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• day 14
• Sunday, 9 September 2018
• Cormichy to Reims
• 301 km to yesterday
•   20 km today
• 321 km on Via Francigena to date

I was great at setting up last night and was most uncomfortable. All packed up quite quickly and off not long after sunrise.  My map says about 20 km to the centre of Reims.  And navigation is straight forward.

What I don't anticipate is the roller-coaster like country-side.  Gently up a small hill, gently down the other side to stream, gently up a small hill, gently down the other ... in cycles of about 1 km between hill tops.  I note the road is now the D944.  Later I find the D1044 is in the Aisne Region and continues as D944 in the Marne Region.  Important to know.

In the city centre it is Sunday and I am having trouble finding my way around.  Eventually I alight on the Hotel Arden, 2 star with bed and breakfast.  Two night.  The room is comfortable with an outlook over the street - and there is a bath.

It is early afternoon and I go walk about.

The city centre is almost billiard table flat and sort of laid out in a grid pattern.

The Cathedral is less than 1 km away, so off I go.  It is a grand open space, and open for visitors.  Unlike many (most!) ancient abbeys and cathedrals in England and Spain that I know of, the floor from west door to the chapels at the east end is at the same level throughout.  Only the chancel (for choir and sanctuary) is raised about three modest steps and surrounded by a open grille, so all is visible.  It is hard to comprehend that during WW1 the roof caught alight and was destroyed but the walls stood.  Restoration started in 1919, according to the info sheets, being interrupted by WW2.  Amongst all the information I noticed a photo of President de Gaulle of France and Chancellor Adenauer of (West) Germany.  The caption says they were commemorating reconciliation for all the wars between these two countries since the early 1800s.  The photo was taken in front of where I was standing.  I recall it was just a week ago, at Arras, where the short movie after the tour of Carriere Wellington expressed the hope for no more wars in Europe.  And this photo signaled the start of the development of the European Union.

Mass is scheduled for 18h.  But a message does the rounds: cancelled.

And so to bed.