8/16-8/25
621.4 km from Canterbury
I set out from Reims late the next morning, a poor decision after finding out that the next several days were supposed to be in the high 80s! Luckily most of the morning I walked along shaded canals, so it ended up being quite enjoyable. Once I left the shaded banks of the canals it heated up quickly though. I crossed several fields and walked some up hills into the famous vineyards of the Champagne region. Just outside of Verzenay, I stopped in a small picnic area next to a champagne tasting house to relax, eat and write a blog post.
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| Signs for both Santiago de Compostele and Via Francigena |
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| You can't see them very well but there are at least 8 flies on my sandals outside my tent!! |
I was so thankful to be in the shade after the heat of the sun, and I required buckets of water to cool down. I camped in a shaded field that night and continued walking in the accursed heat the next day. Luckily most of the next day was also beside a canal but alas here there was no shade to be had. That night I found another field to camp in near the canal. The area around was wooded, and the mosquitoes again were voracious!! I'm hoping that soon they will start to die off as it gets cooler but the prospect seems remote in the 90-degree heat. The third day thankfully was cooler, and it drizzled for most of the morning as I walked along the canal into Châlons-en-Champagne.
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| The gorgeous tourist office |
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| Happy to be cooler! |
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| Châlons-en-Champagne is a beautiful city of canals |
I had called an abbey to see if they could accommodate me for two nights and they sent me another number to try. This was the number of Francois and Brigitte Cuvelette, an older couple who lived just outside the city center in a beautifully renovated 17th-century timber-framed house. Francois and Brigitte have both done the Via Francigena and the Camino de Santiago de Compostela, as well as a handful of other pilgrimages. They were so nice and knowledgeable and welcomed me into their home like I was family.
Their house is a very large eclectic mix of older timber frames mixed with brightly painted walls and was an absolute delight to stay in. They had a wall lined with all their pilgrim hats as well as little jars of sand, pebbles, and dirt from all of the places they've traveled! There were at least a hundred of them!
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| View into their garden |
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| Pilgrim hats |
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| Many adventures! |
The next morning was my rest day, and I explored the city before returning to the Cuvelette's house for a homemade lunch! Châlons-en-Champagne is a gorgeous city! It was built along the Marne river and expanded rapidly after the Roman Via Agrippa was built, running between Milan and Boulogne-sur-Mer. The city itself is surrounded by water with canals omnipresent throughout the city. In the Middle Ages there were over a hundred bridges but after many of the canals were built over that number has dwindled to a mere 22!
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| The Via Agrippa |
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| Many of the street names are "water-themed" |
I visited the Saint-Etienne cathedral first which was a very dichotomous mix of Gothic architecture with a Baroque west portal facade. I found the combination of styles interesting if somewhat disjointed.
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| Neoclassical facade |
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| Gothic style |
During the French Revolution, much religious sculpture was destroyed. This whole portal has been ravaged.
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Sometimes rioters would knock off the heads of sculptures.
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Inside the cathedral I found the oldest stained glass dates in Châlons-en-Champagne, dating from the 12th century!
The interior of the cathedral is darker at the ground level because the lower windows remain stained glass. The windows of the upper level, though, have been replaced and the result is light and airy.
I loved this extensive Passion scene all done in legos! It was a creative and fun display.
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| Jesus preaching to the drunken and fallen apostles ;) |
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| Judas and the Romans |
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| Gimli, Thorin, Dwalin, Balin and Dori... hehehe |
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| Flagellation |
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| Carrying the cross |
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| Cruxifixction |
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| Happy drunken Roman soldiers |
One thing I noticed right away was the floor. People familiar with cathedrals and churches probably have seen engraved gravestones on the floors of religious buildings. These are often faded from hundreds of years of foot traffic. Here in Saint-Etienne these tombstones of the nobility and clergy, from the 13th-17th centuries, had been cut up and used willy-nilly around the floor. After the French Revolution, these became symbols of the aristocracy and were thus desecrated and used as simple paving stones. It was a little sad thinking about these people who hoped a memento of their existence would be around forever. Though I guess this is not much different than the full gravestones worn to near oblivion by the footsteps of those following hundreds of years later.
This baptismal font was an extraordinary example of Romanesque art! It is made of blue stone from Tournai and dates from the 12th century.
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| Painted walls in some of the radiating chapels |
Next to the cathedral was one of the ubiquitous Joan of Arc statues in this region. This one was unique so far, instead of the powerful leader standing at attention or on horseback, this one was quieter and showed Joan in peasant garb, sitting on the ground with her legs tucked underneath her, solemnly listening to her Angels.
After visiting the cathedral, I walked around the beautiful Petit Jardin filled with sculptures and trees from all over the world. The Château du Marché stands at the edge of the park, straddling the canal below. The château is a beautiful building that began as a bridge and then was transformed into a barracks.
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| Château du Marché |
The Place de la République was also gorgeous! It was once a market square and is still lined by timber-framed buildings. During the 18th century, this type of structure was considered unstylish, and many of the buildings subsequently acquired more "aesthetic" facades.
