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| 2008-05-02 16:28 |
| 1168 miles completed, 122 miles left |
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I am not sure whether it is because I am exhausted or the niggling tendon problem that reminds me now and then it is still there or simply the few miles I have left, but it is finally starting to hit me exactly what I have achieved since January. Fourteen months of detailed planning have paid off and I can almost say “I’ve done it” despite the odd problem here and there.
Although each days walking gets harder I still manage in excess of 10 miles each day, I feel the effects more and have had to reintroduce the rest days. In fact, I decided to use only one of the days off in Pisa and save the other one for Florence – (sorry Zebedee for the magic roundabout fans among you). Despite the occasional wet day the sun is shining more and more and humidity levels apart, it is a joy to be in the fresh air.
Somebody e mailed me to say that they enjoyed reading the diaries and perhaps my next job should be as a travel correspondent - so now its time for the touristy bit!!
Pisa and Florence are steeped in history and each has their landmarks to visit. Both are famous for their bell tower (leaning in Pisa but not in Florence), Duomo and Battistero or Baptistery (dedicated to John the Baptist) not to mention the various museums. Both lie on the River Arno and walks along the river in either city can be very enjoyable
In Pisa, you pay 15 Euros to climb the tower; 5 Euro’s to visit the Battistero and 2 Euros to visit the Duomo, despite the crowds you can move around with relative ease either in a formal group or as individuals. You will also have to pay to visit the various museums and the only disappointment is that in many you cannot use cameras.
You have to climb 300 steps in the leaning tower and there are several warning signs for those who have heart conditions or do not like heights. It was hilarious watching people standing around the base of the tower with one arm in the air whilst taking the obligatory photographs. It isn’t a secret sign but the way of demonstrating the extent to which the tower leans when compared to the vertical.
The Duomo is spectacular with several pieces of art on display and the fresco above the main altar is impressive to say the least. The chapel in the south transept, formerly known as the Coronation of the Virgin is certainly worth stopping to see. The view from the top of the Battistero is worth the climb up the several steps but is not for the faint hearted. Even a walk
Head off the tourist path in Pisa and you will find other hidden treasures such as the botanical gardens. This is a real haven of peace and quiet despite being less than 200 metres from the tower etc where you can easily spend over an hour just wandering around. From early May it will cost a couple of Euros to get in but it is worth it, especially as more plants come into flower. Other sites of interest are three universities, one for those with ordinary mortals, those considered superior and finally one for geniuses. The striking thing is that the university building for the “superiors” is very grand whereas the university building for the “geniuses” is very plain and unimposing, meaning you have to keep looking to make sure it is the right building.
Until the late 1960’s early 70’s the church of Santa Maria della Spine was underground beside the river Arno. Following severe flooding a project began to excavate the church and locate it in its present position directly above its original location. I have to admit that it looks very out of place which is perhaps why it attracts so many people. The name for the church comes from the fact that it once preserved a thorn from the crown of thorns that Jesus had placed on his head prior to the crucifixion.
The train journey to Florence costs less than 10 Euros and here you can visit the Duomo and equally famous dome for free and see Vasari and Zuccari’s fresco of the last judgement which covers the interior of the dome and is spectacular. You do have to pay 3 Euros to visit the site below the cathedral but it is worth the money. You have to join another queue to enter the dome although I do not think that there is a charge. To enter the bell tower will cost 6 Euros and again the queues can be very long as can the one for the Battistero. The cathedral museum located just across the road is worth a visit, cost is 6 Euros with a further 4 Euros if you would like an audio hand set with an English translation. You also need to be prepared to leave either your passport or driving licence with the attendant as a deposit for the hand set but in truth you can manage without the handset.
Five minutes from the Duomo in one direction is another famous church, Saint Croce, which is where Michelangelo is buried. Five minutes in another direction are the famous bridge, Ponte Vecchio and the equally famous Uffizi museum. Finally, walk five minutes in yet another direction and you can visit the Medici chapels, which was one of the few landmarks I did manage to get into during my day off. It costs 6 Euros and you cannot use cameras, which is very disappointing because there are many items that would be worthy of photographs. The Medici’s were a famous dynasty in Italy, right up until the death of the last Medici, Anna Maria who died in 1743. One of the chapels contains the tombs of many of them and one room in particular contains the remains of the Medici Princes and in the new sacristy are works by Michelangelo and commissioned by 2 popes (Leo X and Clement VII) to house the remains of their fathers and other members of the Medici family.
Florence gets very crowded because the 3 main sites are situated in the middle of the city around a busy square. Many people come on day trips and this combined with the large number of hotels in Florence, which are almost always full, makes for a crowded city. Be prepared to queue to see the landmarks, at times the queues can be very lengthy so patience is definitely needed.
In fact I would go so far as to say that if you come to Florence for just 1 or 2 days you are likely to be very disappointed as you will not gain entry to many of the major sites due to sheer numbers. I spoke to several people waiting in the queues and some had waited over an hour and in one case nearly 2 hours to get in to two of the landmarks. At times it appeared that the organised groups were trying to outdo each other. I also spoke to some local people who said that at times they can become very frustrated and the city council simply do not listen. My overall view is that Florence cannot cope with its fame, which is a shame because the places I did get to visit were worth it but even the famous British tolerance for queues can be sorely tested here.
