Beforehand, I felt that this day was going to be a tough one and turned out I was right. Without any breaks and at a good pace, it involved 8,5 hours of hiking. So I decided to take an early start in Aosta. At 7h, I had already eaten breakfast and was packing my bag. The room in the apartment of Mario and Rita had felt as home for 2 nights. When I left, Rita offered me a coffee. It was hard to say no, but I had lots of hiking to do. I gave her a goodbye note and thanked her for everything.
The city center of Aosta had a completely different vibe than yesterday. The tourists hadn't arrived yet. Locals were rushing to work or enjoying breakfast on a terrace. I passed the arch of Augustus and walked over the Roman bridge to leave the city. Do you know Finding Nemo? Well today I would follow the valley of the Dora river. It is possible to just follow the bike trail along the river for 30km to Chatillon, but that would be boring and I'm here to walk the Via Francigena. The official path takes you higher up the mountainside and gives you beautiful views of the valley. It is tougher, much tougher due to the constant up and down. By the time I had reached Saint-Christophe after 45min, I was already sweating. Looking back to Aosta, you can clearly see how this city is surrounded by high mountains. Some still had snow on them. The mountainside was occupied by vineyards. The slope I was walking on is oriented to the south and produces some very famous wines. You can imagine that it was also hot on this slope. The sky was blue and the temperature rose to 30 degrees. And higher up it went, to the Castello di Quart. I had planned my first break there, but was in for a big disappointment. First, the castle was in renovation. Nothing to see and lots of noise. It happens. Second, the Via Francigena was blocked just after the castle due to a landslide. Well, you can't control nature. Third, the only possible detour was climbing higher up the mountain to pass above the landslide. It would add easily 45min of hiking. Whaat? That would turn this day into more than 9 hours of non-stop mountain hiking. I had no choice. And I have to say, the view on the castle and the valley from higher up was nice. But this delayed me ofcourse. By the time I reached the city of Nus, I had been hiking for 5 hours and was only half way. The church was in full sunshine so I decided to lunch in the church. There was nobody to ask if that was ok but I suppose God didn't mind. With renewed forces I continued high above the valley through little hamlets like Rovarey and Cretaz. These places are tiny. On a big bord in the center, they announce who passed away. Some already passed away one year ago but were still on the bord. At a certain moment, the road was blocked again. Whatever the obstacle would be, I would go through. No more detours for me today. But turned out that people on foot could pass. When I reached the church of Diemoz, I was really tired and I ran out of water. On top of that, there was suddenly a heavy wind that came out of nowhere. I pushed on to Chambave and there was a bar. Pilgrims say the second bar is always better, but if you are thirsty like I was, you don't care. I ordered two cokes and a bottle of water. The waitress thought she understood me wrong. When she saw how tired I was, she offered me free apero snacks. Heaven, I stayed in the bar for more than half an hour. Bar Custoza, highly recommended.Then there were still 4km left. Up the hill again through some fascinating abandoned towns. When I arrived in Chatillon, the wind had turned into storm with gusts over 100km/h. I was told the refuge in town only had three beds, so I had booked a B&B: au coin du chateau. Owner Edigio deserves a price for hospitality. He speaks good French and had experience with hosting guests who arrive exhausted. Yesterday, he had a couple from Jeruzalem. After my shower, he drove me into the city so I could have dinner. In la lanterna, I had a three course pilgrims menu for only 25 euro drinks included. And afterwards, Edigio came and picked me up. When I asked him about the city, he spontanously drove me through the whole center at 23h. A big factory closed here and the city is going through rough times. When we arrived at the B&B, the wind was gone, so bizarre. I would sleep well. Tomorrow another tough days through the foothills of the Alps, but then only 18km to Verrès.
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AuthorMy name is Dimitri and I'm turning 40 in 2023. Through the years, I have tried to live my dreams. Everything is possible, the sky is the limit as long as you believe in your dreams and work hard to make them happen. Do what you never did before. Go where you have never been before. It will be scary, but it will also be worth it! Archives
July 2024
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