VF Britannica Via Campaniensis Voie de Vezelay 2025

Challenge for day. No insults between Scott and Ken

10 minutes later.

Ken:   It seems kind of boring and placid without insults.

Terry:   You mean peaceful?

Scott:    Is this what a normal family is like?

Terry:   Heavy sigh.

The plan for the day was to visit the Grottes d’Arcy, then walk about 10 km to Semilizard (i tend to anglicize French names that I can’t pronounce).

Today we walked on every kind of trail imaginable – grinder, forest trail, narrow pavement, sidewalks, farm tracks, forest haul road, abandoned road and grassy track.

Peter calls busy highway “grinders”

Crepes at breakfast for the first time. I think Peter ate them all!

About a kilometer on the grinder to get to the grottes (caves spelled with an accent refers to the wine caves whereas grottes are what we would think of as caves with stalagmites and bats).  Misty morning and too many trucks but it was only for a km.

The Cure River.

Reminds me of driving through northern Ontario.

Les moos.

These caves house 28,000 year old cave paintings, the oldest paintings that are still accessible to the public. The caves are by guided tour only, and in French. Luckily, there were only two others on the tour and they spoke English, so the guide did the tour in English for us.

The cave paintings were a little underwhelming to me, other than the handprint, but the caverns were spectacular.   And. Hmmm. Okay. I have to confess. You are not supposed to take photos in the caves. We were near the end when I…um…well…had a sudden and urgent need to visit the bathrooms, which entailed a mad dash back down the trail to the entrance while the rest of the tour continued. I could not resist a quick snap. 

Look at how smiley we are. Remember this later in the post.

With our guide Edouard.

An opportunity bench.

Do you think if I sat here long enough a school bus would pick me up?

Our first vending machine. We used to see these in some of the villages – juice cheese, butter, fruit, yogurt, bacon…better than no store at all. Ken got sunflower seeds (grown locally).

Called a red slug (even though he’s orange). 4 inches long.

We couldn’t understand why Ken didn’t choose this optimal bench and went up the hill instead.

Oh no!!! Are we going to have to backtrack and add 6 km to our day??  Whew! Closed to cars and motorized vehicles only. Because of a landslide. Um – shouldn’t we backtrack?

Terry thumbing her nose at Ken.

The landslide area.

Scott is seen lolling in his chair on the right pwhile the rest of us plug on. Little did we know that soon we would be hating la Route de Montillot and cursing Scott for taking us this way, just because he didn’t want to do 10 km on a grinder with big trucks.

Over one mile up a very steep hill. I have to admit to being a little worried about Ken at the top.  But he’s still with us as I type this 2 days later.

Who’s smiling now???

Finally almost at SemiLizard.

Very cool rocks on this fence. The BugSnax came out to frolic in the crevices.

Earlier in the day, I was telling Ken that we hadn’t seen any of the metal crosses that we saw at every village crossroads in 2023 but today we saw two of them.

Kayak launch…and Scott leading the way.

The view from our home for the night. 

Started easy, ended tough. We all survived though, especially with a life saving meal at the end of the day at an actually open bistro.  It was full of noisy card players and is obviously the community gathering spot. No picture of it full of life sadly, just at a quiet breakfast the next morning.

Another short day dictated by location of accommodations – we either do ~10 km or have to do 23+ km, the latter of which is no fun, with nothing in between.  There also doesn’t appear to be much for food on the way so we walked a few extra kilometers to an open supermarket today, albeit a tiny one. We then left the canal and climbed over the hills (😡) to the valley next door.

Peter rescued a pill bug.

We really enjoyed this small house but had to laugh when she was trying to show me how to use the pullout sofa. It’s the same IKEA couch/sofa bed that Scott owns.

I need these signs. “Our cat knows karate (well, maybe not Fred). I live at my cat’s place. And the cat is free roaming. If he shows up, throw yourself to the ground and wait for help. If he doesn’t, be brave!”

Bamboo across the river.

I love the random paintings on the walls.

Last glimpse of the canal.

Number 3. He can bark at me all he wants. What a cutie.

