From the road...

It has been a fabulous week. I arrived in Paris on Sunday morning, spent 4 hours trying to figure out how to get Sam's kennel to Rome. Then, another 4 hours at the train station before heading to Calais, dragging Sam's kennel behind me. We were very popular everywhere we went.

Of course, people laughed to see Sam walking along beside me while I dragged his kennel along. It was quite a picture. Finally, we arrived in Calais. ( Yes, Dana, you were right about the trains. Though we took the TGV to Lille -that's the fast train- we took the SNCF from Lille to Calais...very slow, hot, and crowded.) Who would have thought that Sunday would be market day at the port city?

 So, after getting my bearings, we headed to our hotel, dodging through a massive crowd. Imaginez-vous! I had my gianormous back pack, Sam had his backpack, and of course, there was the kennel! Ohhh la la! Trying to navigate through the crowd was more difficult than trying to navigate a French keyboard... the letters and numbers are all different, by the way.

The Hotel Belazur was dodgy, but relatively clean-ish. The staff tried to help me post Sam's kennel to Rome. But in the end, I could not find a box large enough to ship the kennel in. And the post office would not accept it without a box. Et alors? In the end, I donated it to a veterinary clinic. They were happy to receive a large kennel. 

In the evening I took Sam for a stroll through a park where I could hear African drums beating. As I passed by a group of young people dancing and singing, they saw me and invited us to hang out. I declined at first because I was exhausted. As I passed them a second time, I thought 'I should get some video of this music.' uh-oh! They saw me with my camera and came at me. They were shouting (not angrily, but forcefully) 'no, no, no! You cannot take our photo! First, you must know us! You must come inside the circle!' 

So I joined them. They were from all over: Eritrea, Ethiopia, Sudan, Ireland, England, Holland, France, Italy... We talked for bit. They told me their stories of living on the streets in Calais. And now they were living in the park, like gypsies. After a little while, I excused myself, careful (in spite of their friendly overtures) to not allow them to know where I was staying. ha ha ha. 

I think some of them were hoping that I would let them stay in my room; a room which was barely large enough to hold my backpack! And so, after sorting my things again (getting rid of every unnecessary article of clothing or item possible), donating my clothes to a local church which aids immigrants, and disposing of Sam's kennel, I was finally on my way. 

We followed a track of sorts along the canals and through the marshes for about 14 kilometers. This was easy. We had gorgeous weather, a pleasant day, and locals along the way who were curious enough to stop us and ask what I was doing. I wish I had taken a photo of the boys who were fishing along the canals. So cute! They asked me questions and wished me 'bon courage!' 

This is the part of the trip which I call 'the game'. In this game, one tries to find the trail which is buried beneath weeds which are taller than me. I'm attaching a photo above. Can you find the trail? It's there. Really. 

On arriving in Guines (I skipped the trek to Wissant along the coast because this way was more direct), I found a camp site. Camping in France is huge! And because I was a pilgrim and had my own tent, it was FREE! Yay! Almost as soon as I arrived, a gorgeous Dutch couple with two young twin girls adopted me. Janine and Rolfe Post hold their PhDs in microbiology and organic chemistry. I couldn't have landed in better company! They invited me to sit at their table, join them for a cuppa coffee, and later a glass of wine. 

They were fluent in English, of course. So we talked late into the night. It was still twilight at 10:30pm. I will admit that I was miserably cold, but was sooo grateful for the loan of Nicolle's flannel sleeping bag!!! I barely slept at all. But I was still in good spirits. 

In the morning, the Post family invited me to breakfast with them. And they offered to mail my books back to the US. After only one day of hiking, I knew that I had to lighten my load even more. So, back went the Canterbury Tales and my Bible. To be honest, I thought that I would be alone at nights, but after only one day, I realized that I would be too tired to read at night! The kindness of strangers just blows me away everytime. And so, Janine and Rolfe walked me to the entrance of the campsite. Oh, I didn't even mention the clean showers and bathrooms and washing facilities, the bistro, restaurant, the cabins, the caravans, the permanent tents or RVs which one can rent.... It was truly impressive and so welcome after a long day of walking. Oh, and the park attendant gave me a list of places to stay along the way. Best of all, they are FREE or a donation. Sweet!!!! Anyhoo, we got under way around 11:00am. 

