The via Francigena is calling

Publié le 17 mars 2022 par Dominique Bengtsson

Some people around you will not understand your journey. They don’t need to; it’s not for them.

Paulo Coelho

Time to go! The via Francigena is calling...

After the camino de Compostella I knew that I had only done part of the journey. It became close to an obsession to leave everything and be on the road again. I longed for that feeling of happy expectation I had everyday on the camino. It was always a bit cold in the morning when stepping out of the shelter. It could be a glorious day or pouring rain, the feeling was the same, a new day of adventure and discoveries waited for me. I was so eager, free and alive.

Coming back home, I expected the feeling to last and it actually did for a while but as Paolo Coelho said " if you think adventure is dangerous, try routine it is lethal" . I changed job, it helped for a while. I had wonderful colleagues and new is new so it can't be really boring. But the reality of life made me realise that it was time to throw the towel.

So here I am 62 years old, ready to walk the 1000 kilometres from Aosta to Rome to find myself again. It will be unfortunately more constrained this time, the spectra of the bug is still hanging over us. In Italy, the restrictions are still not lifted but the days in the middle of nowhere belong to us.

The 4th of April is the big day. I will report briefly every day and send some pictures. I write this blog mainly for myself and for my husband (he finds it easier to fly to Rome, so he wants to follow me on distance) but I want to share as well and you are welcome to follow me on my journey (and my friend but she wants to travel incognito).