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Thurs Sept 25. Wisques. 21.3 km.

Today again, farm tracks and quiet countryside roads through huge fields of sugar beets, rutabagas, corn, mustard and hay. Very industrial farming with a couple of what I call animal concentration camps - hens and pigs.  A couple of Dutch-style old windmills in the distance reminded me of how close I am to the Netherlands and Belgium.

The one “tourist” highlight was about 500 metres on the Via Leulene. As the sign says, this road went from Rome to Dover and was the route Julius Caesar used to get his Roman legions to Britain in 54 BC.  As you can see from the second photo, this was a truly impressive sight - different from anything else (!) Only 500 metres until it ended in a field.



So let me chatter for a bit about generalities.

The Via Francigena was designed by the Council of Europe to follow the route medieval pilgrims would take to get to Rome, and then on beyond by sea to Jerusalem.  In France, at least so far, nothing remains of the medieval period to see. 

Some of the little places the path leads do make an effort to draw people in from afield.  This village offers a cabaret (but no performance dates listed on posters!)

And this place has a summer attraction park called “Fééryland”.

The biggest show ever in this area was near Guînes in 1520.  Calais and surrounding area were the last of the English possessions in France, and King Henry VIII came over from England to meet King François I in a field near Guines to cement a peace treaty. Tents and pavilions were erected, and so much cloth of gold (silk and gold woven together) was used that the meeting is forever known as le Camp du Drap d’Or.

The ground was mounded so that both monarchs were always on the same level as each other. Huge amounts of food were prepared, as both parties came with retinues of around 4,000 people, and the party lasted two weeks. Obviously, no trace of this remains today, other than the name of a local hiking trail.


One final comment - tonight the French TV is full of the news that a former President, Nicolas Sarkozy, is going to jail for five years for misusing funds related to Libya during his election campaign.  Marine LePen, member of parliament, former leader of the far right, and three-time unsuccessful presidential candidate, is getting a fair amount of attention for her remarks on the subject.


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