The church of St Alpin nearby was a phenomenal little Romanesque church that had been built in the 9th century. Buildings grew up close by around it, and therefore reconstruction and renovation projects trying the enhance and enlarge the church weren't able to happen. The church thus became lopsided, and the entire north section of the church is squished next to buildings- hardly any light shines through the stained glass windows. I really loved this church with its quaint building and comfortable feel inside.
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| Some of the darker windows |
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| This thin building stands right up against St Alpin! |
The commercial center was pretty cool. It clearly took its inspiration from the timber-framed houses prevalent throughout the city.
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| Town hall |
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| Fishing in the canals |
The Place du Marché marketplace is covered by a cast-iron hall. It was built in 1884 following the example of the central market center in Paris.
The oldest timber-framed house in Châlons-en-Champagne was built in 1460. The Maison Clemangis was originally elsewhere in the town, but due to renovations in the town planning it was carefully deconstructed and moved here and rebuilt!
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| The oldest timber building! |
The Museum of Art and Archeology was a typical small city museum but hosted a room full of taxidermy specimens. It was the coolest exhibit! Ceiling to floor cases filled with every bird imaginable, hawks and seagulls and songbirds and hummingbirds oh my.
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| A monkey stuck in for good measure |
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| This bird was huge!! |
I visited two other churches in Châlons-en-Champagne first was Notre-Dame-en-Vaux, a stunning basilica with some amazing stained glass windows of St Jacques, a pilgrim saint.
Notre-Dame was modified extensively and converted into a riding school and stables during the French Revolution, because of this it suffered extensive damage.
Châlons-en-Champagne is on one of the French routes to Santiago de Compostela, and I saw lots of conch shells for those pilgrims.
Since Notre-Dame is on a route to Santiago de Compostela, it boasts several stained glass windows dedicated to Saint Jacques.
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| The conch shell is the symbol of Santiago de Compostele |
The second church I visited was the Romanesque church of St Jean; a tiny little building located outside the medieval city walls. Built around 1100, the nave is the oldest monument in Châlons-en-Champagne still in existence. The central nave is a very stout and sturdy Romanesque style while the two side aisles and west portal were built later in a more delicate gothic style. The result is clearly distinct from each other.
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| Western facade |
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| Gothic side aisle |
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| Central nave |
Once there had been a cloister attached to Notre-Dame-en-Vaux, but it was demolished in the 18th century. I visited the cloister museum which showed the most beautiful sculpture work found during an archaeology dig of the area!
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| Baptism of Christ |
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| Templar knights |
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| Washing feet |
The first night in the city I went out to dinner and splurged on a delicious feast!
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| Oh God those potatoes were so good! And the gravy! mmmmmm |
The next morning Francois and Brigitte drove me to one of their favorite nearby churches. It was only a 15-minute drive from Châlons-en-Champagne. Notre-Dame de l'Epine is a gothic masterpiece! The outside is much nicer than the inside however, so most of my pictures are from the outside :)
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| Notre-Dame de l'Epine |
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| Joan of Arc receiving her visions |
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| The coronation of Charles VII with Joan of Arc |
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| Saint Jacques |
The exterior of this church hosted some fantastic gargoyles!!
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| Edvard Munch's The Scream |
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| A "lose" washerwoman showing off her knees |
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| These rings originally held a chain around the church that a person could hold onto to receive protection from the church so a thief could hold onto it and couldn't be arrested! |
On my last night in Châlons-en-Champagne Francois and Brigitte invited some friends over and we had a lovely evening drinking champagne and eating aperitifs. Brigitte showed me how to make several different varieties of traditional aperitifs, and I helped her fix them up. It was a lovely end to my stay, and I am so glad I met Francois and Brigitte, they were a warm and welcoming addition to my pilgrimage. They even phoned ahead to the next town to acquire my accommodation.
On my walk out of Châlons-en-Champagne the next morning, two Australian ladies stopped me, gripping a Via Francigena guidebook under their arms, and asked if I was a pilgrim to Rome. These two ladies, Pru and Victoria, had begun the Via Francigena in Reims a few days earlier and were the sweetest people. Later that day I also met Henk, a Dutch pilgrim, and we ended up walking together and staying in the same place for the next three nights! I'm so happy I met a few more pilgrims since it has been almost a month since the last pilgrims I met!!
From the champagne fields, I quickly reached the long and straight Roman road on which I would be walking for the next few days. There were only fields around the road and very few towns, all of them tiny little farm hamlets.
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| The Roman road: long, straight, hot and boring |
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| The Santiago de Compostele and Via Francigena routes intersect during this section |
I reached the town of Coole a little after Henk, and we stayed in a local family's home. This section of the route is literally in the middle of nowhere, so there are no options for accommodation. Seeing the dearth in accommodation this lovely couple opens up their home to pilgrims. Even though the Congy's were away for the weekend, they let us stay in their home!! They also set aside food for that night and the next day for us. I have never felt so welcome in a stranger's home!
