Thursday 30 October

[update the snails are well rested and liked the picture more this morning]

OK so we are in Besancon, where the hotel has WIFI, of course the signal is being carried back and forth between Besancon and Paris on snails destined to be dinner at either end. I tried to add a picture of Penny and the children at fountain by the glass pyramid at that well known art gallery thing - several times now - but the snails didn't like my composition or exposure.

It is funny but we are just that much happier and more relaxed in Besancon. Partly I guess because we got to know it a year and a bit ago, partly because it is just smaller and more relaxed than Paris. Penny is going to backfill our days between posts, but obviously wifi and us didn't meet as often in Paris as we had expected.

Besancon being a non-tourist destination and heading to the winter end of Autumn we didn't have as much success with the dinner we had planned, but I did manage some lovely crepes with chocolate and an expresso, in the thing that last time was a proper cafe' with like a menu and food and everything. ca va.

Hoping to get the kids up to the Citadel tomorrow, as we walked from the Gare over the Doubs River it was flowing fast and looked wilder than last time and it looked like we should get some great pictures. Our memory of the 'old' town was pretty good and we got to the hotel on foot from the Gare in pretty much a direct route - although Penny and the Children are swearing coming around the back of the main shopping area was a detour too far.

To put it in context apparently Vauban rebuilt most of the old town for Louis 14, including a large chunk of the Citadel. Vauban was a busy boy, he tore down half of the Stone structures in France to remake them in his own special way. We've only just go here, but Vauban was last years man of history it looks a bit like Victor Hugo is this years local man of history. But then again they might only have two.

Well enough history from me, that is Penn's specialty.

There is right now a news story, annoyingly in French, that seems like it might pertain to Chateau Chalon where we stayed last year. It is very close to Besancon. Well if this news is to be believed the sleepy Franche-Comte agricultral region is abuz with something and the winemakers from the aforementioned Chateau Chalon are grumpy about something (perhaps this years Pinot isn't looking good - last years was excellent). We can't tell what exactly they are unhappy about.