North to Nancy

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Good bye Burgundy, we have had a fabulous time. Could we have stayed longer? Probably. But how long is long enough or too long? Our week here was long enough. We leave wanting more but very satisfied having seen and done what we had hoped plus more.

We drive north to Nancy, a city we have not visited. Nancy is on our way to Calais and the Eurotunnel and the UK. We are not sure what to expect in Nancy but we’ll enjoy our visit anyway.

Leaving Beaune we pass through acres of vineyards. Along the road we pass the weirdest of farm machines. These machines are specialized tractors designed to straddle the rows of vines. Some trim the vines, others are used for spraying. Those that spray have appendages that give the appearance of some sort of long legged insect that has evolved into a grotesque monster. Once we pass Dijon we leave the vines behind and drive through vast areas of wheat and sunflowers. We enjoy lunch beside a large field of asparagus with its dry flower heads. We wonder about the asparagus harvesting. Is it by hand or mechanical? For a field of this size it must be mechanical.

As we head further north we experience light showers. We can see ahead of us very heavy cloud. Probably another thunderstorm. The countryside rolls along with gentle rises and shallow valleys. We reach Langres and realize we are quite high. This historic town is situated above quite a drop into the valley below. Around the town there is a very strong high wall. Driving on to Neufchateau the rain becomes torrential. Overhead there is lightning and thunder. Time for afternoon tea, this time in the car. While we sit parked on a footpath a bemused local knocks on the side window of the car, smiles, thumbs up, and proceeds to wade home up a hill battling the rain from above and the torrent of rushing water flowing down the footpath. We hope he didn’t want a ride.

Driving on we have a strange encounter. Running across the road are two small animals. Everything happens so quickly. Brake, swerve, or straight ahead? Fortunately we are the only car on the road. These animals look like spineless hedgehogs with long legs and a long tail. They are brown with pale stripes along their body. Fortunately for these two little animals we swerved, they survived, and we all kept travelling. We later checked with Mr Google and believe they were baby wild pigs.

The rain eases and we continue on to Nancy. We have an apartment in a reasonably new part of the city. The cheerful receptionist signs us in, taking more money for the large underground car park. We get special instructions on how to use the lift. Use the swipe card to open the door to the lift. Use the key and press the lift button. Use the swipe card for the room. Use the remote for the garage door. We start to imagine ourselves trapped between doors for the next month because we forgot one or other or both of our keys. The room has a basic kitchen and Mr Leclerc has a shop over the road. How good is that?

Rain is all around and the forecast is not good for tomorrow but we’re here for a good time , not a long time, so we’ll just make the most of it.

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