Thankfully Le Petit Marche was open or there would have been a revolt amongst the ranks.  I suspect for the boat people.

We bought a lot of supplies on the basis there would be no lunch or supper for the next two days and ate our picnic at the town hall across the street.  Necessary supplies seemed to include chips, pain au chocolat, cookies, crackers and a kale smoothie for Peter. You know, the stuff necessary to keep you alive.

The statue looks like she is trying to read over Peter’s shoulder.

As we were packing up, 6 people came walking up from the canal. We did the usual where are you from introduction and they were Canadian as well. One of them lived in Cold Lake for 7 years so we figure ex air force. Not often we meet anyone who knows where Lac La Biche is.  We were all standing in the middle of a busy road and Ken said half the population of Canada would be wiped out if we weren’t careful. 

They are using the same boat company that we are (LeBoat) which also does canal boat rentals on the Rideau canal. This immediately gave Scott ideas and he was researching as we walked and spent a long time making plans for us. Dana – apparently you, Michelle, Courtney, Andrew, Peter, Ken and I are doing the Rideau Canal in September 2026 with LeBoat in  Horizon 4. If he’s not working, Scott is going to come on as our personal chef (but we have to pay his share of the boat rental). Check it out.

This highway is very busy but we hopped onto farm tracks for the rest of the day.

Seeing the occasional red poppy is heartwarming.

Hundreds of frog eggs in this puddle.

Truly French now.

We were on the wrong trail and there was the choice of crossing the farmer’s field to the other side or backtracking to the haybale. Mr. HolierThanThouMorallySuperior was incensed that we would disrespect the farmer. He took the long way. The rest of us crossed the field. I can attest that no canola plants were harmed by Peter or me in the crossing of this field as there were lots of empty spaces. Rawley the Trolley, well, not sure he can make the same claim. It was fun watching Ken and Scott wrangle over this.

Knapweed.

Comparing Google Maps directions.

Arguing over Google Maps directions.

Scott wins the 2025 Battle of the Google Maps directons.

Let’s watch and laugh as she tries to get through this.

No problem at all!

These old drywall take great skill to build (I learned that from Clarkson’s Farm on TV).

An unexpected bonus. We thought this cafe would be closed. So yay that it is open. And wonder of wonders, a pilgrim came along!  We were the first she had met. She was the first we had met. She also walked from Reims and is finishing tomorrow in Vezelay. We asked her about accommodations and she said that almost all of them only had one bed. Hope to talk to her more tonight.

Le chat noir owns this car apparently.

Rolling around, looking for pets.

We were staying in the same hotel as Elena, a fellow pilgrim (and doctor) walking by herself from Reims to Vezelay.

It’s always gratifying to have a great conversation with someone new, especially a pilgrim. You always leave knowing you won’t see that person again but for a fleeting moment you have a strong connection because you are on the same path.

Our house for last night was huge! The decor was grapes and wine themed but what can you expect from a place called Vitis Vinifera (scientific/Latin name for “grape Vine”)?

Love how they’ve modernized the insides of these old homes but kept the ancient character – exposed beams, huge fireplace and, if course, the dreaded circular staircase (which I am getting better at using). You can see vestiges of the turret on the outside and the full effect on the inside.

The house had recipes hanging on the wall. I would like to try this one – gougere.

I’m grateful that France puts their information signs in both French and English.  Scott and I read every one. Quebec could learn something from the real French (even in museums Quebec won’t use English – sad, frustrating, and some bad words I won’t use here).

Arizona cypress trees. I’ve never seen these before…even in Arizona…

Insect wall decorations made from cans.  What a cute idea. Maybe something for our Cub Scouts to try?

Hmmm. Why is that truck blocking the road in front of the vouchers (butcher)?

Oh. Yuck.

The Camino pilgrimage shell. Yonne Compestelle.

Ancient and obviously no longer used village well.

Three boats in the lock.

Oh oh. The Locaboat has lost both its rudder and it’s bow thrusters, so it can no longer steer. Ken helped bring it into shore.

The two couples were from Australia.  The man we were talking with said he knew Calgary well. We said we were 6 hours north of Calgary. He said he spent two years in Thompson, Manitoba. I said “you win 😄!”

