Le lion de Belfort (28 September 2024)

 


We started with an hotel breakfast which was quite nice.  We were lucky that the checkout time was at midday so that gave us time to go and find the Lion of Belfort. 

 

It began to rain while we walking to the citadel which was built under the direction of Vauban who was responsible for a large number of fortresses around France.  The Lion was a later addition to complex and was designed by Bartholdi who later designed the Statue of Liberty.   Normally citadels take advantage of a high point above a strategic town.  The fortress protected what is known as the Belfort Gap, which was a route to the rest of France from the Alsace and Germany.  The area has been contested a number of times over the past centuries.  The fortress is part of a greater defensive network which includes the Citadelle de Besançon.   Apparently the French flag has flown on the citadel since the 17th century except for two periods, one of them being when the Nazis conquered France.

Le lion up close

A very excited Bev


The first sight of the citadelle was impressive, even in the misty rain.  We climbed up to an area just below the lion.  It is very large and quite a feat of sculpting.  Puegeot (the car manufacturer) began near Belfort and the lion logo is almost identical to Le lion de Belfort. 

 

We climbed to the top of the citadelle and there was a wonderful view of the small city.  On a nice day it would have been even better.




 

It was getting quite wet by the time we  walked back to the hotel and collected the car.    

 

The rain eased off as we drove to Besançon.  Coming into the city was a bit of a challenge with me missing a couple of turns until we ended up at the correct place, sort of.  We knew where the apartment was but parking was a bit of a challenge.  A call by Bev to the host clarified matters. There was only paid parking and there were two car parks to choose from.  Eventually we settled on one that was closest to the apartment so we didn’t have to trail our bags too far.  

 

The apartment was up two flights of stairs which were rather narrow.  Carrying up the suitcases is great for improving muscle tone in the arms.  The  apartment one reached was very pleasant.  It was quite large.  Even better it was under the Citadelle de Besançon a massive fortress built by Vauban on the cliff above us. 

 

The Doubs

Our apartment - Besançon

After we had made ourselves comfortable we headed out into the old part of town to have a look around. It is a very pleasant area that is a tangle of little streets which are largely pedestrianised.  We were even able to find a little supermarket and a fromagerie.  At the latter we bought some local cheese (Comté and a blue).  

The entrance to the town near  our apartment

Street scene Besançon

 

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