What's his Plan?

"What's his plan? Russians don't take a dump, son, without a plan" - Hunt for Red October (film)

Hi. Thank you for stopping by. A game plan for my 2017 trip to Europe:

Fly from Washington, DC to London with Elizabeth on June 2. Elizabeth and I will hang out in London and the English countryside for two weeks. She flies back and I head to the Welsh countryside for a while then eventually make my way to Canterbury, England around August 1.

I'll be walking from Canterbury to Rome along the Via Francigena. It is a famous route that's been used by pilgrims for over 1200 years. I'll cross the English channel via ferry from Dover to Calais, France.

The Via Francigena will take me through small towns in northern France, Switzerland, and Italy. (with the exception of Reims, France and Siena, Italy). When available, I'll stay at low cost pilgrim accommodations (church, convent, monastery), also hostels, the occasional hotel, and my tent.

Goal is to cross the alps from Switzerland into Italy via the Great St. Bernard Pass before it starts to snow……hopefully by mid-September. Once in Italy it is a 600 mile shot south through the Poe valley, Tuscany, and finally Rome.

I'll need to make it to Rome by Halloween because that is when my 90 day Schengen tourist visa ends. After Rome, I hope to spend a couple of weeks in Croatia before flying home in time for Thanksgiving.

Cheers, Mark.Read more