via Francigena Archives - Page 2 of 3 - Cruisin with the Colemans

VF 27-30: Dolce Far Niente

Posted on July 2, 2022 by Cruisin Michelle

I am a water girl with a fire sign (Leo). I’m feisty like fire but love to be cooled off by the water. I love being by the water, despite how bored I get after one day of doing nothing at the beach.

I’ll take water in any form. On this pilgrimage every shower consists of me standing under the shower head imagining myself diving into a pool. That’s probably because I am just so dang hot every single day. Regardless, that’s my shower day dream and it gets me through the hot days. Haha!

I can’t talk much about our time walking from Cella to Aulla. It was hard, it was hot, and it was an incredible amount of climbing. I wasn’t as mentally prepared for it as I was the Grand St. Bernard Pass. I have a lot of respect for the mountains and if I lived by them they would be much more manageable. But I am from the flat lands of the Midwest. Here’s a video just to illustrate how tough it was for us.

The balance of water and mountains at its best

I definitely could live by the water with mountains behind me. I respect the balance of the two. I need to climb the mountains and feel like I am looking down on everything (the Leo sign again). I also need to sit by the water and listen to the sounds as I go about my day. I think that’s why, despite how tough the mountains have been, I love this area. The Apennine Mountains are around us and the Ligurian Sea is in front of us as we leave Sarzana and spend a rest day in Marina di Massa.

Marina di Massa looking up at the marble quarry where Michelangelo got marble for his statues

If I lived here, I would hike the mountains but not relentlessly every day for 20-30+ km, in the heat, with a 20 pound pack on my back. Sometimes you need a bit of dolce far niente (the sweetness of doing nothing) to appreciate the hard work of the climb.

Marina di Massa is off of the Via Francigena path but it’s an easy detour. Make sure you are following our YouTube channel so you can see how easy this detour is for walkers.

It can be a pricey detour because Marina di Massa is a tourist town. However, we booked our room in February and secured a moderately ok little apartment for just under €100 a night. For this area, that is super reasonable. It’s also only 4 blocks from the sea.

To make this rest day complete, we will allow ourselves to get completely bored for a day. Haha! We rented an umbrella and beach chairs for only €36. I will be there as soon as they open in the morning. Let the dolce far niente commence.

This pilgrimage has been incredibly rewarding thus far. I can’t believe we have complete 30 of our 50 planned walking days. I have overcome some mental hurdles from past pilgrimages. My body has risen to the challenge of the daily grind – walk, hand wash clothes, find food, rehydrate, reflect on the day, go to bed early, get up early to beat the heat, and repeat. Every day is gets a bit easier.

However, our days of rest are critical to sustaining these final 20 days of walking. The heat of the summer is extremely challenging for everyone. I’m not trying to push myself beyond what I can do, I am just trying to get better with time. I am only in competition with myself. Thankfully, I do not have to prove anything to anyone. The reward: I am pleasantly surprised with how much our walking pace and walking stamina have improved. I can’t wait to see how we improve over the next 20 days.

My inner mermaid is calling to get out of this apartment and go walk the beach. Please continue to pray for our safe passage over the next 20 days. We have a lot to learn still. We have the challenging Tuscan hills in front of us with relentless ups and downs all day long.

We will continue to work on what our balanced life will look like when we get home. Balance is our greatest challenge. Let me know what your struggle is and I will add you to those I pray for on my walk.

Caio for now!

Here’s the YouTube video from Berseto to Aulla.

Here’s the YouTube video from Aulla to Sarzana. Watch out, it’s our Gong Show edition. 🤪

Walking stats from Fronovo di Taro to Berseto- 18.24 km, took a taxi for 13.3 km

Lodging at La casa di Marty B&B – €66

Walking stats from Berseto to Pontremoli – 14.46 km, took a taxi for 13.8 km

Lodging at Ospitale San Lorenzo Martire – €40

Walking stats from Pontremoli to Aulla – sadly just 2.5 km to the train station. I had to work and we needed a place with good wi-fi so it was 29.6 km on the train.

