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Friday April 10. La Chaussée-sur-Marne. 22.4 km.

A grey cool day, much better for walking than yesterday which was hot and sunny. Walked solo too, which I do prefer - no pressure to keep up the pace or say something intelligent!

Leaving Chalons-sur-Marne, I walked through some of the three big ‘Jard’ or parks that this small city is so proud of. Here is part of a skateboard area - the fanciest and scariest I have ever seen!

Then back to canals, fields, small woods. Much less pavement than yesterday.  I saw fish in the canals, two grouse and then a pheasant flashing red with his long long tail.  And most rewarding, I finally heard a cuckoo.  Cuckoos are unfortunately a severely threatened species due to habitat loss, decline in insect species, and I gather migration difficulties.  
Nothing much else to report. Fellow pilgrim Hubert and I met for dinner at the hotel. This I have learned from my earlier walks is the « way of the pilgrim » ; you meet, encourage each other, then part - the friendship is sustaining, fun, and fleeting.  Unfortunately the food proved too rich for my digestive system, so the night was a bit rocky. Here is what my bowl of soup looked like.


That is popcorn on top of the soup. Last time I had popcorn on a bowl of soup was in Ecuador.  A somewhat puzzling trend!

Comments

  1. RitaApril 11, 2026 at 6:35 AM

    I'm glad to say you sound rejuvenated, Celia. Indeed, that soup looks super rich (popcorn??!! Shades of cake), and since you've been subsiding on veggies and bread, no surprise your system rebelled. Hope you are fully recuperated for today's adventures!

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