Saint-Maurice to Martigny
This was an eventful day and a boring day. We needed to be in the reception area of the abbey by 7:30, as one of the cantons (priests) was to meet us there to take us to breakfast. He led us to a room with a table laid with china, fresh bread, large containers of jam, hot coffee and milk, and cheese. Two other pilgrims joined us for breakfast. While we ate, the canton told us the story of Saint Maurice and the Theban legion, a short history of the abbey and its buildings, and a bit of his story of coming to the abbey. He spoke in French, but his animations and expressions helped us to understand some of the stories that he shared. We learned that the village of Saint-Maurice had suffered from a major earthquake back in 1946, which destroyed part of the abbey, which abuts a mountain. Evidence of this could be seen in nearby buildings, which had large cracks in their structures.
Much of today’s walk was on pavement, with monotonous terrain. Theoretically, staying on tarred paths sounds easier than hiking on dirt and rocks but it was so consistent that our feet were aching by the time we arrived in Martigny. There were a few sites along the way, however.
Today was TJ’s day to be excited. We passed at least 6 sets of beehives. The hives were often in small clearings in woods. One set had several boxes with clear walls so that the activity of the bees inside could be observed.
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