The day dawned sunny, and we had some plans for using the good weather, but first it was time to do the laundry, and hang it on the rear deck so that it would have the chance to dry in the warmer weather while we were (how many times do you get the chance to start 5 consecutive words with a "w"?) away.

Once this was done, we jumped on our bikes and headed towards Belfort, a nearby town with a disused canal and a famous motif. We rode up the Canal de Rhone au Rhin for a while until we saw the junction with the old Belfort canal (now with a barrier across it). As we rode up this canal, it appeared to be in reasonably good condition (apart from a lot of weed which has grown with no competition from boats).

However, the closer we got to Belfort, the more we saw how much work would be required to re-commission the canal. Trees  growing within the locks are not a good sign!

When we arrived in Belfort, we stopped at a cafe for a drink, and then a croc messieur (ham & cheese toastie!). We struck up a conversation with the Moroccan owner who was very proud of his son who was an excellent tennis player, but not getting a fair go in France because of his colour. Paradoxically, we suggested he might get a better chance in the USA where colleges are always looking for excellent sportspeople (to whom they can give scholarships). After lunch, we went in search of old Belfort, and found that it had some fine buildings, such as the Mairie and the church and rotunda.

But the highlights of Belfort are the Citadel and the Lion, which are located up the hill behind the old town. The Citadel is not as grand as the one in Besancon, but it is still fairly impressive.

Sitting in front of the Citadel is a huge statue of the Lion, the motif of Belfort. Now, this is impressive!

Because the bike ride to Belfort was longer than we expected (not helped by my pedal coming loose every few kilometres), we didn't have as long to explore Belfort as we might have wished, but it went on our list of "places to visit again". And instead of riding back to Montbeliard, we took the train (running every half hour). When we got back to Montbeliard we walked down the main shopping street, and Rita found a store open that had been closed on previous visits. So she went inside while I waited outside. As I waited, I sheltered from the hot sun behind a tree, and was intrigued by the vein pattern on the leaves of the tree, which could be the inspiration for the design of streets within many modern neighbourhoods, with few cross-streets on major roads, and many cells bounded by smaller streets. Strange where inspiration might come from!

As Rita ducked into a second shop on the way home (it was already over an hour since we had left the station), I checked the news on my phone and found that the 2nd Test in the Ashes was a washout, leaving Australia leading the series 1-0.