Arrivals! Me suis arrive en France!! Yeah!!

I have hoped for this arrival. I am concerned about walking the miles to reach the ferry; I am concerned because the website states that only one ferry accepts foot-traffic today; I am concerned because the ferry website states all tickets had to be pre-purchased online; I am concerned because P & O Ferry had not accepted my credit card info which resulted in me wiring money; I am concerned because they do not register receiving the wire transfer. On and on and on. I am concerned!

BUT, Suzanna, my bnb host, drove me 2-3 miles before she left for work, cutting down my walking distance; and Heidi , at P & O terminal said “I’ll sell you a ticket anyway”, not their first problem with non- UK cards. Hallelujah!

I arrive in France! The two-hour ferry ride is uneventful. Upon arrival, the thoughtful folks of Calais provide a free shuttle to the civic center. Nice.

I admire the famous Burgers of Calais statue. During the medieval war between the English and French, these men surrender themselves, with the expectation that they would be killed, in order to spare the other residents of Calais from the English siege. One’s head hangs down in despair; one’s eyes look forward resolutely; one drapes an arm around another consolingly. Rodin, the famous sculptor, captures the feelings. Footnote: they were spared.

I walk to Wissant today. Hearing French and even speaking un petit myself. I walked to Cap Griz-Nez, closest point to England. Typical of this coastline, the Germans had built a defensive bunker to stop a future invasion. Even Hitler’s 1940 visit did no good thankfully!

Although I had arrived in Calais, I became anxious for my Wissant arrival. The rain started; my phone died and my spare battery bank had no power (another story), and the last two miles the Via Francigena trail took me onto the beach with the surf only feet away. Yikes! Fortunately,I arrived! I found the Hotel l’ Plage. And, what do you do upon arrival? I treated myself to a dinner only the French can make and present.

This arrival is the first of many arrivals. Although I’ve already arrived at the end point of the Via Francigena (Rome last November after walking from Pontremoli), I’ve not yet completed this journey. I’m pretty sure there’s a theological truth there somewhere!

Thank you for all the positive vibes, good thoughts, and heartfelt prayers. To speak in a non-literal, even apophatic manner, I’m sure the Big One Upstairs has taken some sort of notice! I deeply appreciate your concerns, interests, and hopes for my many more arrivals!