Doubs: Outing By Car I

Ernest and Nicole had been planning a lot of places to visit with me. They thought of the Alsace in North-Eastern France, the Pas-De-Calais in the North, Nicole's brother's house in the South, etc. Actually I was content to just stay in Neuves-Granges and go to Besançon sometimes. But since they insisted an outing by car, I expressed my wish that we would rather explore unfamiliar spots in the Franche-Comté.

We left the house in the late morning. Due to the construction of the high speed train railways in progress, we encountered a lot of diversions, which disturbed our initial itinerary. The map I was holding and the sign boards on the roads were indispensable.

In this Eastern region of France which which once under the Spanish, medieval monuments were not rare. We drove past a castle.

As we arrived in Nans-sous-Sainte-Anne later than expected, we just stopped at the first hotel-restaurant recommended in a guide that Nicole was reading.

The dining hall was very spacious.

And after the clients of the two tables near the window had left, the outside view was even clearer.

The peak lunch time was almost over. Not given much choice in the menu, all of us ordered the same set lunch. Each of us was served a plate of at least four big juicy tomatoes in slices and another plate of two thick pork chops with some vegetables. The soft round loaf was supplied by a baker's shop nearby. We had never eaten so many tomatoes! And we were not carnivorous enough to finish all the meat. It was a typical Haute-Doubs meal for highlanders that we were not used to.

After the main dish, we took cheese, a cup of coffee and two desserts to share among ourselves.

Ernest was in ecstasy while he was savouring the ice-cream accompanied by sliced pears and raspberry filing.

Once the stomachs were filled, we continued our programme for the afternoon.