This is one pilgrim’s perspective from a single pilgrimage ending in October and biased. However it will hopefully provide future pilgrims and Camino de Santiago veterans a sense of what to expect on Via Francigena (VF). 1. Longer Distance and Time: Of course the length is variable depending upon where one starts but the full …
Day 42 Bourg St. Pierre to Great Saint Bernard Pass to St. Oyen. About a 1,000 meter ascent and descent. Today marked the halfway point of our pilgrimage going over the 2,469 meter (8,100 feet) Great St. Bernard Pass. On the way up we enjoyed the mountain scenery and a pleasant encounter with Father Matthew …
Day 41 Osieres to Bourg-St.-Pierre: Another beautiful walk in the Alps. Not long at 14K but a significant elevation rise of 1000 meters. There seem to be a few more pilgrims on the Way. In France we saw a few the first week but just one or two since. In Montreux we ran into two …
Day 40 Martigny to Osieres: My favorite day yet as we finally left the relatively flat valley up into the Alps drawing closer to the snow capped peaks. At Sembrancher the path veered south on the Napolean Route. So we follow the path of the Emperor leading his army over the Saint Bernard Pass to …
No words necessary. Sunset over Lake Geneva from Montreaux. ——- ——- ———— ——— ——- ——— ——- ——- ——- ——
Day 37 Lausanne to Montreux. They call this the Swiss Riviera for reasons obvious from these photos. The terraced vineyards area around Lavaux is a World Heritage Site. The whole walk was spectacular. We picked Montreux earlier as a 2 night stop which I think was a good move. ——- ——— ——— ——— ——- ———— …
Day 34-36 Jougne to Orbe to Cossonay to Lausanne: The terrain continues to change as we enter Switzerland following the path of Julius Caesar. Continuing through the sub-alpine Jura Mountains the hills descend into the plateau and valley of Lake Geneva. Beautiful Village of Romainmôtier: The Gorges d’Orbe between Jougne and Orbe is a particularly …