it. There’s little else to say about our walk. When we finally reached Tromello (one of Sigeric’s stops FYI) we met our host and we’re escorted to our rooms in the parish house. This is another donativo (they are such a blessing). Our host Carlo spoke only Italian but he took us to dinner and we used a lot of Google Translate to have a basic conversation. He loves history and has a collection of Roman coins. Sorry no pics.

Tomorrow is yet another long day but between the last three days we will have shortened our walk in this region by two full days. It’s really not as bad as we may lead you to believe. The walking is actually quite easy and the signage has been excellent, It just isn’t spectacular.

An issue arose last night with this blog. I hit a storage limit. Not sure what I’m going to do about it, but a starting point was to delete the Camino de Santiago pages. Another strategy is to post less video and utilize YouTube links more often.

So….let’s see if you notice the changes!

Day61 Morning Update parts I and II

Late start this morning due to a late night last night due to a late and long dinner last evening.

True story, we had a great dinner as I described, but it was late by the time we were done. I didn’t sleep that well so I just didn’t get much sleep. It really showed today.

We left the B&B after a self-made breakfast of the usual provisions and headed into day two of the rice fields. The posts are just going to be shorter these days because the walking portion is tedious.

Someone asked “What do you talk about all day?” The answer is “every and any thing”. Here is a clip as an example.

Some days are just difficult. Factors that influence that are lack of sleep, humidity, flat trail, walking along highways, and some days you just do not feel like walking, yet we must. Because what do pilgrims do? We walk!

We did get to see rice being harvested and that was kind of cool.

Today was not a long day in mileage but it felt that way. We stumbled into the village of Robbio hoping to find lodging. We had been unsuccessful in calling any of the numbers provided by various sources. All the numbers were no longer in service (the challenges of the VF in Covid). Lodging is definitely one of the top daily stressors.

We entered town knowing that we may have to walk another 12 km this afternoon/evening which would make our day a whopping 40 km day. I am so thankful we found a place to stay. Putting things in perspective, our lodging was the only option in town with a max of 3 beds. God is good.

Mark made a trip to the grocery which turned out to be another mile round trip. He returned with food for our dinner, breakfast tomorrow morning and lunch tomorrow too. He should get lots of praise for making that extra trip because I know how tired he is too.

Our lodging tonight is the municipal which just happens to be in a police complex. I find that kind of funny. We should be extra safe.

Morning Update

We had a great nights sleep with the windows open and the sound of rushing water of the kayak course acting as white noise. But we wanted to get out a bit early today so the 6am alarm got us up and moving.

There is an art to getting up, getting dressed and re-packing in a dorm setting. The goal is to get as much done the night before so that you can get out quietly without disturbing the other pilgrims. But backpacks and quick dry bags are notoriously “crinkly” and can make a lot of noise.

We were lucky this time and there was an outer room where we could stash all our stuff so we were as quiet as mice leaving before 7am. We’d been given a coupon for a center-of-town cafe in which to have a croissant and coffee so this was of course our first stop. Pilgrims are always looking to find a good deal.

But even breakfast was quick and soon we were off hiking out of the suburbs and into yet more vineyards and fruit groves. We did see olive trees for the first time and the remaining Alpine foothills disappeared quickly.

We actually crossed from the Valle d’Aosta and into the Piedmont yesterday, but today it was very evident. All the roofing changes dramatically from stone to red tile and it felt very much like the Italy I remember.

We walked past lake Viverone and watched the water sports from a distance. Our day ended in the smaller town of Cavaglia. Our lodging is the municipal Ostello and our friends Carlos and Suzanne ended up at the same place.

Tomorrow and the next few days are complicated. Lodging and villages become more sparse. Options are limited. But for now we are snug in our lodging and we’ve decided to let tomorrow worry about itself. Call it foolish or brave, it’s what we have left in us at this point.

The excitement of the Alps passing is behind us. Honestly we are still having a good time, but we are tired and feeling somewhat worn. That’s natural and not a surprise, but we’ve tried to be pretty honest in this blog and this is the honest truth. Pilgrimage is sometimes really mundane and difficult; it is hard both physically and mentally and often spiritually as well.

