From Houdelincourt to Bar-le-Duc: Home of the bike with pedals and Suzanne, the locomotive

June 14, 2008

Cool and sunny. June is not a dependable month but we have been pretty lucky, only got wet once - so far. We have breakfast outdoors in the sun.

The sun shines as we leave our hotel in Houdelincourt

The countryside is again lovely. We follow the Ornain river and canal to Ligny. Bar-le-Duc is limited towards the north-east by the Marne-Rhine Canal and on the south-west by a small arm of the Ornain. The country is criss-crossed by rivers and canals. The mid-19th, century with the advent of innovative engineering, saw a boom in canal building. An understandable need, for overland transport meant going over many hills and extra kilometers. However, soon the railroad and eventually motorized traffic put the barges on the canals out of business. Today almost all the boats are for tourists. Occasionally a tow path will have been converted into a hiking or cycling trail, but more often not. And as I have mentioned elsewhere, although scenic, biking on flat straight canal paths, particularly if they don't go through towns, can get boring.

This section of the canal has not yet been opened for walking and cycling - the sign is still wrapped in plastic - but we tried it anyway. The road turned out to be better.

The inventors of the velocipede with pedals, Pierre Michaux and his son Ernest (1813-1883 and 1842-1882), were both born in Bar-le-Duc. The invention kept the family business alive before it collapsed and Bar-le-Duc still honours the two Michaux's with a monument that was inaugurated in 1894.

Pierre and Ernest Michaux (1813-1883 and 1842-1882), who were both born in Bar-le-Duc, invented the velocipede with pedals.

Traveling in the Marne valley and not being far from Verdun, we are seeing frequent references to the First and Second World Wars, as this part of France was impacted by both. In World War I the Bar-le-Duc road into Verdun was the only one to survive German shelling and became known as La Voie Sacrée ('the Sacred Way'). It carried vital supplies and reinforcements to the Verdun front.

I couldn't make much sense out of this sign. At home I surfed in the Internet and found out Suzanne is a historic locomotive, built in 1890, which did service on the Verdun front in WW I. It was reconstructed in 1999.

Bar-le-Duc is divided into an upper town and lower town. A short steep hike takes you to the Old City where the Renaissance facades are perfectly restored. A bit like a museum except for the cars.

Here we find a little restaurant specializing in BBQ. The few tables are grouped around the open fireplace where our lamb chops are sizzled. The woman running the restaurant is phenomenal. She takes orders, serves the tables and grills the meat exactly as ordered - rare, medium or well done - all at the same time. It's a one-man, or rather one-woman, show. I don't think there is anyone in the kitchen to help, either. Altogether there are only ten guests and at 8:30 our multi-tasking chef locks the door and isn't interested in newcomers.

Rustic restaurant in the Old City of Bar-le-Duc

The walk back down the hill is a killer for the knees.

Today's ride: 44 km (27 miles)
Total: 738 km (458 miles)

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