Start VF del Sud (Rome-Bari) 10 May, then Via Egnatia (Durres-Thessaloniki)

[BobM]

Well, my thoughts are turning to shaking the dust off of my hiking boots, packing and 'will I find a bed?'

I will be leaving Rome on 10 May, arriving Bari 1 June.

Then I take a ferry to Durres (Albania), have a rest day or two and walk the Via Egnatia (VE) to Thessaloniki, hopefully arriving on 2 July if there are no border crossing problems arising from the refugee crisis. If there are dramas when I get to the Macedonian border, my fall-back plan is to fly to Ben Gurion airport and walk the part of the INT and the Jerusalem Trail from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.

Accommodation can be a problem for non-campers on the VE, so that might throw a spanner (or a non-existent tent pole) into the works as well.

Anyway, that's the plan. But as Helmuth von Moltke said, "no plan survives contact with the enemy." Or, in this case, the terrain.

If anyone will be walking on the above routes about the same time, I would love to chat with you. In any case if you have questions, I may be able to help from the research I have done.

Best wishes for your own walks this year.

Bob M

 

[mspath]

All the best to you Bob! Looking forward to reading the accounts and seeing your photos of this next journey. Do keep us posted.

Stay safe, bon voyage and, as always, Ultreia!

Margaret Meredith

 

[alansykes]

Then I take a ferry to Durres (Albania), have a rest day or two and walk the Via Egnatia (VE) to Thessaloniki, hopefully arriving on 2 July if there are no border crossing problems arising from the refugee crisis

Wow. Wow. This sounds like a really good one. I think you may have solved my 2017 walk for me (sorry, camino Portugués).

I've been listening to Bettany Hughes' radio programme on the route. It seems amazing. Really amazing. Please (please) let us know how it goes.

 

[lovingkindness]

... my fall-back plan is to fly to Ben Gurion airport and walk the part of the INT and the Jerusalem Trail from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem...

Go Well, @BobM, blessings on your Way.

Leaving Tel Aviv I followed the beach then the Yarqon River which snakes and winds all over the place. Eventually, in spite of signs and a Trail Map I became disoriented. At the end of the day I hitched a ride to the home of a 'Trail Angel'. It was a beautiful beginning -sea gulls and water fowl, grey herons, athletes rowing at dawn...

 

[BobM]

Wow. Wow. This sounds like a really good one. I think you may have solved my 2017 walk for me (sorry, camino Portugués).

I've been listening to Bettany Hughes' radio programme on the route. It seems amazing. Really amazing. Please (please) let us know how it goes.

The VE has an excellent website at:
http://www.viaegnatiafoundation.eu/index.php/hiking-wandern/via-egnatia-hiking-trail

The online contact is very responsive if you have questions. The guidebook (plus GPS track) is excellent. At the moment the VE guidebook stops at Thessaloniki, but work on the extension to Istanbul is well under way and about 150km or more has been mapped and "GPS-ed" (if that new word I just invented makes sense).

The big problem with the VE is lack of accommodation. One has to ask at homes in villages in many cases. I am not taking a tent to save weight, so I might have problems getting a bed on some stages. The anxiety factor is high!

Here is an excellent blog of Anita and Patrick's trials, and wonderful experiences on the VE:
http://anitasviaegnatia.blogspot.com.au/2015/09/starting-via-egnatia-from-durres-to.html

It has a heap of photographs that I found very useful to get a feel for the route.

Anyway, I hope all this is useful.

Bob M

 

[BobM]

Go Well, @BobM, blessings on your Way.

Leaving Tel Aviv I followed the beach then the Yarqon River which snakes and winds all over the place. Eventually, in spite of signs and a Trail Map I became disoriented. At the end of the day I hitched a ride to the home of a 'Trail Angel'. It is a beautiful beginning -sea gulls and water fowl, grey herons, athletes rowing at dawn...

I have Jacob Saar's guidebook "Hiking the Land of Israel" that covers the whole INT and the Jerusalem Trail. It does not come with GPS data, so I have downloaded a GPS track from a hiker that seems to follow the same route. We will see. It has a list of "Trail Angels", which, by the way, is a beautiful descriptive term.

Did you have any problems with accommodation or communicating?