Other events of interest included the arrival of football fans for the Rangers v Fiorentina second leg match last night which Rangers won on penalties. On the media front the Italian press have been terrific and two mainstream regional papers IL Tirreno and La Nazione have both covered the walk. One journalist complimented me on the choice of name for the walk saying it was easy to remember and had made it very personal to the cause, something which isn’t always considered.
The first official recognition for the walk since setting off has come from the British Ambassador to the Holy See who has invited me to meet him when I arrive in Rome. Such invitations do not get extended everyday and after such a long trek means a great deal.
Anybody who watched Michael Palin and his “Around the world in 80 days” will remember that he was set challenges to prove that he had actually visited certain places. Well one of my sons did the same to me. These consisted of an authentic Genoa football shirt, Formula one related items from Monaco and an authentic football shirt from Fiorentina. This was completed yesterday and in fact I achieved more because Genoa has 2 football teams, Genoa and Sampdoria and I obtained one from each. In the case of the Fiorentina shirt, I managed to get one specially made for the match with Rangers which has the name of the two clubs involved and the date 01.05.2008 emblazoned on it. Mission accomplished James!!
Finally, you may recall from my last journal that I had to make sure that I obtained a photo of me outside a certain café in Pisa otherwise I was going to be in rouble when I returned to Gosport. Having checked which café it was - I didn’t want to get the wrong one!! I managed to get the waitress to take the photograph with me in front of the café, so I guess that means I can go home to Gosport safely now.
So after having my deferred day off, more walking on Saturday and Sunday morning followed by a half rest day, it is on to Grosseto on Monday for the next stage of the walk.
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| 2008-04-22 08:59 |
| 1055 miles completed, 240 miles left |
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At last, I have cracked the 1000 mile barrier. There have been times when I didn’t think I would get to this point but the messages of support etc have kept me going despite the injury and the recent bad weather.
Returning to La Spezia after 23 years provided an opportunity to see what had changed. I checked into my hotel near the railway station and set off to see if I could remember my way to the waterfront and I found it with no problems. Parts of the naval base appeared to have been given up for redevelopment and the commercial port had increased in size dramatically.
Otherwise, the town didn’t seem to have changed much in the intervening years. I decided to make the most of my 2 full days and planned walks that would take me out of town in both directions. The second day was the more interesting as it enabled me to go up into the hills and follow the panoramic route back to town. Being a naval port, I decided that rather than risk getting into trouble I had to restrict the photographs as it was very difficult to take shots without the naval base and associated warships from appearing.
Having left the rain behind in Genoa, the weather had warmed up nicely which should have alerted me what was to come, During the last night I was in La Spezia there was a most impressive thunderstorm which lasted for almost 3 hours and provided spectacular lightning flashes. For almost half an hour, the storm was directly overhead as there were simultaneous cracks of thunder and flashes of lightning.
Purchasing my ticket for the train journey to Viareggio was to prove an event not to forget. For most of my other journeys where the train was an intercity or intercity plus service, I have had to reserve a seat. However, the ticket clerk was having none of it and assured me that he knew his job and I didn’t need to reserve a seat, so I boarded the train and came across the first jobs worth I have met on the trip. Not only did he decided that he needed to make a point by giving me a lecture and suggesting that as a tourist I must have given the wrong information he then made me pay not only the extra amount but in effect a completely new fare.
Viareggio could not come soon enough and thankfully was to provide a chance to recharge the batteries and enjoy the 3 days walking I had planned. I picked Viareggio because it was on the line from La Spezia to Pisa and apart from knowing that it was on the coast had no other expectations. Apparently, in July and August you cannot move or people and if mid April was anything to go by I could see why. Perhaps the sunny weather had something to do with it, especially as the temperature on Sunday reached 23 degrees Celsius or perhaps it was the mile upon mile of golden sands in each direction. All I know is that on the Saturday, I enjoyed walking six miles along the roadside and then turned round and walked five miles along the sand before returning to the road for the last mile. I decided that such an effort demanded a suitable reward and I enjoyed my first Italian ice cream since entering the country followed later by my first pizza and a couple of beers sitting by the edge of the sea and watching the tide come in. The Sunday, proved just as enjoyable and I wish I had taken my camera because as I walked along the side of then canal leading to the sea, there was a large queue of people alongside a fishing boat. Closer inspection revealed the reason why, it was a fish and chip service, freshly caught fish with chips for 7 Euros – no, I did not succumb.
Monday morning seemed to follow a pattern, last day so it had to be rain. I set out for a couple of hours walking as my train was not until 1130 despite the fact that it had been raining for most of the night but the chance to take one more walk along the sea front made it worthwhile before heading off to Pisa.
