The Loafing Pilgrim

revdpaulroberts

  • La Chausée-sur-Marne to Vitry-le-François: fragile stones

    I had treated myself to breakfast at Le Clos de Mutigny hotel and on arrival surveyed what was on offer. I decided I would try to tick off every single food group, which included boiling myself an egg and operating… Continue reading

  • Châlons-en-Champagne to La Chausée-sur-Marne: a crossroads

    Châlons was, in Roman times, known as Catalaunum, and was founded on the junction of the Roman Via Agrippa and the River Marne. A number of canals traverse the town, although most now run under elegant wide streets in the… Continue reading

  • Condé-sur-Marne to Châlons-en-Champagne: canal, canal and a bit more canal

    As a family we were once given a lift by my uncle from Calgary Airport to Ralston, a small township near Medicine Hat in the vast prairies of Alberta. “The drive will take three hours,” we were told, “I’ll wake… Continue reading

  • Reims to Condé-sur-Marne: finding a way through

    I left my AirBnB early. I rather hoped to sneak away. My host was very fastidious about cleanliness, and of the two guests in the place overnight, I wanted to be first in the bathroom, so that if I inadvertently… Continue reading

  • Hermonville to Reims

    A short walk today, over some fields, through some woods, through some vineyards and then along a canal. And then the most massive Gothic cathedral. In the proverbial “coquille de noix” that has been today. My breakfast was mostly overseen… Continue reading

  • Corbeny to Hermonville

    Sunday are always a little sketchy in a practical sense as a pilgrim. Will I have enough to eat? The general advice is to carry food with you at all times as shops selling food can be few and far… Continue reading

  • Laon to Corbeny

    So it came time to say goodbye to Loan; home of a great theological school of thought in the 12th Century, with Anselm and Abelard and other famous chaps of the church. As I looked up at the cathedral for… Continue reading

  • Charmes to Laon

    Thursday morning dawned, fresh and bright. I awoke feeling neither fresh nor bright. Indeed, after the turbulent evening I’d had, the dawn could just jolly well wait for a bit. I pulled the covers over for another hour, before venturing… Continue reading

  • Clastres to Charmes

    Well, I am already on page 115 of my guide book (though there are 300!).  I went through my usual morning routines – packing everything into respective waterproof bags, filling my water bottles, checking my boots and familiarising myself with the… Continue reading

  • Saint Quentin to Clastres

    Following my long walk the day before, and probably because I had skipped a meal, I didn’t feel full of my usual vim an vigour the following morning. However, the up side of walking so far yesterday was that I… Continue reading