We set off from the hotel where we had stayed overnight to the chapel under the castle hill of Martigny,
a pilgrimage site with votive pictures in the old village at the foot of the Great St. Bernhard.
From there, we passed through an interesting rain forest area with unique ampibian life and huge rockfalls
on to the entrance to the Trient gorge and the charming village of Vernayez, where we paused at the local
tea room for refreshments.From there, onwards past the Pissevache waterfall to lunch at Evionnaz.
The way continued along the Via Francigeni, gently downwards towards St.Maurice.
On the outskirts we come to the chapel at the Martyrs Square Vérolliez, where the mercenaries of the
Egyptian legion from Thebes under the command of Mauritius were decimated because they did not want to
persecute their Christian brothers. Five glass steles then lead us into the small town of the 1500 year
old St. Maurice Abbey. We had already visited the abbey church with the grave of St.Mauritius and the
archaeological site previously with an audio guide, and they are well worth the visit.
Coincidentally, the Tour de Suisse was passing through, so we stopped to cheer the cyclists on.