LL 516, Road Trip Day 1

Thursday, August 12th. 

We got up at 6 and were on the road shortly after 7. We made good time and arrived at the Hotel du Nord in Besançon about 12:30.

We dropped off our bags and headed around the corner to find lunch. We settled on one called Le Panda. My tuna tartare with guacamole hit the spot. After our meal, we discovered why the restaurant has its name. They have a mechanical panda that takes tips. I didn't see it, but it was a big hit with the girls. 

Next, we walked up the hill to visit the 17th century Vauban Citadel. Part of the site has a small zoo, aquarium and insectarium. There was a goldfish pond where you were allowed to touch the fish. Sylvain got a surprise when a big one came up and sucked at his finger. I enjoyed seeing the spatules rosées which were a pretty light pink color. It was quite a hot and muggy day so we stopped at a brasserie in a central courtyard for drinks. Sylvain asked Laureva for some coins for a tip and we discovered she'd left her backpack back on a bench in the zoo area. I quickly went back for it, but it was gone. Luckily, an employee directed me to the lost and found where it turned out it had been taken. We also enjoyed seeing the Gelada baboons from Ethiopia and several different kinds of lemurs (Maëva's favorite). 

We relaxed at the hotel from 6 to about 7:30, then went to dinner at Le Café Café which Sylvain had found  online. It was fancier than our lunch place and the girls actually had to eat real people food as there was no kids menu. They had outdoor tables on a calm sidestreet. We started with a cheese and charcuterie board with local products. Then Maëva had beef carpaccio and Laureva a ham, mozzarella and tomato salad. Sylvain had an aged steak and I had Jura trout with black rice and summer truffle cream sauce. The truffle sauce was amazing. Sylvain and I tasted two local wines. For apéro, a white wine with a very nutty flavor. With dinner, a pinot noir. 

We all turned in upon arriving back at the hotel, tired out from driving, walking up hills and stairs, and the heat. It was about 10:30.

Our health passes were required and scanned at both restaurants and the Citadelle. However, none of the places checked IDs. Perhaps with the health passes loaded on smart phones, there won't be too much passing them around since people need their phones for so much these days.