Whilst in Pisa I will be able to take a couple of planned days off and enjoy myself. I also have to remember to have my photo taken outside a café in the piazza where the leaning tower is located otherwise I will be in severe trouble with one of the Gosport charity people when I get back.
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| 2008-04-14 16:00 |
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It warmed my heart to see this article posted by a student at Washington college on the US wide student site recently having read about the walk . He e-mailed me to say he had done it and hoped I didn't object which I found touching given that this person has never met me but he said that the walk and its background together with the widespread support that had appeared on live journal had impressed him.
Always a great pleasure to see the word being spread about the cause & about Anne's memory. Thanks!
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| 2008-04-14 15:39 |
| 964 miles completed, 326 miles left |
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The main headline this week has to be the weather – rain, rain and more rain, I thought I was back in the UK at one stage. It started raining on Tuesday while I was still in San Remo and didn’t stop until Saturday afternoon. Sunday was a much better day but the forecast was right and the heavy rain and thunderstorms returned today. The weather has surprised me throughout the walk, from the warm weather in the north of France in January to the unseasonably wet and cold weather in this part of Italy. Despite the weather, I have continued to go out walking everyday and as you can see I have nearly reached the 1000 mile mark. I left San Remo on Wednesday morning for the two hour journey by train to Genoa, main port of the Liguria region of Italy. It was an enjoyable journey because there was a Canadian couple sharing the compartment that were on their way Switzerland via Milan to visit friends and it was nice to be able to talk to people without worrying whether the translation and pronunciation were correct. We had a long discussion about the walk and the fact that the Canadian gentleman runs marathons on a regular basis and could understand the importance of having the right equipment etc. The other thing I must check before I undertake the second walk in the spring of 2009 is make sure that there are no elections taking place. During the walking across France they were having their elections for Mayor in the bigger cities and towns. In Italy, I have arrived in time for the general election and it seems everywhere I go I am asked if I will be voting for this candidate or that candidate. Genoa is a busy place and full of history. Due to the weather I have spent most of the time simply concentrating on getting the walks completed each day. This meant I really only had Sunday to include some of the historic sights in my walk. I decided that I would include a visit to the Lantera, a lighthouse built in the 16th century and whose light can be seen 50KM away. To reach the structure you have to walk three quarters of a mile from the entrance of the docks and then walk up a steep slope to the ticket office. From there you climb up another steep slope and start the climb up 172 steps to the first level which is 76 metres from the base. The rest of the structure is out of bounds to the public but I can imagine that the views from the top would be breathtaking. Having decided to brave the elements again, today I headed to the east of the city before returning to the port area again and then headed into the centre of Genoa and visited the main cathedral and its treasury. It is said that the hexagonal plate on display in the treasury is the Holy Grail. The ashes of John the Baptist are also said to be located in the cathedral and a special casket is used to carry the ashes in processions. The artwork in the cathedral and a nearby church are simply breathtaking, sadly I was not allowed to take photographs of the artwork in the church and although there were displays suggesting that pictures could be purchased, I could not find any. There were several other theatres, museums and the occasional art gallery along the way but again the weather played its part and I decided that I should complete the distance for the day and seek sanctuary in the hotel or the rest of the afternoon. Earlier today during my regular update on my local BBC radio station (BBC Radio Solent), I was asked if I thought about what Anne would be saying. I had to be honest and say that I thought about that every day and she would still be thinking I was mad but would the first one to provide support. While I was walking around the cathedral etc this morning the same thought occurred to me as I knew how much Anne would have loved to have seen these and the other sites I have visited. Anne loved historical sites, churches and especially mosaics and I just sat and thought about it and could still see the sparkle in her eyes at some of the places we visited together and how they would have lit up now. Tomorrow I move on to La Spezia, a port further along the coast. I visited La Spezia some 23 years ago whilst serving in the Royal Navy and lucky enough to attend an opera performed against the backdrop of an impressive three masted ship, one of the Italian training ships. Sadly, I do not think that I will be able to enjoy such a treat this time around. The amount sponsored creeps up slowly and with your help we can hopefully pass the £8000 mark by the time I write the next journal. Thank you everybody for your support and please keep those donations coming both from around the world and the UK. Together I know we can reach the £50,000 target for the charities and for Anne.
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| 2008-04-07 11:13 |
| 856 miles completed, 434 miles left |
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In the days since my last update I have been enjoying walks in the sun as I visited Cannes, Nice, Monaco, Menton, Ventimiglia and now San Remo. In terms of progression, this means that since setting off at the end of January, I have passed through 2 countries (UK and France), 1 Principality (Monaco) and have entered the final leg by arriving in Italy.
The injury I picked up a more than 2 weeks ago continues to annoy me but having got this far, it isn’t going to stop me now. Since my last journal 16 days ago, I have managed to knock another 235 miles off the total so I just smile (or is that grimace) and keep going.
At times in Cannes, Nice and Monaco I thought that I was in another world. Wealth and fame were very much in evidence, the sun shone everyday and there were men sitting on top of poles in Nice that insisted on lighting up and changing colour at night!!
