Montbeliard - Montreux-Chateau 31 May

What a way to start the day!

This is the day when we have to return our remote controls. We have to be at lock number 8 at 10.30. So we and the Swiss gentlemen set off at 8.30, met up with canal people, handed over our remotes and had them drive from lock to lock opening and closing. 

And a steady drizzle kept us company all the way. We noticed that the church towers are changing, no longer the rounded bell towers. 

Arrived in Montreux at 12.30 and at 13.00 the sun came out! We are now at the watershed and from tomorrow we start going down hill to Mullhouse.

Lunch consisted of Montbeliard sausage, which Carl found out is eaten here.

Took a walk into the village to see this chapel.

It is the Chapelle Saint Catherine.

The last lock upstream lock, from tomorrow it is downstream, much easier.

Lellebelle bathing in the sun after a tough morning in rain and locks. The water in the canal is very brown. It seems that the river Allan, which feeds the canal, is very brown.

Great dinner on the restaurant La Peniche, the barge parked right behind us. Barge in French is Peniche so La Peniche translated to English is The Barge

A view along the canal. We are now in an area called Territoire de Belfort. Up to now we have been travelling through the Jura district, along the Jura mountains, which are millions of years older than the Alps and therefore are much lower and rounder due to weather and wittering over all this time.

The main town in Territoire Belfort is called Belfort. The area offers a wide spectrum of activities and beautiful nature. Of course, now the sun has appeared, we can appreciate how beautiful it is. We started on this Rhin Rhon canal on the 24 th May, that's one week ago. We have about 2 days before we reach Mullhouse, which is where we leave the canal and start looking for the Rhine, our old friend. But this time we are going downstream.

L'ilse-sur-le-Doubs - Montbeliard 30 May

The same story again, trying to find a Boulangerie, was not possible here, but the Tabac had baguette so we were saved. Today we are travelling together with the Swiss gentlemen to Montbeliard. We have 14 locks to pass through. The German, who also arrived in L'isle etc etc informed us that after lock number 8 we have to return the remote which we have used to work the locks. After that we have to be accompanied by the VNF personnel, that is the canal people, and we have to inform them before 4 pm the day before of our plans. So we have things to do in Montbeliard! Rain is predicted for the whole day today and the prospect of 14 locks in the rain is not very inviting. However, it turned out to be a wonderful trip, with cloudy skies, but no rain. The rain came after we got into port.

Christian and John, the Swiss gentlemen, ahead of us. They are heading to Mullhouse where their wives will meet them. They live on lake Geneva,

Here we are crossing the Doube river, and this is goodbye to the Doube which has been accompanying us for the past week.

And hello to the Allan River which will be us for the rest of the canal.

Arrived in Montbeliard at about 12.30. A much more prosperous town than the towns and villages we have passed today and yesterday. Parks, central shopping area, castle, lovely homes and gardens. The reason is probably because the Peugeot factory is nearby. Christian told us that Peugeot was stared by two brothers of Hugenots descent. 

The town is full of different types of decorations. Here Leslie adding  colour to the pot plants.

In the Pres de la Rose, a beautiful garden, a maze, the Science Pavilion and Foucalts pendulum clock.

The perpetual motion of Foucalts pendulum clock in action.

At the North or South Pole such pendulum completes a full circle in 23 hours and 56 minutes while at the equator it doesn't circle at all. It just swings back and forward. 

The town of Montbeliard was built around a hill which was once a Roman fort.

This is the chateau of Henriette de Wurtenburg. In 1397, Henriette, a descendant of an old French family "united her destiny and that of the Her city with the German empire. As a result Montbeliard remained a German principality on French soil untill  1793", quoted from Fluvial Guide. I suppose that means she married a German?

Just a view of the town.

Interestingly, this town  is known as a Protestant city.

We have now contacted the VNF and together with our Swiss gentlemen we have to be at Lock number 8 at 10.30 tomorrow in order to be accompanied by the VNF through a number of locks. None of us are sure if we know what this entails but we will see tomorrow?

Baume-les-Dames - L'isle -sur-le-Doubs 29 May

All set for the trip to L'iIse-sur-le- Doubs, from Baume-les-Dames, and I live in The-Höll-on- viken-by-the-Öresund!  It takes time to remember these long names but they are probably quite logical, they tell you exactly where you are. Almost like our address when we lived in Nicaragua, which was, (in Spanish) opposite the Restaurant Los Robles, two streets down second house on the left!

But first an early morning walk to see the unfinished abbey church at the convent of the nuns who followed the order of St Benoit. Unfinished because it only has one tower?