Bob M

 

[lovingkindness]

I have Jacob Saar's guidebook "Hiking the Land of Israel" that covers the whole INT and the Jerusalem Trail. It does not come with GPS data, so I have downloaded a GPS track from a hiker that seems to follow the same route. We will see. It has a list of "Trail Angels", which, by the way, is a beautiful descriptive term.

Did you have any problems with accommodation or communicating?

No, I had problems with neither, just a few exciting adventures. I had difficulty initially with Customs. Having said that I wished to stay more than the usual 3 months in order to hike the INT and other trails I was sent for questioning. With very little cash and no credit card to tide me over I was given a four week tourist visa. I was not permitted to make music for money nor to be a volunteer because I hadn’t applied for a volunteer’s visa before arriving.

Re accommodation. Do book ahead for your first nights in Israel if you can and know how you will travel there from the airport. I am glad I did. It seemed important to Customs that I had…

From Tel Aviv to Jerusalem I stayed with Trail Angels. In Tel Aviv I visited the Tourist office and was greatly helped. The tourist officer telephoned ahead for the first two or three stages. She also took me out to dinner!

After Jerusalem I took the bus to Nazareth staying overnight in a hostel. For the next 20 or so days I found myself invited onto kibbutzim and into people’s homes as I hiked various Jesus Trails. Somebody along the way asked where I was hiking next then said, Call us at the end of each day. We have friends everywhere.

It was wonderful...

 

[BobM]

Re accommodation. Do book ahead for your first nights in Israel if you can and know how you will travel there from the airport. I am glad I did. It seemed important to Customs that I had…

From Tel Aviv to Jerusalem I stayed with Trail Angels. In Tel Aviv I visited the Tourist office and was greatly helped. The tourist officer telephoned ahead for the first two or three stages. She also took me out for dinner!

Thanks so much. The Tourist Office tip is just what I needed. I had been wondering how to find a local contact who could get me started in Israel with up-to-date, on-the-spot knowledge, and you provided the answer!

Bob M

 

[lovingkindness]

....The big problem with the VE is lack of accommodation. One has to ask at homes in villages in many cases. I am not taking a tent to save weight, so I might have problems getting a bed on some stages. The anxiety factor is high!

Kalimera, BobM!

The best piece of advice I received re accommodation: In Italy and other Catholic countries village life revolves around the church. The priest or the parish office is often the first contact for a pilgrim seeking help.

In the Orthodox world things differ. Village life revolves around the kafeneio (coffee house). The village people pass through the kafeneio most days and the woman serving knows everybody and everything…so, @BobM cosy up to the wood burning stove, drink lots of sludgy coffee with the old men and rest a while. Eventually when everybody has you figured, you’ll find somewhere to sleep…

From Bari I sailed to Patras then hiked the E4 trail from Aigio to Gythio followed by mountain roads from village to village along the E4 in Crete.

Finding accommodation every day was a challenge. I cried a lot. Somehow, though, with only one exception I found somewhere inside to sleep at night, shelter being anything from a derelict building to a luxury hotel.

I had a map of the E4 trail on the Pelopenese but wasn’t able to purchase the guide book in Patras. I set off following the signs and trusting that I’d find my way. A few days into the walk in the middle of nowhere, high in the mountains two hikers appeared. And would you believe it, one was Rolph Roost, the author of the E4 guide book himself. He and his wife were out maintaining trail signs. They were immensely kind to me giving good advice on Greek custom and how to continue, offering a telephone contact to call whenever I needed help and welcoming me into their home after I finished. I had hardly eaten in three days when we met and, surprise-surprise Rolph's wife had baked a big cake and for some reason she couldn't fathom had brought the entire thing along in her pack..
...you'll be fine BobM, try not to worry...

 

[BobM]

Here is some stuff on maps. Maybe it should go in another thread, but it is helpful to the VFsud, VE and Israel.

GPS devices

There are heaps of good, free Open Street maps at:
http://garmin.openstreetmap.nl/

Also, instructions for getting the maps safely onto your Gramin at:
https://www.gpsfiledepot.com/tutorials/how-to-load-maps-on-my-garmin-gps-unit/#pcbasecamp

None of the above is easily intuitive, and some of the install steps don't work exactly as described, so feel free to contact me if you need help. Don't try to load maps straight onto the Garmin device; load then onto a micro-SD card that will fit into the device. It is very easy to unintentionally wipe out important files if you try to install these maps straight into the device. You need the Garmin BaseCamp app, but that is a free download.

