LIVE from the Camino Caminka on Via Gebenennsis

[caminka]

Day 1: transfer & Geneve gare - cathedrale 1,5km

I am coming to this live thread with a bit of a delay. Switzerland is a very expensive pain for my mobile phone package, as I've experienced again two days ago, already 10km into France, when 30sec of roamig costed me €61! I thought the distance was enough but apparently swiss signal trumped french one. Then I wanted to be absolutely sure there is no swiss signal anymore, or there is wifi.

So. After a whole day of training across Austria and Switzerland - with a toilet stop in a tiny station because wc on the train broke down and a spectacular view of Lac Leman from high up vineyard-covered slopes - I arrived in Geneve with only 2h delay (euro football league and trains not stopping where they were meant to stop).
I didn't really have any feeling I am about to start another camino. More like I was travelling in a bubble. But the first thing I saw when I stepped onto the street from the moving stairs in Geneve, were a signpost and a waymark for Via Jacobi. And I felt a little bit like home already.

I reserved a bed in Home st Pierre (or Petershofli) right next to the cathedral, about 20min walk from the train station and right on the route. It was a period stone house with a lovely female-only dorm with nice mattreses and duvets, and a kitchen. €43.75 with tax, there is optional breakfast for €7.

The cathedral happened to be open for a late-night tower visits and I popped inside to get my firet stamp and say hello to the carved medieval stalls.

Ps: if a moderator could put a live sticker to the thread, it will be much appreciated.

 

[AJGuillaume]

Buen Camino @caminka !

I thought the distance was enough but apparently swiss signal trumped french one. Then I wanted to be absolutely sure there is no swiss signal anymore, or there is wifi.

Ah yes, in this area, mobile phone signals don't follow borders! In 2018, I was in Evian and I was getting a Swiss signal!

Enjoy!

 

[caminka]

Day 2: Geneve - le Petit Chable 20,5km

Since I had some swiss francs left over from last year's Via Jacobi, I wanted to pay in cash. However, the office opened at 8.30 only, so I devised a plan.
I took of walking, withouty the big backpack, a little past 6h and crossed Geneve and Carouge and stopped at the bus stop Serves, a bit before the route turns away from the roads and becomes lanes and paths. A bit more then an hour of walking. I then took a bus and a tram back to the centre, arranged the payment and met my first pilgrim, Alfred who started in Linz, Austria.

I then took a tram and a bus back to Serves, with my heavy backpack, and continued. It was heavy because I was carrying two days worth of food, picknicks and dinner. There is nothing between Neydens and Frangy. Not the easiest start on my shoulders and hipbones, and I am feeling it now.

When the route - here still yellow lozenges of Via Jacobi - leaves Geneve, it now runs through shady woods along streams and across open fields to Compesieres. I thought it was adequately waymarked and didn't see any signs with a man walking confidently, as Davey reported.

In Compesieres I topped-up water, collected the stamp from the church and when exiting the church, dutyfully looked up and checked that no paint was gonna land on my head from the main repainting the clock.

At the unassuming Franch bordet marked by a ramp and a stream, waymarks changed to white and red GR stickers, yellow arrow stickers and small blue squares with a yellow scallop, pointing the way with the bit where the scallop lanes come together.

The day was hot and getting stuffy. I kept topping-up water whenever I could, there were taps in every village and also at chartreuse de Pomier.
The route was a good mix of quiet roads and forest lanes, with nice views back to Lac Leman when it climbed out of Neydens.
I lost one of my magnetic clips. And I learned of my huge mobile bill when I took a rest at Pomier.

After Pomier I deviated down to le Petit Chable where I reserved a bed and a dinner at a family which welcomes pilgrims. They had a most colourful garden and I was welcomed with raspberries.

I was pretty tired - heavy backpack! - so I napped most of the afternoon. Later we chatted a bit. There were granddaughters visiting and I helped the elder one color a castle drawing. She then signed it and gifted it to me to remember her and her little sister.

 

[caminka]

Day 3: le Petit Chable - Chaumont 21,5km

The day's weather forecast promised intermittend showers, but it was in fact only mostly overcast, with a sprinkle in the morning and on the final climb. Pretty perfect walking weather.

There is a route directly from le Petit Chable to col du Mont Sion, with some nice sunrise views, if you are lucky.

