We had a spell of good weather in Dole and despite a few
mishaps (such as the wrong colour paint supplied etc.) we managed to complete
our painting projects on Matilda before our next guests arrived. We had
arranged with Marg’s golf club that they could offer a week’s accommodation in
Matilda for two people in a fund raising auction that they run. Marg’s golfing
buddy, Greg was keen and out-bid the rest and he and his sister arrived
by train on Thursday 27th of June to join us there.
We departed next day and headed up the Rhone-au Rhin
canal towards Besancon. The canal follows the Doubs river. It passes through
some wonderful mountain scenery and although there has been talk for many years
of totally rebuilding the canal to take modern sized barges, the pressure groups
have, to this time, won out. If the rebuild ever went ahead, it would allow the
big river barges access from the Mediterranean right through to Germany.
We
spent a pleasant evening at our favourite mooring and Gregory and Susan went
for a walk along the towpath in the misty rain. We have been alone here in the
past but others are now appreciating the serenity of it all.
We
arrived in Besancon on Sunday and circumnavigated the city on the river. We
found a lock that you operate yourselves
and Marg and Greg tried their skills. It is the only one we have come across so far.
There
has been a settlement on the site of Besancon as far back as 1500 years BC. The
town is surrounded on three sides by the Doubs river and on the fourth by a
mountain. In 58 BC Julius Caesar occupied the site, built some fortifications and commented on its advantages. In the 15th
century, the town was sometimes under the control of the Dukes of Burgundy and
changed hands quite a few times in various scuffles. The French military
engineer, Vauban, drew up plans for massive improvements to the town’s defences
including the citadel on Mt St Etiene. Before
construction started, another scuffle and the Spanish were in control again.
They built most of the fortifications to Vauban’s design.
Today,
the citadel is a museum primarily dedicated to the French resistance fighters
of the second world war, as over 100 of them were executed here by the Nazis.
It is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site.
We
moored Matilda on the new pontoons below the citadel escarpment and planned our
stay.
The
citadel was obviously the place that we had to explore and we would need a full
day up there.
Marg.
Susan and Greg examine a statue of engineer Vauban standing on a map of France
that shows all his fortifications.
We
had walked up the hill from our mooring – about 130 metres and the views showed
why this hill had become so important in the defence of the town.
The
views from these lookouts are most impressive
Within
the fortified walls of the citadel there was a cadet school for up to 600 young
men, facilities were sufficient for a siege of up to 90 days.
This
well was 132 metres deep and went down to below river level. The barrel-lifting
wheel was man powered.
Besancon
was France’s centre for watch production during the 19th and 20th
centuries until the quartz revolution destroyed it. It has now regained some of
its reputation in this area, we believe, in the production of artificial quartz
crystals.
Greg
and Susan left us in Besancon to continue their European holiday. We put them
on a train to Monaco and Nice.
We
were on our own again with almost nothing to do!
We
are sure there will be stories to tell, so we will keep in touch.
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