This morning at 6:30am I walked Matt to the St. Malo ferry terminal from our AirBnB.
He was going back to Jersey on the ferry and I was going to be making my way to Lausanne, Switzerland, by train in a couple of hours.
After spending literally every waking hour together for the last 3 months, we will be apart for the next 2 weeks.
Oh, how I will miss him and the kids! 14 years and I still love him like that fateful day when we met. Actually, more. Yes, definitely more. 💕
I calculated we were going over 300 km per hour. That's 160 nautical miles per hour! Imagine if our boat moved that fast! Hah!
As the train pulled out of Gare de Lyon in Paris, I was transfixed out the window for the next 3 hours as the beautiful City of Lights and all its stunning buildings and churches turned to farmland, villages, ravines and rivers. I even saw a few canal boats which made me smile. I'd love to give those a go one day!
As the sun set behind the trees, there were rolling hills that appeared. Just a couple at first, then a few more. They kept getting bigger and more pointed.
Suddenly these hills were no longer cute grassy hills dotted between farms and homes. They were now full on mountains, jagged, sharp and monumental. And the homes were now the ones dotted between them.
Show anyone a mighty mountain and ask them what they feel. Does it take your breath away? How does it move you? Nobody will say it doesn't touch them in some way. You can't help it, mountains stir the soul.
I arrived in Lausanne and made my way to the hotel where Dad was waiting for me.
He is walking the Via Francigena from Lausanne to Rome. I am doing the first 150 km with him. My sister will finish the last 150 km with him.
This walk is in memory of Mom. We are raising funds for the organization that she used to volunteer for in Ottawa, Let's Talk Science.
He is walking the Via Francigena from Lausanne to Rome. I am doing the first 150 km with him. My sister will finish the last 150 km with him.
This walk is in memory of Mom. We are raising funds for the organization that she used to volunteer for in Ottawa, Let's Talk Science.
The last time Dad and I traveled in Europe together was after my year abroad in Togo and Ghana.
He met me in Paris and we spent some time playing tourist while I was getting a big dose of reculture shock. That was 18 years ago!
Tonight we are beginning another father-daughter adventure, under different circumstances. This time it took more planning, mainly because there are more factors and people to consider.
So far the journey here has been lovely, unfolding in the way I had anticipated.
We have tomorrow to get ready and go over the maps.
We start our walk on September 2nd.
We have tomorrow to get ready and go over the maps.
We start our walk on September 2nd.
In a matter of days, I have gone from sea to sky.
From blue, turquoise, shimmering water to towering beasts of immense magnitude on land.
Our world is so beautiful.
How lucky am I to share the oceans and mountains with the people I love?
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