I made a short detour to Charly to the water fountain and to see if the chapel with stamp is open, but I was too early. Charly looked very pretty with many flower-bedecked stone houses and little colourful art corners. It has a gite d'etape.

On the climb up, the mist rose up or the cloud came down, so there was no view to Mont Blanc.

After storms the previous evening, all forest lanes were very muddy. It was the sticky-and-slippery kind of mud and required a lot of attention. I was glad I had my walking poles.

I took a waymarked variant via Marlioz where instead of a stamp in the chapel that once belonged to a pilgrim hospital, I got more mud and annoying mosquitoes.

Steep descent lead to a medieval bridge over marmittes - a narrow gorge with cauldrons cut out by gushing water. It was brown with dirt that day, not poster-card blue. The short detour to the waterfall is not worth it, you don't see the waterfall at all, only the top of it.

The climb into Chaumont was mostly very steep and partly in rain, but there was a pretty old lane in the middle.

Gite d'etape in Chaumont is on top of the village behind the church and has a nice view of the ruined castle. The toilet is indeed a squatter down some rather precarious stairs (also the shower). I quite like squatters, the cleaning bit is easier then on a hoverer where I usually need to be on my tip-toes.

Arthur from Austria and Yann from France arriver to the gite later. Yann has twisted an ankle and arranged a visit to a local sort-of energy therapist. He was told two days of rest and that the camino is not for him. This was in fact his second attempt at Via Gebenennsis in two months. So we devised a plan with rest days and shorter days to get him started again. He wishes to walk all the way to SdC.

Gite is €16, plus optional breakfast €7. It has blankets and a good kitchen, and fridge stocked with a small selection of dinner foods (at a small cost). The carer can sometimes make dinner too. We cooked pasta with ratatouille and added veggies I brought with me.

My shoulders hurt pretty bad today and I developped 'rocks'. It turned out that Alfred knows massage and he was kind enough to loosen them up. Hopefully, with much less food in my backpack, this is not gonna be a problem from now on.

 

[caminka]

Ps: how do I add thumbnails from my phone? It takes forever to load pictures.

 

[LTfit]

Day 1: transfer & Geneve gare - cathedrale 1,5km

I am coming to this live thread with a bit of a delay. Switzerland is a very expensive pain for my mobile phone package, as I've experienced again two days ago, already 10km into France, when 30sec of roamig costed me €61! I thought the distance was enough but apparently swiss signal trumped french one. Then I wanted to be absolutely sure there is no swiss signal anymore, or there is wifi.

So. After a whole day of training across Austria and Switzerland - with a toilet stop in a tiny station because wc on the train broke down and a spectacular view of Lac Leman from high up vineyard-covered slopes - I arrived in Geneve with only 2h delay (euro football league and trains not stopping where they were meant to stop).
I didn't really have any feeling I am about to start another camino. More like I was travelling in a bubble. But the first thing I saw when I stepped onto the street from the moving stairs in Geneve, were a signpost and a waymark for Via Jacobi. And I felt a little bit like home already.

I reserved a bed in Home st Pierre (or Petershofli) right next to the cathedral, about 20min walk from the train station and right on the route. It was a period stone house with a lovely female-only dorm with nice mattreses and duvets, and a kitchen. €43.75 with tax, there is optional breakfast for €7.

The cathedral happened to be open for a late-night tower visits and I popped inside to get my firet stamp and say hello to the carved medieval stalls.

Ps: if a moderator could put a live sticker to the thread, it will be much appreciated.

How exciting! You starting in Geneva brings back found memories of my 1,5 year in Genėve. As a bank expat I was given an apartment in the Old Town, down the street from the Cathedral. A few years ago I went back with my kids to show them where I lived and what did I see? A blue and yellow Camino sign!

Yes, Switzerland was and is still expensive. Those were the days when the boss paid for housing and a car!

Bon Chemin!

 

[Kitsambler]

You could just post text, and wait on the photos until you have wifi, then go back to edit.

 

[caminka]

Day 4: Chaumont - Seyssel 19km

Today felt a whole lot better without all the extra food. Much like my training sessions with 10kg backpack. Shoulders don't feel laden with rocks, in fact, thet feel pretty good, and hipbones barely hurt. Hopefully this will now be the standard.

There were surprisingly few water points today: Chaumont, Designy and a fountain on the way to Seysell.

After a much less steep than expected descent to Frangy, I popped into the church which should have a stamp, but no, just a nice camino stained-glass window with a big scallop. Frangy is a busy little town, the only one with provisions for the day. I got my first postcard!

