The Via Francigena may have originated as a religious pilgrimage dating back to the 900s (if not earlier). But here, today, as Gail and I walk through the rolling farmland of northern France, we are reminded over and over again that the line we follow is as much informed by the Great War as it... Continue Reading →
Walking to Rome: Arras, Part 2
Art Deco Carrière Wellington
Walking to Rome: Arras, Part 1
Saturday Market Cathédrale Notre-Dame-et-Saint-Vaast
Walking to Rome: Vimy
As I write this, back in Winnipeg, I am aware that tomorrow is November 11, Remembrance Day. Tomorrow, Gail and I will attend, as we do every year, the Valour Road Memorial Day Service, a short walk away from our Wolseley home. Valour Road, formerly Pine Street, commemorates three recipients of the Victoria Cross for... Continue Reading →
Walking to Rome: Via Francigena Day 12
Frévin-Capelle/La Grenouillère/Anna; Abbaye de Mont-Saint-Éloi; Église catholique; Saint-Martin d’Écoivres; Le Marais de Mareoeuil; Arras Poor Mont-Saint-Éloi. Its abbey was established as far back as the 7th century. Over the next many hundreds of years, it rose to prominence as a major religious centre. That power sealed its fate in the late 1700’s with the French... Continue Reading →