June 2022 - Page 2 of 2 - Cruisin with the Colemans

VF Day 6: I’m Hungry and I Don’t Want to Talk About It

Posted on June 7, 2022 by Cruisin Michelle

Right now my biggest struggle is food. There never seems to be enough of it. The Hospice we stayed at last night included breakfast. Unfortunately that breakfast was a few day old piece of bread with butter/jelly and tea. Neither one of us could finish our bread because it wasn’t sitting right. We planned to have “second breakfast” at our first town 5 kilometers into our walk. Unfortunately, maybe because it’s Sunday, nothing was open. We hiked on to the next town where we found a bar. At the bar we could have cappuccino, liquor, or packaged muffins. We skipped the liquor. For a moment, I was ok.

We planned to stop for lunch in Etroubles but it was down pouring rain, thundering, and at times we had hail, so we pushed on another 3 km to our destination for the day. We stopped at our accommodation to shower and put our bags down but nobody was home. We tuck our bags into a corner, walked down the big hill to the one restaurant in town. It’s sure to be open because there are a ton of cars.

We approach only to see a handwritten sign on the door, chiuso, closed. Noooo!!! I am starving! A gentleman comes to the door to tell us they are having a family reunion today, “maybe we can come back about 8 p.m. for dinner.” It’s 2 p.m. now. Since it’s a tiny village we ask about our accommodation. He tells us that our host is his brother, he will get him. Thankfully his brother drives us back up the hill, settles us in, and tells us about a restaurant at the last town back if we want food. It’s a 25 minute walk, one way. He made some joke about wine but I wasn’t willing to listen. I smile politely. I’m hungry and I don’t want to talk about it.

Let’s talk about our hiking day! You know the saying, “What goes up, must come down!” And boy did we climb down. We descended just over 1,200 meters (4,100 feet) in 15.4 kilometers.

The scenery was just as stunning with wildflowers in abundance. We even saw a mountain goat frolicking up the mountain. Check out our TikTok videos for about the same glimpse of him that we had!

The rain was intense but didn’t last long. All in all it was another spectacular day on pilgrimage. I just wish there was more food. Ok, I guess I want to talk about it again. We have completed a pilgrimage in Spain, the Camino de Santiago, and in Portugal, the Camino Portuguese. There was always plenty of food. By looking at me, I will survive without food for a day, probably more, but I am not as much fun to be around, just ask Brian. Haha.

It’s 6:30 p.m., Brian and I are distracting ourselves with writing/video editing, social media, anything but food conversations. The owner of our accommodation comes home. We settle up the bill, arrange a time for breakfast, and ask if his parents are open for dinner. He says yes! We arrive and there are 5 pilgrims already eating and laughing! What? We are late for dinner! I guess they know what time, “maybe 8 p.m.” is code for in Italian.

Alas, we have an outstanding meal of homemade pasta, pork and potatoes, salad, wine, tiramisu, and homemade grappa. A meal literally sent down from the heavens. I am no longer withering away, my belly is full. We will both sleep well tonight! It’s our biggest day of hiking yet tomorrow and are guaranteed a farm fresh breakfast. Tomorrow is going to be a good eating day, I just know it.

I know some of you want me to talk about the gluten issue and I will. I am just not ready to talk about it yet. In short, I am avoiding gluten when I can, taking preventative measures when I can’t. The bottom line is “wheat belly” or not, I have to eat. And yes, you can see in some of our videos when I have the unfortunate “wheat belly.”

Check out our YouTube video of this day!!

Stats for today:

Walked from Grand Saint Bernard Pass to Echevennoz at 15.4 km
Lodging at Affittacamere L’Abri— €84

Hiking the Via Francigena Day 4 & 5: Our Highest Pass

Posted on June 6, 2022 by Cruisin Michelle

If I complain about any other climb, let me please remember this day. Oh, the climbing, all day long.

I kept repeating all day, “if it doesn’t challenge you, it doesn’t change you.” I’m searching for change on this pilgrimage. I don’t know completely what change, but I’m sure it will reveal itself when it’s time.

