Day 19 - Walking the Via Francigena- Arriving once more in Reims, France

Day 19 - Walking the Via Francigena- Arriving once more in Reims, France

Everything was easy and timely, and otherwise went very well for our trip to Paris.
We rented a car one way and drove to the Denver airport, stayed a night at the airport hotel and flew to Paris the next morning.
Despite a very tight connection in the Detroit airport, we had no sense of rushing, and made it in plenty of time.

At the Paris airport, we got French Sim cards for our iPads and phone, and took the train directly to Reims.
At the train station we met a couple from Colorado who were also on their way to Reims, who were very excited to start their vacation of touring the Champagne region by rental car.

We arrived in Reims at noontime.
The weather was mild and sunny, a perfect day to walk around town.

It felt like we had left the place only a month ago, not that a whole year had passed since we finished the first leg of the Via Francigena pilgrimage.

I had a clear memory of the layout of the city, and we easily navigated the charming streets to the beautiful old cathedral.
Inside the cathedral, two very nice ladies were stamping pilgrims’ passports.
We actually saw two other pilgrims arriving, and they politely waited for us to finish.

They asked us which pilgrimage we were doing.
Were we walking to Rome or to Santiago De Compostela?
“Please sign your names and indicate your gender,” they continued.
Are we staying in a hotel in town? (Yes)
Where did we start our walk? (Canterbury UK, a year ago)
How many are in our party? (Just Jules and myself)
And after stamping our passport books and scroll with a lovely stamp of a pilgrim with a backpack, they wished us a safe and blessed journey.

I feel like I need all the blessings I can get.
I feel weak, out of shape and surprisingly achy.
My back teeth are aching on one side when I chew and my leg muscles are cramping, and all we did was walk around Reims for about 9 Kilometers.....

We enjoyed the city.
It is a pretty city with lovely architecture and lots of courtyard cafes with outdoor seating.

We joined the people in the cafes, and spent some time until dinner enjoying glasses of fresh squeezed orange juice and freshly baked muffins and tea.

It was fun to observe the people in the cafe, especially how parents and children of all ages interact.

I recently read an article about how to raise children to become successful people in business and in life.

I believe that even those of us who do not raise children must learn how to raise our inner child, in the same way.
In other words, we must become parents to our inner child, who is vulnerable, insecure, and needs our love and guidance.

The article suggested that parents should have high expectations of their kids and always approach them with a can-do attitude.
Kids might even surprise you and rise to the occasion.

When they make mistakes, that's OK!
If they fail, it's not a big deal.
In fact, fear of failing is an important component of the growing-up process.

Children must have opportunities to fail (whether in an academic setting or in activities like sports) in order to recognize the importance of Persistence, rising up to try again.

While it's understandable that as a parent, it's tempting to coddle your children and protect them from failure or embarrassment, trust that your kids are capable, smart, and determined—qualities that will help them succeed in life.

Collaborating with your kids is one of the best ways to respect them, and they will trust and respect you in return.

After an enjoyable afternoon in the sunny cafe, we went for dinner to La Médina, a lovely Moroccan restaurant that we loved on our last visit.
Surprisingly, the owner and her husband remembered our eating there.
The food was wonderful.

We did not stay awake long that night.
After taking our showers, we fell asleep quickly, still jet lagged and tired from our day’s walk.

Good night, world.... See you tomorrow
Tali

P.S.
Since we already walked for 18 days to get from Canterbury, England to Reims, France, I am continuing this travel log on day 19.