Cluny or Vezelay - Recommendation needed

[monja]

Starting from Freiburg/Germany to SJPP in June.
I tried to find out, which route will be the best for me. But cant find an answer! )
Due to the aspect that I will be by my own and not speak any French.. I would be very happy for some helpful words.
I am curious..

 

[hollinhead]

Starting from Freiburg/Germany to SJPP in June.
I tried to find out, which route will be the best for me. But cant find an answer! )
Due to the aspect that I will be by my own and not speak any French.. I would be very happy for some helpful words.
I am curious..

If you don’t speak French then either route will be the same from that point of view. I don’t think it will matter much anyway. Most hostel hosts speak English. In all other respects the Vezelay route is wonderful, very quiet at the beginning. If you don’t mind being on your own then you will have plenty time to reflect and enjoy the lovely country that youlll be walking through. I don’t know the Cluny route so can’t compare. Bon chemin which you choose.

 

[monja]

Thank you very much for your response.
I guess the Cluny route also will be quiet. But honestly, walking from Germany will be really quiet. So a little bit of socializing later on is not so bad.
Is the route mostly flat? Or are there also a few ups and downs - which I would prefer.
As you see, a lot of questions

 

[hollinhead]

Thank you very much for your response.
I guess the Cluny route also will be quiet. But honestly, walking from Germany will be really quiet. So a little bit of socializing later on is not so bad.
Is the route mostly flat? Or are there also a few ups and downs - which I would prefer.
As you see, a lot of questions

The route is hilly in parts with some ups and downs. It gets a little steeper further south. The latter part through Gascony is quite flat before reaching St Jean. Some guidebooks will show the terrain profile. I haven’t completed it yet - I did my first section (about 600km) in June/july 2017 as far as perigueux, then another shorter section to St Foix on 2019. I Hope to do another section later this year.

 

[lovingkindness]

Hello @monja

I have walked as a solitary pilgrim from Freiburg Im Breisgau to Cluny (via Taizé) in the summer, 2018 and also from across Germany to Vézelay in winter/spring 2010-2011. When I first walked in France I could barely speak French. I wore a coquille Saint-Jacques on a string around my neck and managed mostly by showing my credencial. "Bonjour!" plus a few memorized phrases did the rest. It was all part of the fun. Since then French studies have become part of my daily routine...

In Vézelay I was enthralled by the Romanesque interior of the Basilica Sainte-Marie-Madeleine and also the exquisite chanting of the Fréres et Soeurs in four-part harmony. I was very tired by the time I reached Vézelay so I rested there for a number of days.

Video: Vèzelay un rayon de sa lumière

I photographed and blogged the journey through Germany to Vézelay sharing it 'live' with the Forum. The blog is very long as I had started months before in Norway. After Koblenz I followed the Moselle Camino to Trier. From Trier there are 500 kms of trails to Vézelay, crossing into France at at Sierck-Les-Bains (Blog: Day 194, #305 ). The guide book which I used had only just been published. Signing along the trail has much improved since then:

Guide book Trier-Vézelay: Steffen, Wolfgang. Von Apostelgrab zu Apostelgrab, Ein Führer für Pilgerinnen auf dem Weg nach Santiago von St. Matthias in Trier bis Sainte Madeleine in VézelayGalli: Verlag. ISBN 978-3-936990-49-2


Vézelay Basilica (2011): WOW, look at those trail runners!

As for Cluny, the massive Abbey is in ruins. I have walked there twice on my way to the community Taizé and visited another time as a tourist. I first learned of Cluny through studying Musicology so, for me, a visit to Cluny is somewhat cerebral, more about the evolution of western music than anything else. The ruins and town are interesting, though, and I've squandered more than a day or so exploring them. In Cluny I knocked on the convent door of Les Sœurs St Joseph and had a pleasant stay.



Attached below is a PDF which I put together after walking from Freiburg Im Breisgau to Taizé (2018). There may be something useful in it for you. Cluny is a mere 10 kms from Taizé, along the old voie verte. Pilgrims often overnight there on their way to Assisi and Santiago de Compostela.