Cannes famous for its film festival and the designer shops where a pair of shoes can cost over 700 Euros proved to be educational because I always thought that Darjeeling was famous as a tea, it seems it is also a lingerie company - you learn something new everyday on this walk. One abiding memory of Cannes will be the number of people who seemed to be walking on and around the beach in designer clothes – posing par excellence!!
Going for walks along the coast every day was enjoyable and included walks to Theole-sur-mer, west of Cannes and towards Antibes to the east. I made sure that I also walked around the various marinas in Cannes, where I could walk amongst the several luxury boats and dream of perhaps redoing the journey to Rome using one of them.
If I had been on holiday I would have taken the opportunity to visit Saint Marguerite, one of the nearby Lerin islands where the man in the iron mask was imprisoned. However, as with other places I have wanted to visit on this walk, I will save them for another day as this is not a holiday as I am sure somebody would be ready to remind me.
Outside the Palais des Festivals et des Congres, the venue for the annual Cannes film festival which takes place in May is an area that caught the attention of many of the tourists who for a moment must have thought that they had been transported to Hollywood.
For those film buffs among you, Hollywood boulevard has the walk of fame where gold stars feature the name of the stars. In Cannes that have the imprints of the stars hands set into tiles around the Palais, including Anthony Quinn, Charlotte Rampling, Jane Russell and Charlton Heston whose death was announced as I was writing this journal, a truly great actor and star of several of my favourite films.
Onwards to Nice, where after being on my own for so long I was joined by a couple of old friends Mike and Nick, who had taken a few days leave to fly out especially to walk with me and raise money for the number of miles they managed to cover. It was just the thing I needed to cheer me up and recharge the spirit. Over the two and half days they managed to cover 40 miles which included walks along the Promenade des Anglais all the way to the airport boundary and back, the Quai des Etats Unis and around various parts of the city.
Having already walked out from the city to the top of Mount Boron and its surrounds I decided that it would be a good challenge for Mike and Nick, so using a different route off we set and after about three hours stopped to take in the sight around Villefranche-sur-mer before reaching the top and stopping for lunch near the Chateau l’Anglais.
The next day I suggested that we take the train for a half day of walking in Monaco and so the three amigos found themselves in the land of make believe or so it seemed. Anybody who has travelled to Monaco by train will know how impressive the Monaco Monte Carlo station is and gives an indication of what is to come. Being motor racing fans we decided to walk the route of the Grand Prix although it was always going to be difficult to beat 1 minute 15 seconds set in qualifying last year.
The various aspects of scaffolding etc were just starting to be erected for the race in May but even without this it was easy to identify the various parts of the course. What you cannot get the impression of from watching it on television is the steep climbs and drops, sharp bends not forgetting the tunnel and just how dark it is in the middle. I have always admired F1 drivers but even more so after having walked the course, even it did take the best part of four hours.
Well we did stop to see other things along the way such as the casino, hotel de paris, Japanese garden etc and make sure we covered the distance we had set ourselves for that part of the day. Mike got his passport stamped, sadly Nick and I had forgotten ours but I was going to rectify that the next day on my way to Menton.
Back to Nice, where flights arriving at the airport occasionally seem to come right over the beach on their approach and trams speed along the tramway at regular intervals. Old Nice is worth a visit as is the port area but it is at night there are one or two surprising things that catch your eye in the Place Messina. During the day its gardens and fountains are impressive but at night the work of art which can only be described as several “men” sat on poles that light up and change colour at regular intervals is impressive and draws large numbers of people to just stand there and observe.
The next day it was time for Mike and Nick to leave and return to the UK, so after a light breakfast and a walk to the sea front and back we said goodbye and I headed to Menton, my last stop in France. Noting that the journey from Menton to Monaco was only 11 minutes, I decided that I would check in at the hotel, get back on the train and go and get my passport stamped.
So after the short train ride I was back in the tourist office in Monaco talking to the same lady who 24hrs previously had taken such an interest in my walk and got my passport stamped. As I had over an hour before the next train back, I decided to do some more exploring and having handed in my rucksack, camera and phone decided to explore the inside of the Casino building which also houses the Opera. Sadly unless you want to play at the tables or book tickets for the opera you cannot see anything else and so after about 4 minutes I left, disappointed and wondering what all the fuss was about, after all the outside of the building was spectacular. I had wanted to visit the Palace and the Cathedral to see the tomb of Princess Grace who my wife had admired so much but sadly there were too many people heading in the same direction so I had to give it a miss. Perhaps I may get to see it another day.
The following morning it was time to say “au revoir” to France and “ciao” to Italy as I headed for Ventimiglia and onward to San Remo for a few days. The annual San Remo car rally which lasts for 3 days was in full swing and it was impressive to see some classic racing cars in such pristine condition and still capable of a good turn of speed.
San Remo is known as the city of flowers and is providing ample opportunities for walking with several hills as well as a decent walk along the port area and esplanade. It is interesting to see several houses perched on steep streets that wind their way along not to mention the cobbled alleys etc which make you think you have gone back in time.
