Eva on the Via Francigena (and beyond)

Song of the Day: I’ve Got a Name — Jim Croce

My family loves music, and when we are all back in the house we will always have music playing. I associate Jim Croce, in part, with sitting in our dining room having breakfast — a few years back my dad (or maybe my brother) played this album as we ate waffles. But also for this one, the music and lyrics fit the journey:

“I know I could share it if you’d want me too / If you’re going my way, I’ll go with you / Movin’ me down the highway / Rollin’ me down the highway / Movin’ ahead so life won’t pass me by”

Look, I’m aware that I am not by nature the world’s most positive person — my first reaction to many things is somewhere between neutral and skeptical. But, privately, I do actually think I am able to find beauty in the things around me, and this is a perspective I work hard on. (Case in point, a tourist asking my my favorite thing about Rome. My response — “the way the colors of the buildings glow in the late evening” was apparently unhelpful). And as I close out my first week on the trail, I’ve really appreciated the beauty of the world around me, despite the pain and difficulties. Today was the first day I really struggled to maintain that mindset.

I really, really liked Arras so I was very sad to bid it farewell this morning. After a final look at the Place des Heros and a quick pit stop at a boulangerie, by 7:20 I was on the road out of town through Arras’s interminable suburbs. I knew today was going to be a long day and was planning to rest as much as possible in the hopes that my blisters wouldn’t be an issue. And, starting the day, they were doing okay— the silicon toe caps were protecting my toes and the Compeed / duct tape seemed to work dwell enough on the remaining blisters. It was also my first day wearing the “double socks” and while they were definitely thinner — a good thing — they still got quite sweaty.

It took me maybe an hour to actually get out into the countryside, at which point I did not pass through a proper town or village the entire day. I have to say — there are many stages in France like this, and from my experience today it really does make it more difficult. The small villages don’t have any cafes or restaurants where you can sit and eat, so lunch is whatever you carry with you. The churches are generally closed, so you have to be creative about finding somewhere to sit. And, unlike Italy, France doesn’t have public water fountains — I ran out of water just 20 minutes outside the city. Going forward, I will check out cemeteries more closely for a hose.

Part of what made today tough was that it was just unrelenting. According to the weather app it was “mostly cloudy” which was technically true — there were a lot of clouds — but they seemed to always be everywhere except blocking the sun. The walk was primarily on asphalt farm roads that radiated the heat back up and offered no shade, so even though it was 75 degrees it felt much hotter. I tried using my solar umbrella for a bit and it worked well at first, but there was just enough wind that it made it difficult to use the umbrella long term.

I started out on a slightly shorter route suggested by Maps.Me, but halfway through decided to rejoin the VF route. I guess I’m glad I did — it didn’t add much more time in the end — but after 12 miles or so my feet were killing me in my boots. I stopped in the town of Gomiecourt and swapped for sandals. While sitting and having my lunch (a pear and a granola bar) I met my first pilgrim of the trip, Krista from Belgium, who started in Canterbury a few days ahead of me.

I ended up switching to my trekking sandals and walking the remaining almost 5 miles in them — this worked well enough for my blisters, and I may give it a shot again tomorrow for the long walk to Peronne.

I had trouble appreciating the scenery today — though there were some beautiful fields and a massive sky (the fields have switched from the grain further north to greener crops), with huge wind turbines slowly rotating in the distance. The sun and the asphalt were starting to get to me, I was frustrated by the lack of shade (or of any other services), and the overwhelming smell of shit (cow primarily, with some horse as well) was starting to give me a headache. Finally, almost 8 hours later, I stumbled into a Carrefour outside of town for a cold bottle of water and a large box of tic-tacs (an obsession of mine). I think tomorrow I need to set off earlier to avoid doing so much walking in the heat of the day. Though, granted, I didn’t expect to take almost 3 hours longer than the Maps.Me total walking time — my breaks any time I hit shade added up more than expected.

The history and impact of WWI are certainly visible throughout. I passed numerous cemeteries for French, British, German, South African, and Australian soldiers. Every town (and every town I have passed through since Canterbury, really) has a monument to its boys and men who perished in the Great War. Multiple villages I passed through had clearly been rebuilt within the last century, in contrast to the more historic villages further north and elsewhere in the country. And Bapaume is no exception: my hotel is called Hotel de la Paix, and the Mairie has a Peace statue as well. These really bring home the impact of the war — something I know academically, in terms of numbers, but it can be hard to understand the scale. And growing up we learned a lot about WWII, but less about WWI. I have been listening to a podcast on the battles in the Somme to better understand the tragedies that occurred right where I am walking — and it’s horrifying to imagine the conditions soldiers faced in the fields around me.

After checking into the hotel, I came across two other pilgrims (who did not introduce themselves). There being nothing else open in Bapaume, and given I needed to eat a real meal since tomorrow will be another trail lunch, I dined in the hotel’s upscale restaurant. I had an absolutely massive steak ordered medium rare and served blue. It was absolutely delicious — despite not being cooked how I prefer it was the best-tasting steak I have had in awhile. I suppose that shouldn’t be surprising as I am solidly in cow country — one of its brothers or sisters probably moo-ed at me today.

Final mileage: 16.72 mi
Walking time: 7h 50m
Elevation gain: 347ft

Accommodation: Hotel de la Paix. Quite expensive (the only option in town) but has everything I need. The other hotel was closed for the holidays.