The one thing I know about pilgrimage is whatever you think you’re searching for, most likely, isn’t the thing that will be revealed. I could list the changes I want to make, but I think it’s better to wait for enlightenment.

Honestly, the climbing wasn’t that bad except in a few places. The last 2 miles were the hardest of the day. Climbing is typically more mentally tough than physically. Your calves get a nice stretch all day and gravity isn’t pulling you down like on the downhills.

Fortunately the Alps are covered in wildflowers and that kept us quite distracted. When we led hiking groups and the hike us particularly challenging, many often hear me say, “Suck it up, buttercup!” Today I heard them all saying it back to me with every buttercup I passed by.

The biggest challenge we faced today was hunger. Last night we didn’t have much of a dinner because there was only one place open in Bourg Saint-Pierre. We didn’t grab any breakfast or lunch to go. Therefore, to climb this mountain we had the equivalent of gas station muffins and the protein bars we brought from home. We were absolutely famished when we got to the top.

When you’re on pilgrimage you’re always a bit stinky, hungry, and tired. I’m thankful it wasn’t hot while we were climbing. Tomorrow we live to hike again! May there be food options a plenty.

Walked from Orsiéres to Bourg Saint Pierre – 14.71 km. YouTube video from our walk!

Lodging at St. Peter’s House – 50 franks (cash only)

Walked from Bourg Saint-Pierre to Grand Saint Bernard Pass – 12.5 km. YouTube video from our walk!

Room & Board at the Hospice – 150 franks

VF Day 3 & 4: Hiking the Swiss Alps

Posted on June 3, 2022 by Cruisin Michelle

Somebody suggested I should let that thought sink in. I guess I hadn’t thought about until we were surrounded by mountains and the only way out is up and over. Wow, it’s sinking in.

I didn’t have a blog yesterday, I was having a rough day. It was raining, my shins were hurting, the terrain was challenging with rain, and we made the tough call to take the train to our evening destination. I struggle with feeling like I failed. I am going to leave my drive for perfection here in the Alps where perfect scenery is all around.

It ended up being a nice day despite us not walking. We had a fabulous room at the Hotel Terminus in Orsières. I spent much of the day with my feet up, ice on my shins, resting and reading. Taking a rest yesterday paid off substantially! Today my shins don’t hurt and I feel a lot better. I know it always pays off to take care of yourself but that doesn’t mean it’s easy to admit it and do it.

We did wander the small village of Orsières a bit, found a pharmacy, an outdoor/hiking gear store, and that was about it. If you need anything for the trek up to St. Bernard Pass, that is the last opportunity. We got a bit more Compeed, which is amazing stuff if you have a hot spot that has not turned to a blister yet. I swear by Compeed!

We enjoyed a nice dinner and when back to our rooms. A note about dinner though, we ordered a “half board” with our room reservation which is dinner and breakfast. However, unlike in Spain, wine is not included and – wow – was their wine expensive! Dinner included tap water, a small appetizer, main dish, and small dessert. Breakfast included breads, jellies, yogurt, ham, cheese, and coffee. Total cost for that half board without the wine was 156 franks! Yep, I was shocked too! It’s my fault, I should have asked how much the half board was and I would have known. Fortunately, our hotel room was only 40 franks for both of us at the pilgrim rate.

Today’s stats:

Martigny to Orsières – 1 km to the train station.
Hotel Terminus – 40 franks

Check out the YouTube video from these two days!

Let’s talk about today! I wish I capture this day to memory and never forget it’s beauty. We were rewarded abundantly for resting yesterday. Today was hard hiking but the beauty of the Alps is all around us. If you have seen pictures of the wildflower fields of the Alps, we spent the entire day walking through them. We wandered through a couple of villages, walked by the river all day, saw lots of cows with their traditional Swiss cowbells around their necks, a few piglets, endless wildflower fields, and mountains all around. I never want to forget this day.

