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Cité du Transvaal

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  • Carmel CarlsenVia Francigena - part 1
    2
    11121
    Day 17

    Day 14 - Souchez to Arras

    May 4, 2023 in France ⋅ ☁️ 17 °C

    Another wonderful walk today, which means I'm exhausted! I know I took too many photos, but who cares? I am a little disturbed and confused by the disconnect between the VF app and the VF sign posts that appear on the roads! I have to follow the app, I'm too scared not too and today, the two (sign posts and app) did not coincide before the first 10 km and then lost each other again in the afternoon! It probably means I'm walking further, but I'll take it. I crossed the same rail line four times today (under, over and on, twice). The big risk I took today was taking off my knee brace! My knee has now decided it is strong and capable and can support me without help, and I'm giving it free rein. Sometimes, the path is a little overgrown- but it's always there. Arras is AMAZING! One last thing, the water here in France is sooooo clear!Read more

  • Carmel CarlsenVia Francigena - part 1
    2
    2
    Day 16

    Day 13 - Bruay-le-Bussiere to Souchez

    May 3, 2023 in France ⋅ ⛅ 9 °C

    Some really good walking today and a lot of it! I walked over 32km and am feeling it. I walked through an adventure park, similar to Tree Tops, but with a lot more activities. There were kids everywhere! There was some forest walking and I saw another deer! I also visited the French National War cemetery for the Great War, where they have list of 294,000 names of all those who died in the area (both sides). My room tonight is very flash. It was the only place available.
    P.S. I should have mentioned, I met a pilgrim from Manchester who slept in a Church last night because she couldn't find accommodation!    Read more

  • Carmel CarlsenVia Francigena - part 1
    Day 15

    Day 12 - rest day (Bruay-le-Bussiere)

    May 2, 2023 in France ⋅ ☁️ 10 °C

    There is not much to report today. I had a genuine rest day after my Garmin watch told me I was "over reaching" yesterday! I'm calling France "the land of the cute little car"; they are everywhere! I went into a supermarket today, Cors, that was between a Woolworths and a Costo - it was huge and seemed to sell everything; just not a rubber stopper for my pole, which I discovered missing on day one! Note the turnstile being used to enter and leave the street, and those roll down shutters are actually made of wood.Read more

  • Carmel CarlsenVia Francigena - part 1
    8
    3
    Day 14

    Day 11 - Amettes to Bruay-la-Buissiere

    May 1, 2023 in France ⋅ ⛅ 10 °C

    I walked a good 26 km today through mining country. Some of it in the sun, which was lovely. You can't throw a stone where I am walking in France without coming across a church or a cemetery. I try to visit each church I walk past, but the majority are locked. Which is a real shame, as you can see that there is an awful lot of beautiful stained glass that I am missing 😢. I check out a cemetery, the French go all out for their dead - the graves are extremely flash - if there is a sign that indicates Commonwealth War graves. So far, they have all been air men, whom, I assume, either crashed or were shot down. Most of them are every young, in their early 20's - it's quite sobering. On a lighter note; the farmhouse I stayed in last night dates back to the 1400s! Check out the ceiling beams in the wonderful room where we had breakfast! Oh, and note the cockatoos decorating someone's front fence. One final thing, if anyone knows what those blue things are, they were everywhere in a lovely park I walked across today, I'd love to know.Read more

  • Carmel CarlsenVia Francigena - part 1
    1112
    Day 13

    Day 10 - Therouanne to Amettes

    April 30, 2023 in France ⋅ ☁️ 16 °C

    I walked with Andrew from Victoria again today. We met up in our wonderful accommodation last night. It was a pleasant walk through beautiful cultivated countryside, and we did walk along an old train line, no tracks. It was magical. We seemed to encounter a lot of barking dogs today - luckily, they were all behind fences! One funny thing; we arrived at a church and Mass was in progress, and I went in - only to find we had gatecrashed a Baptism! Naturally, we left pretty quickly. Amettes is Saint Benoit Labre country. He is the Patron Saint of Pilgrims to Rome (and the homeless). In the Church, which is across the road from the most impressive Stations of the Cross I have ever seen, I was able to buy a Holy medal of him. I'll attach it to my backpack tonight.Read more

  • TravelerVia Francigena
    Day 20

    Stage 11: Bruay-la-B to Ablain Saint-Naz

    April 30, 2023 in France ⋅ ⛅ 50 °F

    Made it to Ablain Saint Nazaire in spite of a bum ankle. Very long, hot day through lots of forests, rolling hills, farmland….and WWI battle sites and a huge cemetery (45,000 graves).

    One trail ended up at a locked fence so yours truly had to toss her hat, sticks and pack over the top and then climb over. That was a first. It was that or turn around and repeat about 5 miles. That was never going to happen…..