Ken woke up this morning with a sore throat, the cafe was closed so there was no coffee, and he was somewhat sort of cranky today. He went to the tiny store looking for Halls but no luck. The lady did find him some lozenges though. I also bought some fruit, a carrot, water, bananas, chicken noodle soup package, abpost card and a Mars bar that i did not plan on sharing – quite a load with no bag. Ken grabbed his lozenges and left me to cart all the rest. The clerk and I were of one mind, looked at each other and just shook our heads and laughed. Typical, we said, in our respective languages.

Happily, the bakery was open and we loaded up on baguettes and pains au chocolat and chaussons au pommes and a green doughnut (called a gland) which Peter devoured quite happily while the Australians were being rescued.  We knew there was no food at tonight’s village so we were planning on a big lunch at the one restaurant on the canal today.

Stop and smell the roses.

Beside the railway tracks as we cross to the other side of the canal.

Today’s “waiting patiently” photo.

Sometimes you just have to take photos of the reflections in the water.

Scorpion bug.

This swan was splashing around, giving itself a bath. I managed some video of it.

Everyone was a little cranky in this photo. We get to the restaurant that is supposed to be open and we’re told the kitchen is closed, even though the sign on the door said open and so did their website.  Then I saw people going in and sitting down. I was told the people brought their own food and were just having drinks. Then they said the kitchen was closed but they still are open for drinks and ice cream, which they didn’t tell us the first time around and which would have raised the level of the bad mood meter.  Anyway, Scott is frustrated with the French habit of website saying open and when you arrive, they are closed.  Many businesses don’t seem to pay much attention to opening hours. Ken wasn’t feeling well so he was a little miffed.  Oh, well. Here, have the chausson de pommes that I bought for you this morning that you didn’t want. 

Lovely graffiti on the lock house.

Almost exclusively white cows in this region.

Yay, almost there!

And then…what the heck? Why is there always a hill we have to crawl up to get to our house for the night??? More grrrr.

The village we are in has no services, no food, nothing except the small rental house we are in…but it does have a tiny pottery next door to our house. How could I resist?!?

To be clear, I bought the bird…not the hedgehog.

This kitty was coming to see me until a noisy truck scared it away. Yet more grrrr.

Now I know what to do with the snail shells I’ve collected.

Our landlady kindly gave sickly Ken two beer and a bowl of sweet cherry tomatoes. We were looking forward to stale baguette for supper when Scott remembered he had an onion and some potatoes in his pack.  So he fried up the potatoes and onions, and made some tomato jam, and we had a great supper (and Scott’s backpack is now lighter!).   Peter had a noodle cup and his ham and cheese croissant from the morning’s bakery run.  Not sure we’ll find food tomorrow but we still have baguettes, cheese, apples and a carrot.

Warm and cozy with the wood stove going. Last couple houses were on the chilly side, even for me. Ken was grateful for the heat. The mood meter rises a few more notches with beer, a meal, and heat.

Life is good!

We headed out in the morning and get about 100 meters when Ken finds a cafe for his morning coffee.  None of us complain about this morning ritual because a caffeinated Ken is a happier Ken☕️

Ken is checking out the cannabis vending machine. Pretty sure he didn’t get any. I don’t think.

Misty walk out of town as we head down to the Yonne River / Canal du Nivernais to begin walking. 21 km ahead of us as there was nowhere closer to stay. But it’s all flat canal walking. We think.

In protest of violence against women.

Peter and I like the misty spiderwebs. I think I took a bazillion photos of them.

That will be us in another week – on a boat! Which made us question why we weren’t on a boat now?!?

River heights during years of flood.

We believe this is a canal distance marker to Paris…the Yonne and canal were heavily used to float logs and firewood to the Seine River and into Paris.

Kayaking club.

Lots of fishermen.

Finally brought the Bugsnaxx out again for a photoshoot.

I swear I saw this same hotel barge  in 2022.  6 staff for 12 passengers, private chef, wine tours, about $8000 per person. Ken?? Yes???

Passion fruit with a stink bug / shield bug. Scott says they are hemiopterids. Not that I asked him.