 I'm one day ahead of schedule since I bypassed Wissant. So, I began walking from Guînes to Licques...another 19 kilometers. It was warm in the sun, cool in the shade. But I quickly lost my way. My guide book did not have street numbers or names...not one! Luckily, I had a terrible map from the park attendant which had a few streets or roads which were marked. So, after stopping to ask for some water from an old woman, we were back on track. I should tell you about the old woman. It was very hot by now, Sam had already refused to continue on. So I had let him take a nap, while I took his backpack, changed my socks, and took the time to try to prevent my blisters from forming, and ate a protein bar. 

Sam did not want to drink. It was disconcerting. So, after wandering a bit down a road, I stopped when I saw an elderly woman hanging out her laundry. I asked if she an outdoor spigot where I could get some water to refill our water bottles. She went inside to get me some fresh water and returned with her husband. Again, I'm kicking myself for NOT taking their photo!!!!! Darn it! They were so cute and so chatty.  The husband brought a bowl for Sam to drink some cool, fresh water, which he DID drink. Then they ran inside to get a treat for Sam. They were quite heart-broken since their dog of 18 years had died a few months before. They invited me in, but it was getting late and I had only gone about half-way to my destination. M. Mentez had retired from the SNCF railroad years before. He was 89 years old. His wife was only 86! They were sooooooo kind and sweet. So they pointed me in the right direction, and I continued on my way. I would have loved to have stayed longer with them. They were sooo sweet. It just brings tears to my eyes even as I type now. 

The road to Licques ( highway D 215) is a long uphill climb. Did I mention that it was long? and uphill? Oh la la! Sam refused to continue on several times. It WAS hot and sunny. But the view from the top was pretty amazing. I could see the port of Calais in the distance. As we topped the hill and began our descent, Sam began to perk up. It was easier, the sun was less intense, and the fields of wheat were perfectly golden. Like any road in France, it was lined with gianormous ginko trees. Just lovely. 

Just before reaching Licques (sounds like LEEK), a woman stopped to ask me where I was going. When I said 'Licques', she offered me a ride. Since I still wasn't sure how much further it was, I accepted. I had just prayed for a ride. I had just been thinking how Segeric the Serious probably would have accepted rides in a cart or whatever he could on his way to Rome. Et voilà! Here comes Francine. She told me that she had seen me walking along the road from Guînes earlier that morning and saw that I was still walking, so she had had a brief conversation with herself, something like: 'Why do we always watch others struggle? huh; Well, today, I'll do something about it! Rather than just see that pilgrim walking along, I'll see if she wants a ride.' 

More than that, she not only offered me a ride, she invited me to her house to get some water and a bite to eat. After that, she offered to take me on to my destination, a campground which was free for pilgrims along the via francigena. I also had a name of a family further south in the town of Alquines, thanks to the park attendant at Bien-Assise campground in Guînes, where I could stay for a donation. So, Francine went with me to the camp site, which was really just a little way from her house. She talked with the park directeur. He said I could stay there for free and could put my tent wherever I liked. But then Francine amazed me even more, she invited me to stay at her house!!!!!! Wow! 

It's a beautiful home with a garden, a workshop, a horsestall, cats, a Bernese dog (HUGE), flowers, fruit trees, etc. It is so beautiful here. She made dinner. I tried pastis for the first time. Pastis is a licorice flavored (anise) liqueur. Her grandparents built this house. Francine is 61 years old. She helps immigrants who land in Calais and volunteers her time with local kiddos who have problems reading. We keep laughing because I asked her what she does with her free time. HA! The woman does everything! She fixes her car, tends the garden, entertains friends and her children (when they come to visit), volunteers in the community, etc. She stays very busy! So we watched a bit of the World Cup during dinner, of course. One cannot be in France and NOT watch the World Cup! It simply is not done. Even older women are quite fanatical about the sport. We talked late into the night. And now, she is letting me use her laptop to blog while she putts around the house taking care of her chickens and ducks and geese and animals. 

Later, she will take me on a tour of the village which was established by Italian monks from Pontremoli (another village on my route). So much more to tell, but the day is burning. After our tour of the village, Francine will take me on to the village of Wisques. I need the rest. I did not realize that my feet were in such bad shape until last night. Darn these super long middle toes. I have blisters on both my middle toes and on both of my heels. So, in reality I'm still a day or so ahead of schedule. Anyhoo, time to go. Au revoir!