Chateau de Roseries, Grotte D'Osselle, Citadel of Besancon, in Franche-Comte France

Miller Time

We took the family to see the Chateau de Rosieres.  It is an authentic fortress built in the XIV and XVII centuries, found on the edge of the Burgundy, Champagne-Ardennes and Franche-Comte areas.  It was a wonderful chateau to bring the kids to explore.  There was a treasure hunt which had the girls searching all around the Chateau grounds for clues. This concluded with a labrynth of hedges, which held the final key to the treasure.  After the treasure hunt the kids were ready to explore the interior of the chateau which has been converted into a hotel.  Each room was uniquely decorated with a modern bathroom added for today's comfort.  Judging by the amount of dust in the rooms, I’m not sure they are getting many visitors.

Chateau de Rosaries 

Some of the remaining buildings of Chateau de Roseries

Chateau de Roseries had a fireplace large enough for the whole family.

One of the official greeters at the goat farm.

Next was a visit to a goat farm.  It was mass chaos.  This must be a big deal in the area.  Many local families lined up and waited for the magical moment when the gate was opened and everyone shoved and pushed their way into the barn.  Once inside there was more jostling as kids reached or grabbed for their baby bottle of milk which they then fed to the goats.  Those were hungry little goats and   inhaled the milk they were given.  Afterwards, a mother and daughter team gave anyone who wanted a ride around the neighborhood in their beautiful horse drawn carriage.  While it was free to feed the goats, there was a nominal charge for the buggy ride.  Since it is a goat farm we did purchase rounds of cheese to take back to the boat.

The girls enjoyed feeding the babies.

Randy with Talia and Lucia in a field of sunflowers.

Lexi, with Zoe and Lucia on the buggy ride around the countryside.

Variety is important when traveling and France is a country filled with many different sights to see.  

Grotte D’Osselle is a cave filled with an extraordinary variety of formations and colors and prehistoric remains.  Tom, Randy and the girls went on a tour.  Being claustrophobic there was no way I was setting foot inside that cave.  Lexi kept me company so went on our own little walk and saw some nice scenery.

Grotte D'Osselle

Lexi and I found this scene during our walk.

Citadel of Besancon is a UNESCO world heritage site and a remarkable example of 17th century military architecture.  This is found in the area of Franche-Comte.  They had a zoo.  This was definitely worth an excursion with the girls.  I plan on returning to the Citadel of Besancon to explore the beautiful town below as well as see more of the Citadel and its museums.

View from the Citadel of Besancon.

Covered by a bomb-proof vault and excavated down to groundwater of the River Doubs, the well is 132 M deep.  The great wheel is 4 meters in diameter and was used to bring up water from the river.

 We are in France and this country is famous for its cheese.  Randy wanted to go to a cheese factory.  We found one!

This factory produces a lot of cheese!

This is the automated part of the cheese factory.

We tried to keep everyone entertained.  Lucia fell asleep at a restaurant waiting for her pizza.

Besides all the sightseeing, we spent time on board Rabelo as well.  I was looking forward to doing some painting with the girls.  Each of the girls has her own unique style.

Zoe was interested in doing peacock feathers.

Talia painted some great designs.

Lucia was focused on her painting.

I enjoyed this peaceful time with the ladies.  I wanted to hold painting classes with them.  They were given tubes of paint to learn how to mix their own colors.

Spending time with my son is a treat.

It's good having an inflatable pool on deck.

Cows grazing as we walked into town for our daily baguette.

Chateauneuf, Auxerre and Grey, France

Vibrant flowers against  an old stone wall.

A new friend.

Pleasing roofline of Chateauneuf, Burgundy, France.

They obviously weren't thinking of Tom when they built this doorway.

We needed to tie up at lunch since the canal closes.  Lunchtime is sacred in France.  The weeds were so thick we couldn't get any closer to the barge we wanted to tie up to.

The Burgundy Canal choked with weeds making cruising difficult. It's like sailing through mud or quicksand.

There is only one machine to service much of the Burgundy Canal clearing a channel for the boats to cruise through.

With the heat the fields are losing their greens and turning a golden brown.

We saw a sign for an art exhibition and couldn't resist.  Tom found a painting he liked for Rabelo.  He is standing with the artist.  Little old village churches are put to good use with occasional art exhibits.

We took a walking tour of the town of Grey.  Grey was one of the three main strongholds of Franche-Comte owed to the importance of its position at the highest navigable point on the Saone for cargo of medium tonnage.  

In the medieval section of Gray is the hospital for the sick and the poor.  It was built in the 1700's in the form of a Greek cross. The chapel is in the center where there were large rooms for the sick.  The patients could follow Mass from their beds when the large glass doors were open.  Today the building is an old age home.

One hallway of the Hospital showing the original flooring.

In the fourth wing of the original hospital is an apothecary dating from 1722.  There were beautiful woodworked shelves displaying earthenware pots from the 17th-19th centuries as well as other rare objects related to medicine in the day.

One wall is filled with 119 earthenware pots.

Another room has cabinets filled with rare objects and poisons from the past.

18th Century timbered house in Grey.

One sweltering day I decided to go for a walk and find the town of Colombier.  Philippe had told me there was a bookstore in the village.  It was a long uphill walk but I did find Colombier.  I also discovered that the bookstore had limited hours and that day they were closed.  Still, it wasn't a total loss.

I saw this traditional Burgundian tile roof on someone's home.

The old wash-houses found in so many villages are  kept as a reminder of their history.  This wash-house is from the 18th Century.  Groundwater is used to feed the public fountains and wells.  The architect of this place had a sense of humor when he named it The Temple of Complaining.  I can only imagine.

This old Bank of France building is now someone's private residence.  

The glass doors with wooden trim are perfectly preserved since the chapel is inside of the hospital.

Close up of the old earthenware pots that held herbs and medicines.

Construction of the theatre in Grey was from 1846 to 1849 and was designed by the
Besancon architect who also built the theatre in Dole.

All the decor in the theatre is in the Italian style and still intact.  Most of the machinery for set changes has been preserved.  It was interesting being able to stand on stage looking out at the theatre.  No stage fright that day.

A masterpiece of the Comtoise Renaissance was under construction from 1567 to 1572 the Town Hall has a 37 meter long facade with Corinthian columns on the ground floor and composite columns (Ionic and Corinthian) on the first floor.  The roof is of beautiful glazed tiles.

Cruising along the Petit Saone River is peaceful and beautiful.  Cruising a river is different from the canals.  They are so much more wild and untamed.

It's hard to believe, but I managed to do a whole posting without mentioning food once.