He got a little hissy but is an amateur compared to our Canada geese. Honk honk!

Firethorn. Gorgeous.

Flock of honkers.

OMG! Look at this ivy covered house. I wants!!!

Ken is the little orange blob on the left, helping the lock-keeper close the lock.

Food is often hard to find, so we were grateful for this restaurant.

I thought these tables and benches were pretty cool.

Ken thought that was me, bending over. Grrr.

A random artist museum. Enlarge the wierd white thing on the right.

Peter wanted me to post this picture of this Queen Anne’s Lace growing alongside the canal. Since we have a lot of it in the upper field along our driveway, it made him a little homesick.

I spend time rescuing slugs and caterpillars and bugs from murderous cyclists on the tow path.

Tiny common wall lizard on the moss.

Lock-keepers used to live in the ecluse (lock) houses and some of them had very elaborate and well-loved gardens. Now, most of them sit empty or are just places for lock-keepers to hang while waiting for the next bateau.

It’s owners were gathering walnuts and he kept trying to visit me.  Which of course I didn’t mind at all. But they kept coming and taking him away. Meanies.

This small plane was doing takeoff and landing laps.

Finally reached Cravant, which is back on the Via Campaniensis. Although Auxerre to Vezelay is also a Camino route, the Yonne Compestelle.  We are all very tired by now, especially Peter who is sadly having all kinds of foot issues, which is ruining the walk for him.

No photo but why? WHY? do we have to walk up a huge hill to our house for the night EVERY single time?!? Heavy sigh curse whine.

Once in the house, Peter won’t leave. But Ken, Scott and I headed back down the hill to the only café in town. Luckily, they served food. And beer. Maybe not in that order of priority in Ken’s mind. Big plate of excellent fries, a croquet monsieur for me, and we brought home a pistachio drumstick for Peter. Pistachio is a very popular flavor here, which Peter is very partial to.

They serve ketchup and mayo with their fries. Down with mayo. Yuck. Those are biigg bottles.

Ceramic beer pulls. For decoration only.

Back up the hill to commiserate with our feet which were complaining bitterly about the 23 km day. Oh, well. Only 10 km for each of the next three days.

The name calling between Scott and Ken hit a creative peak this morning…but the names are not repeatable here.

Heavy although somewhat amused sigh.

Nice to see their relationship grows stronger by the day. Well, something grows stronger.

Ken usually remembers to remember that without Scott (and me) he wouldn’t know where he is going!  But he usually doesn’t remember until he has already dug the hole!  I shall do my best to ignore them both.

Today we managed to book accommodations all the way to Vezelay, which removes a lot of stress.

Auxerre has developed a 5 km path around the medieval city using brass triangles placed in the sidewalks and a small guide to tell you what you are looking at.   We did half in the morning then Scott and I walked the rest later in the day. Scott says it’s our version of lying on the beach in Mexico, just a casual wander through an ancient town.

The view from our kitchen window.

The view from the living room.

Ken’s view of me ignoring him.

The houses in the old part of town are very tall and narrow and I’ve often wondered what’s on the top floors. And now I know. One aspect I didn’t think of was stairs. Traditional staircases don’t work (would take up too much room) so we’ve had to climb 2 flights of circular stairs to the apartment and then a third flight to the bedrooms.

When I travelled with my parents, my mother was all about churches and art museums – she never understood the concept of play or fun. One trip (I was 16) I counted 48 churches in just over 3 weeks. Scott has pointed out that I am still going to see all the churches…on the other hand, he is the museum guy (but not art museums). I guess the apple doesn’t fall far…

It is incredible that this is all hand-carved.

Les chats francais think they are better than other cats. He’s only missing the beret.

The Yonne River, which has been “canalized ” – boats are sometimes on the river or on the canal du Nivernais, which runs parallel to the river in the spots where the river is not navigable.

Plaque for Thomas Jefferson. Ambassador to France before he became the 3rd US president (i know this because I read the placque 😃). He cultivated friendship and trade with the French and indeed, the US colonies were able to win the War of Independence only because of their French allies.

Hey, let me in!

I’m sorry. I forgot. Who are you?