Thank you to all those from around the world who continue to contact me via live journal with words of support or simply pass on details to their friends. Thank you everybody for your support and please keep those donations coming both from around the world and the UK. Together I know we can reach the £50,000 target for the charities and for Anne.
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| 2008-03-24 19:37 |
| 631 miles completed, 669 miles left – almost half way |
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This has been the most difficult week, emotionally and physically, since I left the UK.
Emotionally, because on Thursday it would have been our 32nd wedding anniversary and although I think about Anne everyday it was a very low day as it reminded me just how much I miss her. Physically, I put in some extra hours walking and have managed to complete 130 miles since my last diary update. I am now about 30 miles ahead of my expected total and am nearly half way to Rome. Unfortunately, the old bones have started to feel the pressure and I did pick up a small injury which is annoying more than painful, but it seems to be settling down. My weekend in the village of Ushaix near Orange was terrific and gave me a chance to recharge my batteries, meet some new friends, enjoy home cooking and visit historic sites such as Pont du Gard an ancient roman aqueduct, the dukes palace in Uzez (only from the outside as he was not in residence) and the roman theatre in Orange. This theatre is one of the few preserved examples of its type in the world and is host to stars from the world of opera etc every year oh yes and I still managed to do some walking in the countryside. I have already emailed my friend in Gosport to thank her for arranging the stay with her mother and family but I also wanted to reflect it in my diary – thank you Magali. On Monday I moved on to Avignon, another historic city with plenty to see and over the 2 days I was there managed to get in a lot of miles of walking. The old part of the city is surrounded by a wall within which is the Palais des Papes (Palace of the Popes) and the Notre-Dame des Doms cathedral. Other sites included the Pont Saint Benezet, a bridge which reaches half way across the Rhone. The Mistral wind was blowing at quite a pace, at times reaching 50 – 70 kilometres per hour which made walking interesting but at least it took the edge of the heat from the sun and I did not realise how long I had been walking for because it was so enjoyable. On Wednesday afternoon I moved onto Aix-en-Provence which involved a brief stopover in Marseilles to change from train to bus to complete the last part of the journey. By the time I had found out where my hotel was I only had time to do a couple of hours walking before it started to get dark but at least I could find my bearings. Wednesday enabled me to enjoy a nice day of walking around Aix before going out into the country towards the Bibemus Quarries. Here Cezanne painted and it is where the stone used to build the monuments within the city was quarried. Later in the day I headed in the other direction, following the main roads until I reached the motorway. On Thursday it was time to move onto my next port of call, Cannes. Having checked out of the hotel I was walking to Aix railway station to catch the bus to Aix TGV station when it started to rain. What was really annoying was that once I reached the station I was informed that I had to go the Gare routiere (bus station) which was back past the hotel I had only left 20 minutes before. I was not impressed as I was wet with my main rucksack and a day rucksack I had recently purchased to carry and no opportunity to get the waterproofs out from the bottom of the rucksack. The journey to Cannes was a chance to relax and take in the scenery, firstly back to Marseilles then onwards via Toulon and St Raphael to Cannes and the Cote d’Azur where the sun was shining but the wind was as strong as ever and forecast to get even stronger. Nowhere near as bad as it appeared to be in the UK or northern parts of France though. Other things to happen this week included news that I had been nominated by one of the charities for Britain’s most inspirational fundraiser award which is being awarded by The Sun newspaper and EveryClick.com in memory of Jane Tomlinson. Jane was a lady who although I never met her, I had a lot of respect for and I had read one of her books when planning my walk – she had cycled from Rome to the UK. When I held the press launch for my walk last September, I stated that Anne and Jane were two of the most courageous people I had every come across and their courage had convinced me that it was possible to achieve my aim. Even if I do not win the award, the fact that people feel highly enough of me to nominate me has given me a tremendous boost just when I needed it. Many of you who read these diary updates do so via Live Journal which a friend of mine back in the UK kindly updates for me – thanks Kay you are a star. As a result of the walk being promoted on the headline page of Live Journal earlier this week, I have had many people from around the world (over 500) adding my site to their own links, many sending words of support and some making donations. In fact, in less than four days the amount raised increased by over £300 as a result of donations from people from as far away as the USA, China and Australia. I also want to thank another friend who posts the diaries on my site and maintains it for me in my absence – thanks Andrew, several people have contacted me to say they like the site and find it easy to navigate around. Thank you everybody for your support and please keep those donations coming both from around the world and the UK. Together I know we can reach the £50,000 target for the charities and for Anne.
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| 2008-03-12 08:30 |
| 501 miles completed, only 789 to go! |
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Well it has certainly been an interesting couple of weeks with another 3 cities/towns visited, snow, rain and sunshine to contend with and practicising my French seems to be paying off – or is just that I am getting better at knowing which page to go to in my phrase book!!
Having settled into my hotel in Clermont Ferrand, I decided to use my rest day to find out more about the city. The previous afternoon I had got of the bus to walk the last eight miles into the city and seeing how large it was the first priority was to find my way around.
Originally, the city comprised two towns, Clermont and Mont Ferrand and eventually they formed Clermont Ferrand.