The climb out of Frangy was pretty exposed, so make sure to stock on water in a bar on a shop in Frangy, the fountain was dry.
There were also two sections where I wasn't sure at first if I was on the right path.
The first was on top of the steep paths intersecting the road. Reaching a line of trees in front, go left, pass a tree on your right, then veer right before houses, joining a dirt track.
The second section was out of Champagne. On thr gravel road fork twice left, the second time to a dirt track which becomes grassy along the lower edge of a meadow. Keep on to join a track coming from back left.

In Designy I took a longer rest on one of the nice roofed benches of the new multi-purpose hall. Toilets in the mairie were closed, though, because the building was being renovated and the mairie is currently conducting its business from a shipping container.

The route from Designy is almost entirely on quiet asphalt roads, with frequent views down to the valley of the river Rhone and once to a 13C castle of Pelly. It's possible to sleep in the castle for a pilgrim rate of BB €39.

A section of stony lane had a tick warning so I unrolled my pants all the way down and took great care to touch as little vegetation as possible. No ticks seen.

The variant via Seysell is clearly marked. The descent was pretty brutal for knees and ankles, steep stony road in many places ravaged by streams. A fine view from above on Seysell, though.

Camping in Seysell has a pilgrim safari tent with four bunks, blankets, wifi, washing and drying machine, a pool, fridge, microwave and a supermarket across the road. Oh, and mosquitos which are just now becoming a pain. €16.20 for a bed. A pretty lane leads to the town along the Rhone.

Just as I was having my microwave dinner, a whole class of kids on bicycles arrived, set up their little tents and headed for the pool. It might be lively tonight.

 

[caminka]

I saw that @peregrina2000 added the live sticker to my thread. Thank you!

 

[VNwalking]

Oh! Wonderful, wonderful. This is one of the only outside-of-Spain routes on my list. So I will be reading your posts with a lot of interest. Bon chemin!

Ps: how do I add thumbnails from my phone? It takes forever to load pictures.

'Attach files' then 'insert' / 'thumbnail.' Sometimes on the phone it does take forever. If the signal is strong, I find turning the wifi off for a while and then turning it back on can help - perhaps stopping something running in the background that's hogging the bandwidth?

It's worth the wait - lovely photos, merci!

It might be lively tonight.

May it not be so...

 

[caminka]

Day 5: Seysell - Chanaz 23km

Today was a proper summer day. Not yet the meseta scorching heat but certainly getting there.

I thought it was going to be a pretty uneventful day, being mostly flat and along a river. Yeah...

It started innocently enough with a flat asphalt bikelane along the Rhone out of Seysell. A friendly shaggy dog and its owner were already having a walk.

At the village vacances a lady with a different dog stopped me and suggested that I take a new road to avoid some unkempt path after the dam. I understood it was overgrown. I thanked her, but was actually looking forward to some off-road walking.
The path turned out to be mostly fine, not overgrown at all, but it was washed away at two places and needed extra care there. There were also several sources sipping onto the path and it was muddy. The stiff climb up to the meadows was quite stony too. So in rain or after heavy rain, it might be prudent to take that road alternative; it starts just before the toilets.
There is a water tab at a circular 'roof' after the tourist info just before village vacanses.

Up on the plateau above the Rhone the route is again a minor road used by cyclists, then grassy tracks for a while. Like yesterday, I tried my fashion walk to avoid the dew without much success.

At a shelter with a rest area in Versieres it's prudent to fill the water bottles because the next water, if working, is three hours away.
A little further on was a box with a stamp for my collection.

A long exposed gravel road with a stone moat on the right (called a roman moat) leads back to the Rhone. I encountered a group of tandem cyclists on the bikelane that followed.
Take a rest somewhere on this bikelane for what is to come.

The route leaves the bikelane into poplar woods along the river and arrives at a nice shady bench. In the bug season, unroll the pants, put on long sleeves, drink and prepare to march. What followed was a narrow path overgrown with brambles and teeming with mosquitos and those annoying midges that buzz before your glasses. The only way I avoided at least some of the mosquitos was to maintain a fast tempo and battle with the brambles. Although it was all shady, my legs started to feel a bit queasy after half an hour.