Smartphone apps and maps

I have a Samsung android phone and use a map/nav app called Locus Map Pro, which cost roughly $A9 from memory. There is a free version that is worth trialling before shelling out your money. See http://www.locusmap.eu/ But I suggest getting the app via the Google Play Store, not directly from the Locus site. I am sure the Locus site is safe, but the Play Store vets apps (supposedly) to make sure they are safe. Anyway, it a good security habit to have when getting apps.

The site offers a free map when you download the app. You buy extra maps with Locus 'points'. 100 points costs $A1.75 and I bought maps for Albania, Macedonia, Greece and Israel for 30 points. They are really cheap. You can use the maps to navigate with offline, so you don't need an internet connection in the field. The maps all have contours.

BackCountry Navigator is another android app that gets good reviews.

For Apple users, PocketEarth has a dedicated following.

Bob M

 

[lovingkindness]

Thanks so much. The Tourist Office tip is just what I needed. I had been wondering how to find a local contact who could get me started in Israel with up-to-date, on-the-spot knowledge, and you provided the answer!

Bob M

For more help in Tel Aviv you might visit the Lametayel Store in the Dizengof Centre. The manager and staff were a great help to me too. Here's a link:

http://www.dizengof-center.co.il/en/store/למטייל-מרכז-לטיולים/

 

[BobM]

Here is some stuff on maps. Maybe it should go in another thread, but it is helpful to the VFsud, VE and Israel.

GPS devices

There are heaps of good, free Open Street maps at:
http://garmin.openstreetmap.nl/

Also, instructions for getting the maps safely onto your Gramin at:
https://www.gpsfiledepot.com/tutorials/how-to-load-maps-on-my-garmin-gps-unit/#pcbasecamp

None of the above is easily intuitive, and some of the install steps don't work exactly as shown, so feel free to contact me if you need help. Don't try to load maps straight onto the Garmin device; load then onto a micro-SD card that will fit into the device. It is very easy to unintentionally wipe out important files if you try to install these maps straight into the device. You need the Garmin BaseCamp app, but that is a free download.

Smartphone apps and maps

I have a Samsung android phone and use a map/nav app called Locus Map Pro, which cost roughly $A9 from memory. There is a free version that is worth trialling before shelling out your money.
The site offers a free map when you sign up. You buy extra maps with Locus 'points'. 100 points costs $A1.75 and I bought maps for Albania, Macedonia, Greece and Israel for 30 points. They are really cheap. You can use the maps to navigate with offline, so you don't need an internet connection in the field. They all have contours.

BackCountry Navigator is another android app that gets good reviews.

For Apple users, PocketEarth has a dedicated following.

 

[BobM]

Kalimera, BobM!

The best piece of advice I received re accommodation: In Italy and other Catholic countries village life revolves around the church. The priest or the parish office is often the first contact for a pilgrim seeking help.

In the Orthodox world things differs. Village life revolves around the kafeneio (coffee house). The village people pass through the kafeneio most days and the woman serving knows everybody and everything…so, @BobM cosy up to the wood burning stove, drink lots of sludgy coffee with the old men and rest a while. Eventually when everybody has you figured, you’ll find somewhere to sleep…

Finding accommodation every day was a challenge. I cried a lot. Somehow, though, with only one exception I found somewhere inside to sleep at night, shelter being anything from a derelict building and a bed made of sacks of dog biscuits to a luxury hotel.....
. A few days into the walk in the middle of nowhere, high in the mountains two hikers appeared. And would you believe it, one was Rolph Roost, the author of the E4 guide book himself. He and his wife were out maintaining trail signs. They were immensely kind to me giving good advice on Greek custom and how to continue, offering a telephone contact to call whenever I needed help and welcoming me into their home after I finished..

Well done! The coffee house tip is spot on.

You are quite an inspiration for me. One must never take counsel of our fears, or we would never
leave home. All the imaginary difficulties we fear before setting out melt away once we are on the trail - sometimes be replaced by new difficulties; but they are not so bad because one has a concrete problem to solve on such occasions.

