saskia: Tournus to Belleville-sur-Saone

As promised, our gastronomic treat for the evening was cuisse de poulet à la Saskia, but with beans rather than baked potatoes. Not bad, actually, though the presentation perhaps lacked a certain something.

We enjoyed a great evening sky and sunset, and just after dark the big grain barge we saw at Verdun sur Doubs came down the river, headlight blazing.

Planning on a longish day, we set off a bit before nine, arriving in Macon around noon.

The 14^th century bridge here is much famed. When the river was being upgraded to take large barges last century, they wanted to knock it down. But the citizens rebelled, and eventually a bypass canal was dug around the town. People power!

The bridge defences are ironclad to make sure no winter floods and their debris achieve what the politicians wanted to do.

We wandered across to check out the town, and found this old church re-invented as a museum with a dramatic mirrored portal. Sadly it was shut today.

Around the back was this neatly terraced garden – Macon is quite a hilly little town. Its most famous son is the writer Lamartine, who has a whole museum dedicated to his life and works. But it was nearly lunchtime so we decided to pass on this visit. The town is also famous, of course, for its wines.