Dole: cats, cars, cigarettes and thè

Our 2 nights stop-over in Dole has been well worth it. The old ville is delightful with an easy self-guided walking tour ensuring you see the best of the historic centre just follow the 'Perching Cat' arrows on the footpaths. BUT watch out for the dog poo - whilst there's plenty of signs & plastic bag dispensers around the town encouraging people to pick up after their dogs, all too often it doesn't happen. Perhaps the chiens are out wandering alone at night defecating at will!

I also found cars an annoyance; for visitors there are designated parking areas beyond the city but residents are able to park on streets near their homes so need to drive through. Thankfully there is a quiet block that is pedestrian only with the rest of the old ville designated a Zone 30km but those zones are only really quiet between 12-2pm & 6-7pm when services close. Otherwise, many drivers seem to ignore the 30km limit (much like Chch drivers, eh?) Most of the 25,500 population live in apartments outside of the old ville; quite a different ambience out beyond the centre.

We had forgotten how absolute the 12-2pm shut down for lunch & repose is for the French; Dole's centre became like a ghost town except for the restaurants tucked away in corners or down side-streets. It was easy to spot the tourists. Hate to imagine what it becomes like in the heat of the season ... locals must dread the onslaught of people taking photos of their 'ever so quaint, olde worldy' homes!  I was taken with the way the light played on the stone walls & the interplay of chimney pots and dormer windows along the roof lines.

Dole's centre seems to have a multitude of opticians, pharmacies, patisseries, chocolateries, chic clothing stores & tobacco shops (or cig vending machines) ..... not sure how each of them make ends meet! And, don't get me started on cigarettes - everyone seems to smoke! Thankfully not inside anymore but it is often not pleasant to sit outside to enjoy a drink because of the number of people puffing away, & flicking their finished butt on the ground! Grump!

One thing I have appreciated here is the number of Salon de Thè around as there is nothing quite like a cup of tea. Most French people prefer coffee (my colleagues would agree!) but more are enjoying a wide range of teas (fruit infusions, different blacks & greens) with their morning pastry. All to easy to spend $$$ & time drinking tea while watching the passing parade. Evening meals tend to be more complex as vegetarians; we've tended to choose Vietnamese, Japanese or, as we did this evening, Indian restaurants as they offer vege options unlike many traditional French restaurants. With our French being next to nothing, it is unlikely we will ever be able to venture into one to explore what vege delights beyond fromage and champignons their chefs could rustle up.

Dole does have a FANTASTIC organic supermarket where we stocked up on food for our next cycle leg - nuts, dried fruit, sweet biscuits, drinks, apples & vitamin C. We needed a change from bread & cheese for lunch.

So, Dole is worth visiting. Many, many interesting buildings & vistas to take in with two stand outs: the Collégiale Notre Dame de Dole and Louis Pasteur's bithplace. In the former we sat a while listening to organ music from an organ built in 1754! In the latter we gained greater insight into the man who developed what we now know as pasteurisation as well as a vaccine against rabies.