Leaving Souchez (near Ablain-Saint-Naraire) on Friday morning was delayed a bit by a talkative host at my B&B. I loved it, though, because I had a chance to practice my French a little, and I learned some about what average French people perceive as being wrong with French society. Some nuggets:
- Restaurants couldn’t get anyone to work after COVID, so they don’t open for dinner, and they only have one seating at lunch. Young people want to dictate the terms of their work rather than doing the job offered them. Of course, that sounds similar to what you will hear anywhere. I suspect it’s also tied to a declining birth rate and a general animosity toward migrants who usually fill the gaps in low wage, entry level jobs in food service – and other industries.
- Immigrants tend to go the larger cities where there isn’t as much open hostility toward them. The small villages are not shy about their anti-immigration attitudes.
- Inflation is crushing the average working person.
- Macron likes to play his role on the world stage rather than working at home.
- Wages don’t match up with costs.
- French bureaucracy is exhausting.
Despite everything that may be wrong with France, I did get a fresh egg for my breakfast from the home’s chickens.
Returning to the Via Francigena from Souchez, I walked through the village of Ablain-Saint-Nazire, where their 16th-century Saint-Nazaire church was left in ruins after World War I in memory of those who died in the war.
Walking into the hilltop village of Mont-Saint-Eloi, I was happy to see that the U.S. doesn’t have a monopoly on eccentric characters who express themselves in quirky roadside attractions.
Mont-Saint-Eloi has its own ruined church, the former St. Augustine abbey, built in the late 1700’s after the original medieval buildings were destroyed. The monks left the abbey during the French Revolution, and the building was converted into a quarry and pillaged for stone. The remaining towers were heavily shelled in 1915, further reducing their height.
A quiet walk carried me into the big city of Arras, where I had planned (and did) take a rest day. More on Arras to come. Spoiler alert: I loved it!
One Response
Charles: With your experience so far, what have you learned about finding lodging for each night? How far ahead do you plan, and who, in general, are the best sources if information about where to stay? Similarly, where do you look for places to eat during the day, and how do you find places to relax for a good dinner? Dave Miller