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• day 12
• Friday, 7 September 2018
• Crepy to Laon
• 252 km to yesterday
•   10 km today
• 262 km on Via Francigena to date

Break camp just after sunrise and away.  The mesa top city of Laon is ahead of me all the way this morning.  The D1044, that caused me grief yesterday still has no shoulders to walk.  However, the road is straight and visibility ahead is excellent: if a need arise, I just step onto the grass berm beside the dashed white line and road edge.

On the roads for the past two days were large signs with a brown background (directions to museums, art galleries, etc). And just one phrase "Chemin de Dames" (Ladies Road).  Why is a road also a museum? That gets tucked away for a question to others.

In days past, cities and towns took fortifications against marauders very seriously.  Examples seen before taking up long-distance walking included York, Chester, Carcassonne, Le Quesnoy and Colmar.  Then Lauzerte (between Cahors and Moissac) is a mesa (or butte) with a steep pull up from the roads below.  And Laon is in that mould.  So where to find the narrow path to get to the top and the city.  My map gives me a clue and off I go up the Rampe Saint-Just and debouche onto Rue Saint-Jean (together with Rue Saint-Martin, I find later in the day) form the main thoroughfare of about 2 km across the flat mesa top.  At this end there are generous footpaths on both sides with a single carriageway for motors and bollards to keep everything in its proper place. 

As I walk I encounter a hanging sign for Les Chevalier Hotel and go in.  It is late morning and I have a bed for the night.  Before leaving my stuff with the manager, I check the pronunciation of the city's name: as I hear it La'on, but run together.  I set off to explore the elevated city and note, several centuries ago, just about all social services were provided by religious communities, both lay and consecrated.

I go to the west side and work my way to the Cathedral at the east side, noting any gates I could use the next morning to continue onwards.

The Cathedral, dedicated to Our Lady of Laon, is marvelous.  Wikipedia tells me there was a bishop of Laon from around 500 CE until 1802 when it was translated to nearby Soissons.  Now a parish church (as is the equally magnificent Basilica of Saint Quentin 60 km to the north) is was completed about 1230.  There is much natural light and the tower at the centre of the cross shaped building was, for me, with windows at the top letting in light, an echo of the lantern tower at Ely Cathedral near Cambridge, England.

I return to the hotel and bath etc in preparation for an evening meal at the restaurant in the shadow of the west end of Notre Dame de Laon.

Mine host gives me a table to myself against one wall and the menu provides me with a degree of simplicity to choose from.  At a table against the adjoining wall are two younger and one slightly older.  As we are each finishing our meal the each of the women take out their phone and take photos of the other two.  I come across and signal them to get into a group and will take a photo.  They are pleased with the result.  As I return to my place there is tap on my shoulder: one of the younger women wants to take my photo: "thank you".  As I take up the pose the slightly older one rushes across and put her arm around my shoulders: nice one.  I write out my email address and a few moments later an email arrives with the message which I translate as "when you are in Corsica ..."

And so to bed.