Bob M

 

[lovingkindness]

...One must never take counsel of our fears, or we would never
leave home. All the imaginary difficulties we fear before setting out melt away once we are on the trail - sometimes be replaced by new difficulties; but they are not so bad because one has a concrete problem to solve on such occasions.

Bob M

True, true but one must also watch out for paranoia… I met a Polish fellow who’d walked from Chestahowa almost as far as the Holy Land itself. In Cyprus he became convinced that the Israeli secret police had stolen his pack and replaced the shabby pack with a brand new one. He thought that the contents had been rearranged. He became so unnerved and scared of continuing that a local priest paid for him to fly back to Poland….

I, too became a bit spooked in Tel Aviv. Somebody had removed all my belongings from the storage box under my dorm bunk and put them in another. I don’t know why. My hiking poles disappeared, too. It took reception time to find them…..Most of the time I hiked in the Holy Land it felt as though I was being watched….

 

[domigee]

Wow Bob, you're off again then, how wonderful! I wish you a wonderful journey.
There is not a day that passes without my wishing I could do this walk again... I don't think I have got over it yet, enjoy every minute of it

I may have told you at the time, I also flew to Ben-Gurion airport from Larnaca (there was no other way at the time that we could find). Be there in plenty of time for the security checks, of course. I had no bad experience in Israel at all, nothing 'spooky' to report. Even the security people who interrogated us at the airport were super - and greatly amused! 'Sorry, what did you say? You wa-walked...??? From London???'

The walk from Tel-Aviv was nothing to write home about, a lot of road walking if I remember rightly, ended up staying in the only place open (it was Sabbath), a big complexe in Assaf Harofe. The next day was Neve Shalom (google it, it's quite interesting!),
then Tzuba Kibbutz just 14 k outside Jerusalem. I think part of the walk , after Assaf Harofe anyway was the Israel National Trail, it was very beautiful. Very quiet as you can imagine.

The Tourist Information Office in Tel-Aviv is on the road that is alongside the beach, in a large modern building. The people were lovely but when I said I was walking, they had no information whatsoever...., told me to try my luck on the Internet...

Anyway, I wish you all the best, buen camino my friend and can't wait to hear your stories

Dominique

 

[domigee]

Kalimera,


...you'll be fine BobM, try not to worry...

Lovely words, lovingkindness!
And what a journey yours must have been , too!
Ultreia,
Dominique

 

[BobM]

All the best to you Bob! Looking forward to reading the accounts and seeing your photos of this next journey. Do keep us posted.

Stay safe, bon voyage and, as always, Ultreia!

Margaret Meredith

I will post a blog of sorts when I get back. I won't take an iPad with me for 'live' updates as I go each day; firstly to save weight, and secondly because I don't feel particularly 'live' after a day of walking. But I admire those do who have the stamina and desire to blog each evening.

Your kind wishes are very welcome. This will be the hardest pilgrimage walk (mentally) that I will have done; there are so many uncertainties involved.

Bob M

 

[BobM]

True, true but one must also watch out for paranoia… I met a Polish fellow who’d walked from Chestahowa almost as far as the Holy Land itself. In Cyprus he became convinced that the Israeli secret police had stolen his pack and replaced the shabby pack with a brand new one. He thought that the contents had been rearranged. He became so unnerved and scared of continuing that a local priest paid for him to fly back to Poland….

I, too became a bit spooked in Tel Aviv. Somebody had removed all my belongings from the storage box under my dorm bunk and put them in another. I don’t know why. My hiking poles disappeared, too. It took reception time to find them…..Most of the time I hiked in the Holy Land it felt as though I was being watched….

But, here's the thing: You overcame all the difficulties and were not defeated by them. That is an admirable quality that I admire when I see it in people.

Apart from paranoid people, one must also avoid (or ignore) those who think (and let you know) that you are a total failure as a human being if you don't walk 50km every day in pouring rain with a 25kg pack.

