Champagne
Packed up and left campsite at 9 after a decent rest.
Stopped in town for a coffee and croissant then sent some post before heading out across the fields.
The morning was largely spent retracing our steps from yesterday afternoon to get back to the Via. We crossed the Autoroute again.
Today's date: 23.7.20
Weather: sunny
Steps: 39,300
Distance: 28 km
Climbing: 250
The countryside was flat and open and there were reminders of the war everywhere. There was a memorial to Russian soldiers who died fighting alongside the French.
We had sandwiches for lunch in a French military cemetery at Cormicy which offered a little shade. There are 7,565 soldiers interred there.
The afternoon was hot. The wheat is mostly harvested now and it is quite dusty with the wind and heat creating little dust tornadoes. There are deep green vineyards on the hills.
We passed a number of villages and bought provisions in Hermonville. It was a well kept village and there are lots of places to buy champagne but we failed to get a cup of tea anywhere.
The last part of the walk was up to Fort St. Thierry and down to the village where we are staying. The fort is high on a heavily wooded hill and the path was not well marked. It was a bit of a slog at the end of a hot day.
Monastère des Bénédictines
A pilgrim hostel. Simple room, simple food and an early night. This is quite a small complex of buildings set around a courtyard.
There are lots of other people here 'on retreat'. They all seem very happy and sing at every opportunity, though they don't like to talk at dinner.
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