My recent social interactions have been a welcome break from the isolation I’ve felt over the past few weeks. I hope it continues. And I also hope to finally see some elevation changes ahead…
This signboard and map confirm that I am now in a whole new section of the Via. I wonder if I’ll notice much difference to the endless fields and empty villages I’ve seen so far.
The doctor advised me to stay off my sore foot for 5 to 7 days. Since I had walked into Arras on 1 May, my goal was to walk out of Arras on 8 May. The swelling in my left foot had decreased significantly since last week. Though it was still somewhat red and tender, standing still or walking slowly through museums over the past two days hadn’t caused any pain. I felt ready for a real test.
Many people who try multi-day trekking for the first time, and enjoy it, develop a curiosity about other similar routes around the world. Quite often, I compared notes about other paths with pilgrims on the Camino de Santiago (Camino Francés) in 2022 (which I blogged about here). It was on that walk that I learned about “the longest ancient pilgrimage route in Europe: the Via Francigena.”
I spent time over the winter holidays in Thailand and Laos, where I saw friends, explored new places, hiked in national parks, and visited temples and historical sites. Starting in the south of Thailand, I made a counter-clockwise loop through the less-visited region of Isan, a couple of stops in Laos, then back into the north of Thailand. I even took the “slow boat” on the Mekong River, but in the opposite direction that most people travel (which made it the “even slower boat”). I didn’t take many photos, but are some of the highlights…
In October and November, I spent a couple of weeks with my love visiting historic sites in Massachusetts and hiking the mountains of Vermont and New Hampshire amid the Fall colors. It was a marvelous trip to end another great year of travel.
In my journeys around the globe, I often spend time in places of human development that count their age in centuries, but that isn’t the sense one gets in many parts of the US. Particularly not at home in relatively “new” California. Visiting some of the oldest sites in America brought a warm connection with people of the past that I’m not used to feeling in this nation. However, after a few days amongst the city crowds, we were happiest to get out into the countryside.
Here are a few photos and video clips to entice anyone curious about this beautiful corner of the United States.
I love the common pattern in the composition of these two photos, but I’ll resist making any other comments about analogues.
Concord, MA
A short drive out of Boston, we stopped at the colonial town of Concord. Many visitors explore its role at the start of our country’s Revolutionary War, but we were more interested in its connection to several of America’s great authors and poets. We visited Authors’ Ridge at Sleep Hollow Cemetery and stretched our legs while strolling around Thoreau‘s Walden Pond.
Leaving the cities and towns behind, our first week combined short road trips between quaint B&Bs and pleasurable hikes through the colorful hills of Vermont‘s Green Mountains. I was surprised (and pleased) to learn that Vermont has the second smallest population out of the 50 American states.
On our drive from Vermont to New Hampshire, from the Green Mountains to the White Mountains, we passed by Bretton Woods. On this site, in July 1944, 44 allied nations negotiated the establishment of the 20th-century gold standard for exchange rate stability and created the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank. From the hotel’s northern deck, we could see the snow-powdered summit of Mount Washington in the distance. At 6,288 feet (1,917 meters), it is the highest peak in the Northeastern United States. On this day, it looked quite calm, but it is famous for its extreme weather conditions.
The next day, when we planned to climb Mount Washington, the weather conditions at the summit were not conducive, so we opted to drive up the winding road. The views were spectacular on the climb, but the strong winds and fog took those views away at the top.
On our drive back to Boston to fly home, we took the coastal route and popped over the border into Maine to see the picturesque Nubble Lighthouse at Cape Neddick.
