Experiences of a Returned Peace Corps Volunteer in Namibia (2016-19) and further adventures…
I’m back!
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.
Continue reading “Via Francigena 2024/2025 Days 11-19: Arras to Reims”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.”
Now that piqued my interest!
Continue reading “Via Francigena 2024/2025 Days 1-10: Canterbury to Arras”After completing the Camino Francès in late 2022, which I blogged about here, I researched more ancient pilgrimage paths in Europe and discovered two with origins older than Christendom.
The first was a fortnight in England from Winchester to Canterbury on The Pilgrims Way in the Spring of 2024. Here is that blog post.
Following that warmup, I walked through France, Switzerland, and northern Italy for most of 3 months on the Via Francigena. My 90-day Schengen Area visa expired shortly after arriving in Fidenza, Italy, completing the first “half” of that trek. I will return to Fidenza in April 2025 to resume my walk to Rome and on to the furthest terminus south, Santa Maria di Leuca.
I have many stories, photos, and video clips to share, but I will wait until the entire journey is over before posting them in this blog. In that way, I hope to document the whole trek at once. Thank you for your patience.
Continue reading “The Via Francigena 2024/2025”