Lodging at Demi Hotel – €100

Walking stats from Aulla to Sarzana – 18.76

Lodging at Casa Giangarè – €98

Walking stats from Sarzana to Massa di Marina – 19.55 km

Lodging at Rosa Tea Residence for two nights – €198

*Listing our accommodation is not an endorsement. This is just a point of information for fellow pilgrims. See our reviews on Booking.com, the guidebooks, and fellow pilgrims for more details to make the decision best for you.

VF Day 25-26: Two Bees, a Swarm of Flies, and Relentless Gnats

Posted on June 28, 2022 by Cruisin Michelle

I’m always excited for new scenery, entering the Apennine Mountains was no exception after the long, flat days of the Po Valley. I’m like a kid who is excited but forgets every time how much work the mountains can be to hike.

I can’t talk more about a balanced life yet (see last blog post). Right now, I feel like an amateur hiker again. I’m tired and I need a nap after the constant up and down of the day. The views have been good but the mileage between villages is long and the mileage of the stages is even longer. I’m trying to embrace the longer days and the climbs, it’s what I wanted, but it doesn’t mean I enjoy every moment of every day.

Yesterday we hiked on loose gravel with inclines both up and down at over a 50% grade at times. It was steep, wait until you see the YouTube video about it (it will be linked at the bottom when it’s out). We were having fun with it, laughing and joking a lot, until the third big hill and then the trail got silent. We were both exhausted, the elevation map didn’t look nearly as tough as the actual trail, and we were each having our own silent pissy fits.

Then came the bees. They would not leave me alone, I was swinging my polls around like a mad woman. Next came the flies, crap, they were intense. I hated the entire world. And of course, because they haven’t left me alone in over in a week, there were the relentless knats. Gnats that looked like tornado tunnels passing by and through me. Why, oh why, did it have to be all three?

I couldn’t stop walking for fear they would land on me. It wasn’t enjoyable to stop and look around. I kept walking. I kept trying to outpace these treacherous beasts. I would have paid a lot of money for my hiking pole to turn into a fly swatter!

Deconstruction is the ultimate test of a true warrior!

Despite all of that, it was those stupid, relentless, swarms of insects that got me through a tough day. I’m not going to thank them, let’s not go that far. Brian didn’t have to pull out the bee sting kit so there’s that good news.

We accomplished another mountain pass, another goal, and for that I am thankful. We also surpassed our halfway mark of walking 50 total days on this trip. Tomorrow: We hike again, we climb again. That’s just the pilgrimage we’re on. Maybe in the end I will feel like the warrior I know I am deep inside.

Here’s the link to the YouTube video to Cella. Here’s the link to the video to Fronovo di Taro.

Walking stats from Fidenza to Cella – 17.1 km

Lodging – Fraternità Francescana di Betania – donation based, included lunch, dinner, and breakfast the next morning

Walking stats from Cella to Fronovo di Taro – 18.8 km

Lodging – La Vecchia Quercia Bed and Breakfast – €80

VF Day 21-24: What is Living a Balanced Life?

Posted on June 25, 2022 by Cruisin Michelle

Since you heard from me last we have walked 47.6 km, took a train for 31.5 km, and enjoyed a bit of rejuvenation. See our stats at the end of the blog. Can you feel the zen of a balanced life?

Brian and I have lived by the school calendar our entire lives. We don’t know anything different than the ebb and flow of intense times in the semester, holiday breaks, and summer vacation. For both of us, we went from being in school, to being college students, to working in academia.

To be fair, we have both worked in the “real world.” Brian dipped his toes in the life of labor for a few years during college. Me, on the other hand, I was a single mom raising a son. Not only did I did I dip my toes, I swam in the deep end of hard work for many years. At a point during my college career I was working 4 part time jobs while going to school full-time. When I graduated from college, starting my path in academia, I taught more than my required load and worked full-time every summer.

Me and the one who changed my life forever in 1991

My life as a single parent was a never-ending struggle of raising my son well, maximizing my time with him as much as possible, combined with trying to make enough money to pay the bills. I worked in the food industry, sold office supplies, sold windows, worked in a beef factory, sold Amway, ran my own consulting business, and taught wherever I could. The struggle was real and the vivid memories of it will never leave me.

