Besançon

B and I caught a local to Besançon which took about an hour. It was the next major city on my way to Strasbourg, where I had to be in two days' time to meet another friend. There were a lot of workers and kids on the train. We found a room near the station right away. It had modern facilities because the hotel was renovating. The room even had an air-con but this was never needed.

In the evening, when we had rested, we went for a walk in the city. Besançon sits within a meander of the Doubs river and the surrounding landscape is rustic.

The city itself was nowhere near as lively as Dijon, being smaller. However it had its share of grand public monuments and buildings.

I spotted many restaurants and drinking spots as Besançon is a university town. There were many students at ease, probably because the academic year had finished.


We dined at an Italian restaurant where I had a rather undistinguished pasta dish. After a stroll in the evening air, we called it a night.