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| Tiny can of coke! |
The next day Henk and I continued along the Roman road though he quickly outpaced my short little legs! The heat was getting awful, and I took a lot of breaks. In the last 9 kilometers, I noticed some ominous clouds on the horizon, very dark and roiling. I quickened my paced hoping to at least make it to Corbeil before they hit. In the last half kilometer before Corbeil they caught up with me and I was attacked by a very windy sideways rain! It ended up being a laughing mad dash to the town hall in the rain and was actually quite enjoyable.
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| Keep on trucking |
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| A conch shell on a house means they well help pilgrims in need |
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| Henk sailing ahead |
That night Henk and I stayed in a room in the Corbeil town hall that moonlighted both as the school and a pilgrim hostel. Alas, there was no shower, but we had two little cots, and we both agreed that it felt like a true pilgrim accommodation! They even gave us a picnic basket filled with food for dinner and breakfast! Both Coole and Corbeil were tiny places with nothing much to do outside so Henk and I would read and write for most of the evenings.
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| Room inside the town hall |
Our last stretch on the long Roman road led us into Brienne-le-Château. Henk again quickly outpaced me and that day it was so hot!! I ended up walking a bit on busy roads near the end which was not very pleasant, and I arrived into town in a sour mood. I walked to the tourist office where they gave me the key to a house they rent out to pilgrims. I walked there and saw Henk relaxing in the front yard. The house was adorable! It had two deer heads on the front and reminded me of a tiny little château or hunting lodge!
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| Signature on my windowsill |
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| An old lady must live here! |
Henk and I parted ways the next morning as he planned on continuing at a faster rate. I meant to visit the Napoleon museum and château in the morning, but my plans were thwarted when I found out that the château of the Dukes of Brienne is now used as a psychiatric hospital and the museum was closed for renovations.
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| Church of Saint Pierre and Saint Paul |
Brienne was the home of an Ecole Militaire, one of twelve military schools that readied boys for the primary school in Paris. Napoleon attended the school here when he was young, and one of his school buildings remains. The school was very spartan, with poor conditions and Napoleon was heavily picked on for his short stature and accent. When he came back to fight a battle near Brienne during the Napoleonic wars he stayed in the château- quite the step up!
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| Napoleon at 15, the age he would have been when he attended school here |
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| 15 year old Napoleon in front of the town hall |
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| Napoleon's military school |
Upon leaving Brienne, I chanced upon this adorable pup whose only wish was to get a little loving.
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| Pet meeee |
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| yassss |
The next two days I walked to Bar-sur-Aube. This section was during a heat wave and every day was between 85-95 degrees! The campsite I was planning to stay at the first night was closed for August- dammit France!- so I wild camped in a field further on. The next day I arrived in Bar-sur-Aube around noon and spent most of that day sitting in the shade at a cafe reading and trying to move as little as possible!
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| So hot! |
I attempted to get a room at the church, but they said they couldn't take me and helped me find a room at a hotel nearby. Since I was staying for two nights, I wanted the cheapest room I could find. The kind man at the hotel gave me a 35€ room for 19€ because he said they were empty and I was a pilgrim!
The next day was my 25th birthday! I celebrated by sleeping in and getting a nice breakfast that I ate sitting next to the Aube River.
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| Quiche Lorraine and a fruit tarte |
After breakfast, I set off to explore the town. Soon I found out that Bar-sur-Aube is very small with not much to look at. The town center itself is quaint and medieval, surrounded by water, and it has two churches.
The Church of Saint Pierre was interesting and most importantly... cool (temperature-wise that is)!! I entered the cool stone nave and sighed with relief! The church is a rather heavy set gothic building looking like it was on the verge of collapse. Several walls and arches leaned precariously, and the floor was incredibly uneven.
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| Recycled gravestones |
Bar-sur-Aube does have many beautiful areas on the river and walking along these was pleasant.
Soon I needed to escape the heat, and I spoiled myself with a nice lunch as well. I was craving a cold salad, and this was perfect! The excruciatingly hot afternoon was spent again in the shade of a bar and where I read and drank coffee- I had finally stopped ordering cappuccinos in France- they have no concept of what cappuccinos should be! I have since stuck with cafe-au-laits, and they never disappoint.
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| Lunch! |
That night I planned to take myself out to a nice dinner and drink champagne since I was in champagne country. The meal was delectable, but I decided against the champagne as it was just too expensive.
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| Fresh bread and foie gras |
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| Pigeon |
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| Chocolate cake decadence |
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| The champagne I wanted to consume! |
This portion of my journey I was met with much kindness. People along the way were so kind and willing to help. I finally felt like I met people understood my situation and either knew of the Via Francigena or were traveling it. I even met one Italian man who works for Sloways, a company that charts the Italian portion of the route, and he invited me to stay in his house when I go to Italy!
Tomorrow I will surprise you all; I am going farther than you'd expect!!
Until next time!
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