DAY 11: 29 May: St Maurice - Martigny. (16 KM - 10 MILES - 145 TOTAL MILES)

ALL PICTURES CAN BE SEEN HERE: https://viafrancigenawithmichael.shutterfly.com/

At breakfast, I meet the first two pilgrims I have seen. I saw them in the village yesterday, but did not realize they are also going to Rome. Phillip is French and Birgit is German. I quickly learn that Phillip is fast and strong and walks 20 plus miles each day, Birgit follows more my pace 12-18 miles per day and we set off together.

My french has been growing, but Birgit speaks little english and no french, so I find myself returning to my German. One thing I bring home with me is a desire to build my language levels even more. The walk is nice, especially to have someone with me. The day is lovely, but the wind is a bit cold.

Halfway through our march, I find a place I think I could get a summer job, but do not stop even though I am intriqued to see what the Swiss make of a WESTERN CITY.

Later we somehow lose the path and end up near a fruit orchard and farm, when out path abruptly ends in a field of tall grass. I think to go back, but Birgit seeing the road a 100 yards ahead thinks we should traverse the field and so begins with me about 10 feet behind her. Not 20 feet into the grass Birgit screams and I see a thick black snake leap up above her knees, I am not sure if it coiled and tried to bite or was just startled, but I have never seen a snake leap. Of course the story is good in German too: DAS GROSSEN SCHWARTZ SCHLANGER WAS SEHR DICH....SHEISHE!  Birgit did battle with a snake..scared the poop out of her and made me laugh so hard.

Then we arrive early in Martigny a city of some siye to find everything closed as it is a national holiday...no tourism office, no internet library and even the church offices closed. Birgit speaks of sleeping on the benches besides the church...something I am not too keen on , when a priest arrives and makes preparations for us to have free night stay in a small apartment nearby.

We enjoy a beer on the center plaza in the sun and then our own apartment where we make pasta and drink the wine given us by the church and mutually agree life is good! We have decided we are like a grandma and a grandpa as we walk at a different pace, and so this is the message we leave in the guestbook below.

DAY 10: 28 May: Aigle - St Maurice (22km - 13 miles - 135 miles total)

Today is a mix of clouds and sun. Another strenuous day with some serious climbs and interestingly, I mostly ignore the guide and simply follow the marked pedestrian paths. The beginning is strenuous and the end is most flat along a couple rivers.

It is a nice walking day and my confidence grows for going over the Great St Bernard Pass which comes this weekend. I have broken the climb into two days under Sandra,s advice and think my body is now ready for two days of climbing, as the mileage is not much on each day, at least this is what I hope.

I arrive early in St Maurice and find some lovely flags that connect me to home and here. The mascot for the college where I teach is the Bear and I find street flags with a bear and a pilgrim. PROVIDENCE!

I spend the afternoon in the city, watching a local graduation of the military - all young people in Swityerland must serve a year in the military, so I think it is this. The day is peaceful and nice and I enjoy the afternoon and evening with a book, I bought in Vevey as some days I find myself a bit bored.

I also enjoy that Maurice is an old catholic city with lots of history, but also a mystical side as next to the Abbey is the Cave of the Fairies!

DAY 9: 27 May: Vevey - Aigle (6km - 4 miles - 122 total miles)

Today it rained all morning, and though the day was a mostly flat walk by the lake, two hours into my walk, I was wet through and cold. I am so miserable, I dont want to stop at the famous chateau in the lake but snap a quick photo and move on...cold, wet and ready to be out of weather.

My hotel had given me a free tourism card, that allows me to ride any local bus or train for the day, so I stop after about 4 miles walking and hop on the next bus, This takes me to Villeneuve, where the tourism office helps me book a room at a BnB in Aiglee a town about another 8 miles away.  It is funny the lady in the office says she cannot help me because it is another town where I want to stay and her boss does not allow this. I do not push, but simply ask where a pay phone is. And she immediately picks up the phone and makes the reservation; saying it is crazy..I am so nice and I simply accept waht she says and that I am different, so she breaks the rules.

The lady of this BnB will be out all afternoon and suggests I take the bus as the walk is not pretty (along train tracks) and the day is miserable - I have no problem being convinced and this seems like the best $5 I have spent on my trip.

I think I must have caught a fever, because I simply put my bags down take off my jacket and shoes and fall dead asleep for two hours. Waking take a hot shower, and wander the village. In the evening I go to a local restaurant, where the host asks me to translate the menu for an english couple. I find this encouraging and funny. I also love the looks and expressions I get, when people learn I am american and-or from texas and that I CAN SPEAK FRENCH; it is like I am some alien creature from a science fiction novel. Come see the strange creature; an American who speaks another language...HOW STRANGE.