The trip today is truly beautiful.The countryside is fantastic.

We have been trying to photograph all the beautiful bell towers, but since every town has one, we have given up photographing them all. Here are some of them

And here is our mooring on the quay of quite a sad little town, L'lse etc etc. Seems like it used to be a bustling town but all the industries have closed down and it is a bit run down. But found some quaint spots.

Like these houses along the Doube River.

Reminded us of Bamberg.

We had dinner with our Swiss friends, the two gentlemen, John and Christian. Everything was closed except two pizzerias. But they served fantastic pizzas. Don't judge a book by its cover, or don't judge a towns cuisine by its appearance!

Besancon - Baume-les-Dames 28 May

After a few beautiful summer days we woke up this morning to rain. This called for another conference as to whether we should continue or not. Our port is right next to a lock which has to be worked manually. That means someone has to turn the winches to let the water out, turn again to open the doors, close the doors etc etc. Carl conferred with the Capitainarie and since another boat was leaving the same way, it was decided that we would also leave. And the sun came out to another beautiful day.

Leaving Besancon.

Bell towers along the way.

Truly a beautiful part of the Rhin Rhone canal, which intertwines with the river Doube.

And even more beautiful in good weather.

Passed Duluz, a little town nestled between high cliffs.

Another Bell tower.

Yes, another....

The doors would not open completely at this flood gate because of a log was stuck on one side. We called the VNF but they took such a long time to come we managed to get around the log and on our way.

The surroundings are getting even more spectacular.

And at last we arrived in Baume-des-Dames. Moored right outside a restaurant with facilities from the nearby camping site. Met up with the German from Strassbourgh, who gave even better tips of where to stay once we get there. Had a lovely evening with two very pleasant Swiss  gentlemen who we met in the manual lock in Besancon. Interesting to hear about Switzerland.

Besancon 27 May

I read an article about Besancon in the Guardian written a few years ago. The journalist describes Besancon perfectly. A gem of a place which the tourists have not discovered. Many people, us included,  had never heard of Besancon before. And it has been a wonderful surprise. 

It is pronounced Bösansong acvording to our neighbour swiss captain. 

We are in the Jura area of France. They have their own wine and delicacies. Breakfast present to Carl, a traditional Jura sausage.

An amusing work outside a Regional information building. An elderly man is trying to get water from a hose pipe and a young boy is blocking the water by standing on the pipe. Carl discovered that when he walks past the tap the water sprouts out of the pipe.

Brasserie du Commerce was recommended by the journalist so we had a glass of Jura Chardonnay.

The Doube River makes a loop around Besancon.

The oldest house in Besancon, a bakery run by the nuns of the order of St Madeleine. Down the round is the church of st Madeleine and there we found another Jaquemart clock! The sun was in the wrong position so the photo came out black.

Rounded bell towers in Besancon. Beautiful mosaic decorated.

The Cathedral de Besancon with its rounded bell tower. Inside is the famous astronomical clock. Build between 1858 and 1869 by Auguste Lucien Verite, it has a complex mechanism consisting of over 30 pop parts and 11 movements. We did not go in party because we were slogging it up a "difficile route" to the Citadel and partly because we have seen one before, was it Salisbury or Bristol?

And this is the view from the ramparts of the citadel. Quite a climb but worth it.

Views of the Doube from the Citadel

And another fantastic view.

The Roman name for Besancol was Vesontio. It was occupied by the Barbarians then the Spanish and only became a French city in the 18 th centrury. 

The enormous wall surrounding the citadel is the work of  the militar architect, Vauban. Vauban is well known throughout France for his military architecture. Every town has a "rue Vauban".

Part of the  magnificent rampart. Quite wonder to walk around, if a bit scary.

One of the museums in the complex is dedicated the the French resistance. 100 members of the Resistence were held and shot here. During WW II It was also used as a camp for about 2000 women and children with British connections. I have not found the connection, if these were British subjects living in the area or transported here from other places in Germany.

And this gentleman is Jouffroy d'Abbans. He was born near the village of Baume-les-Dames (where we are heading tomorrow) in 1752. In 1773 he was in prison to the Island of Saint Marguerite following a duel with the Colonel of his regiment. From his prison cell he observed the difficult manoeuvres of the man powered boats. On return to Paris he studied steam engines and then developed a steam engine for boats. 

More views from the Citadel

First a lovely easy walk through the park before the climb to the citadel.

Our port in Besancon, with the manual lock in the background.

And another view!

More bell towers, or are they the same?

Yes, probably.