Buongiorno! This morning, I woke up for the first time in Italy. The decision not to camp was one of my better ideas this week. Around 1am, I woke up from another heavy thunderstorm. Rain was pooring down again. But I was cosy and dry in my bed. I slept in Locanda la Clusaz. At first, you might think this is just a hotel on the road to the col, but it's not. On this location, a pilgrims hospital was opened in 1234. So pilgrims have been resting and sleeping here for almost 800 years. Nowadays, it is definitely more luxurious than it was in the early years. There was no shop around, so I treated myself with the buffet breakfast. Amazing, I stayed for more than an hour. I was hoping to practise some Italian, but everybody in the room was speaking Dutch. Back in my room, I wondered why they chose to hang up the painting of a dobermann dog. The receptionist waved me goodbye. The friendly black man was fascinated by my trip. He loved hiking and recommended the region around Bologna and Firenze where he loved watching the stars. Time to leave. Surprisingly, the sky was blue and the Aosta valley was waiting to be discovered. My stage today was not too difficult, only 14km especially downhill. A lot downhill because I was still at 1251m and I had to go to an altitude of 586m. My hiking day started at the little church of Echevennoz. Some mountain villages like this one are really small. Only 74 people live here. For a big part of the morning, I would walk under the trees next to the Ru Neuf Canal. That is an irrigation channel which brings water from the mountains towards Aosta. Construction started more than 600 years ago. It is very peaceful to walk along the flowing water and between the trees. I had regularly stunning views over the valley which gets wider and wider from here. Halfway, there is the grotto je te salue. This little cave was discovered when the canal was made. Because so many pilgrims pass here, it was decided that a shrine should be erected here. Water came down from the mountain above so Jezus got very wet today. Perfect stop for a quiet break before I would re-enter civilization. Clouds were forming around the high mountains behind me, but you have to look forward in life and there I saw sunshine. Quickly, the Grand Combin appeared out of the clouds on the left side. Eternal snow could be seen on the mighty peak of 4.314m. Before I knew, I reached the road and the city of Gignod. Pilgrims get a very warm welcome here: a square with nice benches, free wifi, free clean toilets and a bar. First, I decided to take a little break next to the church. There were so many other benches but an old man really wanted to sit next to me. I don't know his age, but if you would have said 120, I would have believed. Peregrino? he asked. He smiled when I said yes and gave me a hand. I couldn't talk to him because my Italian is not good enough but that was fine for the man. We sat there for 15min, then he stood up, thanked me like I did something amazing for him and walked away. Afterwards, I scored a stamp in the church and I couldn't resist the nice terrace of the bar. A dutch family with a teenage daughter tried to take a selfie, but that turned out to be more complicated than expected. They failed in the end. Around 16h, I decided it was time to make my way into the city of Aosta. I had a quick look at the medieval castle tower in lower Gignod and went further down. Walking into a bigger city is always complicated. There are too many roads, cars and people. Aosta did not too bad. The walkway follows a really quiet road that goes through hamlets like Chez Henry and Chez Roncoz. Still sounds very French. Later traffic became busier. To avoid it, they make you climb up into the vineyards on the mountainsides around the city to then make you come down again. After a long day of walking, that is tough. But it gives you a nice birdeye view of the city. From above, Aosta doesn't look pretty. It is like they have put as much ugly different buildings together in a stunning mountain valley. But Aosta has a lot of historical sights from the Roman period. Around 18h, I arrived on the square in front of the impressive cathedral. I have to admit, I was tired. But this was also a special moment. I had completed my 10 day traverse of the Alps on foot through France, Switzerland and Italy. Tomorrow, I will take a second rest day to recover. Then I will have a walk around the city. Now, I just wanted to make my way to my room. The weather was bizarre. Dark clouds gathered around the mountains, but in the city it was sunny and hot around 27 degrees. But also very windy. A dutch man had to run behind his hat. I had booked a room in the apartment of an Italian family at 1km from the center. The man was very friendly and I had my first conversation in Italian. Not easy but we talked. The man was a truck driver who lived originally in the south and married a woman from Sardinia. For the rest of the night, I just wanted a shower and food. Luckily there was a supermarket around the corner. Gros Cidac. At first, I thought it was an insult, but it is the name of a supermarket. And now sleep because the road to Rome is still long.
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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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