We were not disappointed by our breakfast. The owner/chef and his wife made us feel at home and presented us with special meats from the local charcuterie, cheese, homemade jams, espresso, juice, fruit, etc. They live in a beautiful old house and we were served in their dining room. Robert shared with us a brochure of the hotel he and his wife ran: The Lion d,or with a gourmet restaurant. We had another beautiful ride today. We met up again with the German family we had been seeing for the past few days. We stopped and had a long visit with them, comparing notes on bikes and cycle touring. Lovely people who with their 8 year old son have been cycling the Loire Valley as well. Like the many French people we have seen fishing, their son has also developed a passion for the sport and has had amazing success. This area has few camping areas, so we opted to stay in Montbeliard. However,everything was closed, and I mean everything including the tourist office. We phoned a local hotel and were able to secure a good discount on a room with swimming pool/sauna in the centre of old town. A good deal and not a lot more than camping. Dinner presented a challenge as there was nothing open. We had a sandwich and an order of frites from the always open kebab shop. We explored the exceptional city park/Science park and quickly saw why the city has a 4 flower rating. Enjoyed the pool and had an early night.
After seeing this family for the past day, we finally stopped and had a chance to visit - and we are so glad we did. Sabine, Christian and their son Thore (master fisher) were a delight. They had cycled and camped the Loire Valley from St. Nazaire.
