Edward’s cousin Ernesto when informed of our plan to walk the Via Francigena shared “Yes, I am sure you can walk 25 km in a day, but can you do it every day for months.” That is the question I’ve asked every morning and answered every evening for the past 60 days.
When I look at my hands, which are brown as beans, I can see a hint of the clear nail polish I wore to Olivia and Andrew’s wedding. The sequined beginning of this tour. The perfect memory upon which to stack this journey. Lausanne, only 10 days ago, is a distant memory – the beautiful lake, vineyards, and endless watch advertisement where the face of the timepiece is always set at 10 past 10. Most recently there is a blur of challenging days of endless climbing. Why is it necessary to climb 2000 ft then descend 1000 ft only to climb 3000 ft again? All the while I am desperate for handholds, anything, roots, rocks, Edward’s cascading silver locks are often tempting. I am doubting that Chubby Sigeric, or his horse, made any of these steep climbs. For the most grueling challenges I call upon a mental playlist of songs. Musicals work great: Caberet (“Maybe this Time”), Funny Girl (“Don’t Rain on My Parade”), Evita (“Don’t Cry for Me Argentina”) or such inspirational songs as “Break my Stride”, “Together for Ever”, “My Funky Cold Medina”, or, inexplicably, “Brandy”.
But what has carried me to the top has been conjuring the scene from American Beauty when Annette Benning is maniacally scrubbing the kitchen of the house while repeating the mantra “I will sell this house today!”
Before embarking on this project, we watched several documentaries by pilgrims. None showed the scary bits of the climb and steep descents, just walking in bucolic surroundings and lovely paths through cow pastures. Here is the lesson: if I had seen the full extent of the trails, I would not have done it because I would have concluded that I could not do it. There is a pithy cliché here ready to be embroidered on a couch pillow.
I’ve been steadily shedding all vanity, starting back in Dover when we pushed our seatless bikes among a sea of 18-wheeled tractor trailers onto the ferry bound for Calais. However, and it is a good thing, I made a couple of key appointments before leaving DC – my hairdresser and my GP. Michael, my hairdresser, has quite a project ahead, think the scene when Moses comes down from Mt Sinai. When I go for my annual check-up and my officious, zero body-fat Doctor asks, in “that tone”, if I am watching my diet, controlling my alcohol consumption and exercising regularly, I am going to rip the paper sheet off the examining table, put it on as a cape, hop on a chair and shout “I walked from Canterbury over the Alps into Italy – BITCH!” I probably won’t do that.
Neither Edward nor I have experience or desire to share our lives on social media. So this daily blog has been a new venture for us, and I promise once in Rome we will go silent, but, in the meantime, thank you so much for your support and love on this journey.
Walking the Via Francigena 
Dear wonderful friends your blog makes me laugh with joy and sob a bit with jealousy and wonder! I thought you were stopping halfway and completing the rest of the walk in October? Are you walking through this heat to Rome? I am so glad you’re having such a fabulous time. Thank you again for sharing your amazing experiences with us mere mortals we love you very much xxxx
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We stop July 26 in Issogne and take it up again September 26 to arrive in Rome November 6 We will then do “Friendsgiving” in Todi that week!
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Paula: I laughed out loud at the vision of you with a paper cape on a chair, triumphant over your GP. You go girl!
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I imagine every one of your friends who are privileged to read your blog from the comfort of our armchairs are willing you to don that cape and say exactly that. You’ve bloody well earned the right to do so!
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I have come to so look forward to your blog posts and pictures! What an amazing adventure and accomplishment in this one of “20 summers”…I am inspired, I am envious (mostly of the stories, not the actual ascents and descents) and I hope that someday soon – maybe in the Fall – we will get to D.C. and have the opportunity to be regaled with more pictures and tales from the trail! ❤️❤️👏🏻👏🏻
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You’ve come a long way from Calais and the vanities. We who follow you live a small part of that experience.
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Looking forward to your reaching your final destination in Issogne for a well deserved break. The trail looks scary to me.
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I will miss hearing from you each day, it was such a joy! That first cappuccino must have tasted like heaven. And to have had the energy to write after some of those days – we are in awe of you both…not to mention that you still plan to do part 2!
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Great photo of Edward facing the Alps! It’s very lovely, though, isn’t it, just walk each day from A to B with Z on the horizon? It’s about as close to Zen as one can get, which is why we (me, anyway) so look forward to your posts.
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I have enjoyed following your adventures up and over the fields in the mountains of France Switzerland and Italy. Hugh and I are in Vancouver BC heading up towards Whistler and hiking in the Canadian Rockies. Beautiful here, cool We get back to DC next week, and look forward to seeing you soon Safe travels
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Speaking of songs that rattle around in our brain, Brandy goes through mine also. But I think it’s because she is our “top dog“🐶❤️
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Paula, Don’t look back, but take pride on what you both have done so far. For the pilgrims on the similar Santiago trail, which we did for only ten days some seven years ago, the motto is ‘Ultreia!”, which is a deformation of the Latin for ‘forward’. Grit is what makes life worthwhile!
Are you taking a break in Aosta, or will you continue downhill all the way to Todi, where celebrations are being organised?
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We will walk to Issogne on July 26 and return to the US for Hanna’s baby. We pick up the trail on September 26 from Issogne to Rome where we will arrive Nov 6. We plan our “Friendsgiving” celebration in Todi that week.
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Sounds like you were very wise to skip the package option to also swim the English Channel while you were at it…enjoy Rome, but it sure will feel different after the past 2 months!
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We are in Aosta, only halfway to Rome. We will continue our walk until July 26th go back to the US for Hannah’s baby and then return on September 26 to finish the second half of the walk. We arrive in Rome November 6.
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AWESOME journal entry, Paula! One of my favs for obvious reasons (showtunes, vanity, hair and nail talk, and endless humor) your true personality is all over this one. More than anything is the pride at your accomplishment! You both are heroes of mine and I couldn’t love you more (well, maybe I could. Let’s wait and see) ❤️
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