Fast forward to the first summer I am married to someone on the typical teaching schedule. Mind you, I had been finding ways to make money for the 15 years I was a single mom so not working every day of the year was something I didn’t understand.

It was 2008 and we on our first vacation together, Brian is playing in the pool with his son while I am grading papers because I am teaching a full load of summer school classes. I will never forget catching myself in a long stare at them and wondering, “What in the world are you doing, Michelle?!” I looked at Brian and said, “I just want you to know this the last summer I will ever work.” His reply? “Ok, good.”

Of course that’s his reply, he’s known a bit about the balance of work and play his entire life. I don’t want to downplay Brian’s contributions (he is reading this you know). My husband works tirelessly through the school year and his brain never stops even in the summer. He’s always thinking about what musical he’ll direct next, selecting music, designing sets, preparing a show choir theme, or working on the next music gig. Today, social media can feel like a second job but that’s another story for another day.

Once I began to pull back on how much I was working, the stress I was carrying started to lift. Once I got a glimpse of a balanced life, my researcher brain was all fired up. I needed to answer the question, “What does a truly balanced life look like and how can it be maintained?” Mind you, I was realizing that neither of us were balanced, yet.

I had taken a vacation. I took my son to Disney World, Washington DC, we tried camping, but all the time I worried. I wondered if he was happy, I worried about money, and I was stressed to “get it all in” before our bank account was empty and our time was up.

Vacations are a lot of work. Then there’s this philosophy of a “once in a lifetime” trip. It is too much pressure. It’s to imply that we won’t or can’t ever see something again so we have to see it all…NOW!

It’s hard to feel balanced when you are constantly shifting gears from work to hurry up and see it all. At some point, we have to put the car in park and be ok with seeing and doing nothing.

I am going to explore this idea of finding and maintaining a balanced life in the next few blogs as we cross through the Apennine mountains and then enter Tuscany. Leave a comment and let me know what you think a balanced life looks like or tell me how you find balance.

For today, I am thrilled for the shift in view, the challenge of the mountains, and new scenery all around us. It’s almost time for dinner and I don’t want to miss it. I am a hungry pilgrim you know.

Check out our YouTube video from Corte Sant’Andrea to Fiorenzuola d’ Arda

Walking stats from Corte Sant’Andrea to Piacenza – 14.4 km

Lodging – Residenza Venturini – €81

Took a train from Piacenza to Fiorenzuola d’ Arda – 31 km

Lodging – Hotel Mathis – €86

Walking stats from Fiorenzuola d’ Arda to Fidenza – 16.1 km plus we took a train for the last 5km. Here’s that YouTube video.

Lodging – Hotel Astoria – €70

VF Day 19-20: Need Camino Magic?

Posted on June 21, 2022 by Cruisin Michelle

As we continue to meander through the Po Valley, I am constantly surprised by what the famous Camino magic brings our way.

Camino magic is a term we learned on our first pilgrimage. I don’t remember where specifically but probably on Dan Mullins Camino podcast. If you’ve never heard of it, you are missing out! Dan is an outstanding interviewer and the stories about the Camino are magical in and of themselves.

I believe in the power of Camino Magic. Whenever I doubt the magic will happen, it does, just like that. Oh my, has my doubt appeared more than once during this hot, flat, repetitive section of our pilgrimage.

Camino magic came when a bar appeared during a hot afternoon when I was out of water and starving. That happens more often than not.

Camino magic came when I was struggling with everyone speaking other languages around us for days. I was feeling extremely low, we walked up to a bar, and I heard a table full of people speaking English.

Camino magic came when we had been visiting a lot of churches but there were never people in any of them. Then we entered a church where music was playing, people were singing, and there was life all around me.

Camino magic came after we passed through multiple deserted villages when we walked into a village that wasn’t only filled people but it was market day!

