I emerged from the forest around midday to pass through the village of Neufchef. The breakfast buffet at my hotel in Knutange had not included much that could be taken for a midday picnic, so I was planning to buy something for lunch in Neufchef. According to my topoguide, there was a restaurant or café in Neufchef, as well as a place to buy food. But there's always a catch: the village's bakery is closed on Mondays, and the café serves only drinks. However, in the "You can't always get what you want, but ... you get what you need" Department, the loud shriek of a horn announced the arrival of a van with a woman selling bread and pastries. She did not have much for a sandwich, but I was able to buy a package of terrine de campagne to go with half a baguette. I enjoyed my simple lunch on a shaded bench in a nearby park.
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Looking back at Knutange and neighboring cities Nilvange and Florange; note the big facility with the Tata name on it. Indian investment in what's left of Lorraine's steel industry has been important but also controversial.
Into the calm and solitude of the forest:
C'est simple: à gauche pour Nice; à droite pour la Mer du Nord:
The trail is generally (but not invariably) well marked with what appear to be new GR-markers on little plaques nailed to trees. Here and there, old marks painted on the trees are visible:
An old locomotive used in the mines on display in Neufchef:
Friends come here to drink, not to eat:
The rolling bakery:
The view at lunch:
Back into the forest after Neufchef:
Les Glycines, my comfortable chambres d'hôtes in Clouange:
Bonjour Carroll,
ReplyDeleteMerci de nous faire découvrir la Lorraine où les friches industrielles alternent avec les petits villages nichés au fonds des vallées et entourés de troupeaux de vaches. Oui, c'est bien le boulanger qui ce déplace de maison à maison pour livrer le pain car malheureusement toute une partie de l'infrastructure du pays a disparu. Le sort tragique de la Lorraine a été scellé dans les années 60-70, fruit d'une politique aveugle. Mais une chose est sûre les Lorrains de souche ou d'adoption ont tous un grand cœur et sauront t’accueillir comme il se doit. Et surtout n'oublie pas les très bonnes spécialités du pays: la quiche, les tourtes, les truites, la tarte aux mirabelles le vin blanc sec des côtes de Toul et les eaux de vie (mirabelle et prune). Bon Vent