The path ended through a tunnel from those japanese invading plants, with an abrupt short climb to a stone-built wall/moat. I had a bit too much runup and almost went down the other side. The route follows the moat to the right and a short section was almost impassable because of the japanese invaders.
After another 15-20min of similar overgrown mosquito path up on the moat there was a bridge and a confusing crossroad.

One signpost with GR65 pointed right to Chanaz, another with a scallop pointed left to Chanaz. I checked the map and surmised that the left route probably followed an asphalt bikelane and the right gravel roads and paths. Of course I went right. Take my advice and save yourself another, even narrower, overgrown mosquito path, with extra muddy sections thrown in, plus a whole chain of big muddy puddles.

I practically collapsed onto the bench at the toilets and water tap at the bar at Etang Bleu lake. It was definitely not what I expected from a flat day along a river.

Water tap only works when the bar is open. Fill up because the next 45min are an entirely exposed, but quite pretty, moat between a canal and the river.

Entry into Chanaz was a bit confusing. You need to pass the hotel then turn right to a gravel path by an info board.

Chanaz itself is a really pretty village of flower-bedecked and slate-roofed stone houses climbing a steep slope above canal de Savieres. It has a small museum of roman pottery in a 15C chapel, a cave emanating cold air, a medieval fountain built into the foundation wall of the parish, and a working 19C water mill grinding hazelnuts and walnuts for oil and marmelade.

Alfred, Yann and me are all staying in gite d'etape El Camino, the only pilgrim-friendly accommodation in this touristy town. There are duvets and blankets, a kettle, wifi and a lush garden with space for maybe two tents. €20 for pilgrims, with optional breakfast €7. Madame does not cook dinner anymore, so we went to the local shop and made a nice salad.

 

[VNwalking]

The path ended through a tunnel from those japanese invading plants, with an abrupt short climb to a stone-built wall/moat. I had a bit too much runup and almost went down the other side. The route follows the moat to the right and a short section was almost impassable because of the japanese invaders.
After another 15-20min of similar overgrown mosquito path up on the moat there was a bridge and a confusing crossroad.

Of course I went right. Take my advice and save yourself another, even narrower, overgrown mosquito path, with extra muddy sections thrown in, plus a whole chain of big muddy puddles.

Ugh. What a day. Whatever doesn't kill us makes us stronger, or something like that, but geeze. I bet the shower felt divine, after all that.

 

[caminka]

Ugh. What a day. Whatever doesn't kill us makes us stronger, or something like that, but geeze. I bet the shower felt divine, after all that.

Absolutely. And a nap too.

 

[caminka]

Day 6: Chanaz - Yenne 19km

I didn't sleep very well and it took me a whole hour to prepare and pack in the morning. It was a shortish day, so no worries.

The steep climb out of Chanaz resolved into a nice gravel track undulating past meadows, groves and vineyards.
When I was going around one bend, I spotted an orange-brown four-legged bushy-tailed creature hopping into the grass. It didn't catch whatever it wanted to and started walking towards me. It's big ears pricked up when it spotted me, then it quickly scurried into the bush. It was a young fox!

Lots of green vineyards today, with some nice panoramic views despite the overcast sky.
I like vineyards. They are really handy if you need to pee and usually don't hide mosquitos (as does maiz).
But I was lucky to happen upon a fence-painting job in Joncieux and the coordinator let me use the toilets in the mairie.

Right about here the wind picked up and gushed around pretty strongly for about half an hour. I thought and it looked like rain was coming, but at the end nothing happened.

In Montagnin I missed a turn and ended on the road.
Then later, I chose a self-made alternative and avoided the chapel with the view and the steep and slippery descent afterwards. I don't know why, but that descent didn't sit well in my mind and I learned to listen to such warnings.

So I reached Yenne at the supermarket, stocked up and crossed all of the town to get to the camping on the other side where the route leaves Yenne. The camping has pilgrim/cyclist accommodation in a big tipi. I've never slept in a tipi before so that will be new. It only has one smallish door, but so far me and Alfred are the only ones in it. €21.25 in high season, some blankets, fully equipped summer kitchen. In the town about 300m back are a small shop, bakery, bars and laundry. Supermarket is about 1km from the camping through the town.

The sun is peeking out now, but in the afternoon and evening storms are forecast.
The forecast for tommorrow is also pretty dodgy. I am really looking forward to tommorrow's more mountaneous paths high above the Rhone. It will not rain, okay? It will not.

 

[VNwalking]

It will not rain, okay? It will not.

May there be sun for you!