Camino magic came again yesterday. We’ve seen very few pilgrims at all thus far. After 20 days of walking we haven’t shared a meal with any English speaking pilgrims. Yesterday, we stayed at the local church and there were 4 other pilgrims. We shared rooms, shared a drink before dinner, enjoyed a fabulous meal together, and there was plenty of great conversation I could understand. It was just the magic we needed.

Last night with our 4 new pilgrim friends

Finally, tonight we are staying in Cort Sant’Andrea, population 22. There is a restaurant in town so we skipped lunch to arrive early and beat the heat. Bad decision, the restaurant is closed on Tuesdays (today). This is where the key to the church hostel was located so we were quite surprised it would be closed today. We found a back door to the restaurant and when we walked in people were laughing and eating. I smiled so big because up until that point we had barely eaten. Unfortunately, the woman running the kitchen told us she was done serving food. I gently begged, “maybe just a panini?” She looked at my pathetic face and then her husband. They exchanged looks and she brought us both a sandwich. When he offered us water and a beer, we joyfully said yes! Finally, he offered us a little dessert. Life was ok again. Mind you, the others in the restaurant were being offered fresh fruit, coffee with liquor, and more. They must have been locals or family, with a population of 22 that is probably one in the same. I didn’t care, much, we were fed and spent €16.

The dinner we made tonight with the ingredients left for us by Giovanni who runs the hospice. We made spaghetti with fresh zucchini & garlic sautéed on the side

Camino magic isn’t about getting what you want, rather it’s about getting what you need. We’ve never gone to bed hungry, we’ve always had a bed to sleep in, we’ve experienced the kindness of strangers, and we hope to have a few lasting friendships before this experience is over.

Camino magic is ultimately experiencing faith. Faith in others, faith in yourself, faith that someone is watching out for you and guiding your way. In this case, it’s our way to Rome and I have faith we will arrive there well taken care of and with a bit more faith.

We got a little crazy in our video to Pavia. Hint: There’s a lot of singing going on! 🤦🏻‍♀️ Check out our video here!

Here’s our video from the days listed below.

Walking stats from Pavia to Santa Cristina e Bissone – 14 km

Lodging – Parrocchhia di Santa Cristina e Bissone – donation

Walking stats from Santa Cristina e Bissone to Corte Sant’Andrea – 23 km

Lodging – Hospice Ad Padum including a kitchen with what we needed to make dinner – donation

VF Day 16-18: Finding Joy in the Long, Flat Road & Teaching

Posted on June 19, 2022 by Cruisin Michelle

This long flat road from Santhia to Pavia reminds me first of the Meseta on the Camino Frances only longer. My photos are all same, I am tired of the views, and my inspiration isn’t coming like it was just a few days ago. It also reminds me of how a 15 week semester can feel.

Finding the beauty when the terrain doesn’t change

At the beginning of the semester everyone is filled with excitement, the students are diligently reading the assigned chapters, and they have set lofty goals for the term. Even after 24 years, I am inspired by their enthusiasm every single time… and then we settle into a routine.

Before long the honeymoon phase is over. The students are working two jobs, have a family, and are taking a full load of classes. They aren’t reading consistently before they come to class. I’m trying to raise their energy level but they are realizing how lofty their goals really were from the start.

I’m swamped with grading, committee work is intense and usually a waste of time, but dang it I have a job to do. I want them to love Public Speaking. See, see I have lofty goals too. Haha!

Teaching is much like being on a pilgrimage. In the beginning we are excited to embark on the new adventure, we are instantly inspired by everything around us, have completed the research, and oh yes, we have set our own lofty goals.

Then the routine settles in. We are more experienced than the typical student so we think we are ahead of the game. This is our third pilgrimage, so we are well-versed about what the routine will be – eat, walk, eat, walk, wash clothes, eat, sleep, repeat. But it only takes one tough semester for a student to figure out their routine. Experience can happen quickly out of desperation to stay afloat.

Something happens in the semester that requires a lot more of my energy to build them up, engage them, and remind them how important Public Speaking really is to their future. Good thing I am the queen of passion when it comes to Communication courses. I need that same mustering up of spark when the days on pilgrimage are long and boring.