The next week will be tough, no lie, but then we get the Appenines and Tuscany and Rome. Finally the greatest and most joyous adventure – returning home to our friends and family.

Morning Update Day56

After a late start to the day we really struggled to get moving today. Perhaps it was the hard day yesterday, but we were dragging.

The day started by waking into Châtillon. We’d actually spent the night just outside of the village so we had to enter the village before continuing on. The entry was spectacular. There was a deep gorge and a scenic, flower regaled bridge overlooking a much more ancient Roman structure.

After we left Châtillon we started with a steep climb. The rains from the night before had “enhanced” the flow of the already turbulent streams that came off the nearby Alps.

Honestly, the whole day was one of steep inclines and declines as the VF clung to the cliff sides as high and as long as possible before plunging down into a small village. After the village, up back up you’d go.

The VF in this area rides along the south facing side of the Valle d’Aosta. The climate on this side is Mediterranean and allows for fig, kiwi, grape, apple and peach trees. We even saw a pomegranate tree today. That was a first.

Of course it’s been this way for millennia. The romans used these same paths for commercial trade with northern provinces and regions. Goods from Italy like olive oil, fish, and spices were traded for minerals, wood, and game.

Portions of the trail where we walked were documented Roman roads. You could even see clear evidence of wagon tracks carved into the rocks by centuries of trade.

The northern facing side of the gorge is completely different. It gets significantly larger amounts of snow and remains colder. It is heavily forested and void of major agriculture.

To protect these trade routes the Romans and their predecessors built fortresses on strategic peaks. Later castles replaced the forts. I counted no fewer than 6 castles today as we made our way down the valley. Some were ruins, some remain occupied.

At the end of our day we drastically descended into the city. The grade of the slope was incredible. We had to be very intentional with our foot placement.

This is one time I was thankful for my natural duck walk. Mark and I filmed a fun sequence here…

Once we entered the city we ran into 2 of our fellow pilgrim friends Carlo and Suzanne. They had stopped for an afternoon beer. We obviously were walking a bit slower today than usual.

Suzanne happened to be staying at the same place we were, so we walked to our lodging together. After doing our usual shower and laundry routine, we had a funny moment.

We could not remember where we made a reservation for the following night. So …we started over and this time wrote down the name and address of our reservation. Old dogs CAN learn new tricks, ha ha.

Tomorrow is an Easy day. Ahhhh.

P.S. Despite the moderate weather in France and Switzerland, I have a fully developed Pilgrim tan.

P.P.S. The Last Few Days Compilation

Morning Update Day54

Well what a cool way to start a day. We had a short day to Aosta today so we could sleep late and have a late (8am) breakfast at the B&B. After packing we headed down to the cellar/stalls for breakfast. This was a cool spot. Allison called it a man cave. It had a pool table, pizza oven fireplace, and bar for serving breakfast and espresso. Scattered around the room were trophies, two accordions, some odd bear and what looked like a badger masks, and other oddities.

The breakfast was the usual but with homemade jams, and a cream filled croissant – yum. But the fun was just beginning. Our host, Eric, turned on some Italian cafe music as he served up the food. Once done, and at our request he picked up one of the accordions and played a few traditional tunes.

Later Eric explained he’d won a recent Fiolet competition. What??? You don’t know what Fiolet is? Neither did we. You’ll have to look it up, but it’s a game that requires precision and strength.

https://it.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fiolet

Next he described a local fete where the masks were used. The town parade includes animal characters as well as mock-Napoleon costumes (to poke fun at Napoleon who invaded in the early 19th century.).

Lastly he described an ultra marathon type event in which he’d competed. This crazy race, the “Tor les Geants” is reknown. You can check it out below.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tor_des_G%C3%A9ants

Well, let’s say we were thoroughly entertained and really enjoyed our breakfast. Before leaving Eric treated us to one last experience as we got to meet his golden retriever “Luna”. We love goldens.

The walk today was so nice and easy. The steep downhill was replaced by a gentle downhill on a wooded path that was soft underfoot. This path follows ancient, but still used irrigation channel that keeps the swiftly flowing alpine water at a high altitude for over 13km for use by farmers for irrigation. These are called rus. The walking path was wonderful.