The lady of the BnB is so kind and helps me arrange rooms for the next two nights - an Abbey in St Maurice and with the church in Martigny; so I feel confident and well protected. In french, the say vive le providence, which I take to mean having faith. This I like and sems to fit!

DAY 8: 26 May; Lausanne - Vevey (20km - 12 m - 118m total)

It is a cloudy, rainy morning and I depart from Sandra after a nice morning coffee. It is so wonderful to reconnect, and is funny how friendships you make when young can be so strong and absent any agenda, but love and kindness and play.

 The walk is mainly beside the lake, and then into terraced vinyards. And after walking with a light pack yesterday, my body whines internally alot as I begin the march. Funny as the weight has not bothered me up to this point. A couple hours into the walk, I realize it is not the weight, but I have not tightened my back. Funny how I always think before, I not know how to organize such a back pack, I need an expert guide, not realizing my own body IS AN EXPERT GUIDE. With just a few tightening of straps the weight is not so heavy.

The walk is lovely, even though overcast, and I find that my travelers luck seems to have run out. Everytime I stop for a break, it is ok, but when I start again a nicer, more comfortable place seems like it was only 100 steps from where I stopped. Once I stop under an overpass to be out of the rain and there is one small flat rock I sit on, and when I leave, not 20 steps from there is another underpass with a fricking table...OHH LAA LAA. Normally I am such a lucky traveler, so I wonder what this is teaching the pilgrim. Also amusing is how people see me, especially as I sit under overpass. My intention is to leave my world to gain perspective, but it is amusing as I think people also see me as OUTSIDE THEIR WORLD...with the poor man under the road carrying anold stick as his walking stick.

The rest of day is a challenging walk up and down the terraced vinyards, but my body does not tire like the week before and

Vevey is the home to Nestle and I think Charlie Chpalin and some huge fork stuck in the lake....interesting the things you find out when you go slow. Oh and I also discovered a NEW FAVORITE...CURRY MAYONAISSE...YUM!!!!

I find a cheap guesthouse where i sleep in a room with 6 others; including a young american who has just finished college and is touring around before he enters the corporate wrld in August. A good day!

Day 7: Sun May 25 - Gouman les Joux - Lausanne (26km - 16 miles - 106 total miles)

After a wonderful evening Sandy dropped me off for my day,s walk. Since I return to Sandy,y home this evening, I take just a few things in a much lighter pack, which one would think would be a good thing. But I find myself through out the day uncomfortable with a different load and missing something. Perhaps like life any change is hard, even when it lightens our load, we still resist.

Mostly easy pathways with well marked trails. Ending up at the cathedral of lausanne. Still no pilgrims on the way and I am not finding the internal quiet and meditation that i found so wonderful on the camino santiago. But today I walked in view of the alps all day - knowing that this time next week I have my most pressing physical challenge - croosing St bernard Pass, which evidently only opened this or last week.

The last few miles into lausanne were unpleasant as are most walking trips into larger cities.  But the cathedral was worth it!

The day ended with a lovely and playful dinner with sandy and her delightful children; Robin and Lucy, the Giraffe. I m so happy to have reconnected with her and met her family. Thank you so much for the kindness and laughs. NEXT TIME WE JUGGLE!!!!

Day 6, Sat May 24. Yverdon - Orbes (17 km- 10 miles - 89 total miles)

It was a beautiful day and I woke up late as I am going far less than usual. I am also excited to see a friend from Freshman Year, Sandra Genolet, who is Swiss,  which I find strange I never knew. Anyway we hung out a bit freshman year, went on some outings and lost touch. Serendipitously we reconnected last year, when another Syracuse buddy, Jennifer Giffune, posted a flashback picture of her and Sandy - they were roomates, small world and wonderful conincidence for this journey.

The day starts out with an awesome farmers market in the city center, I buy some bread and fruit and am amazed at how many stores are open at 8, and how many people are getting their hair cut before I leave....

A wonderful walk through forests and valleys where i now get lost about five times, weirdly I seem to be ok with being lost...not something i expect. I wonder if this lasts.

An interesting stop at ancient roman ruins display mosaics that look new and remind me of my youngest son with the mythology images.

I arrive early at our rendez-vous point and have a long conversation with a russion immigrant on the rotation of the earth and magnetism...I really need to stop drinking while i walk and am happy when sandy arrives to rescue me

A lovely evening ensues with three generations of genolet,s Sandy, her daughter, and her parents in a wonderful flat overlooking the alps. They are so kind and gracious and are hosting me for two days.

It is so lovely here, i think maybe i stay!

DAY 5: MAY23: REST DAY: St Croix to Yverdons-les-Bains (0 km- o miles...Train)

After difficult end yesterday and having slight fever last night, I awoke to cold and foggy day. So upon walking into village, i kept waffleing whether to walk for day or take train to next town-stop. In my waffleling I got lost and ended up at the train station...decision made. PROVIDENCE! So I chose to take the train for this leg, and though am a bit sad that I missed many wonderful sights, I know there are more to come, and I know I make my mother happy as she has not heard from me on this journey.

