While yesterday was frustratingly 5k further than anticipated, today was the polar opposite, being 5k shorter than I anticipated. The official route was 32k, but starting from a slightly advanced location, and an obvious short cut including a section of an "Anc. voie romaine" as indicated on my map (meaning an ancient Roman road and … Continue reading Day thirty-one: Savoyeux to Bucey-lès-Gy →

For some reason - perhaps complacency - short days are harder than long ones. The prescribed day was to Dampierre-sur-Salon, but due to a lack of accommodation options, I booked a B&B a few km further on in Savoyeux. It was a day of wandering near rivers, firstly the Salon, then the Saône, which even … Continue reading Day thirty: Champlitte to Savoyeux →

I managed to move between two towns without hyphens. That makes typing a blog post on the phone a whole lot easier. I also took the direct route between the towns as the vf/GR145 does a big two day loop, which is not very enticing. It did make for a big day, but by following … Continue reading Day twenty-nine: Langres to Champlitte →

This should be a post of Bar-sur-Aube to Chateauvillain, but it didn't work out that way. I followed the signed route to start the day - a gruelling climb above BsA to the Roman encampment. The climb was aided by having found a coffee and a pain chocolat at 0700! When I next have WiFi … Continue reading Day 26 & 27: combo deal – 3 days of vf in one post →

After two days plodding through the industrialized farming landscape, it was a pleasant change to have scenery again. Even some vineyards, and apparently still in Champagne country, which came as a surprise to me. Once again I went rougue on route planning, and instead of following the GR145, I spent most of the morning walking … Continue reading Day twenty-five: B le C to Bar-sur-Aube →

A peaceful night's sleep at ESAT, not like the previous night where my roommate at the youth hostel snored in a way befitting a cartoon character. For the first time on a Camino I had to unearth my ear plugs. Last year he did the Camino Frances, no doubt leaving an incredulous and exhausted trail … Continue reading Day twenty-four: Le Meix Tiercelin to Brienne Le Chateau →

The signed GR145 takes a scenic route alongside the river Marne and its tributaries, and is significantly longer: 129km versus about 75km for the straight variant (I'll know the exact number when I get to Brienne tomorrow). There is also a new alternate route published by the Champagne regional tourism office, but after studying the … Continue reading Day twenty-four: Châlons to Le Meix Tiercelin, via Via Agrippa (aka the straight road) →

Actually, it was Condé-sur-Marne to Chalôns-en-Champagne to use the full names. Chalôns changed from sur-Marne to en-Champagne back in 1998. Clearly being associated with bubbly had a better marketing angle than the murky waters of the river Marne. The guidebook from the tourist office in Reims had icons of a coffee cup, supermarket trolley and … Continue reading Day twenty-three: Conde to Chalons →

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 … Continue reading Day twenty-two: Reims to Conde sur Marne →

I'm writing this on the TGV from Paris to Reims, so it maybe the fastest blog post I write. For anyone who perused the map of the vf, you will know that Sigeric never got any closer to Paris than Reims - which is precisely the reason we went. Actually the main reason was to … Continue reading Days off in Paris: 18, 29, 20, 21 →