Just like in a semester, on pilgrimage, I know what happens after the honeymoon phase is over. It’s the same thing that happens to me, my students, and yes, even to my professional clients. Life happens. All of a sudden you realize the five other projects you have put off doing and now they are due, someone gets sick, a bad nights sleep, maybe something stole your creativity, or maybe your schedule feels too monotonous to bear.

We are currently in the part of our pilgrimage where my creativity was stolen and, at the same time, my schedule is feeling quote monotonous. Some days Brian is the creative one. Have you seen his animated video game YouTube video from our walk? If not, click here. Other days, I try to be the creative one. Here’s my attempt at a TV show on the Via Francigena, click here.

We make a great team and together we get through the tough days. In comparison, I wish I could team teach. Creativity multiplies amongst creative people. A team gives one person the space to have a bad day, work through their emotions, while the other person cheers the team along.

Until the day comes when I can team teach, I will learn the lesson before me – a team comes from anyone around you and I when I don’t have my husband with me, I usually have an outstanding group of students eager to be on my team.

I look forward to the days ahead, the next phases of our pilgrimage, and I pray for that easy feeling of daily inspiration. I will continue to make notes which will come in handy when inspiration in low in my “regular life.” For now, I will rely on my teammate while on this pilgrimage.

Check out these two days on YouTube!

Then check out our ridiculous attempt at singing our way through the Via Francigena on this YouTube video!

Walking stats from Robbio to Mortara – 15.78 km

Lodging – B&B Antica Corte Lombarda – € 77

Walking from Mortora to Tromello – 13.6 km

Lodging – Hotel Duca di Tromello – € 75

Train from Tromello to Garlasco – 5.4 km. Walk from Garlasco to Pavia – 18 km

Lodging for 2 nights in Pavia – B&B Castellani – €171

The VF Day 14 & 15: Toilet Paper, Food, & A Soft Bed

Posted on June 15, 2022 by Cruisin Michelle

Ramblings from the Via Francigena…

I don’t ask for much when we’re on pilgrimage. Having our most basic needs met is really all we desire which means availability of decent toilet paper, food, and a soft bed. 😆 Unfortunately, that is asking too much at times. 😏 The biggest difference between the pilgrimage we are on and the traditional understanding of backpacking is the aforementioned luxuries.

Remember the toilet paper crisis of 2020? How could we forget! Toilet paper is still an important topic though, right? Let me tell you during the first week of this pilgrimage, we had outstanding toilet paper. Oh Switzerland, I don’t know what you do to make your toilet paper so grand but I would love to invest stock in it and bring it to the United States. I mean, it’s that good, friends. Since we have arrived in Italy the quality has diminished. I think you understand the challenge and I’m sure I have said enough on the topic.

You read about my challenges with finding food in an earlier blog, if you didn’t, click here. Lately, finding food has not been too much of a problem. We do need to review where we are walking each day to ensure there will be a stop for food. If there isn’t, we have to prepare for the long stretch without food by finding a market the night before. We start walking early in the morning to beat the heat. Unfortunately dinner isn’t typically served until at least 7 p.m. but I am grateful at this point for finding food at all. I’m sure there will be more on good in future blogs.

My last rambling today is about the importance of a good nights sleep. Let me say, as a backpacker, my lightweight backpacking inflatable mattress is often more comfortable than the beds we have slept in since entering Italy.

I wish I would have brought my inflatable mattress but I didn’t know it would be this much of a problem. I thought the snoring of other pilgrims would be my biggest issue. But, nope! Don’t get me wrong, I am not looking for the most luxurious feather bed. I would just prefer the bed be more comfortable than the ground. It is hard enough to walk this many miles day-after-day but when you add a bad nights sleep to the mix, it makes the walking even more challenging.

Last night was the first time in a week I had an outstanding night’s sleep. I wish I could take that bed with me. Today’s walk was easier because my low back and hips weren’t screaming at me.

