Tassie Kaz
Sempre Avanti
- Time of past OR future Camino
- 2024?
London to Rome
Excerpt from group email...
Day 32 walking
825km
Besançon, France
I always intended to write my next instalment from Besançon but I did not intend to be writing it this soon. I arrived two days earlier than planned. I didn't suddenly find untapped energy reserves nor did my trusty Salomon's sprout wings.
I took the modern day equivalent of the medieval pilgrim's donkey cart...le autobus.
Medial tibial stress syndrome; in plain English...which thankfully Docteur Pharmacien spoke, shin splints. Luckily just my left leg. A number of over 30km days in a row, a sudden jump in temperature (from snowing during my side trip to Luxembourg to high 20's) & the onset of rolling hills, something was bound to give.
I'd had a terrible day prior; a 34km slog to Langres in unseasonal heat. I was exhausted & doing that late-in-the-day staggering thing but the end was in sight. Langres is another rempart town perched high above the surrounding countryside. As I approached, I was level with the Cathedral & hoped I'd be walking a ridge to enter the walls rather than from the valley below.
But no, the road weaved & dipped ever down & the town slipped out of sight. I came around the bend & squinting into the sun, there it was; way, way up.
Just what I needed, a big climb.
I could have sat on the side of the road & cried. I didn't because;
a/ I had no energy or hydration to waste,
b/ it wouldn't have changed anything & I'd still be in the same position but it'd be 10 minutes later &
c/ I doubt anything other than a magically appearing shiny escalator would have made me feel better.
The next day to Champlitte was going to be about 37km. I walked 3km in the opposite direction to jump on the train & knock it down to a more-manageable-but-still-a-slog 30km. Doesn't sound like much but it saved 1.5 hours walking. I'd been having off & on pain down my left shin for a number of days but it eased enough overnight to walk the next day. This time it didn't. Those last 12-15km into Champlitte were agony. Nothing would ease it & unintentional tears were falling. I limped into the Champlitte Pharmacy to a 'Oh Mon Dieu!' from the staff who fetched the Pharmacist. She knew what it was straight off & said it's common amongst full Via Francigena walkers by this stage. Road walking, distances, camber of surfaces, etc.
My leg was elevated, I was ice-packed, strapped up & given anti-inflammatories. I was also told to rest my leg for at least 7 days.
Seven days.
'Is not possible oui?'
'Oui...is not possible.'
I was still 3 long walking days from Besançon where I'd planned a two night stay. The easiest & right thing to do was to go straight there the next day which would give me 4 nights recovery. With 1300km still to walk plus the Jura Mountains, the Swiss Alps & all the hills of Tuscany & co, bit of a no-brainer really.
Decision made, no second-guessing, no regrets, don't look back...
So here I am.
Until this little hiccup, I was well-into my walking zone. Yes, the language is doing my head in & the daily distances are more than I like. I keep being told by accommodation providers, Office de Tourisme staff & again by the Pharmacist I'm walking too far each day.
I know that.
All these people are kind & well-intentioned but they're used to European walkers who do a one week section per year covering about 15km a day. So I explain again, that I'm Australian with a visa time limit & I have to clock up the k's while the going is fairly flat (things will slow down considerably once mountains are involved). I will ease off in Switzerland & Italy...unfortunately my leg just couldn't hold out for the final push to the border.
I very much have my Walking Wild Woman look going on. I usually make some effort to keep things under control but not this trip. My concession to appearances this time is I try to remember to comb my hair in the morning. I have my Walkers Tan including two white disks around my eyes from my sunnies. I have my Surfie Chick platinum sun bleached hair...plus its usually standing on end with bugs meshed into it.
By the end of the day, the skin on my legs & arms are cracking dry with a crusty salty film. My clothes get surprisingly dirty each day & I've usually collected some kind of foliage somewhere. Yep..it's a real glamour-fest this long distance walking caper. I have however managed to avoid nettle stings during my 'off-piste' forays!
I love it, I love it all...problems, exhaustion, frustration, tears...whatever it is, hit me with it & on I go. Spoilt forever, I can't travel any other way now.
The last few weeks have brought changes in landscape, land use & architecture. There are more hills & woodlands. There are still crops but also livestock farming. The change in land-use means less opportunity for self-navigation & more road walking. I've walked canal paths but there's also been rivers & creeks. I realised it was natural features I was missing from my first weeks walking northern France. The daffodils are dying out but tulips are in full bloom. The sound of insects now accompany birds in the forest. The villages have gone from maison type housing to exposed timber framing & now stone. Large towns/small cities like Reims & Besançon ding with the sounds of trams which immediately takes me to Melbourne..just minus the MCG light towers in the background.
I'll get my leg sorted & I'll be on my way again Sunday. It's a bit shocking to me to see the names of places in Switzerland on signs. Wow...I've come so far & if I had to do a little skip to ensure I can go the whole way, so be it.
So to you all, it's Au Revoir from France & for me, it will be Au Revoir to France after nearly 5 weeks walking its length.
As always, I'm thankful for safe passage.
Sempre Avanti
Excerpt from group email...
