Day Two in Besançon

My friend and his wife left the house bright and early this morning; one to Paris (wife) and the other to work (husband)!! Their young daughter followed them shortly after to school and the house was left to me and their two college sons. I was up at 9:30 am came down to the kitchen and made coffee using a fancy coffee machine! The college kids woke up around 12:00 !! They came down and to my biggest surprise the oldest son, 21 years of age, made lunch for all of us! He made apparently a popular Lyon dish called Quennelle made from fish, he also boiled some rice next to that, all in all a real success! I suggested that we go for a long walk and they both agreed! Just as we were leaving my friend showed up from work and joined us. He told me he left early because he worked through lunch and put in enough hours that way.... The walk was up-hill towards a fort above the city of Besançon, it was a great walk through some village like neighborhood with animals and lots of greenery ... And then the imposing fort ... Besancon, I was told, was a heavily militarized city in the old days to defend it from the Austria-Hungarian empire to the east. There are many military camps and forts all over this small city. Also the city is a UNESCO site so it is protected architecturally and otherwise...

We came back home around 4:00 pm and my friend decided to take a nap while I answer emails and check the news on the web... By 5:00 pm another friend from my undergraduate days showed up! I did not see him in over 35 years!!! It was a huge surprise, apparently my friend did not really take a nap, he was calling all the people I knew to tell them I was in town so he may have more surprises for me... We all went to dinner to a pizza place, no it is not Dominos or Papa John's, a local Italian restaurant making pizzas... Here are some pics...

The seafood pizza I ordered with clam shells included!!!

A  night view of a fort above the city

Victor Hugo statue: a French legend!!

Stone buildings line the streets of Besançon: what a sight!!

A view from a fort high above Besancon 

On a bridge above the Doubs river cris-crossing Besancon 

View of the city from  high above Besancon 

One of the forts of Besancon where American troupes were stationed

The sky was grey and threatening but the view was beautiful 

Salut de Besançon

I made it to Besancon my farthest destination on this trip! Because of the strikes gripping France right now, there were much fewer trains running, so people were packed like sardines in whatever train they find in their direction. Luckily for me, I had a seat assignment so I was able to ride somewhat comfortably. The train was 10 minutes late from Lyon, but that was better than others that were cancelled altogether. The weather was getting worse as we moved further east. Apparently it has rained for days and all the fields were flooded and the crops lost.... This part of France is very green!! Besancon has three stations and my friend made a mistake of going to the first to pick me up, when I told him the night before I was going to the last one!! Apparently, he did it to surprise me but it did not work... I waited for him for an hour in the last station and eventually he showed up apologizing about the mix-up.... It was well-intention-ed and it was still light outside so no problem I said.

He has a huge house with lots of land. He enjoys building projects so he is busy forever it seems. When I told him that I no longer enjoy home projects, he looked at me and said he was getting there as well... After showing me the zillion rooms he has, his wife showed up and we were off to my first treat he had for me: a Berber restaurant that serves authentic couscous straight from the Atlas Mountains!! The place was in downtown and it was authentic, we spoke Berber, the background music was Berber and the chef came out of the kitchen to great us in Berber as well so all in all a nice surprise indeed. We got back home at 12:00 and headed to bed because my friend was working the next day and his wife was heading to Paris bright and early... So I will have this big house all to myself, well not quiet!

                                                            My friend's house in Besancon

Berber restaurant menu

Four meats brought separately: mergez, chicken, beef, lamb

Couscous and sauce

Downtown Besançon at night

Stone buildings everywhere in Besançon