Tiff's Travel Tales: Day 21 Besancon exploring 10kms walked

I meandered to breakfast at 8.30 and who should come out of the lift 5 mins later but my German friends. They had decided to have a night in a hotel too as storms predicted. This is a large city with many hotels so I felt blessed. We ate and chatted together before they headed off to cycle. I went back to my room and then walked to the mobile shop as they have 10am opening hours. I arrived to find it closed, I waited for a while and then asked at the convenience store and he said they were closed, as it was Monday. It seems many shops are closed Sundays and Mondays 😂. They said there was a shop further up the road that should be open. The lovely man did a great job at answering questions with limited English. The price of the closed shop was cheaper, and this shop was not able to move on the price. He suggested I try another shop further up the road. They had no stock so back I came. I have managed to set up my new phone, transfer apps etc. Feeling pretty chuffed. Unfortunately my international roaming ESim can't be transferred, but it is what it is.

So after a few hours I was back out in the fresh air with my new phone and a map. This is a large city with so many beautiful buildings and the Citadel high on the cliffs at one end and the river and canals bordering the inner island. Being a day where most shops were closed, I wandered the streets with very few others.

First stop around the corner from the hotel was Eglise Saint-Pierre church. Whilst fairly simple on the outside, the inside is very ornate.

This is a private apartment. Imagine opening these huge doors every day to go home.

Then further down the Grande Rue to the former home of Victor Hugo. I visited the museum which honoured gis literary contribution having authored Huntchback of Notre-dame and Les Miserables among other works.

At the end of this road the Cathedrale Saint-Jean stands, just through the stone wall, this church had beautiful gold leaf as decoration inside

Then up the steps and very steep hill to the Citadel sitting high above the city. Yesterday as I rode I could see it for 10kms. The Citadel was built in the late 1600's for Louis XIV and UNESCO World heritage listed.

Walking along the high walls I imagined how many had walked along, protecting the city.

This view shows the cycle path to the right of the river that I will ride tomorrow

The view back down to the city below

There are a number of museums with excellent dioramas, collection of pottery and a huge collection of metal shields.

A surprise zoo of exotic animals including kangaroos!

There is a huge well that had a hamster wheel that people walked in to retrieve the bucket of water from underground.

After a couple of hours I headed down the steps and hill to walk through the now much busier streets with some shops opening for a few hours late afternoon.