Bob M

 

[BobM]

Wow Bob, you're off again then, how wonderful! I wish you a wonderful journey.
There is not a day that passes without my wishing I could do this walk again... I don't think I have got over it yet, enjoy every minute of it

I may have told you at the time, I also flew to Ben-Gurion airport from Larnaca (there was no other way at the time that we could find). Be there in plenty of time for the security checks, of course. I had no bad experience in Israel at all, nothing 'spooky' to report. Even the security people who interrogated us at the airport were super - and greatly amused! 'Sorry, what did you say? You wa-walked...??? From London???'

The walk from Tel-Aviv was nothing to write home about, a lot of road walking if I remember rightly, ended up staying in the only place open (it was Sabbath), a big complexe in Assaf Harofe. The next day was Neve Shalom (google it, it's quite interesting!),
then Tzuba Kibbutz just 14 k outside Jerusalem. I think part of the walk , after Assaf Harofe anyway was the Israel National Trail, it was very beautiful. Very quiet as you can imagine.

The Tourist Information Office in Tel-Aviv is on the road that is alongside the beach, in a large modern building. The people were lovely but when I said I was walking, they had no information whatsoever...., told me to try my luck on the Internet...

Anyway, I wish you all the best, buen camino my friend and can't wait to hear your stories

Dominique

Hey, Dominique. You and lovingkindness are my two great inspirations when I think my walk might be too difficult. I will never forget your epic walk from Canterbury to Jerusalem.

This year I will finish in Thessaloniki. Next year, maybe Turkey and to Jerusalem.

Bob M

 

[lovingkindness]

...Apart from paranoid people, one must also avoid (or ignore) those who think (and let you know) that you are a total failure as a human being if you don't walk 50km every day in pouring rain with a 25kg pack.

...50km a day? I'm lucky if I can push out 15 to 30kms with a 9 litre lumbar pack strapped to my middle. One day in Crete, though, after hiking for 5 hours along the E4 there was nowhere to sleep in the village I'd aimed for (25 kms). After a round of 'pass the pilgrim' which lasted more than an hour absolutely no one in the village was willing to shelter me. I walked another 5 hours from village to village until finally somebody locked me inside a store room with a couple of sacks of dog food as a bed. It was near zero degrees with howling wind and rain seeping through the cracks. I was thankful.....The kind fellow handed me a torch, biscuits and a carton of milk for solace....
...can't wait to read some of your stories, too, @BobM...

 

[petro]

Buen Camino Bob M!

 

[BobM]

I've been listening to Bettany Hughes' radio programme on the route.

I just finished listening to the three, 30-minute episodes in one go. Wonderful!

I had forgotten how much better radio can be than TV for story-telling. Radio allows your imagination to work its own magic while listening to an intelligent story-teller.

BTW, as far as walks are concerned, Julia Bradbury has done a series of programs for the BBC covering many walks (Lake District, Coast to Coast, South Africa and Germany). She is a serious walker in these programs, not just a superficial TV personality fronting the camera.

Bob M

 

[BobM]

I should mention another inspiring person I met and walked for a day with after Besancon on the VF:
Deborah. https://walktheworldforlove.wordpress.com/the-dream-the-why-2/ She is one committed woman.

Also, here is an website that I found useful when looking for information for Thessaloniki to Istanbul:
http://www.sultanstrail.com/landen/griekenland/

There are good (documented) walks in turkey (The Lucian Way, St Pauls Way, and another whose details I have lost that ends in Antioch (Antakya) on the Syrian border.

I have sworn that long pilgrimages are over, but???

Bob M

 

[BobM]

One day in Crete, though, after hiking for 5 hours along the E4 there was nowhere to sleep in the village I'd aimed for (25 kms). .... absolutely no one in the village was willing to shelter me. I walked another 5 hours from village to village until finally somebody locked me inside a store room with a couple of sacks of dog food as a bed. It was near zero degrees with howling wind and rain seeping through the cracks. I was thankful.....The kind fellow handed me a torch, biscuits and a carton of milk for solace.......

What a great story! But I am sure it was not so great as it unfolded. I would have been thinking dark thoughts about the unkindness of (some) strangers.

Bob M

 

[lovingkindness]

I should mention another inspiring person I met and walked for a day with after Besancon on the VF:
Deborah. https://walktheworldforlove.wordpress.com/the-dream-the-why-2/ She is one committed woman.

