A common man marvels at uncommon things. A wise man marvels at the commonplace. CONFUCIUS

Sunday 16 October 2011

The Vineyards Of Savoie

The path from Chanaz to Yenne was one of the loveliest stages on the whole Chemin. The warm, sunny weather and spectacular scenery combined to lift the spirits. It was wonderful to walk - indeed just to be alive - in such a place and on such a day.

A shell sign points the way

Vines, hills, mountains

Grape picking (1)

Grape picking (2)

The Rhône valley (1)

The Rhône valley (2)

Two pilgrims and a baguette

Red roofs, green fields

The vineyards of Savoie

13 comments:

Ruth said...

I'm rather speechless and hard-pressed to utter anything but wow, wow, wow.

The Weaver of Grass said...

Have you ever contemplated going to live out there Robert? It all looks so very beautifiul.

George said...

This is my kind of country, Robert! The photos are stunning. The more that I read your posting on this segment of the camino, the more I'm tempted to walk the camino in three stages over a couple of years — Geneva to Le Puy, Le Puy to St. Jean Pied de Port, and St. Jean to Santiago. The options are endless and endlessly fascinating. One thing that is especially appealing about the Geneva-Le Puy camino is that is appears significantly less crowded than the Camino Frances.

Thanks again. Every single photo is an invitation of beauty and adventure!

The Solitary Walker said...

Thanks, Ruth for your most unusual - but most appreciated - speechlessness...

Pat: I talk to Carmen about this all the time but she doesn't want to!

And George, well, if it were me, I would do exactly that, those 3 stages, with Santiago as the goal. Yes, I really would do that. Oh, how fabulous. I'm so envious of you doing it for the first time. Sending email to you as soon as I can get some intelligent thoughts together...

Suman said...

There is something just so romantic about vineyards, and even more so when it is France. Ah, how I envy you!!
These breathtaking views remind me of Napa Valley here. One could almost smell the ripeness in the air in such places. Thank you so much for sharing all the gorgeousness.

The Solitary Walker said...

Thanks, Suman. I'm sure you would have loved it there. The romance of the vineyards is palpable.

sunny said...

Hi,i recently visit your blog its really good,hope you will visit mine blog too

Grace said...

I'll have to add Chemin on my places to see list for when I finally get over there to visit my friend!

am said...

I love the angle of the sunlight in September and October. Walking in that light is good for the soul. Amazing how clear the air is where you were walking. And I continue to have the feeling I have been in many of these places you walk, even though I have never been to Europe.

The Solitary Walker said...

Thanks for visiting, sunny ... will get to your blog as soon as I can ...

Grace, you would love it. Trouble is, there are so many chemins and caminos you'd need to come over here for several decades ...

Am - your visits are always such a pleasure for me. Thank you! Yes, the air was so clean and clear.

Grace said...

LOL, well, that answers my question. I was googling Chemin and different routes trying to wrap my head around the whole thing! Don't think I'll be able to take 4 - 6 weeks to walk the popular France route, but I could do parts of it. Are there any books/quides you recommend that outline different walking/hiking tours of France?

The Solitary Walker said...

Grace, I think you may be confusing the Chemin routes in France with the Camino Francés - which is in Spain! Loads of guides to the latter popular Spanish route. For the French routes try Alison Raju's guide published by Cierone (Le Puy to St Jean) and the Topoguide Sentier vers Saint-Jacques-de-Compostelle via Le Puy (Genève - Le Puy), published in a French edition only.

Grace said...

Thanks for the clarification, I admit I am confused but it's all foreign territory to me so the names don't mean a whole lot to me at this point! I booked marked Cierone site.