So today I get to relax, take in the sights of Yverdon, shop a little, eat a little, visit with the Priests for future advice, and maybe I even wash my clothes. In case you didnt klnow peregrino may mean pilgrim, but it also means STINKY TOURIST!!

Unsure of my next input, but you can see all pictures so far at;
https://viafrancigenawithmichael.shutterfly.com/

DAY 4: May 22: Pontarlier - St Croix

I begin the day early at 6:00, and am happy t have done so. It is to be a shorter day about 15 miles, whereas every day before has been about 20 miles. My ankles are very sore and I worry about injury, so I choose to go slow and let my body heal and grow stronger. It is a wonderful morning and the first thing I see is a Blue Heron, a favorite of mine at my lakehouse. Native maeircans stories think these birds are the messengers of the gods and they fly between the worlds. I like this idea and trust it is an omen for my journey. Amusingly I decide to rest today BEFORE I become tired and each time I realize I am beginning to tire, a small picnic area appears, I feel well take care of. I see deer in the mountains and one is atop of the picture here - CAN YOU SEE HIM?

Later afternoon I cross into Switzerland and it is still lovely. I stop for lunch in a small village, but it is too early for them to be open, but they make me a sandwich anyway, Ca Cest bon.

And then as I near St Croix, the last village before (Lauberson, it begins to rain steady. I think I might take the bus, but realize I have only euros and no swiss francs, so choose to walk on it is terrible, and dangerous as I walk along the road in therain

It  is all uphill, I am wet cold and tired when I arrive in St Croix at 3:00. I hope for a coffe or a beer, but all is closed between 2 and 6. so I find a tiny doorway out of the rain and eat the rest of my sandwich for lunch. And wonder where I will stay.

I decide to find the church and see if they can help me. I ask a lady on the street, "Ou c,est trouve l,eglise" and she is so kind and when she understand s I am pilgrim with no place to stay and it is raining, she puts me in her car and drives me to the church...no one is there, and she helps me find a B& B to stay and drives me there as it is a mile outside the village. My first angel arrives!!!!

I am a little sick with fever at night, but the warm shower, food and long sleep, seem to make me ok for the next day.s journey. We shall see!

Day 3: May 21: Moutier to Pontarlier

Today is Pierre,s last day with me, as he must return to work, so I begin to have fear of my speaking abilities and also how I will arrange accomodation, as Pierre,s phone has come in handy to secure this. I have no phone with me and we have seen no internet cafes and no places have provided this.. It is another long day, but the beginning of the journey is amazing as we follow the Rive Doubs to its source - it is a tough walk, but one full of beauty and surprise. Once out of the gourge, we travel ot Pntalier, and I barely make it - exhausted physically and mentally as I know I know proceed alone. >The voices inside are strong and severe, telling me to get on the train with Pierre and return to Paris. It is amusing what I can tell myself. At moments I catch a breath and the voices stop and I am present in the moment, but today we move fast to catch Pierre,s train and this is unwise for the beginning as My body is not strong enough and the worst thing one can do is injusre oneself early. But as is said, THE WAY ALWAYS PROVIDES. As I leave Pierre in the train station, I find a room in a local hostile, my roommate is another pilgrim, but on the way to Santiago  and he inadvertently reminds me that the pilgrimage is about being present, about relaxing into what is happening and about trust, He does not know this, but Fritz has given me courage when I really need it. Buen Camino Fritz!

DAY 2: MAY 20: Etalons to Moutier Haute >Pierre

We decide to try and make a shorter day today, but this does not happen and so my body is weak and sore and we have another long day.We start the day late as we wait for the prepared breakfast at 8 - I think this our first mistake, is better to begin the walk as early as possible. My guide book sends us in several wrong directions with one time us searching in field of tall wet grass for an unseen pass into trees, frustrated and wet, my mind works ovetime plotting a way to get home....so starts the pilgrimmage . the shedding of old and perhaps the preparation for new and better thoughts...I hope. We end the day with some lucky and most beautiful shortcuts into Moutier with an amazing evening meal in the center of town. Ca c,est bien!

DAY 1: MAY 19: Besancon - Etalons France

It is along day, but within the first mile, I get choked up, excited to be back on a pilgrimmage. >The gifts I received from the Camino Santiago were so great, that there is a feeling in me of coming home, as we start this adventure. >The day is beautiful, but long with nearly 20 miles of walking, so though I begin the day happy and full of heart, my body and my mind begin to doubt itself on the journey and start to whine inside to go home. I know this will pass, but it is a long day with no energie left as we end the day. We get our first gift as we have no place to stay in the village, but just as we arrive a lady calls us offering a room in a new small massage center.