Over the next few days, I took the opportunity to explore the area including following three tourist routes around the city and out into the country. One of the managers at the hotel was himself a keen walker and had recently completed the route San Jacques, which is one of the pilgrim routes leading to Compestella in Spain and takes about five weeks to complete. He asked how long my walk was taking and when I told him 16 weeks his face was a picture.
The cathedral at Clermont Ferrand was fascinating, on the outside it was black and even the stained glass windows appeared to be plain, however, from the inside the true splendour of the building displayed itself. The colours of the stained glass windows were incredible and some impressive works of art were on display around the cathedral. Another oddity of the building was the clock and bell above the main entrance which seemed totally out of place on such an old building.
After six days it was time to move onto St Etienne. I decided to travel by public transport to Lisieux and then walk the 12 miles to Thiers before boarding the train to St Etienne. The weather forecast suggested that light rain may be around but for the main part it would be dry and sunny. About 1½ miles from Thiers the forecast proved to be totally wrong when it started to snow and within five minutes became a blizzard.
What had been a nice walk in the morning sunshine had suddenly turned into a serious situation and at one stage even the traffic was starting to encounter problems. The only thing that I could do was to put on the fluorescent waterproof gear, use the walking poles to help give me grip and take my time. It took me over an hour to cover the distance and having arrived at the station found I had missed the train and had to wait over an hour for the next.
When I reached St Etienne it was still snowing and it carried on until the following morning. With the exception of the hotel staff, I did not find the people of St Etienne as friendly as in other parts of France I had visited but as I only had one full day there I was not going to let it bother me. I managed to find a walk of just over 14 miles that took me around the city which was quite hilly but provided some spectacular views of the surrounding hills and of the expanse of the city itself. St Etienne was for many years a centre for mining and industry and there are a couple of museums that are dedicated to these periods. Sadly, I did not have time to visit them.
Onwards then to Valence, via Lyon whose football team had just been knocked out of the Champions League by Manchester United a point made very clearly, but in a good natured way, by a small group of Lyon fans when they found out I was English. Valence was to prove to be one of the highlights of the walk so far, with tremendous weather, a very pleasant hotel called the Atrium and very friendly people who whenever possible were happy to practice their English or help me with my French. Valence lies on the banks of the Rhone and there was always a very pleasant breeze to make the walking enjoyable and probably explains how I found myself walking 20 miles in one day to Tain l’hermitage and back. I found one or two local landmarks of interest, the Jouvet Park, Peynet bandstand and the Valence Fine Art museum. The park provided a good starting point for many of the walks and I made sure I included a circuit of it each day. Besides the 700 trees and ample grassed areas the park contained a spectacular fountain and above the park was the bandstand. The story goes that in 1942, in front the bandstand Raymond Peynet created his couple of lovers after being impressed by the beauty of its surroundings. It was time to move onto Montelimar which also provided its own highlights. Starting with accommodation, Le Sphinx, a converted 17th century mansion house just off the main street, with only 24 rooms and set in a courtyard. Montelimar is famous for Nougat which was first made in the 16th century and is now famous around the world. I was lucky enough to be taken on a private tour of one of the smaller establishments where I was surprised to see much of the process still being undertaken manually. It takes approximately five hours to make a batch of nougat which once cooled is cut into the chunks you see in the shops. Two newspapers, Le Dauphine a daily regional paper and Le Tribune a weekly paper with a much wider distribution interviewed me and published articles on the walk. I was quite surprised that they were interested in one person’s journey when they were in the middle of local elections and the Paris – Nice bicycle race was due to start its fourth stage in the town later in the week. Montelimar has over 140 miles of walks in and around the town and so it was not difficult to select places to walk to. I also made sure that I visited one of the local landmarks, the castle of Adhemar which was built in the 11th century and during the 12th century became the home of the Adhemar de Monteil family which in turn gave the town its name, Monteil Adhemar becoming Montelimar. The countryside around Montelimar was spectacular and in the distance the snow covered Alps could easily be seen. The only “blot” on the landscape was a huge nuclear power station at nearby Cruas with its four chimneys belching out steam, apparently there are several such power stations along the length of the Rhone. At the weekend I move onto Orange to stay with the parents of a French lady who attends one of the catholic churches in Gosport and who was kind enough to offer me the opportunity to visit her family. I am also hoping to make time to sort through all the photographs I have taken along the way and get them onto the website.
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| 2008-02-28 18:59 |
| 327 miles completed, only 963 to go! |
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Back in France and into the mountains with less than 1000 miles to go.
Having arranged accommodation as far as Pisa and completed the last of the outstanding miles in the UK, I boarded the plane for the flight from Southampton to Limoges on 20th Feb.
The one thing that had not changed in the intervening couple of weeks was the unseasonably warm weather with T shirts being the order of the day rather than thick coats and gloves.
The first walk back on French soil was a gentle stroll of 5 miles as far as Feytiat as Kate who had rejoined me for a further three days arranged for us to stay with her friends Janet and Roger in Treignac for the remainder of the week. Having reached Feytiat, Janet and Roger picked us up and took us the 40 miles (65 kilometres) to their home in deepest Limousin.