The hiking was challenging, we walked uphill most of the day. It was 14 km and 800 meters (2,264 feet) of elevation gain. It took us about 6 hours plus a nice lunch break in Liddes for pizza that was bigger than my plate. I wasn’t going to eat it all but… well, I did. Tomorrow’s climb is 12.4 km but we will gain 1062 meters (3,484 feet) of elevation. But that’s tomorrow’s problem.

Today’s hike on the left, tomorrow’s on the right

Tonight we have an interesting accommodation. We are staying in Maison St. Pierre in the town of Bourg-Saint-Pierre. It is/was a religious building of some sort, there is history everywhere. The fireplace is dated 1822. It’s a traditional “pilgrimage” accommodation with 4 rooms. They all have twin beds, one room has 8 beds. We picked a room with only 3 beds and since we’re the only people in the entire place, I bet we’ll have not only the room to ourselves but the entire Maison. What’s unfortunate is that the room is more expensive than last night with our private room/private bath accommodation. It’s all part of the experience, hopefully dinner will be cheaper. Update: it wasn’t. 😏

We’ve quickly jumped back into our “pilgrimage” routine. We shower and hand wash our clothes immediately. We take time to check our feet, use the massage ball on them. This routine was challenging to work out during our first pilgrimage, but as this is our third, we just accept that is part of the adventure.

Next, we enjoy a bit of quiet time to blog/put a video together before we head out to find dinner. This blog and the video are important to us for capturing the experience. We hope it brings you joy, but most importantly, we want to be able to look back on what we’ve done. I mean, we’re hiking the Alps! Wowza, that’s pretty cool. I can’t wait to see what Tuscany brings us.

The goal is to walk to Rome on the Via Francigena. We pray our bodies stay healthy, our motivation stays strong, and our relationship flourishes even more along the way.

Today’s stats:

Walked Orsières to Bourg-Saint-Pierre – 14 km
Hotel – 50 franks (cash only)

The Via Francigena Day 2: A Typical Day

Posted on June 1, 2022 by Cruisin Michelle

The day started with breakfast with the abbot at the Abbey of Saint Maurice. I mean, a private breakfast, how cool is that? We shared stories, asked each other a lot of questions with a few language limitations. He tried to talk politics, we steered the conversation away and he left it alone. We received a blessing and we were on our way. Ok, so that’s not your typical day. Haha

The abbot on the far right and the priest who served us breakfast

A typical day to us means manageable walking, no injury, tolerable weather, hand washing our clothes, and positive attitudes. We had them all today except the washing machine which is a rare gem to find. Oh, and I finally got a good night’s sleep. I’m hoping for two nights in a row of good sleep. Let’s pray!

Today’s walk had a bit of uphill but only to mentally prepare us for what’s to come. We don’t have any injury – yet – but unfortunately I have a bit of shin splint pain. I am working through all of my prevention techniques, please hope it helps. We have a huge mountain pass to get through. We had all of the “Camino classics today” from the sound of cowbells in a pasture of sheep, adorable villages, waterfalls, water fountains of plenty, and a bit of rain. Make sure you are following our YouTube channel for a full video and TikTok for small 1-2 minute clips of the day.

All of the gear gets tested today from camera gear, rain coats, and our umbrellas that only weigh 6.8 ounces! Check out their website

Look – we have all of our gear! Our umbrellas, hiking sticks, and pocket knives arrived by airport courier at midnight last night. Thank goodness Brian was able to wake up to receive the call that the courier was outside of the abbey otherwise we wouldn’t have gotten the package.

I love the animals we see along the way. Today we had llamas, horses, sheep, and lambs who were so tiny! But today was extra special because we saw the St. Bernard dogs. These dogs were rescue dogs only a short time ago and now they are part of a foundation working as therapy dogs. I have been looking forward to today for awhile!

One of the dozen St. Bernard therapy dogs we met at Barry Land, more on our YouTube channel

To take things easy on my shins we just went to Barry Land and then the grocery store for a bit of food to eat in our room tonight. It’s only 8:30 p.m. but I am sure I will be asleep soon. The mountains all around us are quite intimidating and we both need our strength.

