This “Walking The Via Francigena” series of posts follow us, David and Gail, as we continue our walk along the Via Francigena pilgrimage route between Canterbury and Rome. In the fall of 2019, we completed the first leg from London to Canterbury, known as the Chaucer Way, and onward to the small town of Tergnier, France on the Via Francigena. A pandemic got in the way but now, in 2022, our trek is underway once again, this time taking us from Tergnier to Besançon over 23 walking days and 580 or so kilometres.
Notes from today’s walk:
Souris à la vie. Smile at life, indeed.
A very short walk from Juvigny deposited us at our Châlons-en-Champagne hotel shortly after noontime. While Châlons certainly has all the historical sites that we have come to expect in a moderately-sized French city (you’ll find the photos below), it is also Saturday and that includes a busy Saturday morning market as well as a plethora of weddings taking place at the Hôtel de Ville. One-by-one, wedding parties would parade into the town hall for a civil wedding ceremony. The receptions as the newlyweds left the building were truly exciting. Drums would bang, coronets would blow, smoke bombs would fill the air with blue and red clouds and the wedding party would clap, cheer and whoop. All within the confines of Place Maréchal Foch fronting the Hôtel de Ville.
Be sure to check out the Saturday market and wedding soundscapes that follow!
Walk Date: Sep 17, 2022
Distance: 12.3 km
Elevation Gain: 117 m
Read on to view today’s photos, a soundscape captured along the route and an interactive map.
Click the images below to view a full-screen slideshow.
Today’s route.
Overview map of the route from Tergnier to Besançon.
Wow, two Gothic churches in one day! And more French Fries! … you are going to look like a pair of French Fries at the end of the trip.
Hi Neil, I would be more concerned that we turn into Goths. We actually visited three churches, one didn’t make the cut for blog space.