Well, how about that! Twice in my meanderings I have been within a day or two of meeting Deborah. She left messages in the pilgrim books along the VF and somewhere else I happened to be...

 

[lovingkindness]

What a great story! But I am sure it was not so great as it unfolded. I would have been thinking dark thoughts about the unkindness of (some) strangers.

Bob M

Yes, I did feel retched but I couldn't afford to focus on the negative. Ill feeling drips like poison into the soul as one walks and undermines courage. I was determined to think the best, to interpret my pilgrimage as lessons in compassion or something like that...

 

[AJ]

I have sworn that long pilgrimages are over, but???

So have I. More than once.

Go for it Bob!

 

[BobM]

My guidebook for the VF del Sud is "La via Francigena nel Sud. Un percorso di 700 km da Roma a Brindisi" (http://www.amazon.it/dp/8836562876/ )

There is nothing in English. So I have translated the book from Italian with Google Translate, which was surprisingly quick using the following procedure with my smartphone. Others might find it useful, so here it is:

1. Open Google Translate, choose Italian to English, and take a photo of the page you want to translate using the camera icon on the Translate page.
2. 'Select All' the text and you will see the scanned Italian and the translation.
3. Scroll to the bottom of the screen, choose 'Share' and email a copy to yourself.
4. Open the email, cut and paste the English text into Word, and you then have a fully editable English document.

The translation is quite acceptable for factual information like navigating instructions, accommodation and eating.

It is sort of okay for figurative text, such as the Introduction to the guide, where the author waxes lyrical on the emotional and spiritual aspects of pilgrimage. But you can get a sense of what he is driving at.

You can also use Google Translate to take a photo of signs or whatever you come across for instant translation. You need an internet connection.

Bob M

 

[domigee]

Yes, very useful! Thanks Bob.

 

[BobM]

Just a test from home to see how easy it will be to post updates each day from my smartphone. It is probably practical for a few brief comments and a couple of pics.

It's a pity we can't attach sound files (WAV). Then I could do a running "radio story." How great that would be.

I plan to record WAV files each day as an experiment to avoid jotting quick notes in scrawl that I can't decipher at the end of the day. A minute of WAV files is only about 1.2MB - the same as a basic photo.

The early morning photo is near where I live.
Bobm

 

[BobM]

Does anyone know if you can get a 'visa on arrival' at the İpsala-Kipi border crossing from Greece to Turkey?

Bob M

 

[KinkyOne]

Just a test from home to see how easy it will be to post updates each day from my smartphone. It is probably practical for a few brief comments and a couple of pics.

It's a pity we can't attach sound files (WAV). Then I could do a running "radio story." How great that would be.

I plan to record WAV files each day as an experiment to avoid jotting quick notes in scrawl that I can't decipher at the end of the day. A minute of WAV files is only about 1.2MB - the same as a basic photo.

The early morning photo is near where I live.
Bobm

Hi, Bob,

I think the best thing to do about WAV files would be to open account on YouTube and then posting links to WAV files directly from your YouTube account into everyday posts. If it's possible with video clips I can't see any reason why wouldn't be with WAV.

As I remember Turkey has one of the easiest visa procedures on borders. At least that was some years ago on Istanbul airport. There is a certain fee though.

Ultreia!

 

[BobM]

I have made my own pilgrim symbol to tie to my pack by laminating back to back two images l found on the Internet.

It is okay, but I would prefer a palm tree as the symbol of pilgrimage to Jerusalem.

I could not find anything suitable on the Internet, so if anyone can point me to a palm symbol that would be great.

Bob M

 

[BobM]

I have been looking at a few sections of the VF del Sud to check navigation.

Here is one example where the route winds through the wastelands near Bari airport that shows how useful Google Maps and Street View can be: https://goo.gl/maps/pXcKEQdNXZC2

If you click on one of the blue dots marking the route, a small thumbnail photo showing the view at that point pops up at the bottom of the screen.

Double-click that thumbnail photo and you get a full-screen photo that you can rotate and tilt up/down by click/holding and dragging in the image. The little schematic map on the bottom LHS of the screen shows the direction you are looking.

How good is that!

