Mornings come early in an abbey. My room had been really warm throughout the night, but that hadn't bothered me. I slept well and woke up before my alarm at 6h30. My room was really comfortable with a bed, a sink, a desk, a chair and off course a cross on the wall. Yesterday, I had promised to be in the church at 7am for the morning prayers and I wanted to keep that promise. I had no idea what to expect. When I came outside, the sky was full of dark clouds. There was nobody on the square in front of the basilica. Did I get up for nothing? I tried the big door and it opened. The majestic church was still pretty dark. There was one lady on the left and six monks were sitting in the front. Most of the light came from candles that were lit. I took a seat on the right. At 7am, a light went on and the monks started singing. For 45min they sang and read from the bible. Outside, a thunderstorm started to make it even more special. It was a very intense spiritual experience. At 7h45, it was finished and outside, I met Cyriel. He was the monk who welcomed me yesterday. The other pilgrim Juan Carlos had skipped church but came down for breakfast. The lady who was in church also briefly passed. She wanted to give the monks the name of someone who was dying so they could pray for that person. Cyriel spoke some warm words and that clearly gave the lady some relief. It was a privilige to witness. Afterwards, Cyriel took us inside the abbey to the place where the monks eat breakfast. And what do they eat? Homemade bread off course with jam and butter, but there were also cereals and most important coffee. Most monks eat in silence, but not Cyriel. He was ready to teach us a history class. I loved listening to him. Saint Maurice and his followers were murdered because they didn't want to give up there faith. Since the year 515, there have been monks praying in the monastry. In the early days, they took turns to pray 24/7. Now they hold several praying sessions per day. Fifty years ago, there were 144 monks. Now there are only 27 left but also 5 novices. I talked him about the church getting less and less popular. According to Cyriel, it is the quality, not the quantity that counts. We were briefly interupted by a monk who said he wouldn't be there for the morning. He had to bring his car to the garage. Modern life entered the abbey. When I left, Cyriel gave me his blessing. I will never forget this place. In the city, daily life had started. People were enjoying a morning coffee and police officers were writing parking fines. I bought lunch in the supermarket and went on my way. I left the city via the railway station and a residential area. You could still see that this was an old pilgrim route because of the crosses and old fountains which remained. Signposts were very clear. Some clouds remained along the high peaks but the sun started heating the valley. This should be my easiest stage so far. But we are in the Alps, so even when it's easy, the path goes up and down. Looking back at St Maurice, you can easily see how strategic the abbey was. It was built at the smallest point of the valley and could control the river and the road. There was no way to get around it. Without much problems I reaced Evionnaz. I had planned to have lunch next to the church, but there were loud roadworks going on. So I wandered a bit further and found a nice bench under the trees. For I while, I watched a busy antz colony. Amazing to be able to have time for these things. Back on my way, the path stayed on the side of the valley at the bottom of high mountains. Civilization like houses and roads on the left side, untamed wilderness on the mountainsides. The valley is only 1.5km wide here. I stambled across a line of weird concrete cones. Most of them completely overgrown. I had no idea what they were but a sign explained they were built here in 1930 as a defense line against tanks. A silent reminder to a horrible period. At a certain moment, I had to walk along the busy road. Then I came to the hamlet of Miéville. It may not sound familiar but it is the home of a spectacular waterfall. Forget about Niagara or Victoria, here they have 'cascade de la pissevache' or cow piss falls. Funny enough, a bit further, they have a second waterfall which was named goat piss falls. Despite the name, the location is stunning. Already from far away, you see the water tumbling down the mountain. Once upclose, the falling water is mesmerising. Going all the way to the bottom is not allowed anymore because of the risk of falling rocks. That is also a problem for the Via Francigena which is blocked as well. The only possibility is to walk along the busy road to Vernayaz. I took a little break before starting my last hour of walking of the day. It was warm, but there was the famous foehn wind picking up. That's a warm wind that often blows through this Alpine valley. I crossed the foret de la bienvenue. It is the only place in Switzerland where you can find wild grapes. At a certain moment, the path was blocked and there was the famous sign 'deviation'. No, not a second time. It didn't look like there was much going on, so I continued anyway. All went well, but just before reaching the road, the path was gone. Big piles of rock and earth blocked the way. Probably not completely legal, but I climbed up through the road works. Nobody saw me and it saved me a big detour. Not recommended, so don't try this at home. And so, I reached Martigny with its castle and its Pont de la Batiaz, a wooden covered bridge over the Rhone. The city center looked very welcoming with lots of bars and restaurants, but I decided to go to my bed for the night first. That was at TCS camping where they offer dorm beds for 20CHF. The lady at reception was very friendly and even walked me to my room. Here I will spend two days. Yes, tomorrow is my first rest day. My clothes need washing and my legs can use some extra rest. There was only one other person in my dorm, but he was nowhere to be seen. I made myself some food, enjoyed the sun going under and went to bed. The first part of my Alpine traverse is done, I couldn't be happier!
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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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