DOGS AND CHEESE

Some dogs are cuter than others this one at the cheese counter at Marché Couvert Beaux Arts was obviously very concerned about the variety of cheese. Its owner was buying or perhaps was trying to locate the Wensleydale. 

The dog was sat on the bag ledge, paws on the glass. I don't think this was the first time.

Dogs seem catered for. Interesting graphics that I'm not sure would be local authority approved in the UK.

EARLY MORNING RUNNING

Do I recommend it? Absolutely, as long as it's not raining too hard. One of the many good things about our navigation is new locations to run.

What can I say, a great place to run in avenues of Planes in the early morning sun, adjacent to the River Doubs in Besançon.

Some people have to go one, or in this case lots, more than everyone else. I suppose the bike is easily identifiable so less chance of being stolen. Which bell do you use? Decisions, decisions.

RAPIDS AND TUNNELS

Still more challenging navigating, avoiding the rapids and going through tunnels!!

Rapids next to us

The rapids were only a fence away - quite scary, one false move.....!! We had to concentrate, there was no sitting relaxing, with feet up for the driver!

Then there was the Thoraise Tunnel which looks very dark as you approach. It had a waterfall over the entrance which was an art installation and was supposed to stop as you enter the tunnel. However, disappointingly, it wasn't working......maintenance always seems to be a problem, maybe that was a good thing as we could have got very wet! 

The Tunnel Entrance

It was narrow but lit with pretty flashing lights all along, difficult to photograph as they were flashing on and off all the time.

In the Tunnel

FRAC FRANCHE-COMTÉ

FRAC (Fonds régional d'art contemporain) Franche Comté is a recent giant art space in Besaçon for all nuances of the arts. The good news is that whilst the art is at best obscure and I like that stuff, the moorings they have constructed as part of the development are superb. Not that we are moored there as we only found them after we had moored across the city.

Yamaha piano playing 'Beethoven Piano Sonata No 14 in E Major' solo.

Clocks!

Don't even mentioned the melted down and reformed meteorite. It must rank as meteor abuse.

URBAN GORILLA KNITTING

I don't think you have realised how much of this is going on in France. It's almost endemic, or perhaps it's me that just spots this great art form. Not sure the thought process. As an Urban Gorilla Knitter you must be walking along and your mind locks onto those steel windows bars and you can't bare to see them unadorned any longer. So out with the needles and a carrier bag of wool ........ Job done. It's great.

Window bars.

A gas pipe and valve. What's next? It wouldn't be a good idea to be stationary on a street corner for too long.

CHALLENGING NAVIGATION

Great canal with navigation sections that are 100% challenging. We are constantly moving from the flow of the River Doubs to lateral canal cuts. The cuts always arrive unannounced at the last minute with a small arrow pointing towards a lock. A recent variation of canal engineering has been the tiny water level stone/step barrier between the canal and the river, as below. In times of flood you could be in the river without even knowing it. Not a good idea.

A canal/river step

The other challenges have been the narrowness of some sections and the constant écluse or porte de garde (constrictions on the canal to stop river flood waters causing chaos in the the canal). All adds to the excitement.

Was it narrow? Yes it ******* was and it was round a corner with tall stone walls on either side for half a kilometre.

IN NOT ON - DOLE

Yes it's all go up the Canal du Rhône au Rhin towards Mulhouse. First real stop Dole. Claim to fame birth place of Louis Pasteur who discovered pasteurisation (the clue is in the name) as well as other fermentation issues. Interesting museum. Pasteur aside, Dole is very pretty, lots of tiny streets all rising to a huge Collegiate, not sure why a church is a collegiate rather than a cathedral or a basilica. Good news, lots of bars and restaurants. We are travelling up the canal which is really the canalised river Doubs. We're hoping for little rain as the Doubs is a massive river originating in Switzerland (I think) and can achieve awesome flow rates, which can lead to temporary closure of the canal! It's all good at the moment as the sun is shining.

Margaret in the centre of Dole, on the Canal des Tanneurs.

Margaret not sure about the Urban Gorilla Knitting and pom-poms on the lamp posts.

Must go, just found there is a pizza boat here tonight selling wood fired pizzas. Not to be missed. It's a wooden boat. I suppose if the pizza oven gets too excited and the boat catches fire it would be extinguished as it sailed to the bottom of the canal. Do they have fire extinguishers?

AUTUMN NAVIGATION

It's been a long summer away from Soraya with Glastonbury, Kerloc'h, Bath, London, the unfortunate death of my father, it was expected, and of course meeting up with numerous family and friends. I think the effort of all this socialising has taken its toll.

A recent photo of the two of us.

Well it's back to Soraya and Saint-Jean-de-Losne. After a day or so cleaning, filling with water, fuel, food, checking all the systems etc it's off up the Canal du Rhone au Rhin (River Doubs) towards Mulhouse and the Swiss/German borders. Not sure how far we will go as we are planning to go to Dijon (the other way) for hivernage and with various sections of the canal closures for maintenance we may have to get there earlier than planned.