 

[BobM]

I have been investigating the costs of mobile data and phone calls in Albania, Greece, Italy and Macedonia(FYROM) using an international SIM. The costs in Greece and Italy are acceptable, but forget Albania and Macedonia. Some international SIMS won't even work in Macedonia.

Calls in Albania and Macedonia are roughly $A1.50 (1 euro)/min and data can be $A2.00(1.30 euro)/Mb.

Maybe local SIMs are the way to go for Albania and Macedonia.

Bob M

 

[BobM]

I have made some contingency plans for a few problem stages so that I won't have to battle with unreliable phone/internet connections if problems strike in the field. Fortunately, Italy is blessed with plentiful train and bus routes, which makes it easy to find accommodation off the traditional Via Appia and Via Traiana that form most of the Via Francigena del Sud. It is also possible to walk on secondary roads instead of trails for pretty much the whole way from Rome to Bari or Brindisi; thus avoiding potential navigational problems not covered in my guidebook.

With spare time on my hands now, I have been having a look at parts of the route in Street View. It is a great tool for virtual exploration. All you have to do is create a route in Google Maps, click on any of the blue dots, double-click a thumbnail image at the bottom of the screen, then 'walk' the section of interest by clicking in the image. Here are a few examples. I hope the links work:

On the Via Appia en route to Castel Gandolfo on day one (May 10, hopefully): https://www.google.com.au/maps/@41....7BUYI-ehHvt6czM8z7PQ!2e0!7i13312!8i6656?hl=en

Coming into Velletri on day two: https://www.google.com.au/maps/@41....mVWn9ZZvG9J5IIlsocVw!2e0!7i13312!8i6656?hl=en

A view on the way to Buonalbergo on day 15: https://www.google.com.au/maps/@41....WFMRcUCpwBhAQhDo5gsg!2e0!7i13312!8i6656?hl=en

I hope more people will be encouraged to try this route. It is a great pity that it is not well supported locally, compared to the various pilgrimage routes north of Rome. The Via Appia and Via Traiana are two of the most famous routes that date from antiquity and were in use for hundreds of years well into the middle ages and beyond.

On arriving at the sea in Bari, at the end (or is it just one more phase?) of a long journey, one can look East into the restless ocean and wonder what lies ahead across those troubled seas that have swallowed up so many hopes and lives - and still do today. But, perhaps, across those seas, as we look into dawn's rising sun, also lie some of the answers pilgrims seek; perhaps even happiness and fulfillment, although that might be too great a hope, after all our wanderings.

Those who have gone to Finisterre at the end of the Camino Frances will have looked out into the Atlantic with perhaps the same thoughts in their mind.

I am sure many pilgrims who have walked from Canterbury to Rome ask themselves "What next?" Well, the Via Francigena del Sud awaits you! Come and walk this year. I would be happy to see you.

Bob M

 

[lovingkindness]

...I am sure many pilgrims who have walked from Canterbury to Rome ask themselves "What next?" Well, the Via Francigena del Sud awaits you!

...and also il cammino di San Francesco!

Ultreia y suseia!!

 

[domigee]

Hi Bob! I found anywhere outside Europe was a problem with phone charges....ie a lot!
For the Turkish visa...Can you not apply for one (and pay) through the Internet? I didn't need one but my walking companion (from the UK) did and having it beforehand made it easier.

 

[domigee]

Hi, Bob,



As I remember Turkey has one of the easiest visa procedures on borders. At least that was some years ago on Istanbul airport. There is a certain fee though.

Ultreia!

We had to walk through about 7 checkpoints to get into Turkey so no, it wasn't easy. We had no problems but it did take a long time! We were the only walkers amongst the many cars, fortunately the long queues of lorries were in a separate area.
I would advise to get a visa (if you need one) through the internet if at all possible. Less hassle on the day!

 

[BobM]

Hi Bob! I found anywhere outside Europe was a problem with phone charges....ie a lot!
For the Turkish visa...Can you not apply for one (and pay) through the Internet? I didn't need one but my walking companion (from the UK) did and having it beforehand made it easier.

That was a good suggestion. You can apply online at https://www.evisa.gov.tr/en/.

I doubt if I will make it that far this year, but the VE Association is busy completing the Thessaloniki Istanbul section of the guidebook, so next year?

