Walking out of Langres on the Via Francigena provides some good views of the city, but it also gives you an enhanced sense of the strategic position that Langres held for centuries.
Quickly after leaving Langres, though, the trail crosses a canal, and it then intersects the dam for Lac de la Liez. The trail then runs alongside the lake from the dam to the river that feeds it.
The afternoon started warming up again as the clouds cleared, and I once again found a bit of shade adjacent to a church cemetery in Chateau-Vaudin, where I also found cool water. I was told by a Dutch couple this evening that it is actually a law in France that cemeteries have to provide potable water, but I haven’t confirmed that.
The decaying remains of a house in the same village seemed to contain ghosts from the past.
Continuing the theme of firewood from earlier, I was interested to see the year of harvest marked on stacks of firewood, which makes sense when seasoned wood is more valuable than green wood.
Beautiful Grasses
I’m fascinated by the great variety of grasses that are now in bloom, but also the variations in the same species. Left to right are Yorkshire Fog, Poverty Brome, and Yorkshire Fog again. Aren’t the names wonderful?
Fort Fermier
In the middle of the hot afternoon, I stumbled onto a private property with a sign clearly stating, “Entrance Prohibited – Private Property”, but with another sign that said “Fort Fermier”. It certainly looked like a fort, and a little Google Maps review confirmed that the property was a fortified French garrison completed in 1885 after the Franco-Prussian War of 1870, when German troops reached the vicinity of Langres. It was staffed by 350 soldiers and 7 officers.
On to Culmont
Next stop: Leffond
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6 Responses
Charles, you are really something else! I liked the drum music in the background of the Fort Fermier overview. I looked up Fermier which means farmer in French. It’s an awful like Ferme meaning closed. It’s a bit obvious that this fort is closed! It looks like you’re getting close to Switzerland. Amazing.
Yes, “fermier” and “ferme” are only a couple of the French words that I’ve had to look up a hundred times before they began to sink in. I am getting closer to Switzerland. I will be in Besançon tomorrow, where I plan to spend a couple of days. That will put me about four days from the Swiss border. I have loved being in France, but I’m excited about seeing the Alps!
Beautiful pastures. Where are the cattle?
Wikipedia said Langres was the first town in France to have a train. It was a cog wheel type. Leffonds has a great story, too. Those graveyard stops may have hooked you. When you get home, you will give that up, I assume. Keep at it, Pilgrim. We admire your strength and love your reports. When you hear yodeling, you know you are closing in on Switzerland .
Actually, I am seeing a lot more cattle now, but probably not as many as the pastures and the hay production suggest there should be.
That is interesting about Langres being the first town to have a train. I believe that was for getting people up and down the hill. They seem to have retired that train, although they have one of the old cars parked at the top of the old rail line. They continue to use something that looks like an elevator cab for ferrying people from the lower parking lots to the rampart walls. It’s a strange juxtaposition of modern technology with ancient architecture, but it makes perfect sense.
I will let you know the first time I hear yodeling! It is getting awfully close!
Charles:
Does the Via Francigena have formal or informal “offices” or other locations where you can get a some sort of “passport” stamped to verify that you have completed the walk? If so, how frequently have you visited one? What happens when you visit one? Is there any other way in which your walking the Via Francigena is recorded?
The Via Francigena association is known as the Association Européenne des Chemins de la Via Francigena, and it has an office in Fidenza, Italy. I was surprised to see that they also have an Operational Bureau in Besançon, the city I just left yesterday morning, but those aren’t the places pilgrims visit. Pilgrims do carry a passport (purchased at Southwark Cathedral in London, Canterbury Cathedral, or ordered from the Association), and you then get stamps wherever you can. Usually, any of the accommodations on the VF will have a stamp. Also, churches, offices of tourism, or other places will have them. You don’t get one everywhere, but you eventually get enough that your passport tells the story of your pilgrimage. When I arrive in Rome, there is an office in the Vatican that verifies your pilgrimage and issues a formal Testimonium, which should be a very interesting process since it’s issued in an area that only pilgrims can access.