Walking to Rome: Via Francigena Day 16

I am jumping forward in time with this post from Day 17 of our Via Francigena pilgrimage.

This is the last day of our walk, at least for this season. With our arrival at the small and somewhat industrial town of Tergnier, we will move on by train to Laon, then Reims for an overnight stay and then to London via the Eurostar chunnel train for a few days before finally returning to Winnipeg.

But this is not the end of our Via Francigena adventure. We will return next spring to continue further south through France and, in subsequent trips, eventually find ourselves on the doorstep of the Vatican. So stay tuned.

In the meantime, here is the last glorious day of walking through the French countryside, past Art Deco churches built on the ruins of World War One’s devastating battles, along the bucolic San Quentin Canal and to the train station in Tergnier. We passed through rain, walked muddy paths and into bright sunshine. It lifted our spirits as the day’s walk unfolded and left us wanting for our pilgrimage to continue.

Till next year,

David and Gail

A final note: my post will continue, backtracking to Day 11 of our walk and continuing forward, once I have returned to Winnipeg in early October.