Sunday 7 July 2024 - Around Pont-à-Mousson

Today's text is a bit disjointed. I'll try to tidy it when back home.

Breakfast at a café in town: delicious coffee, plus croissants from a nearby boulangerie.

Then we headed up to the village of Mousson to admire views and ramparts. The area was sacked by the Germans in 1944, thus the new bridge and many other features of the town, some of which are pictured below, date from around 1949 or more recently.

A couple of relics for Alan (there are clues).

A mushroom for Sue!

Ramparts.

Views down to the town.

The summit cross...

A memorial to the French Revolution.

This visitor seemed to enjoy our company!

We returned to town by way of a long distance path - GR5F, passing through a fruit tree arboretum. Cranes and Herons (or were those Great Egrets?) flew overhead and chiff chaffs and chats chatted in the hedgerow.

 

Back by the river. 

This building looked like a multi storey car park from the back. It's a college.

Here's our 6km route with about 100 metres ascent. It took ages, we weren't rushing.

Lunch was beer and salad at Au Balcon restaurant. Very nice too - €35. 

Then we enjoyed a 5km stroll beside the river and it's neighbouring canal that is accessed via a large lock.

We then lazed on chairs beside the river, as we couldn't get back into the hotel until 4:30 (they might have told us!).

Here's our riverside and hedgerow stroll.

Hedgerow flowers abound.

Wild Carrot

Blackberry 

White Campion

Common St John's Wort

Vipers Bugloss

Hedgerow Cranesbill

Common Poppy