DAY 28 - GONDRECOURT-LE-CHÂTEAU to NEUFCHÂTEAU (Sunday 14 May)

Leaving Gondrecourt-le-Château early in the morning

With a busy day in front of us, we left Gondrecourt-le-Château early in the morning. We had a few stops on the way out - to visit the local bakery for our daily supplies, and to take a few photos of the reflections in the Ornain River. 

Early morning reflections in the Ornain at Gondrecourt-le-Château 

The first few kilometres of the day's walk were on the D182. The road was very peaceful: in over an hour we were on the road, there was only one car which passed us. The road went through forested country, with a couple of points of interest on the way. 

The D182 goes through forested country

Tucked away off the D182 we found this memorial to an American plane which was brought down in November 1944

We also saw a deer 

We left the D182 to take the GR714 walking path on to Domrémy-la-Pucelle. We went through forests and fields, and another windfarm. We stopped for morning tea in the attractive little village of Vouthon-Haut.

The GR714 to Vouthon-Haut 

We saw another deer

And we tried to take a photo where it looked like the blades from the wind turbine were coming out of the subject's hat - a bit like an Asterix hat, perhaps. 

Vouthon-Haut 

Refreshed from our healthy fruit break, we continued on the GR714 into Domrémy-la-Pucelle. Once in the village, we visited the house where Joan of Arc was born, the attached museum, and the Church of St-Rémy which Joan attended some 600 years ago. 

Arriving in Domrémy-la-Pucelle on the GR714

The house where Joan of Arc lived as a child

Joan of Arc museum,  Domrémy-la-Pucelle 

Church of St-Rémy 

While having lunch in the village restaurant, we noticed a lot of unusual activity. The streets were being closed off, and people in fancy dress started appearing. Apparently France celebrates national Joan of Arc Day on the second Sunday of May, and there is always a special celebration in Domrémy-la-Pucelle on that day. We decided to linger for a while to watch some of the action. 

The highlight was a girl on a horse, proudly carrying Joan of Arc's banner

There was a lot of pageantry on display at the annual Joan of Arc Day celebrations

We moved on from Domrémy-la-Pucelle, still on the GR714. A couple of kilometres up the road we came to the Basilique Sainte Jeanne d'Arc, which was also taking part in the celebrations. 

Some sights on the way out of Domrémy-la-Pucelle 

An elderly gentleman was struggling trying to carry Joan of Arc's banner up the hill to the basilica, until he was offered a lift by a kindly passing motorist 

Action at the basilica - Joan of Arc posing for photos and checking her phone

We were still on the GR714 most of the way into the Coussey, the next village. From there, we found a new cycle path (not appearing on either the IGN Rando app or Google Maps) to take us into Neufchâteau. We navigated our way through to our apartment, stopping only to take a photo of the Joan of Arc statue in the Place Jeanne d'Arc on the way. 

On to Coussey, with its Joan of Arc statue

 A new cycle path between Coussey and Neufchâteau 

 Joan of Arc statue,  Neufchâteau 

 On to our apartment in Neufchâteau after a long but enjoyable day

 Day 28 - Healthy Fruit 

Day 28 - Bird (not many bird photos today but there were a lot of Joan of Arcs)

Day 28 - Joan of Arcs

Day 28 - Elevation Profile 

Day 28 - Route 

Day:  28

Distance: 32.77 km

Walking time: 6 hrs 33 mins

Elevation gain: 549 metres

Cumulative distance:  650.49 km