Eva on the Via Francigena (and beyond)

Song of the Day: Road to Nowhere — The Talking Heads

While most of my song choices so far have been based more on the vibes of the song, I reserve the right for a few ironic choices. And while this is a fantastic song (and a good walking song), this is sort of a tongue in cheek choice.

Breakfast was served this morning at 6:15 as agreed last night — I honestly was a bit late as I woke up completely exhausted. My room last night had no window so was completely pitch-black: great for sleeping, not so nice for waking up. But I came down to a fantastic spread from Jean-Luc and Francoise: croissants, bread, butter, honey, homemade jam, peaches, and tea. I helped myself and joined in the conversation with Kerry and Andy who were on time to breakfast.

We had originally planned on a 6:45am start to beat the heat, but got caught up in conversation with Jean-Luc and Francoise. Once the cuckoo clock struck 7 we realized we had better get a move on, so grabbed our packs and headed out — though not without a final selfie and a very heartfelt thank you and goodbye as we departed. Jean-Luc and Francoise’s warm welcome was so appreciated and it really was one of the highlights of the trip. And a great way to say goodbye to France!

The morning air still cool, we headed down the road with to Les-Hopitaux-Neuf, another ski town that proved that even the French have a penchant for those ugly ski condos. However, the rest of the town was much more charming than I expected given the name. Afterwards we made our way into Jougne, the recommended stop coming from Pontarlier — in the end I was glad that the town was fully booked, as I think the extra few kilometers today were well worth the experience with Jean-Luc and Francoise. In Jougne we stopped by the boulangerie for to-go sandwiches and pastries. I ate my brioche au sucre on a park bench with a fantastic view down the valley.

Morning snack finished, we continued onward , heading down a steep staircase to the valley floor. Today we were resolute that we would be following the app, not the marked signs which once again seemed to take us on a detour in order to pass through a town (presumably at the behest of the businesses in the town, fair enough). We had some spectacular views of the cliffs and small towns dotted across bright green pastures. And we were all very careful around the electric fences today!

Finally after a few hours of walking on a flat asphalt road, the asphalt turned to gravel. Kerry and I were mid-conversation about families and travel when we looked up and realized we were almost at the border! Obviously in the days of Schengen this was a very informal affair: two border stones, a sign reminding travelers to take their travel documents, and a long-shuttered building that may have once held a passport control booth. After a few photos by the sign and the obligatory hopping between the two countries, we crossed the threshold together and entered Switzerland!

This is my third country now, and I’m fast approaching the halfway point which is approximately the Great Saint Bernard pass at the top of the Alps. Kerry asked how I was feeling, and I responded that I honestly couldn’t believe I had walked here from England (yes, minus the few trains here and there). I know the saying that the journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step is cliche, but it really is remarkable how much ground you can cover just by lacing up your boots and walking every day. I’ve seen so much already — from Gothic cathedrals to wide, flat, fields; champagne vines to gorges and waterfalls. And I have met some incredible people, both pilgrims and hosts. It really has been a treasure and I am so grateful for the chance to have made it as far as I have.

Crossing into Switzerland, there were some minor changes. Well, first, the price of yogurt in the shops increased dramatically (and of course the currency changed). The piles of logs lining the road seemed to be more orderly than they had been. And the architecture seems more and more Alpine. We passed through the town of Baillague, where a man tending to his garden offered us perfectly red apples to eat on our walk. After a quick pause at the shop there, we headed downhill through a field of grazing cows and into the woods for what, per the guidebook, should have been “the most beautiful forest walking on the Via Francigena.”

Well, the first bit was very overgrown — we dodged stinging nettles and other unidentified brambles as we picked our way down a steep hill. We eventually reached an intersection with a gravel path. After some inspection of the map we started down another narrow, overgrown path — this one even worse than the last. It was muddy and we were being smacked in the face, arms, and ankles by plants everywhere. At a certain point I looked up and saw Andy coming back in my direction — oh no… Turns out we had taken the wrong trail! After a quick back-track, we returned to the intersection and once again inspected our options, comparing a few maps. Finally I managed to pick out the path, which was not at all obvious, and after a bit more scrambling we finally could enjoy the promised forest walking. This section was downhill tracking a small stream as it cascaded down rocks. With the drop-off one one side we were hemmed in on the other side by massive rocks. Andy joked that we might see cave paintings on them (I did not realize this was a joke and craned my neck for a better look).

