Don’t forget to drop in now and then to catch up with Jasper Winn on his slow adventure from Munich to Paris in the footsteps of Werner Herzog. I have been enjoying Jasper’s short posts which are always insightful. He has crossed the Rhine, the Moselle and the picturesque but economic backwater of the Vosges. Clearly enjoying being in France he now faces mostly flat country in his last weeks walking to Paris, but as today’s post says, this brings it’s own challenges. Here is a little taster:

Always hard to avoid looking just a bit wooden in selfies. I’ve just crossed the Moselle at Thaon, so am across and out of the mountains that rise high on both sides of the Rhine valley, and with neither the snow nor storms that Herzog battled. The land being flatter brings it’s own challenges. Long slogs, little shelter, busy agriculture and so less hidden woods or derelict barns to sleep in, and speeding traffic on narrow twisting roads. And rural France is a struggle for many locals too – unemployment; so gambling, drinking, suicide. Symptomatic is the small number of village bars and cafes still open. I found just three still trading in over a hundred kms of walking and passing through tens of small villages. Now, in Thaon, I’ve found a joy. Bar Le Cosy. Good coffee. Wifi – hence another post. An armchair and friendly hostess and clients. It’s rather smart and chic and I may look a tad out of place

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