Wisques to Liettres to Burbure/Auchel – Part 2

Another quick video (six seconds) of a windmill. I think it could be an ASMR soundtrack.

Monday night in Liettres was in a 17th-century guesthouse. The owner was very proud of the history of Liettres, which includes a still existent 13th-century castle constructed by a knight in an unsuccessful attempt to woo a young noblewoman. Liettres is also the site of the oldest known record of cricket. A letter of complaint addressed to King Louis XI in 1478 mentions a dispute related to a game of cricket in Liettres in which a young man was attacked and killed.

My First Pilgrim Encounters on the Via Francigena!

Yesterday morning (Tuesday, April 21), I met a fellow pilgrim walking out of Liettres. Paulo is from Italy, and he gifted himself the Via Francigena in celebration of his 70th birthday. Of course, he speaks no English, and I speak no Italian, so our conversation was supported by Google Translate. Nevertheless, I enjoyed meeting him, and we walked together for much of the day. We even met a woman, Florence, from Lausanne, Switzerland who is walking the Via Francigena in reverse in sections. Although she is Swiss, she spoke some Italian and is fluent in English, so we were able to have a full three-way conversation – of sorts.

St. Benedict Labre

Paulo was staying in Amettes while I was headed on to Auchel, a few miles further down the trail. I wanted to visit the local church while he headed on to his room for the night. What I didn’t know though, was that one of the most venerated French saints was born and raised in Amettes, and the local church, the Sancturaire Saint Benoit-Joseph Labre d’Amettes, fully celebrates his legacy. St. Benedict Labre, nicknamed the “Vagabond of God” spent his life traveling the roads of Europe in abject poverty; thus, he is the patron saint of pilgrims, single people, beggars, the homeless, and people with disabilities. The church is a perfect place to slow down and contemplate St. Benedict Labre’s legacy of absolute humility.

Funky Town in Auchel

Sometimes the descriptions of a room (or an apartment) on a booking site don’t quite match up with the reality. I booked an apartment for the night Auchel because there was nothing else available within several miles. Even though the description mentioned a “spa”, the price was still quite good. What I didn’t realize was that I would be getting a place that looked more Bridesmaids than pilgrim quarters.