Note (and advance warning): I’m in the mountains tonight in Jougne, the last village in France on the Via Francigena. Not unexpectedly, the WiFi and the phone service are both weak, and I can’t edit the videos or add some that I would like to include, so I may come back later with a Besançon Part 2.
I took two days in Besançon, and that wasn’t nearly enough. It’s a beautiful city with a rich history, a wonderful old city center, a plethora of restaurants, museums, cathedrals, and almost limitless recreational opportunities. There is so much about the city I would like to talk about, but I don’t think anyone has the patience for it. With that in mind, I’m going to do my best to summarize a few of the hightlights to encourage you to visit if you ever plan a trip to southeastern France.
Besançon is blessed geographically.
Three sides of the city are surrounded by an oxbow of the Doubs river, and the fourth side abuts Mount Saint-Elaine, on which sits the impressive 17th-century Citadel of Besançon, a masterpiece of military architecture.
I stayed in a studio apartment (with a sofa bed) in a janky building just across the river from the city center, but it was only a 10-minute walk to the city center, and the view as I crossed the river was always changing and fascinating.
The Citadel of Besançon
The Citadel of Besançon was designed and constructed over the course of 30 years in the late 17th and early 18th centuries by the famed French military engineer, Vauban. At the same time, fortress walls and moats were built around the city. The moat system now accommodates roadways, but the fortress walls remain.
In addition to simply being an impressive military structure on a hilltop, the city utilizes the Citadel to house several museums and a zoo.
Finally, the Citadel provides stunning views of the old city and surrounding areas.
One of the small museums in the Citadel is of nocturnal creatures. The exhibits include a variety of live animals including rats in a dungeon-like setting that may give you nightmares.
The city is dynamic and full of youthful energy.
In addition to being the capital of the historic and cultural region of French-Comté, Besançon’s university was founded in 1423 and now has 30,000 students. I believe many of those students were likely participants in the well attended pro-Palestinian march that occurred on Saturday afternoon.
I thought it was ironic that the march passed directly in front of author and activist Victor Hugo’s childhood home (now a museum) immediately after I had learned about his strong activism on behalf of social justice on several fronts. It felt like he would have been in the march.
This engaging half-court basketball game is the kind of urban energy I love.
And the gallery exhibit of photos documenting a Pentecostal snake church in Appalachia.
”And these signs will accompany those who believe: In my name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new tongues; they will pick up snakes with their hands; and they they drink deadly poison, it will not hurt them at all; they will place their hands on sick people, and they will get get well.”. – Mark 16: 17-18
From a book of photos from the exhibit.
And the public art.
The sculpture pays homage to Jenny d’Hérecourt, who was born in Besançon in 1809, and went on to write The Emancipated Woman.
Pilgrim Friendships
On Saturday evening, I met Pierre and his wife, Veronique, for a drink at a brasserie overlooking the Doubs river. It was the perfect spot for watching Besançon life go by on a Saturday night.
Next up: It’s beginning to feel like I’m approaching the Alps.
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7 Responses
Beautiful city. It took tons of limestone to build it. There must be a huge quarry in the vicinity. Is there commercial traffic on the Doub River? That river walk reminds me of Austin. Hope you found new shoes for the Alps. The weather may be cooler there. The snake church must be a real head scratcher for the French. They may not have poisonous snakes there.
Great report and photos. Many thanks. Good luck in the Alps.
It took an immense amount of limestone! When you see how many walls they have and how long they are, it’s hard to fathom the physical labor it took. For the Citadel, their quarry became the moat so, they tried to minimize how far they had to haul the stones. Another interesting fact is that Vauban, the designer/engineer, determined that the limestone created too many bits of rock shrapnel when a cannonball struck it, so he started using brick on the sections that were exposed to cannon fire and near where the soldiers would be.
The river walk is beautiful, and you can stroll along it for what seems like forever if you are so inclined.
I did get a new pair of trail shoes, but it was only after I stopped in half a dozen stores. When I asked for a size 13, they all looked at me like I had asked for shoes for a man with three feet. Finally, a really good running store found a dusty box on a high shelf (literally) that was exactly what I needed. I’ve been really glad to have them the last week since I had almost 600 miles on my last pair, and the soles were wearing a bit thin.
And yes, it is quite a bit cooler now that the record-breaking heat wave has passed. Temperatures over the last week (with rain most days) were in the high 40’s to low 60’s. It’s a little warmer this evening in Orbes, Switzerland because it’s on a plain leading up to the Alps.
Orbe, not Orbes…
did you find another pair of Altras?
I didn’t, but I did find a pair of Mizuno trail shoes, which I bought because finding my size is always a challenge. I wore those until I got to Lausanne, and I figured out that they might not be up to the rigors of a rocky trail with a heavy pack because I started to feel like my feet were “wallowing” a little in them. I then found a pair of mid-height Merrill boots that I wore around Lausanne for a day, and I thought they were good-to-go for the mountains. In the first day on the trail, I was almost crippled on the downslopes (which were steep) because my toes would jam into the end of the boots. When I arrived in Vevey, there was an outdoor store next door to my hotel, and I had 30 minutes before closing when I arrived. They had a pair of Hoka trail shoes, which seemed to have a wider toe-box than the Mizunos (and more support), but not as much as the Altras. I’m now three days of walking beyond Vevey, and I’m fighting blisters and other problems caused by the boots. I wish I had my Altras back! Moral to this overlong story: Hiking boots or shoes are only tested after 10 miles on the trail when your feet have swollen and your socks are damp from sweat. Anything short of that is just a guess as to whether or not they will work for you.
Heoolloooo, Charles… you really become close to the Swiss border! Lieve and I are preparing to start on july 20th to cross Switserland.
How is the road further going on?
This sunday we try to do a walk (as a training) in the north of France – Belgium, from Cassel tot Kemmel , which is 42 km 🙂 (try to check it, this is our environment where we live).
Hopefully we hear each other whilst walking this summer 🙂
Keep well
Hilde
Oh my goodness! I’m so glad to hear from you! In fact, I just crossed the border this morning, and I’m in Orbe tonight. The trail drops into the Gorges de L’Orbe shortly after it leaves Ballaigues, and it is both spectacular and reasonably flat as it follows the L’Orbe river through the canyon to Orbe. Where will you be starting your walk across Switzerland? In Lausanne?
I looked up Cassel and Kemmel, and I’m quite jealous. That is incredibly historic and scenic countryside, but 42kms is an ambitious training hike! I’ve learned that 20 – 25kms is optimum for me carrying an overly heavy pack. I ended up doing several days this past week that were over 30, but those days are too long, especially if it’s raining or there is significant elevation gain.
I hope to be across the Alps before July 20, but if the Alps are too much for me, you may find me at the Great Saint Bernard monastery in a brown robe. Keep me posted, though, on your progress. I would love to hear about your walking adventures.