The wooded path took us past a shrine in a grotto that had an interesting Madonna and adolescent Christ.

https://www.comune.gignod.ao.it

The Valle d’Aosta in which we were walking (and would continue to walk for a couple more days was destroyed by a plague in which 2/3 of the population was killed. Many traditions of faith and superstition have been instituted as a result of this tragedy. Several processions were instituted by law including one in the town of Gignod (gee-gno). Here the men of the town would face a steep fine if they didn’t participate in a procession once a year.

The last part of our short day took us to the valley floor through a region rich with orchards of walnut, apple, pear, plum, grape, and even kiwi.

We arrived in Aosta to find our B&B and enjoyed walking through the pedestrian zones.

After doing some shopping (shoes for me…it was time, hiking pole stoppers, groceries) we walked through the Roman/medieval town and looked for some pasta. Oddly enough, Italy has a pretty good selection of places where pasta is featured.

Returning from dinner where Allison has a mushroom pasta and I had a venison pasta dish (both good), we finally met our host Gabreiella. We had left some clothes to dry outside and she’d kindly taken them and dried them in her machine. So kind.

Just before Bed we got some sad news. Our fellow pilgrim Mona has decided to train ahead a bit. We knew this was a possibility but kind of expected to be together a few more days. We didn’t get to say our proper farewells, but perhaps we will yet meet again.

Mona, we will miss you. Buen Caminno Peligrino.

P.S. a no us to whomever can tell me what these are. I have no idea.

Morning update Day51

Last night ,at the Hotel restaurant ,Allison and I had what we voted as the worst meal on the trip. To put this in perspective our lunch the other day was canned tuna fish and Mayo on a 2day old baguette. Haha.

Our room was full with Allison and I, Mona, and a French young man who was hiking the TMB (Tour du Mont Blanc), the popular 10day trail around the Mont Blanc massif. He came in late and tired but we chatted about his experience and his gear for a long time. He was very curious about our lightweight packs, the camera and water filter system we used.

Despite the packed room I think we all slept well. Alpine hiking helps that pursuit by the way. When the alarm beeped at 6:00 we woke and got into “mouse mode” as we moved our gear to the hallway to repack as quietly as we were able.

Fortunately, breakfast was better than dinner and it included local cheeses, yogurt and croissants and of course, coffee. We downed the food leisurely but soon it was time to go. We had more steep ascents on tap for the day but the distance was blessedly short.

In the mountains the scenery changes with every hill summited or bend turned. Sometimes things can surprise you. Just as we left Orsieres, we were greeted abruptly by a bull who seemingly wanted to make sure to “steer” clear.

Unlike yesterday with its continuous up-up-down, up-up-down pattern, today was pretty much all up. The steepness varied but it was almost always up. We are only at 5350ft elevation but I can feel the change when going up the steepest sections.

The scenery was spectacular most of the day and the bright blue sky with some puffy clouds scattered about made it all the more dramatic. Most of the day followed the Dranse d’Entremont river higher and higher into the gorge. The sound of the stream tumbling over the rock- filled gorge was energizing and relaxing at the same time. The distant sound of cow bells on some far away hilllside made it magical.

We stopped for lunch in a shady spot at the foot of the stream. I crossed over the creek rocks to take a picture of Allison and Mona. Much to my frustration my iPhone slipped from my hand and fell on a rock resulting in a cracked screen. It happens, I know, but, perhaps I’ve been lucky but I’ve never before dropped my phone. The timing is unfortunate but the phone still seems to function despite a small dead spot on the touch display.

As we left our lunch spot we were treated to a red or fallow deer sighting. Those that know better please correct me if this is incorrect.

Walking with Mona has been fun as we’ve shared faith stories, music and movie preferences and life experiences. We even marched up pet of the alps to some John Phillips Sousa music keeping time like a crack military troop.

Mona has often said that she feels like she’s holding us back. Too be honest, Allison and I do typically walk faster and we’d very likely arrive 30min earlier if we weren’t walking together. But those extra 30min are meaningless and we’ve really enjoyed the company and the more relaxed pace. It’s easy to do when the day isn’t packed with kms.