Tonight’s dinner thanks to the grocery store across the street from our hotel

It’s nice to have such a typical day because it gives a good memory for when we’re having a bad day. We know they’re coming, but that’s like life. Good days vs. bad days is all a matter of mindset. I focus on the typical so when it’s atypical can keep the day in perspective.

Check out the YouTube video!

Stats from today:

Walked from Saint-Maurice to Martigny – 17 km
Lodging – Hotel Du Stand 74.50 franks
Barry Land Tour – 16 franks

VF Day 1: Jet Lag, Eminent Rain, and Walking

Posted on June 1, 2022 by Cruisin Michelle

I should be asleep right now. It’s 1:30 a.m. There’s rain coming in at 11:00 a.m. so we have to start walking early. I definitely should be asleep. Unfortunately my body is still adjusting to the 6 hour time zone change and I’m restless with anticipation of the pilgrimage we’re embarking on.

I try to be productive with my time. I start by reading the book I have downloaded on my phone because if I’m genuinely tired that usually does the trick. If that doesn’t work, I play the most boring game I have on my phone, solitaire. It’s the modern equivalent of counting sheep. When neither of those work, I blog. So here I am, it’s 2 a.m.

Hopefully this won’t happen too often. Sheer exhaustion from the walking should allow me to sleep well. However, I’m a post-menopausal woman which means sleep doesn’t always come swiftly.

The morning comes and we are ready for breakfast at 7:00 a.m. I think I had about 3 1/2-4 hours of sleep. We enjoy our first pilgrim breakfast in Switzerland. I had yogurt with granola and a cappuccino. Brian had cereal with milk, yogurt, and a cappuccino. There was bread, meat, and cheese that we packed up for today’s snack.

We have a short 12 km walk and we picked the flat route. A pilgrimage is what you make of it. We are in the first leg of a marathon. The goal is Rome. The goal is also that we make it to Rome healthy, no lasting damage to our bodies, and we have a long way to go.

It’s a beautiful day. We’re on the official VF route for about 6 of the 12 km, a gorgeous bike path for all of the walk. I am thrilled today is easy because we have some extremely challenging days ahead to get over the Grand St. Bernard Pass of the Swiss Alps.

We arrive at the Abbey of St. Maurice a little before noon. Wow, that was quick! Fortunately, they allow us to check in. We take advantage of how we feel and tour the Abbey. It is stunning. Check our YouTube channel for videos as we will share a bit about the Abbey in our video.

Then comes the wait. It’s mid-afternoon and everything closes for a type of siesta. Fortunately the bar is open and it has wi-fi so we enjoy a glass while we catch up on a bit of necessary work.

It’s decision time. The restaurant opens at 1800 (6 p.m.) which is the same time as mass. Mass is all in Latin and French. The decision is made because we just heard from the Geneva airport, our bag was found and they will be delivering it tonight between 8-10 p.m. Sounds like we need to go to mass and then head to dinner so we will still be awake when the delivery driver arrives.

The mass was interesting, a lot of Gregorian chanting. We didn’t understand much but wow was is beautiful to listen to. No pilgrim blessing as we sometimes experience.

Dinner was pizza. It was good meal but I know we’re going to have a lot of pizza.

Tomorrow we’ll have breakfast with, hopefully, the sarcastic Father who doesn’t speak English but showed us to our room. I’m also hoping for a blessing. We need it. We start a small climb up today, then we have 3 days of intense climbing. It’s also supposed to rain for the next 3 days. Please lift a prayer.

By the way, our hiking poles/umbrellas arrived by a courier from the airport at midnight. At least we have them. if you haven’t already, make sure you check out our YouTube channel because we’ll will have a lot more details and stunning video of our walk.

Check out the video on YouTube!

Stats for today:

Walked from Aigle to Saint-Maurice – 12 km
Lodging at the Abbey of Saint-Maurice – 60 franks
Abbey Tour – 24 franks