    Now my left knee is blown out. It happened for no apparent reason about 30 minutes before arriving in Ablain Saint-Nazaire. So excellent timing. I’ll have to decide tomorrow what I can and cannot do.    Read more

  • Henry u. Sabine GrundHerbst in der Normandie
    Day 1

    Übernachtung in Frankreich

    October 27, 2024 in France ⋅ 🌙 12 °C

    Da der Verkehr auf der Autobahn gestern höllisch war sind wir nur langsam voran gekommen. Und haben uns dann spontan entschlossen einfach irgendwo zu übernachten. Heute geht's weiter in die Normandie. 💕Read more

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  • TravelerVia @ 70
    Day 9

    Bruay-la-Buissiere 12 miles

    July 21, 2023 in France ⋅ ☀️ 17 °C

    As usual, my life is all about eating and sleeping. Last night the eating was adequate but the sleep wasn’t. Ridiculous really. All seemed good - nice bed, comfortable temperature, little external noise. The only problem was a wee insect that persistently did a flypast of my ear just when I was nearly asleep. Now I am no keener than the next man on being bitten so this would send me into a frenzy of light on, out of bed, armed to the teeth with a towel and murderous intent to prevent said insect continuing its acrobatics. Failed time and again. Even lured it into the confines of the bathroom, shutting the door behind so it couldn’t escape my flailing towel. Thought I had scored a direct hit, no sign of it, back to bed, light out, off to sleep.

    But no, the little bugger, or its chum (not easy to tell one from another) was still there. Nothing for it but stick a leg out of the covers, leaving it to its fate in the hope that the blighter would just silently gorge on all that flesh and leave my ear alone. I have no idea if insects have a favourite part of a carcass to gnaw at, similar to a human choosing leg or breast from the Xmas turkey, but this one didn’t seem too fussy and peace reigned. As soon as I reconciled myself to being eaten alive I managed to nod off.

    After an OK breakfast I departed although not before madam had taken a photo as she apparently does of all pilgrims.

    Walk uneventful although becoming more built up in places.

    Arrived before 3pm with high hopes for dinner as the hotel had a restaurant. Turned out that Friday is the day off for the restaurant. Wandered out about 4pm when the tummy started rumbling. Looked like there were some eateries about half a mile to the east or about a mile to the west. Headed east. Spent ages wandering about some sort of spread out shopping centre. Lots of food outlets but only MacDonalds was showing any signs of life and I wasn’t that desperate. After an hour and a half I had given up and headed west. Got quite excited when I came to a Taj Mahal until I read the note on the door which said it was on holiday until mid-August. Never mind there was a Chinese restaurant opposite. Except it didn’t open for another hour. Kept walking. Eventually came upon a small pizza outlet. He seemed bemused that I might want to order a pizza just after 6pm. Nevertheless within half an hour when the rest of the staff arrived I had my pizza.

    Hard going. Must have walked about 4 extra miles just trying to get my tea.    Read more

  • TravelerVia @ 70
    Day 8

    Amettes 12 miles

    July 20, 2023 in France ⋅ ☁️ 19 °C

    Straightforward day’s walk in (mostly) sun. Usual fields and woods, seeing no-one.

    The host of the gite turned up before I left, just for a blether really. Reminded me of the late Peter in his enthusiasm for random things. He did however bring me a local delicacy, bit like a round waffle, covered in chocolate and with some sort of cream filling. In the absence of anything else it went down a rare treat for breakfast.

    Spent most of the walk listening to Desert Island Discs. Never heard it before I started my training for this walk but it has became my constant companion if I am walking on my own. With BBC Sounds it is so easy to just play episodes one after another. There are very few that I haven’t wanted to listen right through. Haven’t heard of very many of the folk but no matter, their life stories condensed into 40 minutes or so are amazing. The music they choose is less interesting but they only play wee clips so that’s fine. I was concerned that I wouldn’t be able to download them as I go but there isn’t any problem so far.

    Was a bit concerned about dinner (not for the first time in my life) as I am staying in a sort of farmhouse in a small village without any shops, cafes etc. When I arrived the elderly lady was very chatty albeit with no more English than I have French, but no mention was made of food. These pilgrim places are all very different in what is provided. There is no standard package. I came downstairs at about the appropriate time and sat about outside, near the kitchen, waiting to see if anything was forthcoming. Surely they must eat and they must realise I might like to eat too. After a while the lady indicated that there was a kitchen I could use and she could give me some potatoes and eggs. Might not do the Buc but it was just fine for me. Boiled eggs and boiled potatoes are just about the limit of my culinary skills anyway. Really could do with some sort of pudding to follow but hey ho at least I’m not still starving.    Read more

  • TravelerVia Francigena
    1
    Day 19

    Stage 10: Amettes to Bruay-la-Buissière

    April 29, 2023 in France ⋅ ☁️ 45 °F

    Lots of forest paths and a good number of cultivated and uncultivated fields. A couple more small, dead animals (unphotographed). A road between fields with lots of small potatoes, even though the fields were wheat. Weird.
    I managed to slightly twist, or maybe just fatigue, my ankle, so I added an hour to my day hunting down a pharmacy.
    Bruay-la-Buissière is an ugly former mining town.    Read more

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