Good nights sleep and a slow morning after a good breakfast. The hotel may be ** but the breakfast was really good with proper butter nice baguettes, jams, cheese. Proper cafe noir.

I studied a guide lent to me by the owner and walked on a small detour to Saint-Vaast Abbey, now the Museum of Fine Art and until 4th November also house the exhibition “Napoleon – Images of the legend” with some 100 pictures. He was his own PR agent and commissioned numerous paintings of the episodes of his life.

I show the painting of the Army passing the Great St Bernard Pass 16-20 May 1800 at Bourg St. Pierre (detail) two weeks before the battle at Marengo in Italy, ruled by Austria at the time. The Via Francigena also passes the Great St Bernard Pass. Every year on the Via Francigena FaceBook group there are the question if the pass is snow free and can be passed. Which is usually last days of May to end of September. Napoleon’s soldiers were early and had no easy time as my next picture shows

A solder with perhaps frostbitten feet is looked after in the snow by the locals at a warming fire.

There is also a permanent collection. I happened to look at “St. Peter repentant” by Gerard Seghers 1591-1651 and noticed St. Peter’s feet.

They also had bunions like my own that I showed yesterday. Well, well, I would not say I am a Saint, but I have some attributes in common with St.Peter. Good night.