Once we reached the riverbed we crossed the Orbe on a not-very-even wooden bridge, and turned onto the Gorges d’Orbe trail that would take us most of the way into town. This was an absolutely lovely part of the path: the ground soft underfoot due to a layer of pine needles and fallen leaves. The smell of decomposing leaves always reminds me of home — this is what nature on the East Coast smells like! To our left, we kept the Orbe as a companion though it dropped faster than we descended, so soon we were high above the cascades. To our right were massive rock faces, sometimes so close that we skirted alongside them or even passed through them in tunnels. Other times the rocks were higher up, and moss-covered pines dotted the hillsides. We stopped for lunch on the side of the trail and polished off our sandwiches from the boulangerie.

After lunch I wasn’t feeling very well — the heat, which we had largely avoided in the forest, was suddenly starting to get to me. I was just exhausted and felt like I needed to sit down and take a nap. Andy and Kerry seemed to be feeling it as well, as the near-constant conversation we had maintained for the first hours died down completely, and the space between us stretched out on the trail. We ducked onto a road and then back onto the trail, into the sun and then back into the forest. We paused for water at a fountain — thankfully Switzerland does have free water available, unlike France, and finally re-crossed the Orbe on another somewhat perilous bridge. From here it was an extremely steep uphill (switchbacks, though!) that Kerry and I both struggled through. We sat down at the top and all I could think about was the prospect of a cold drink and shade in town somewhere.

Luckily, that was the last difficult part of the day, and the next few minutes were on a flat track out of the woods and into the town of Montcherand, in whose outskirts we found another fountain. We sat for awhile, and determining that my bandana wasn’t doing enough to cool me off, I dunked my whole head under the water. Kerry and Andy laughed and took a photo, but honestly it was so refreshing and much-needed.

From Montcherand it was walking on the road, in the sun, until Orbe — bolstered only by the views over the valley and the smell of Alpine herbs lining the sidewalk. At a roundabout where we watched a number of children learn how to properly bike on the road (how to signal turns with their arms, change lanes, etc.) we parted ways: I was headed out of town to the campground and they were headed into town to the church accommodation.

I couldn’t check in until 3pm and it was only 2:30, so I opted to pass the time in a nearby grocery store, where I managed to find the Volvic cucumber and mint infused water which I love (and grabbed a banana for a snack). The 10 minute walk in the sun to the campground was absolutely brutal but I made it, checked into my pod, and had a much-needed shower and laundry session. I was trying to use my clothesline across two of the chairs provided with my pod, but they weren’t heavy enough and kept falling over (with just the weight of a shirt and some underwear!) One of the RV campers across the way clearly saw me struggling and very kindly loaned me his drying rack.

I started making my plans for tomorrow when I got a text from my friend Shefali with a screenshot of my location, asking if by any chance I was headed to Lausanne. I responded that I would be there tomorrow, and it turns out she is in town for a wedding! However, she has wedding duties starting in the afternoon. So, I decided to cut my walk short and get an early start, heading toward a suburban train station to make sure I can get into town in time to see her. I am so excited!

Finishing up my blog for now — need to return the drying rack and then head over to the campsite restaurant where I will be meeting Kerry and Andy for a last supper. I will be very sad to split off from them — the last few days have been absolutely lovely.

Final mileage: 14.85mi
Walking time: 7h 23m
Elevation gain: 633ft

Accomodation: Another pod at the Camping Le Signal in Orbe. Kerry, Andy, and I had a very nice final meal at the restaurant next door at the Orbe pool, and this is well located with a nice view to the mountains and the valley. It’s expensive (Switzerland…) but not a bad option in a town where options are quite limited.