Tonight we’ve reached our second to last stop in Switzerland and the Alps. Tomorrow we reach the summit and the following morning we will cross in to Italy. That’s too crazy to think about just yet. Tonight we are staying at the Maison St Pierre in the alpine village of Bourg Saint Pierre. The village itself is tiny but has three hotels, three restaurants, and this hostel all of which thrive on the tourism trade.

The Maison itself seems to be able to house about 20 people and we are the only ones here for the night. It’s nice to spread out. It has a fully equipped kitchen and the girls are currently making a trip into town to get supplies to cook. Said supplies may or may not exist in this small town…but they are on a mission.

<Later>. I don’t know how Allison did it, but by shopping at two gift shops and raiding our meager food bag she ended up with a wonderful sausage-macaroni and red-pepper soup. She’s amazing.

5:30am alarm….you know the drill by now. But all that ends today (for awhile anyway). Ok, brain is moving too fast…let me back up.

Morning Update Day 48

We had a great nights sleep at the hotel. Did I mention it had one of those articulating beds where you can prop up your head, or more importantly raise your legs? That felt so good on tired legs, let me tell ya. Allison said…”I NEED one of these.” And she said this with a face that indicated there was no more discussion to be had. Gents….you know that face, right. Moving on….

We left the hotel in the morning coolness, knowing that the day would be long. We had the last, and I mean absolutely last optionally long day in our itinerary. With this, we’ve advanced yet another day ahead of our plans and have three rest days in Italy and a buffer day to boot. There is no more rationale to speed along…we can slow down.

Wrapping up the lake walking was pleasant. After leaving Montreaux with its funky art along the lake (including the tribute to Queen’s Freddy Mercury). The sun slowly crept down from the highest peaks and lit them up magically. We actually saw a castle early this morning. It sits on a little island right in Lake Léman. It was rather like a storybook.

The Chillon Clastle (Chateau de Chillon) was the last to be conquered in the Bernese assault on the Savoy. See more here:

The castle held its place in history due to its beauty. Painter Gustav Courbet used it as his subject frequently during his exile from France.

We bid the lake a farewell at the town of Villeneuve and headed into the gorge that would be our home for the next few days. We visited another Decathlon store (to replace a broken plastic spork), passed the Nestle headquarters and a Grey Pupon plant. Otherwise the walk into the gorge was uneventful. The scenery however became ever more dramatic.

The gorge is the result of a glacier that has retreated over the centuries. The bordering mountains begin far apart and slowly mover closer. The range know as the Dents de Midi (teeth of the south) are snow capped year round.

Then came a momentous decision. We’d toyed with the idea of various stopping places for the day. We didn’t want a repeat of yesterday. We had to decide between a long day or two short days. If we chose the long day we then had to snooze the long or short way to get there.

So we stopped for a 30 minute break at 10 am and made some decisions about our stopping point and called ahead for a spot. I am thankful for small blessings as the Abbaye of St Maurice had room for us. And the Abbaye has quite the history too. It was built into the side of a rock cliff.

The long day would take us through charming towns and some elevation with many kilometers or the shorter way which would shave off kilometers but be boring and flat along a train track. So we chose flat and boring since this after yesterday we need a break in km’s.

Legend of Theban legion.

We made it to our destination of St Maurice and found the church (Abbaye) fairly easily. We walked into the reception area to find a fellow American needing a little assistance. We struck up a conversation and voila, we are now friends. And her little problem was solved. We exchanged phone numbers and Mona later met us for a glass of wine. Tomorrow morning we will meet to begin walking for the day. I love how friendships are made on these walks.

The village of St Maurice is famous for the legend of the Thebian Legion. This town used to hold a temple to the Roman God Mercury. At the decree of the Emperor all legionaries had to offer a sacrifice here en route to Gaul. Maurice, a commander of the Thebian legion was a Christian and refused to worship the Roman gods and was martyred. A chapel was built here on the sight of his martyrdom.

The strategic location controlled the entry into Italy and was the sight of numerous military conquests over the years.

Tomorrow will be a short day in km’s but will contain our first major elevation. We will sleep in (wake up at 6 vs 5:30). Woohoo! So why is today’s subtitle “Faux Alps”. Because we saw many but climbed few. This all changes tomorrow.