Evenings are best for walking with the ancient buildings lit up.

Tomorrow we walk.

Our intent was to walk the Via Campaniensis from Reims to Vezelay. Having already missed a stage due to lack of accommodations, we spent some time in the tourist office hoping they could help us find places for the final week to Vezelay.  But no luck. So here we taxi again, to Auxerre, which is on the Canal du Nivernais.  This taking a taxi thing is bothersome, as we are used to putting our heads down and just walking but having no places to stay is problematic. The plan is to walk from Auxerre to Vezelay as this route will connect us back to the Campaniensis.   But first, a day and half in Auxerre.

Out the door.

One hour taxi.  8 hours on the bus (with changes). 3 hours on the train (with changes)…taxi was actually cheaper than train. Plus we had the bonus of having a driver who was happy to talk about the current politics in France.  We love spending time with locals (even if we had to pay him to spend time with us 😄)

I crashed two civil weddings today!

Auxerre clock tower.

Camino shell! Follow this symbol to Santiago de Compestelle.

Scott found us a Moroccan restaurant to eat at today.  Ironically, we found out later our accommodation was located right above this place.

Eagle-eyed Peter noticed this DeuxCheveux, so we had to go get Ken.

Crashed another wedding. Turns out the 2CV is the wedding car.

Ken looks wistfully at the car  completely oblivious to the wedding behind him.

Off to another cathedral.

A candle for Momma Mary F.

A smug French cat. He’s missing his beret!

A smug Canadian, who has just said something mean about me.

Yuck! Duck? Does it taste like chicken?

The views from our windows.

Sleep time.

This has to be one of my favourite cities – ever, with something to explore around every corner. We lucked out and found a cheap three bedroom apartment, on the main floor (bonus of no stairs), and right in the middle of the most interesting walkable town I’ve ever been in. There is pilgrim accommodation here but it’s 25 euros per person with breakfast, and separate rooms with no kitchen, and not close to the center. It’s fine for one night when you pack up and go in the morning but not for a longer stay. The apartment was more expensive but still less than $200 a night. Scott is saving us money by cooking for us and we can spread out.

I particularly like the duck with the snorkel!

For Ethel…

I would like to think those are Canada geese the dog is chasing but let’s get real. The Canada geese would be chasing the dog!

This medieval town center escaped Nazi bombs, which targeted the industrial areas around the town.  Troyes is famous not only for its timbered house but the fact the houses are leaning towards each other. On Ruelle les Chats (on which there was nary a cat – how sad!), they actually have beams between the house to prevent them from crashing into each other!

Ken pooh-poohs the idea of orthotics (just a fad in his opinion). Me, I have flat feet so I appreciate orthotics. And today I discovered I love them! Why, you might ask?

I was cleaning the mud off my shoes and had a twig stuck in them. But I had to pull hard to get it off my shoe.  And wowzers! Take a look at that thorn. Over an inch long. It poked a hole right through my shoe but my orthotic prevented it from going into my foot. That would have been an ouchy and I probably maybe possibly perhaps would have whined for a second or two.

Our apartment was half a block from the market hall (market is daily). I did not make it past the patisserie counter. Neither did Ken. His little cake came with a pipette of rum. Hic!

Scott loves museums. He and Ken spent THREE hours in the hand tool museum. This was organized by trade and to see these veteran hand tools that built the civilized world is such a testament to the humble and really clever skilled trades people of the day. You usually see high class stuff preserved but this was a salute to those who use brain and brawn to actually build the world.

The next day we headed to the weaving museum. Troyes was one of the first centers of weaving.  The museum was housed in this magnificent building.

Check out the size of this medieval fireplace!

This blew our minds as humble and archaic as it may appear. It is a jacquard loom. It uses punched cards to select different hooks to engage the lengthwise thread on the loom to create any complex pattern on the cloth the weaver wants with unerring perfection. Ie no human error once programed.  It uses the on/not on binary way of coding a machine so can be looked at as a distant ancestors of digital computers! Amazing and clever these frenchmen. The cloth was in great demand by the rich in the world during the napoleonic War but had to be smuggled into to England at great expense.

