2 July

Saturday

After waking up at 530 (alarm was supposed to go off at 430) we were frantically gathering the rest of our stuff and out the door of the hotel by 605 and on our way to Crimee Metro stop, bound for Pyramides , transfer to the purple 4 line, and finally Bercy for our 720 train.  STAIRS…three flights down to our rail.  We make it on and have approximately 9 stops to Pyramides.  Thankfully Pyramides is a large metro stop near the Louvre and has a lift…phew!  On the next train bound for Bercy…Again lucked out with an escalator as we ascend to stree level and have to take a 3 block walk to Bercy Train Station.   

We have arrived at Bercy train station, but still need to validate our Eurail Super Save Train Pass…and at the speed most ticket lines move, we may be in trouble.  But this time we are not in line for two hours!  We begin standing on line at 705 with 5 couples in front of us…this is one day we need speedy tellers and we get them…we are headed to Voie C for our train to Dijon.  Thankfully an escalator takes us underground but then…STAIRS up to the platform.  Three trips later we are ready to board our 720 train.  It’s quite a chore to load two bicycles, two suitcases and our carry-ons in a short amount of time with everyone rushing the doors, but it’s done and we find our comfy seats in 1^st class…all our gear is in another 1^st class car right next door and we now have almost 3 hours to rest up for our transfer in Dijon.

We arrive in Dijon at 1016, and our train leaves for Besancon at 1039…so our transfer begins…bikes, luggage and carry-ons off….down the escalator…up the STAIRS!  Now on board and have an hour left to our journey.

We arrive in Besancon with Mdme. Evelyne IRBY greeting us at the train station.  We head to the parking lot where we meet her friend Jen Claude CHRITIEN who will be helping us get our gear to the apartment which Mdme. IRBY is renting us.

 

We drop our things at the apartment and they are insistent we assemble our bikes at Jean Claude’s, and leave the bike boxes there so they are not in our way.  Before we do any work on the bikes though, we must eat…and eat we did!

Aperitif…Kir…Crème de Cassis with white wine along with some cashews and mixed nuts.  Then on to the main course of grilled pork marinated in moutard, accompanied with potatoes and zucchini steamed on the stove.  Of course we had to have Comte cheese, bleu cheese, baguette and rose wine…aahh the life!  We enjoyed this awesome meal on Jean Claude’s porch of the house he built by himself.

 

Now time to assemble the bicycles while Jen and Mdme. Irby take a quick tour of Besancon.  Jean Claude and I finish up the bikes and head back to the apartment where we meet up with the ladies.  After getting the bikes upstairs and on to the balcony, we’re off to Intermarche (the supermarket in our neighborhood).  They are not open tomorrow, so we need to get what we want for the next couple of days.

Chicken, tomatoes, meat for breakfast, baguettes, Comte cheese, wine, cassis, eggs, cereal, milk…just the necessities.  We will be shopping often as we won’t be able to carry a lot home on the bicycles or walking.

We finally make it back to the apartment with a wonderful view of the city of Besancon.

We finally have a seat in the living room about 1730….we attempt to connect wirelessly to the internet with no luck, falling asleep several times in the meanwhile.  We finally close our lids to the laptops and take a little nap…til 2230!!!  Need a little food so of course we eat cereal with some baguette and head to bed.

Our bed is rather small and no Sleep Number® for sure.  I feel as if we’re ‘fancy camping’.  My head and feet are touching the headboard and footboard and our feet feel as if they are a foot above our heads…but it’s a bed and we need some sleep.