On Days 37 and 38 I came to the town of Saintes, almost 600 km along the GR 655 from my start point in central Paris. Saintes was a town with impressive Roman ruins and among its many churches, there is an old pilgrim church with a crypt - actually a lower church cut off from the upper church - with, as you will see, all the atmosphere you could ask for.
This video is part of a series covering my post COVID project to walk the medieval pilgrim's trail from Paris to Bordeaux. I did it in the Spring of 2023. I have a playlist (introductory video below) which gives the full sequential list of videos for my walk. There are also other, shorter, playlists covering different aspects of the walk such as the best chateaux, the best churches and the best gardens.
The whole walk took 47 days and my route was the GR 655 which recreates the medieval Via Turonensis or Voie de Tours. Today not many pilgrims take this trail and one can walk stretches of it in perfect solitude. However, you do meet other pilgrims, especially in the portion of the walk from Tours to Bordeaux and can experience wonderful fellowship too.
The full route takes you to the Spanish border, crosses the Pyrenees and joins the famous el Camino to Santiago. Ambitious walkers go all the way, a journey of 1800 kms.
I am posting videos explaining, day by day with images, what the walk meant to me and could mean to others who might give it a try.
Here's the link to the introductory video of the series.
• Intro for Walking from...
#GR655
#caminodesantiago
#walkinginfrance
#highbanks.pilgrim
#romanesque