Tassie Kaz
Sempre Avanti
- Time of past OR future Camino
- 2024?
London to Rome
Excerpt from group email sent 12 May...
(I am now in Mortara)
I've included some practical info in an additional 'Live from the VF' posting.
Day 46 walking
1179 km
Ivrea, Italy
I've crossed two borders since my last instalment & am now walking the fourth country of this trip. My enforced (but willingly taken) rest in Besançon worked its magic & I re-started feeling fit, well & eager to see what wonders lay ahead. And wonders there has been. The scenery...wow. The contrasts from France, Switzerland & now Italy defy description.
I've had no further problems with my shin & no problems at all with my knees.
My introduction to Switzerland this time was gentle; hills & small mountains (up to approx 1200m). It was an overcast day descending to an agricultural plain (more canola fields...) when a photo opportunity presented itself. A church spire rose in the gap between hills as the valley widened & clouds provided the background. Clouds? They weren't clouds...they were mountains! Huge, snow covered mountains. A few contributions to the Swear Jar later & I was just as gobsmacked. Weeks & weeks of flat France & now a wall, although still somewhat distant, of mountains. It was just as startling today as sadly, I left the Aosta Valley (which I really loved) here in northern Italy & for the first time in two weeks, there was open sky in front of me.
The magnificent, jaw dropping, staggeringly beautiful mountains are now behind me. They certainly presented me with challenges; the weather (including snow to low elevations & still falling daily), trail conditions (slippery, muddy, downed trees, etc) but most of all, my balance disorder. I had many dizzy-shaking-jelly-legs episodes. It really tested me on occasions especially being on my own & knowing not a soul on earth knew my exact whereabouts (just a general geographical location ie; my nightly destination) if I fell. My balance disorder means I am the most awkward & least sure-footed person on the planet. I can walk across an entire foreign country but a two metre section of track can stop me in mine (tracks).
Great St Bernard Pass is the highest elevation of the Via Francigena. Its also considered the half way point even though technically it isn't as that hallmark has already passed. Making the trek up was completely out of the question. Too much snow & still falling. I knew before I left home it was unlikely I'd be able to get up there..first week of May is around a month too early..so I wasn't disappointed at all. For many it is The Highlight of the whole VF & they go to quite extraordinary lengths to reach it but I never viewed it that way. If I did, I would have made the trip at a different time of year. For me its the whole journey so I tend not to place emphasis on individual aspects. As I have right from the beginning, I'm still very much going my own way & when I think of all I've seen & experienced because I walked it now, I wouldn't change a thing.
So, it was the Tunnel option for me & the border between Switzerland & Italy is crossed while under the mountain.
Ah, Italy...how lovely to be here again & even better, this particular area is new territory for me. The Aosta Valley was mesmerising...I often just stood & stared at the splendour around me. The geography means trail options are mostly limited to the 'official' or guidebook version so I gave my 'self-navigation' a rest & followed the now suddenly remarkably frequent signage & other markers.
I still have about 5 weeks walking to reach Rome...& I will make it. The time left is going to fly; I want to savour & enjoy every moment.
Andiamo!
Excerpt from group email sent 12 May...
(I am now in Mortara)
I've included some practical info in an additional 'Live from the VF' posting.
Day 46 walking
1179 km
Ivrea, Italy
I've crossed two borders since my last instalment & am now walking the fourth country of this trip. My enforced (but willingly taken) rest in Besançon worked its magic & I re-started feeling fit, well & eager to see what wonders lay ahead. And wonders there has been. The scenery...wow. The contrasts from France, Switzerland & now Italy defy description.
I've had no further problems with my shin & no problems at all with my knees.
My introduction to Switzerland this time was gentle; hills & small mountains (up to approx 1200m). It was an overcast day descending to an agricultural plain (more canola fields...) when a photo opportunity presented itself. A church spire rose in the gap between hills as the valley widened & clouds provided the background. Clouds? They weren't clouds...they were mountains! Huge, snow covered mountains. A few contributions to the Swear Jar later & I was just as gobsmacked. Weeks & weeks of flat France & now a wall, although still somewhat distant, of mountains. It was just as startling today as sadly, I left the Aosta Valley (which I really loved) here in northern Italy & for the first time in two weeks, there was open sky in front of me.
The magnificent, jaw dropping, staggeringly beautiful mountains are now behind me. They certainly presented me with challenges; the weather (including snow to low elevations & still falling daily), trail conditions (slippery, muddy, downed trees, etc) but most of all, my balance disorder. I had many dizzy-shaking-jelly-legs episodes. It really tested me on occasions especially being on my own & knowing not a soul on earth knew my exact whereabouts (just a general geographical location ie; my nightly destination) if I fell. My balance disorder means I am the most awkward & least sure-footed person on the planet. I can walk across an entire foreign country but a two metre section of track can stop me in mine (tracks).
Great St Bernard Pass is the highest elevation of the Via Francigena. Its also considered the half way point even though technically it isn't as that hallmark has already passed. Making the trek up was completely out of the question. Too much snow & still falling. I knew before I left home it was unlikely I'd be able to get up there..first week of May is around a month too early..so I wasn't disappointed at all. For many it is The Highlight of the whole VF & they go to quite extraordinary lengths to reach it but I never viewed it that way. If I did, I would have made the trip at a different time of year. For me its the whole journey so I tend not to place emphasis on individual aspects. As I have right from the beginning, I'm still very much going my own way & when I think of all I've seen & experienced because I walked it now, I wouldn't change a thing.
So, it was the Tunnel option for me & the border between Switzerland & Italy is crossed while under the mountain.
Ah, Italy...how lovely to be here again & even better, this particular area is new territory for me. The Aosta Valley was mesmerising...I often just stood & stared at the splendour around me. The geography means trail options are mostly limited to the 'official' or guidebook version so I gave my 'self-navigation' a rest & followed the now suddenly remarkably frequent signage & other markers.
I still have about 5 weeks walking to reach Rome...& I will make it. The time left is going to fly; I want to savour & enjoy every moment.
Andiamo!
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