Day twenty-two: Reims to Conde sur Marne

Back on the trail again, and perhaps the url should temporarily be 1saunter, although it doesn’t have the same ring to it. It does feel a bit strange not to have anyone to share wry observations with, but I’m sure Max appreciates no longer being the only victim of my “dad jokes”.
Today felt like I was on the C’est fermé trail. Not only was it a long day due to the never ending quest for available accommodation, but being a Sunday, the villages essentially shut down for the day. I made small diversions off the signed route at each village I came to, and proving that third time’s a charm, I found an artisan bakery. It’s amazing what a espresso and a pain chocolate will do for flagging spirits – especially after walking for four hours on a quest for breakfast. Assuming this was likely the only provisioning stop of the day, I ensured I was carrying lunch when I left town. It’s a curious thing, but most bakeries are “artisan boulangeries”. There are no regular ones left it seems.
After a couple of hours canal-side, it was mostly vineyards and forests, until a major short cut required use of the road. The usual night stop is in Very, but the “affordable” accommodation was closed for August vacation, so I progressively followed the towns along the path until I found a bed. Conde sur Marne is often a two day walk from Reims – if you follow the marked trail, but I didn’t need he extra kms after a week off!
Conde also suffers from C’est fermé, but my host was generous and drive me to the next village to get pizza from a pizza food truck that has a weekly schedule of visiting a different village each night. They bake a mean calzone! Denis, my host, also delivered a beer soon after I arrived. I guess I had the dispairing look of someone who needs one!
Memorable moment for the day was having the first dog bark at me at km 32. Usually there are several dogs in each village. Maybe champagne caves don’t need so much protection.
Daily kms: 36.4