Day 32 walking
825km
Besançon, France
I always intended to write my next instalment from Besançon but I did not intend to be writing it this soon. I arrived two days earlier than planned. I didn't suddenly find untapped energy reserves nor did my trusty Salomon's sprout wings.
I took the modern day equivalent of the medieval pilgrim's donkey cart...le autobus.
Medial tibial stress syndrome; in plain English...which thankfully Docteur Pharmacien spoke, shin splints. Luckily just my left leg. A number of over 30km days in a row, a sudden jump in temperature (from snowing during my side trip to Luxembourg to high 20's) & the onset of rolling hills, something was bound to give.
I'd had a terrible day prior; a 34km slog to Langres in unseasonal heat. I was exhausted & doing that late-in-the-day staggering thing but the end was in sight. Langres is another rempart town perched high above the surrounding countryside. As I approached, I was level with the Cathedral & hoped I'd be walking a ridge to enter the walls rather than from the valley below.
But no, the road weaved & dipped ever down & the town slipped out of sight. I came around the bend & squinting into the sun, there it was; way, way up.
Just what I needed, a big climb.
I could have sat on the side of the road & cried. I didn't because;
a/ I had no energy or hydration to waste,
b/ it wouldn't have changed anything & I'd still be in the same position but it'd be 10 minutes later &
c/ I doubt anything other than a magically appearing shiny escalator would have made me feel better.
The next day to Champlitte was going to be about 37km. I walked 3km in the opposite direction to jump on the train & knock it down to a more-manageable-but-still-a-slog 30km. Doesn't sound like much but it saved 1.5 hours walking. I'd been having off & on pain down my left shin for a number of days but it eased enough overnight to walk the next day. This time it didn't. Those last 12-15km into Champlitte were agony. Nothing would ease it & unintentional tears were falling. I limped into the Champlitte Pharmacy to a 'Oh Mon Dieu!' from the staff who fetched the Pharmacist. She knew what it was straight off & said it's common amongst full Via Francigena walkers by this stage. Road walking, distances, camber of surfaces, etc.
My leg was elevated, I was ice-packed, strapped up & given anti-inflammatories. I was also told to rest my leg for at least 7 days.
Seven days.
'Is not possible oui?'
'Oui...is not possible.'
I was still 3 long walking days from Besançon where I'd planned a two night stay. The easiest & right thing to do was to go straight there the next day which would give me 4 nights recovery. With 1300km still to walk plus the Jura Mountains, the Swiss Alps & all the hills of Tuscany & co, bit of a no-brainer really.
Decision made, no second-guessing, no regrets, don't look back...
So here I am.
Until this little hiccup, I was well-into my walking zone. Yes, the language is doing my head in & the daily distances are more than I like. I keep being told by accommodation providers, Office de Tourisme staff & again by the Pharmacist I'm walking too far each day.
I know that.
All these people are kind & well-intentioned but they're used to European walkers who do a one week section per year covering about 15km a day. So I explain again, that I'm Australian with a visa time limit & I have to clock up the k's while the going is fairly flat (things will slow down considerably once mountains are involved). I will ease off in Switzerland & Italy...unfortunately my leg just couldn't hold out for the final push to the border.
I very much have my Walking Wild Woman look going on. I usually make some effort to keep things under control but not this trip. My concession to appearances this time is I try to remember to comb my hair in the morning. I have my Walkers Tan including two white disks around my eyes from my sunnies. I have my Surfie Chick platinum sun bleached hair...plus its usually standing on end with bugs meshed into it.
By the end of the day, the skin on my legs & arms are cracking dry with a crusty salty film. My clothes get surprisingly dirty each day & I've usually collected some kind of foliage somewhere. Yep..it's a real glamour-fest this long distance walking caper. I have however managed to avoid nettle stings during my 'off-piste' forays!
I love it, I love it all...problems, exhaustion, frustration, tears...whatever it is, hit me with it & on I go. Spoilt forever, I can't travel any other way now.
The last few weeks have brought changes in landscape, land use & architecture. There are more hills & woodlands. There are still crops but also livestock farming. The change in land-use means less opportunity for self-navigation & more road walking. I've walked canal paths but there's also been rivers & creeks. I realised it was natural features I was missing from my first weeks walking northern France. The daffodils are dying out but tulips are in full bloom. The sound of insects now accompany birds in the forest. The villages have gone from maison type housing to exposed timber framing & now stone. Large towns/small cities like Reims & Besançon ding with the sounds of trams which immediately takes me to Melbourne..just minus the MCG light towers in the background.
I'll get my leg sorted & I'll be on my way again Sunday. It's a bit shocking to me to see the names of places in Switzerland on signs. Wow...I've come so far & if I had to do a little skip to ensure I can go the whole way, so be it.
So to you all, it's Au Revoir from France & for me, it will be Au Revoir to France after nearly 5 weeks walking its length.
As always, I'm thankful for safe passage.
Sempre Avanti
Last edited:
It's even complete with VF symbol!
coming along?
) but also by prolonged exercise especially on hard surfaces. In my case, walking roadside facing oncoming traffic with the camber of the road meant I'm always walking on an uneven angle which hasn't helped. Going out for a test walk up & down the Besançon Citadelle now but back on the trail tomorrow regardless! 
⛩ 