Maybe I’m asking too much. Maybe I want to think about more than just my most basic human needs. I am a researcher of Maslow and I know I can’t self actualize if I am always worried about my basic needs. Maybe I should stop worrying and be thankful for a roof over my head and any toilet paper at all. Maybe I shouldn’t worry about self actualizing. Maybe I already have or maybe I should just stop rambling about all of it.

That’s all I have for you today. Be thankful for your bounty, your bed, of course, your toilet paper!

Stats walking from Santhià to Vercelli – 10 km plus a train for 16 km so we could enjoy an afternoon in Vercelli. We definitely should have planned a rest day here, what a great town! Check out our YouTube video too!

Lodging at La Terrazza Vercelli Bed & Charme – €118 – outstanding bed and air conditioning on a very hot day. Paid too much but worth it for an outstanding nights sleep!

Stats walking from Vercelli to Robbio – 17.64 km. Check out our YouTube video here!

Lodging for at Agriturismo Pescarolo/Casa del Pellegrino – €60 for a private room with a shared bathroom and back to the typical bed with no air conditioning.

The Via Francigena Day 13: A Contemplation Bench

Posted on June 13, 2022 by Cruisin Michelle

Sometimes we all need a spot to rest, to think, to regroup, to pause, and of course, to contemplate.

Considering how I felt about the long downhill walk into Aosta, Italy

When we did our practice Camino on the Little Miami Scenic trail in March, see blogs here, I needed more benches then I ever saw along the trail. The trail is more designed for cyclists so there were plenty of benches, just further apart. I’m not complaining, it was way too cold to sit and consider anything other than, “Dang, I’m cold!”

It was while I was reminiscing about my feelings from March on our first day of walking the Via Francigena when I saw a bench and said to Brian, “I need a minute to contemplate.” What I wanted to say was, “I’m tired, I can’t believe we’re doing this, what were we thinking, I’m too fat, I’m not ready, this is hard, Rome is far away…” You get the idea. It was one big holy cow moment.

Taking a moment to contemplate on our 2nd day of walking

Ever since that day, when we pass by a bench I say to Brian, “Do you need a minute to contemplate?” Unless of course I have already told him I need a minute. There’s a lot of value in acknowledging your emotional state, sitting down to think about what you need, how to say something, or what you can do about what you’re feeling, before just pushing onward. It’s definitely a metaphor we can apply to how we communicate with our partner.

When we push through our emotions, trying to ignore any pain we are feeling, we are doing a disservice to others who have to be around us in that state. Emotions are a tricky beast. One minute we can be dancing in the streets, having that I’m on top of the world feeling. The next we trip over a rock on an old Roman road and are mad at the world for putting us in that position.

We know the Roman’s didn’t come back from the past to move the rock so we trip over it, but sometimes, if we aren’t managing our emotions, it can feel that way. Sometimes that top of the world feeling is genuine, other times there is something we are trying to suppress, so in turn, we need a contemplation bench.

We don’t need to stop at every bench we see but we do intentionally contemplate our feelings before they get out of control. Brian and I are together 24/7 as we tax our bodies to their maximum during the hottest days of summer.

We’re together this much most summers so it’s not like it’s something new but it’s not every year that we decide to backpack over 900 kilometers in 50 days. Wow, I need a contemplation bench.

A beautiful place to rest or contemplate provided by someone who lives on the Via Francigena

I will leave you with this, contemplating your emotions before they explode will help you and the ones you love. Just pull up a contemplation bench and rest in what you feel until you understand it yourself. Your relationship will thank you.

Stats walking from Roppollo to Santhià – 16 km. Check out our YouTube video too!

Lodging for 2 nights at Hotel Ristorante Vittoria– €144 – what we liked about this accommodation was that patrons of the hotel had full access to the bar and restaurant even though it was closed to the public on Monday.

The VF Day 11 & 12: Slow Down, Happiness is Trying to Catch You

Posted on June 11, 2022 by Cruisin Michelle

2017 Camino de Santiago going into Pamplona

This photo came up on my Facebook memories today. It’s ironic and funny because without seeing that picture I asked Brian to take the picture below.