A wonderful couple, I was made to feel welcome from the outset and unknown to me they had arranged a fundraising evening during our stay where fellow ex-pats were invited to an informal get together and donate to the cause. The evening was a great success with everybody keen to learn more about the walk and around £100 was pledged as a result.
On Thursday, we began our walking in earnest with a six hour walk through the countryside and along the banks of Lake Bariousses, a man made lake with several sandy beaches along its edges. Luckily, Janet had told me about the beaches otherwise given how far inland we were, I might have questioned the sanity of the Sat Nav! On Friday we decided to try and find a local landmark known as “La Pierre des Druides”, we were warned that it was not easy to find and this proved to be the case. Having walked for over 3 hours with no sign of the landmark we decided that we would have to add ourselves to the list of failures and having stopped for lunch headed back to Treignac.
Saturday gave me the opportunity to do some local walking and gain a better understanding of the local culture by exploring the town in greater detail while Kate attempted to find the “Druid“, sadly it was to elude her yet again. All too quickly it was time to move on and having said farewell to Janet, Kate and Roger arrived in Peyrat Le Chateau to spend a few days with more friends . John and Helen, friends for many years had, with the help of a fellow Englishman who owned a hotel in the village, arranged a fundraiser in the form of a quiz evening and had also been encouraging people to donate their loose change to the fund. For the two days I was to be in Peyrat I was joined by two more dear friends, Vivienne and Valerie who accompanied me on my daily jaunts. The first day was a gentle walk around part of Lake Vassiviere another man-made lake but much larger than Lake Bariousses, before heading back to the village.
In the evening, John and Helen joined us for a walk around the village and its surroundings before we all headed to the pub for the quiz night. This was another success if not slightly embarrassing as I found myself part of the winning team. I would like to thank the owner Martin and his wife Maggie for hosting the evening, the amount raised was still to be confirmed at the time I left as people were still donating loose change. The second day saw us venturing to the local town of Eymoutiers with John and Helen joining us for a well earned lunch and where the rain finally caught up with me.
Wednesday saw Viv and Val returning to Southampton whilst I headed for Clermont Ferrand for most of the journey by train but on foot for the last 12 kilometres. All I can say is that I was glad it was downhill into Clermont Ferrand!!
For the first time since setting off I am on my own but I finally feel that I am on my way to Rome and more importantly confident that I can do it.
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| 2008-02-15 07:42 |
| Week 2: 15/02/08 240 miles completed, only 1050 to go! |
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The journey to Rome officially restarts on Wednesday 20th Feb at 1100 when I take off from Southampton Airport bound for Limoges.
With the trials of the first week safely behind me I have resolved the accommodation issues, updated family, charities, media, civic leaders etc and covered the miles I would have done during the two weeks I would have been in France.
Since my return I have been able to book all my accommodation as far as Nice and thanks to the decent weather will have managed to complete the 150 miles I needed to complete to stay on track in terms of overall distance.
Following discussions with the charities we decided that having a base to walk from was a much safer option than walking from town to town, eliminating the potential for no accommodation being available at the end of a day’s walking.
So, for the first few days I will be following the original plan and walking from Limoges to Peyrat le Chateau in the Massif Central and staying at prearranged accommodation with friends on a daily basis. Thereafter, I will be basing myself in the larger towns starting with Clermont Ferrand and undertaking a series of day walks to cover the distance originally set for that area.
The walk has found its way onto a French forum, look for the thread “If you see this man” on the following site: (http://www.completefrance.com/cs/forums/ShowForum.aspx?ForumID=309&PageIndex=3)
If you would like to take part in the charity golf event and auction on the 7th July follow the link on the home page of the web site and complete the booking form, send it with full payment to the address on the booking form and a full itinerary will then be sent to you.
We are hoping to have some special friends with us for the golf and the evening when we hope to have some good lots to auction, including one or two that you could not ordinarily buy. Why not bring your partner and friends along for the evening function. The maximum number of golfers is 84 and the maximum number for the evening function is 120 so be sure to book early.
Time to repack the rucksack which due to weight limitations on the aircraft will be much lighter than the 46 pounds it weighed first time round.
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| 2008-02-03 09:49 |
| 90 miles completed, only 1200 to go! |
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The end of the first week and oh boy what a week!!
The journey to Rome officially started from the Town Hall in Gosport on the evening of Sunday 27th January 2008. The Mayor, family and friends, representatives from the charities together with a number of people from the town gathered to see me on my way. The first stop was the Catholic Church of St Mary’s in the High Street for a short service and blessing and to meet up with my walking companion for the first few days.
Onwards to the Gosport Ferry to make the short journey to Portsmouth where the Lord Mayor and Lady Mayoress were waiting to greet us. We all walked to the Royal Maritime Club for a fundraising opportunity with Shep Woolley who was waiting to entertain us and other members of the public who had gathered to wish us well. All too quickly, it was time to say goodbye and make our way to the Continental Ferry Port for the overnight crossing to Ouistreham.