St Panteleon church. Very narrow with lots of sculptures but it is the wooden ceilings that catches your eye.

Ya know, you’re just walking along, following Scott and Ken, and then all of a sudden, Ken just disappears.  Oof, he found a combination bar / music store. A dream come true for him.

So in retaliation, Scott and I went and dropped 60 bucks in the chocolate store.  Even if I tossed out everything I own, this teddy wasn’t going to fit in my backpack. Sob sniffle.

Scott is a foodie and has been finding us restaurants (when he’s not cooking). Besides the pub food in England, we’ve had Turkish in Dover, Canadian poutine in Reims, and now Thai and Syrian in Troyes. This was a tiny restaurant, only 4 tables, and the owner had family visiting from the US.  Food was delicious, atmosphere was so friendly, and we had some good conversations.  They photobombed my picture when we left 😄.

That’s not to say we haven’t had to embarrassingly revert to fast food on occasion!

What a lovely town.

Decision made.  There are “purists” who walk these Caminos who feel they must walk every step of the official route. Some of them look down upon pilgrims who skip a stage. Our view is that we need to do what is best for everyone in our group and we need to consider we still have 2 months of walking. There were three very long days of walking ahead of us, through wet fields. We decided to skip two stages and taxi to Savierres, which is the start of the stage ending in Troyes.

It was along the canal for most of the day. Bit of rain at the beginning, which is okay, plus we watched an egret who kept trying to land and would get attacked by a blue heron. I caught it on video which I’ll try to include here.  Saved a few giant slugs along the way.

3 nice puppers on leads, one quiet, 3 barkies.

Will it fits???

Get outta my taxi!

Our Via Campaniensis direction sticker on the back of the signs. They are pretty random and it depends on the association looking after them. For instance, the markings were very clear around Epernay, not so good anywhere else.

Peter was ahead of us all for most of the day. He kept flushing the egret, who in turn just kept flying ahead.

Pac-Man game graffiti.

There’s a fish in there somewhere.

Old lock. No boats use this canal anymore.

Peter wants to know why we use mistletoe for Christmas when mistletoe is a tree murderer.

So many tiny plantations of poplar.

There was a creek running on the other side of the towpath ie canal on one side and creek on the other.

There are bicycle repair stations at various stops along the canal.

The old canal that we walked along all day used to cross the Seine River.

Some talented artists here.

Pilgrim sticker.

Bonsai cedar topiary.

This small building houses water depth and speed measurement equipment and they’ve painted the river heights and years when the Seine was high (and, yes, this is the Seine River which flows through Paris).

How old is this tree???

Coming into Troyes. Everyone’s a little tired, which is odd as the walk was as flat as you can get (although it was probably an imperceptible climb all day).

Poor little Kenny was cold.

Poor little Kenny should not have insulted little Scotty.

We decided to stay a second night here in Sezanne. I’m starting to worry about reasonable accommodations that don’t involve 25 or 30 km of walking in a day.  Even though we were managing (but not liking) 26 to 28 km a day on our pilgrimage to Rome, we seem to be tapping out around 20 km these days. Weather was looking cold and rainy and sometimes you just decide to stay put.

Sezanne is a larger centre and an odd combination of falling down and newer buildings. It was interesting to stay in a non-touristy town.

Eglise Saint Denis, which we could see from kilometers away, has stood here since the middle ages, rebuilt in 1520, and survived wars and the “great fire of 1632” which destroyed much of the town.  The stained glass windows are a little strange; they were removed during the wars for protection but not put back in the correct order.

For Ethel…

The street where we live. A little disconcerting at first but the house inside was very modern.  We are always happy when le garcon de baggage (aka Ken) doesn’t have to drag Rawley the Trolley up stairs.

Scott wondered why there are no soiree balls for wildland firefighters. I offered to send him for ballroom dance lessons but he declined for some odd reason.

The only doggo of the day, patiently waiting.

I’m sensing a theme here!

Get off the couch, Ken!!!

Scott cooked a chicken, leek and potato casserole for our supper. I knew there was a reason we dragged him along!

