DôLE

What a very fine town. And a good campsite down by the riverside.

But aren't they all by a riverside?

Yes.

Why?

Because it's prone to flooding and very few people will risk living or working there. Therefore it's cheap land. And camping is a summertime activity. Generally. Especially in mainland Europe.

So just remind me again about global climate change.......

In fact there seemed to be rivers all around this site, but they were probably all the same one and we were probably on a large (for a river) island.

Feeling extra fluent I nattered a little more than I might usually do and got directions into town. We walked past the barges, houseboats and cruisers and directly into the central, older area.

I remember that 30 years ago poor domestic drainage was a characteristic of France, but nowadays that drainy smell is very unusual. Down an old narrow street one back from the river we walked into a monstrous pong. It was at its strongest outside the house where Louis Pasteur, (a clever dude who did much more than just delay milk going off), had lived. The French are very proud of L.P.

Notice the plumber was there, ("Plomberie Sanitaire?" My bum). The river's very green, isn't it. Shall we blame the plumbers, or the upstream methane-making and nitrogenous farmers?

Roofscapes - I love 'em. Actually the roofs look quite German to me and, (though I've never been there), Germany isn't that far from here, is it.

At Dole we'd very nearly looped the loop. We were only 30 miles from Pontarlier, (the town outside which we'd stayed on our second night before crossing into Switzerland.

We spent more than two hours walking around the small centre of Dôle. Two hours suggests that it's a pretty good place.

We'd seen this campervan in the town and were walking back onto the site as it drove on. I know it's a poor photograph, but I like these vans so much for their peculiar ugly charm. And corrugated iron is one of my favourite roofing materials. (Doesn't have to make sense, does it). I spoke to the owner in French initially, but he was Swiss and immediately replied in English. He'd owned the van since nearly new 28 years ago. It was 1.0m. longer than standard and in very good nick despite, or because of, being apparently hand-painted in silver hammerite.