After disembarking and a quick coffee and croissant in the nearby ferry terminal we set off for Caen some 11 miles away. Following the canal path, we paused at Pegasus Bridge and took a few minutes to look at the hotel, tank and glider that mark the events that took place in 1944. Although there had been a hard frost overnight, the temperature soon rose and it felt more like late May or early June rather than the end of January.
The city of Caen is twinned with Portsmouth and Caen city council had paid for our accommodation in a hotel in the Place Courtonne and the tourist office had paid for us to eat in a nearby restaurant. Their generosity did not end there, the following morning we were hosted to breakfast at City Hall as guests of the deputy mayor, Monsieur Jean-Pierre VIALLANEIX. Having said our goodbyes and given an interview to a local radio station, we set off around 1030 for our next destination, Bretteville-sur-Laize 25KM down the road.
Sadly, things started to go wrong as we found out that hoped for accommodation had not been arranged. The « Maire » (local mayor) of Bretteville-sur-Laize pulled out all the stops and located accommodation for us in a Chambres d’hote in a nearby village. The owners, Marie-France and Bruno Giard had opened up 2 rooms especially for us and we owe them a huge debt of gratitude for their kindness and hospitality.
The plan had been for the first 3 weeks accommodation to be booked en bloc but discussions with our friends in Caen late on the Tuesday confirmed that the expected accommodation had not been booked for a variety of reasons. It was nobody’s fault but a series of circumstances that conspired against us and would mean having to contact each tourist office on a day to day basis and there was no guarantee of success.
On Wednesday we proceeded to the historic town of Falaise, birthplace of William the Conqueror. After visiting the tourist office and confirming that there was no accommodation available for us at the next stopover in Necy and after some soul searching and discussions with my walking companion and a brief visit to the local church decided that the risk of proceeding further without a guarantee of accommodation in advance was too high.
Having previously promised my family and the charities that I would not take unacceptable risks with my safety decided that the safest option was to base ourselves in Falaise for 3 days, complete the miles we had intended to cover via daily walks and then return to Portsmouth on Saturday 2nd Feb. This enables me to book accommodation for the next leg from Limoges to Nice myself and return to France on 20th Feb (when I had originally planned to arrive in Limoges) with everything in place.
What about the miles you would have walked I hear you cry – well, I will be doing them in the UK around Gosport, Fareham, Stubbington and Lee on Solent to ensure that by the time I do arrive in Rome, the full 1290 miles will have been completed as planned.
What a week it was, from the superb hospitality and kindness from the people of Caen and the many people we met along the way to the disappointment of having to rethink things so early into my epic journey. From Gosport to Falaise and back to Gosport – somehow Rome does not seem any nearer – or is it just my imagination.
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| 2007-09-27 10:11 |
| Update on Return To ROMANCE (walking to ROMe for ANne and CharitiEs) |
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We had the formal press launch last week (19th Sept) in Portsmouth Guildhall. The launch was attended by the Lord and Lady Mayoress of Portsmouth, Mayor of Gosport and Roman Catholic Bishop of Portsmouth who have all given their support to this project and 30 friends, family, representatives from the 4 charities and others who were interested in hearing about the walk to Rome. My target is to raise £50,000 to be shared equally by the 4 charities and since launching the sponsoring page on www.justgiving.com/nigelhearnden on 21st August over £800 has been raised. In addition to the walk, there will be a charity golf event and auction on 30th June 2008 and I will also be writing a book about the roller coaster journey that Anne and I found ourselves on for four years until her sudden death in Nov 2005 and also about my walk to Rome. There are still many things that I need to obtain before setting off in January 2008, What do we need? · We still need equipment for those walking with me such as walking boots and weather proof clothing for all of us. · I would like to see a topographical image of both proposed routes so that a final informed decision can be made and perhaps a company or the local university could assist us with that. · Accommodation en route – given the time of year, the indoor option is considered safer and perhaps hotel groups, B&B and hostel groups and similar organisations could support us. We would also like to see if the ex pat communities in France and Italy would be prepared to help with accommodation · Support centre etc – advice, offers of help · Communications and satnav equipment – both for maintaining contact but also for safety and location tracking. · Laptop or other similar IT equipment to enable me to upload and download information to the UK and allow me to maintain my diary etc. · Health and fitness whilst preparing and along the route – if there is a physiotherapist and a dietician who is prepared to give some of the time to advise us, please get in touch. For companies / businesses who would like to support the project non-financially, i.e. with equipment etc, please e mail me at Ret2rom@aol.com to discuss. For companies/businesses/individuals who would like to sponsor me financially, this can be done on-line at www.justgiving.com/nigelhearnden or by cheque made out to "RETURN TO ROMANCE and sent to Return to Romance c/o Harbour Cancer Support Centre, The Bus Station, South Street, Gosport PO12 1EP. Most importantly whether you are a company / business or an individual, we need your money if we are to realise the goal and honour the memory of a brave lady. Please keep the sponsorship rolling in.
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