We are pilgrims whatever we do, and there is little we can do about it even if we wished.
Zygmunt Bauman, From Pilgrim to Tourist (1996)
The D46 departmental road was our constant companion today. In order to keep the distance between Brienne-le-Château and Bar-sur-Aube under 30 kilometres, we disregarded the twists and turns of the GR145 and followed this quiet road from village to village.
Coming out of Brienne-le-Château we were actually on a slightly busier road, but it was an urban road with sidewalks as far as Brienne-la-Vielle, the old town where the Archbishop Sigeric presumably made his stop in 990. After this we continued on the grassy verge until Dienville, cutting the 6.6 km of the GR145 down to 4. We stopped at the local café for a second breakfast and met two walkers from Montreal, coincidentally named Elaine and Patrick, just like my present walking companion and her former walking buddy between Calais and Reims!
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| Marketplace in Dienville |
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| Café/tabac in Dienville |
The rest of the day was a long but pleasant trek from village to village, from rest spot to rest spot, until, worn out after 29 kilometres, we finally reached the tourist office in Bar-sur-Aube, who called the volunteer to take us to the pilgrim hostel.
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| Church of Saint-Symphorien, Unienville |
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| Maybe I've walked a bit too far?? |
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| Jessains |
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| Jaucourt |
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| Books, or bread? |
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| Montier-en-Isle |
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| Bar-sur-Aube |
Bar-sur-Aube is my favourite of the towns along the Via Francigena in France so far, with its colourful old buildings and beautiful 12th-century church of Saint-Pierre surrounded by a wooden portico.
Bar-sur-Aube provides a cosy pilgrim accomodation run by a local pilgrims' association, right in the old town centre, and very inexpensive. A previous walker had left behind some dried green lentils in the kitchen, and I cooked them up with some vegetables and tomato sauce from the supermarket around the corner and made a salad. After dinner we retired early, exhausted after walking almost thirty kilometres!
Today's accommodations: Gîte Associatif "Accueil Pèlerins de Bar-sur-Aube"
Brienne-le-Château - Bar-sur-Aube 29 km
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