Route taken: Three weeks along der Jakobsweg/le Chemin de St Jacques from Freiburg im Breisgau through the Alsace (Haut-Rhin), the Franche-Compté, Bourgogne + La Saône. (Resource section)

Happy planning!
Lovingkindness

PS If you have the time, there is no need to choose between walking to Vézelay or to Cluny. There is now a signed pilgrim trail passing between the two: Le Chemin d'Assise


Chemin d'Assise

 

[Sugaree]

Starting from Freiburg/Germany to SJPP in June.
I tried to find out, which route will be the best for me. But cant find an answer! )
Due to the aspect that I will be by my own and not speak any French.. I would be very happy for some helpful words.
I am curious..

We have only done 10 days on Voie de Vezelay, Limoges to St. Astier, so this is limited info but one thing I noticed when booking accommodations is that some people only have phone numbers and only speak french. So get a good guide to facilities and really check it out for how easy it will be for you to make your reservations. You may need to ask people to call for you. Also, we have international calling on our American phones, but if a french person calls or texts us they would have an international charge, so email is best if they have it.

 

[monja]

Hello @monja

I have walked as a solitary pilgrim from Freiburg Im Breisgau to Cluny (via Taizé) in the summer, 2018 and also from across Germany to Vézelay in winter/spring 2010-2011. When I first walked in France I could barely speak French. I wore a coquille Saint-Jacques on a string around my neck and managed mostly by showing my credencial. "Bonjour!" plus a few memorized phrases did the rest. It was all part of the fun. Since then French studies have become part of my daily routine...

In Vézelay I was enthralled by the Romanesque interior of the Basilica Sainte-Marie-Madeleine and also the exquisite chanting of the Fréres et Soeurs in four-part harmony. I was very tired by the time I reached Vézelay so I rested there for a number of days.

Video: Vèzelay un rayon de sa lumière

I photographed and blogged the journey through Germany to Vézelay sharing it 'live' with the Forum. The blog is very long as I had started months before in Norway. After Koblenz I followed the Moselle Camino to Trier. From Trier there are 500 kms of trails to Vézelay, crossing into France at at Sierck-Les-Bains (Blog: Day 194, #305 ). The guide book which I used had only just been published. Signing along the trail has much improved since then:

Guide book Trier-Vézelay: Steffen, Wolfgang. Von Apostelgrab zu Apostelgrab, Ein Führer für Pilgerinnen auf dem Weg nach Santiago von St. Matthias in Trier bis Sainte Madeleine in VézelayGalli: Verlag. ISBN 978-3-936990-49-2

View attachment 145766
Vézelay Basilica (2011): WOW, look at those trail runners!

As for Cluny, the massive Abbey is in ruins. I have walked there twice on my way to the community Taizé and visited another time as a tourist. I first learned of Cluny through studying Musicology so, for me, a visit to Cluny is somewhat cerebral, more about the evolution of western music than anything else. The ruins and town are interesting, though, and I've squandered more than a day or so exploring them. In Cluny I knocked on the convent door of Les Sœurs St Joseph and had a pleasant stay.

View attachment 145772

Attached below is a PDF which I put together after walking from Freiburg Im Breisgau to Taizé (2018). There may be something useful in it for you. Cluny is a mere 10 kms from Taizé, along the old voie verte. Pilgrims often overnight there on their way to Assisi and Santiago de Compostela.

Route taken: Three weeks along der Jakobsweg/le Chemin de St Jacques from Freiburg im Breisgau through the Alsace (Haut-Rhin), the Franche-Compté, Bourgogne + La Saône. (Resource section)

Happy planning!
Lovingkindness

PS If you have the time, there is no need to choose between walking to Vézelay or to Cluny. There is now a signed pilgrim trail passing between the two: Le Chemin d'Assise

View attachment 145768
Chemin d'Assise

Wow! Thank you very much for so much information! I will check everything out. Your list for accommodations I had already found somewhere, don't know where anymore...
My time is limited. I have 2 months and want to reach SJPP. So I have to decide whether Vezelay or Cluny.
But I am already pretty sure I will make it to Cluny-LePuy. And I will make a stop in Taizé for sure!
The idea of hanging a Coquille around your neck is fantastic. I will cover this.
I try to learn French every day, just a little bit. But for me its not an easy language. At least I can tell them my name ))
I can't wait to start... and are very excited especially the first two weeks because there will not be many other pilgrims on this route.
Well, thanx a lot again!! Have a good day! Monja

 

[lovingkindness]

You are welcome...