This B&B tops the list of our favourite places to stay. Our hosts were ex-pat New Zealanders who have owned this place for 20 years. It was like staying with old friends. Perhaps it was the Commonwealth connection that led to sympatico conversations on a wide breadth of subjects. Plus it was just a gorgeous place with abundant kindness (just needed some cats).

An amaranth plant giving Ken the finger. Or maybe it’s saying he’s number one…

Walking towards the Monument to the First Battle of the Marne (there were two Marne battles during WW1).

33 meters of statue and 25 meters of foundation.  Begun in 1919, completed in 1939, but not commemorated until 1951.  The Germans, who had retreated after this WW1  battle, tried to bomb it three times in WW2…they missed.  It just seems so angry and hostile, a raised fist.  Hitler, on the other hand, gave orders to protect the Canadian Vimy Ridge memorial, not just because of its beauty, but because it represented peace, love and sadness and grieving for the fallen (typical Canadian attitude?).

Just to give you an idea of how tall this thing is.

In the small churchyard, there was a memorial to the war dead, with plaques recognizing the Moroccan soldiers fighting for France (Morocco was a French colony at this time).  I couldn’t understand why there were fresh flower wreaths in the graveyard, laid by dignitaries, including a British poppy wreath, given that we are nowhere near November 11th. But I looked at the dates and realized all these soldiers died in battle on September 9th. I planted a Canadian flag as a sign of respect, even though we were not involved in this particular battle, although the British were.

I have photos of these three horses from 2023.

But maybe not this cow.

Ken had a conversation with an older French lady who was driving into the lovely chateau on the hill by the memorial. She seemed aghast that we were walking from Reims and London before that. Once she heard we were from canada, she mentioned how large it was compared to France. Ken said that France was big enough when you were walking across it. She found that quite funny. Nice moment.

Gotta have some fun at our lunch stop.

Oops.

Greatly enjoying the sandwiches made by Glenis and Mike. Camino angels! 

Always on the hunt for a baguette dispenser. Sometimes, it is the only food we see until we reach our destination (but today we had Kiwi sandwiches!!!).

There are two memorials like this in town for two local boys, both of whom were killed on August 27 1944.  The aftermath of the two world wars is never far away in these towns

An old town well.

Get outta my way! Tractors rule!

These villages on the hill crest have phenomenal views of the plains. Peter liked all the garden figures.

We watched this loader for quite awhile.  Boys! The guy was really smooth!

Finally, Sezanne in the distance.  Ken said I could have this ivy covered cottage as we can afford this one. It even has a fireplace! He is so good to me!

The cemetery in Sezanne is partly a military cemetery, including several commonwealth graves, mostly Brits and Scots, along with one New Zealander and one nurse.  The French mark their military graves with crosses, but Commonwealth graves are beautifully kept and have  headstones which include the soldier’s regimental coats of arms.  These were soldiers who died in the field hospital in Sezanne, not on the battlefield, and it would have been during the Second Battle of the Marne. Some of the headstones simply say, “a soldier of the great war”. How sad that they died in hospital and still could not be identified – the poor families who never knew where their son or brother was buried.

The nurse, Evelyn Fidgeon Shaw, also deserves to be remembered.  Very poignant.  Perhaps she succumbed to the Spanish influenza epidemic of 1918.

I left a flag and poppy here as well.

A big upside snail to cheer us up.

Everything is so old. Nothing seems to get knocked down to make way for the new.

Scott giving Ken heck for something. Those two are driving me nuts!

So grateful to have brought a chef along. Homemade soup – yum yum!

Our place was a few doors down from the main street. Ken went one way (probably looking for a beer) while Scott and I went the other way to the grocery store.  Ken and I both bought roast chicken chips. I would say great minds think alike but I don’t want to be compared to Ken!

Ken’s usual position when we finish for the day, unless he’s napping on the bed.

When you are only carrying two pairs of socks, a pair of leggings and a hiking skirt, and 3 shirts, laundromats are a welcome sight. This one was literally across the street and closer than my washer is at home tomorrow upstairs bathroom.

We were happy that the forecasted rain didn’t hit until we were safely inside. That’s two days in a row the forecast was wrong. We are not complaining!