I’m always exhausted after a day of hiking in the heat and sun. Despite the exhaustion, I am called back to the trail all the time. I don’t know what calls me, I don’t know why we are called to walk on pilgrimage at all. Maybe it’s because we love slow tourism, maybe it’s a reason we don’t need to know yet. It feels weird to say it but it’s true – I’m exhausted even though we have been moving slowly all day. Happiness found us while on pilgrimage.

I do know with two pilgrimages under our belt, working on a third, our lives have drastically changed since that first walk in 2017. We made a big decision that first summer while on pilgrimage. We decided we couldn’t let life to pass us by, we could not live our lives from the couch. We needed to participate in our lives, live what little time we are given on this Earth to the fullest. As cliché as that sounds, it profoundly changed every decision we have made since that summer.

In 2017 we got off the plane in Columbus, Ohio, and after 2 full days of travel wearing the same stinky clothes we had worn for two months, we stopped at an RV dealership. We purchased an RV within a week of coming home.

We learned from that pilgrimage, we want to see as much of the US and the world as possible. We don’t want to be tourists, we want to engage, to fully immerse ourselves, as we travel.

Despite a pandemic, our travels really have not stopped. Because of that RV purchase, we were able to see more of our country than the average person as we were self-contained and not willing to stay inside. We were safe, we were smart, but we needed to live.

In 2017, I was an overwhelmed, exhausted, pushing the limits of my mental and physical capabilities, woman. Now, I am just a little less overwhelmed, still exhausted but happier, and driven harder to see more before time slips away. Exhaustion is not a bad thing, rather it means you are living.

Pilgrimage is hard, even for the young, super-fit pilgrims. The long walk in the quiet grabs your soul and challenges you to think about what’s most important in life. It makes you a bit thankful, a bit happy, a bit sad, and gives you the urge to push through those feelings. What else can do that to a person all in one day?

In 2018 we started Cruisin’ with the Colemans because we realized we needed to start documenting all of our travels. Then in 2019, just before we went on our second pilgrimage, the Caminho Portuguese, we started our YouTube channel.

We blog/create videos because we are called to tell the stories of our travels. We want to inspire others, give our students something to consider as they figure out how they want to live their lives, and most importantly, to give our kids/grandkids the drive to get out and live. Ultimately, we want the memories. When our days of travel are behind us, we can “pull out the projector” and reminisce of a life lived to the fullest. We can only dream.

For those of you who are following our stats on the Via Francigena, I have not forgotten about you. My blogs are about what inspires me each day. However, I know there are some that want to know where we are staying and how much a day on this pilgrimage costs. Here is a catch up of our stats/lodging/expenses below. By the way, I will talk about our budget and how we fair at the end of our pilgrimage. Preview: For us, we are on track to staying under our budget!

Stats walking from Pont Saint Martin to Irvea 13.5 km with 5 km additionally by bus. Check out the YouTube video too!

Lodging at La Palma 2.0 – €48 – best accommodation thus far!!
Bus tickets for 2 – €4

Stats walking from Irvea to Roppollo – 20.2 km. We highly recommend going past Viverone, on to Roppollo and staying at this albergue. The guide book stage ends in Viverone. There are private rooms, great hosts, and there is an outstanding trattoria with a pilgrim meal for €12 for dinner! Check out our YouTube video too!

Lodging at La Casa del Movimento Lento – €50 for two people in a private room

Gluten is Not My Friend

Posted on June 10, 2022 by Cruisin Michelle

Oh how I wish we were the best of friends. The pastries, the pizza, the pasta, the bread, Lord have mercy, the bread. I want to have a relationship with these foods like no other relationship I have had before. Sorry, Brian but you get me.

I don’t want to linger on this discussion because I made a decision many years ago that my life will not be defined by whether or not I eat gluten. But I do think it’s an important topic for those who care to understand how I manage my food allergy.

Let me take you back to our first pilgrimage in 2017 on the Camino Frances in Spain. I ate zero gluten the entire trip and, with regards to food, I was miserable. I hated missing out, I hated have to explain my food allergy to every sweet person trying to give food to a hungry pilgrim, but most of all I hated being defined by my food allergy.