Bob M

 

[BobM]

Here is a bit more information to encourage waverers to take the VF del Sud.
Just outside Rome, at the start of the long walk, you come to the Church of Domine Quo Vadis, the site where, according to the apocryphal Acts of Peter, Saint Peter met Jesus while the former was fleeing persecution in Rome. According to the legend, Peter asked Jesus, "Lord, where are you going?" Jesus answered, "I am going to Rome to be crucified again."

The church is located just in front of a more ancient sacred place dedicated to Rediculus, the Roman "God of the Return". This was the deity that received devotion by travellers before their departure, especially by those who were going to face long and dangerous journeys to far places like Egypt, Greece or the East. Those travellers who returned also stopped to thank the god for the happy outcome of their journey.

See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Church_of_Domine_Quo_Vadis

It strikes me that the Roman god had a rather unfortunate name for travellers setting out on a difficult journey.

Bob M

 

[mspath]

"What's in a name?"... For more re the attributes of the Roman god Rediculus see this additional Wiki source.

 

[BobM]

I am turning my attention now to the Via Egnatia (VE). "Formal" accommodation such as B&Bs, homestays, hostels is virtually non-existent outside some of the larger towns and villages. So one must ask around in cafes etc for someone to take you in for the night. That will add a 'frisson' to each of my day's walks. I steadfastly refuse to burden myself with a tent and camping paraphernalia.

But as lovingkindness said so eloquently in an earlier post: "In the Orthodox world .... village life revolves around the kafeneio (coffee house). The village people pass through the kafeneio most days and the woman serving knows everybody and everything…so, @BobM cosy up to the wood burning stove, drink lots of sludgy coffee with the old men and rest a while. Eventually when everybody has you figured, you’ll find somewhere to sleep…"

It may be a bit perverse, but I am rather looking forward to that.

What do you think would be a nice memento to leave with the families I stay with? I don't want the experience to be just a financial transaction for services rendered.

Bob M

 

[mspath]

....

What do you think would be a nice memento to leave with the families I stay with? I don't want the experience to be just a financial transaction for services rendered.

Bob M

You might consider leaving on their table a real color postcard showing your hometown/flag/ map/ kangaroo (?) with a short message of thanks in English written by you.

Happy planning!

 

[lovingkindness]

...What do you think would be a nice memento to leave with the families I stay with? I don't want the experience to be just a financial transaction for services rendered...

...and sing a few Aussie songs...

 

[BobM]

...and sing a few Aussie songs...

I think I would be instantly evicted if I burst into song at dinner, although my hosts would certainly have a memorable experience to regale their friends with.

But I come from a farming background, and I am hoping I will be able to help with some simple chores about the house/farm. Feeding the chooks?

Bob M

 

[BobM]

Here is an interesting site that describes how pilgrimage routes to Jerusalem have changed over the centuries as political conditions changed:
http://www.waytojerusalem.com/en/historical-routes/routes-to-the-holy-land

Now that the land routes through Syria and Lebanon have closed, I am interested in the sea routes from Istanbul that are described in the website. One might be able to take ferries along the coast of Turkey. Of course, the final sea leg to Israel is probably still impractical, alas.

Bob M

 

[lovingkindness]

... Feeding the chooks?

...milking the goats?

 

[BobM]

Well, I have finally arrived in Rome after the disappointment of having had to cancel my walk last year due to illness.

I have a preparation day on Monday before setting out on Tuesday on the first stage to Castel Gandolfo, about 24km a piedi. The weather for the next week looks good, with some cloud and possibly some scattered rain.

Standing in St Peters Square, I tried to look back over the long journey that had brought me from Canterbury to Rome starting in 2012.

Disjointed fragments of places and landscapes rise in my mind's eye; but shining like precious jewels among them all are the people I met who made an indelible impression on me.

But now I must look to the future in anticipation of new experiences and new people.

I will post regular updates from my phone when possible. I think I will do that in a new topic rather than extending this topic.

Bob M

 

[mspath]

All the best to you Bob!
We, your digital friends, will be thinking of you as you move along on this new journey. Looking foward to reading your blog and seeing these lands through your eyes.

Stay safe, keep well and,
as always, Ultreia!

Margaret Meredith

 

[lovingkindness]

...Godspeed, Pellegrino!