Poste restante seems to be going out of fashion. Of course, one could say the same thing about sending letters in general, in our age of email, text messages, social media, etc. The young woman handling the postal service within a bookstore in Bergen Op Zoom (the Dutch have closed post offices and shifted postal services to private businesses) had never heard of poste restante, but at least she had my letter. I called the post office in Dudelange, Luxembourg, in advance of our arrival, and the person I spoke with told me that they had ceased to offer poste restante four years ago – but when I arrived they had my letter (and charged me the price of a stamp, which is standard practice for poste restante). Everything went smoothly in Liège – and today in Giromagny!
The intense sunshine continued today, and we lacked the Vosgien forest cover to provide shade. Approaching Evette-Salbert, we passed the site of the Eurockéennes, a very big, 3-day rock music festival that had ended yesterday morning. Workers were busy dismantling the stages, etc., as we walked by. As was the case last week around Sainte-Marie-aux-Mines (site of the big mineral and gem exposition), the Eurockéennes had made it hard for us to find accommodations over the weekend.
Fortunately, we contacted Pascal, the owner of Le Clos Fougeret, a chambres d'hôtes in Evette-Salbert, when looking for a room. His chambres d'hôtes was occupied (one of the guests worked at the Eurockéennes), but he generously offered us the guest room in his house – and a delicious dinner with his friend, Christianne. We really appreciated his friendly hospitality.
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Approaching Lepuix:
This was an important mining area, back in the day. The "lavoirs" (public washing fountains) in towns like Lepuix and Giromagny are reminders of this history – and welcome sources of water for hikers, if they have been maintained.
The post office in Giromagny, and a nearby café:
After Giromagny, we hiked over a hill with one of the forts that were built in this area (la Trouée de Belfort – the Belfort Gap) after 1871. This is Fort Dorsner:
We were lucky to find a good place for our picnic lunch: a bench in the shade with a view over a pond.
After lunch, we hiked mostly in the open.
We paused to call the Cuisine Plus representative to enquire about the status of our kitchen renovation. No firm date yet, but it might happen this month...
One of the many houses that have impressed us with beautiful flowers:
We have discovered that accommodations in the area between Belfort and Montbeliard are very scarce. In the late afternoon we paused at the pleasant Auberge de Lac (beside the Étang de Malsaucy) for drinks, and spent the time looking – in vain! – for accommodations along our trail.
Le Clos Fourget:
Pascal & Christianne at our excellent dinner on their lawn:
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