In 2019 when we walked part of the Camino France and all of the Camino Portuguese, I decided food allergy be dammed, I am eating whatever I want. LOL My body said, “Oh you want to play that game, let me show you who’s really in charge.” Guess what? It’s not the mind, it’s the stomach. I paid a hefty price on that pilgrimage. I had breathing issues, anxiety, and the horrific, constant wheat belly. When I eat gluten, my belly protrudes and makes me look very round in the middle until is processes through my body at a snails pace as it impacts my breathing. I didn’t want to believe the gluten was to blame, denial was much easier to manage.

Fast forward to when we decided to go on another pilgrimage. I spent the year working with my doctor to ensure my heart and lungs were functioning well (since I developed breathing issues). I got a colonoscopy where my doctor did two different tests for celiac disease. He confirmed that I do not have celiac disease. Well, there’s a win!

I went to my allergy doctor, we decided to go ahead with a food allergy test. Guess what? Dang it, it was confirmed that I am allergic to wheat. Not the, “you will go into anaphylactic shock,” type of allergy but one step down, a moderate allergy. I already knew that but my mind needed the confirmation. Now what? I am going to Italy! I am eating the pasta! Ughh!! But I will not let my food allergy define me.

I did some research and found a gluten relief pill to help ease the pain my body goes through to process wheat. Click here to see what I use.* It’s not a perfect system, but as long as I take it before I eat wheat, my body processes it a bit faster. I still have a bit of breathing issue and my belly still protrudes some but it helps the wheat process faster.

On pilgrimage, the greatest problem is that we are at the mercy of those who are providing food for us. Some places we stay only have bread and coffee for breakfast as that is typical for Italians. I am not going to hike on coffee alone. See my blog, “I’m Hungry and I Don’t Want to Talk About It.” Therefore, I avoid gluten when I can, I take the preventative pill and eat it when I have to do so.

Life is a delicate balance of choices whether you have a food allergy or not. Sometimes we eat too much, drink too much, and that’s just life. My allergy will not define me, it’s just part of the consideration when I make choices. I can feel a life lesson in there, can you?

On this day, I found gluten free snacks! And a cappuccino with chocolate. 🥳

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VF 9 & 10: Road Walking vs. Trail Walking

Posted on June 9, 2022 by Cruisin Michelle

Sometimes the two are one in the same when you are walking the Via Francigena. Other times we assess what route looks the best and go for that one!

Yesterday we walked from Saint Vincent to Arnad. We decided to just take the road. It meant a flat walk and just under 10 miles of walking. The official route was the same distance just had a lot more elevation changes.

It was a safe passage, with either a sidewalk or a shoulder most of the way. The only challenge was when there was construction on the road. They weren’t too happy to have us pass by the construction zone but alas it all worked out. Since we are still getting in our walking/pilgrimage groove so we will take the less challenging walk if it’s possible and practical.

Today was a bit different. We could have walked the road but there was a lot to see along the path. We would have missed some beautiful scenery and the road wasn’t as safe as yesterday. There will be a YouTube video on what we saw today and it was gorgeous! The other great thing about today is that since we were only walking about 10 km or 6 miles today, we had plenty of time to stop and look around.

In the end, we are on pilgrimage while also on holiday so sometimes we will take an easier route, a more scenic route, and sometimes we just take a train. Our goal is to have fun, learn about Italy, be a tourist from time to time, and just take a nice, long walk together.

Pilgrimage is what you make of it.

Stats walking from Saint Vincent to Arnad – 14.7 km. Check out our YouTube video too!

Lodging at Hotel&Restaurant Armanac de Toubïe included breakfast — €64

Stats walking from Arnad to Pont St Martin – 11.73 km. Check out our YouTube video too!

Lodging at Agriturismo La Grange with no breakfast — €78.44

*Listing our accommodation is not an endorsement. This is just a point of information for fellow pilgrims. See our reviews on Booking.com for more details, if possible.