Home

Days 13 and 14, Around Dijon and from Dijon to Dole - 58 kilometers

Day 13, walking around Dijon - 0 kilometers

    Everyone got up early. The Scots couple wanted to get on the road early and, after a quick breakfast, we walked with them down to the garage and their bikes. They had Ortlieb panniers and I watched as they snapped them onto their bikes. Wow, they went on so much easier than my Jandds and they were waterproof as well. Andre stated he also had a set of Ortliebs and they were still very serviceable after being used on his treks in Africa and South America.

    Andre and Brigitte asked what our plans were. We said that we planned to spend the whole day exploring Dijon and would be back around six if that was all right with them. We invited them out to dinner with us when we returned. Andre stated he knew just the restaurant and would call for reservations. 

    Andre gave us the walking route to town and Jeanette, Roxcie and I set off. We walked into the old town area and spent the whole day sightseeing. Dijon is a big city and there was lots to see and do. We visited the cathedral including the cathedral crypt, a park with painted plywood cutouts in the shape of animals by the TI center, the Dijon museum featuring the tombs of the Dukes of Burgundy, and the open air market. The TI staff had handed us a brochure telling of a walking tour called the "Owl Walk" which took us by most of the important architectural structures.

    While we were walking through the open air market we saw a group of guys in their early 20's leading another guy dressed as Caesar. One of the passerby's told us it was a bachelor party and that the future groom was  Caesar. They were having a great time and were soon joined by one of the town drunks who started following along, hoping for their generosity.

    We returned to Andre and Brigitte's at six, ready to go out to dinner. Andre stated that he was a little worried about going out with two year old Clementine, she had never been out to dinner and suggested, that if we didn't mind, we could order take out instead. I said that would be fine and suggested pizza. He eagerly accepted the idea and said he'd call so that it would be ready when we picked it up. In the mean time, Brigitte asked Jeanette if she would like to do our laundry. When Jeanette got it all out of the panniers, Brigitte was amazed that we could get so many clothes in such small bags. 

    Half and hour later we were all stuffing pizza in our faces and talking about cycling again, while moving loads from the washer out to the clothes racks on the balcony. When everyone had gone to bed, I wrote a thank you to Andre and Brigitte in the guest book and had Roxcie do the same.

Day 14, Dijon to Dole - 58 kilometers

Route Conditions: The canal road was in various states of repair from smooth paved to gravely and bumpy. Once on the country roads, they were easy riding in rolling hills with little traffic. Directions: Enter Canal path at Dijon. Continue on the path till it ends.  Take the D 968 to St. Aubin, the D220 through Aumur , Abergement, Damparis and Champvans to the D 6 to Dole.

______________________________

    I awoke early and snuck out to a patisserie about five blocks away and bought some supplies for breakfast. After breakfast Andre suggested that he, Brigitte and Clementine join us for part of the ride since it was Sunday and they had the time. He also confessed that they had been too busy to do much riding lately and could use the exercise. We packed up and went down to the bikes, attached our gear and Andre attached the trailer for Clementine.

    It was only a few blocks to the canal path and we were soon on the path, heading out of town. After about 8 kilometers, the newly paved path turned to dirt. Andre had a hard time keeping up without bouncing Clementine all over in the trailer and after another 10 kilometers the three said that we'd better go on alone since they were holding us back too much. We stopped and took group pictures and said our goodbyes. We would remember our stop as one of the memorable times on our trip.

    The wind had come up and was blowing but from the side as we traveled on, making good time. At 35k we reached the end of the Burgundy Canal where it joins the Saone River. As a celebration, we stopped for an expensive, sit down lunch.

    We would now be traveling on country roads in an area that I knew very little about other than that we might have to cross some hill country in the next few days. We plotted a route and soon found ourselves traveling through small country towns on low traffic roads. On the outskirts of Dole we passed a plaque on a wall with flowers decorating the tribute. We stopped and read the words commemorating a resistance fighter killed in the 2nd World War by the Gestapo. As with most tributes, either to the resistance fighters or any of the Allied forces, the plaque ended with the words, "He died for France."

    Even with the hills, we entered Dole around 4:00 in the afternoon, too early to check into the youth hostel. We looked around at the old town section. It's about four blocks long and two blocks wide and features another cathedral and although not large, still was interesting and attractive. As it neared dinner we decided we were still full from lunch and decided to just buy some pastries for dinner. We found an excellent patisserie, loaded up and headed for the hostel, about a kilometer from town center.

    We rode into the hostel parking lot to find several groups of middle-eastern men standing around talking and a group of women who looked like their wives sitting by the steps into the building. About 10 kids, again middle-eastern, were playing in the parking lot. Some were entering the building and going up the stairs. I was a little concerned. Even more so when we entered the hostel and found that the floors were dirty and un-swept, and that drinks had been spilled in the lounge and the cups were still on the floor, the liquid, dried in stains on the tables and floor. I walked down the hall and saw that the bathroom was equally as dirty and that the only toilet was missing a seat. I asked about the rest of the facilities. The TV was broken so there was no TV room. The laundry was broken, the hostel had no free use kitchens and no Internet terminals.

    I asked how many people were staying at the hostel. The young clerk said one other couple. I asked if the other floors were as dirty as the first. He said that the plumbing was broken on all the other floors, the ones that the kids had been climbing up to. It was obvious that the upper floors were being rented out to the people in the parking lot but I didn't bring up the subject. I had seen enough. I took the single bike and rode down the street and found a hotel about four blocks away for E49 for three. I checked us in and then rode back and got the two girls. As we rode off, one of the men said, "Shalom brother," to us. I nodded and we rode on.

    Once in the hotel, we discussed our options for the next few days. We wanted to make sure we were in a reasonably large town for Bastille Day celebrations and had planned to ride to Bensancon the next day and then to any of a number of small towns between Bensancon and Belfort for the 13th, Bastille Day Eve. That would put us in Belfort on the 14th, when we expected the celebrations to take place.

    The girls were concerned about the ride though since it appeared that we would have some serious hill climbing to reach Bensancon and more serious hill climbing for the two following days to reach Belfort. They asked if we could take the train to Belfort. I thought about it. They had been perfect partners so far with no complaints. We really didn't have much of an agenda for the next three days. Why not? I agreed. We'd take the train to Belfort tomorrow.

Recommendations:

Stay away from the Dole Youth Hostel unless the French Youth Hostel Association cleans the place up and changes the management. 

Day 15, Dole to Belfort by train - 12 kilometers

home