Gordon:It was a beautiful 30 km walk today. The first 10 km were on the towpath along a canal. We then passed though a series of cute towns nestled in thousands of acres of vineyards. Champagne is the life blood of this area. In one town, population 1100, there are no...
When in Champagne one must tour a Champagne house and taste their product. We chose the Taittinger house and were not disappointed. Taittinger is located over what was both a 4th century chalk mine and the subterranean remains of a Benedictine Abbey. Perfect...
Ruth:Not all roads lead to Rome as it turns out. I left Corbeny shortly after Gord and headed off confidently in what turned out to be northeast. It was the right road just the wrong direction. I realized my error about 4km out but with a map in hand I didn't want to...
It was cool but sunny as I coasted down off the hilltop of Loan.Today was a beautiful day with rolling vistas and forests steeped in history. If you are a historical fiction junkie like me you know the area between Laons and Reims well. Whether you are reading about...
Ruth - After a long day yesterday, today we just had a short 10km up to the fortified city of Laon. It is wonderful to be back in a Medieval world with twenty first century comforts. Nous sommes bien enstaller dans le hotel des Chevalliers( I love that...
Work in Progress: I will continue to edit this page as we travel. Please forgive errors and omissions. 1. Canterbury to CalaisWe stayed in the older section of the Canterbury Cathedral Lodge: 60£ with huge buffet breakfast. It was lovely to be on the Cathedral...
My marathon man is doing the full distance today. 46 kms without any missteps or deviations. I am in a small town about half way waiting for him in a bar hoping he will arrive because the natives are very lively. It is Bastille day and I expect, by the exuberance,...
Ruth:Today started very well with a breakfast of quiche, coffee and pan au chocolate. I love French bakeries. The sky was overcast for the first hour of riding but after a stop at a cafe and reading for a while I was caught in a torrential storm. Gord said it just...
Drawing by Otto Dix at Peronne MuseumRuth:Yesterday and today we have been in the heart of the Somme. It is hard to comprehend the scale of lives lost in this small area of France. Comprehension requires rationality and for this War I can find none. If the First World...
It is amazing what a beer in the sun can do to ones spirit. The via Francigena may have lucked out. I arrived in Peronne after another wet and cold ride to the sun! I am sitting in a bar looking at the chateau thinking that perhaps it is too soon to bail on this trip...
This is a picture of Arras before it was demolished in the first world war. It was restored perfectly brick by brick with German war reparations. July 11, Ruth:Ok I really was not going to talk about the weather but today the heavens have poured out on us. I am...
We stayed at Abbaye Saint Paul for a night on either side of our Brussels trip. Père Hotellier was very warm and welcoming. He not only let me leave my bike and trailer, but also told us just to leave our stuff in our room and take the key with us to Brussels. He also...