Louhans (day 2)

Among the many things that Diana and I have in common is a background in journalism. For many years her family published a newspaper for the Italian community in Newark, New Jersey. And Diana’s sister Giovanna and her brother-in-law Joe pursued lifelong careers in journalism. As for me, I calculate it was almost exactly 48 years ago that I ventured nervously through the portals of 85 Fleet Street, the imposing headquarters of Reuters (in those days – probably a bank now!) to embark on a career as a journalist. So it was a delight for us both to discover a museum of journalism in Louhans.

The premises of the local newspaper l’Indépendent have been preserved intact, with the addition of some early printing machinery.

Drawers of type in different fonts for hand-setting.

This is the editor’s office, which could have come from the Front Page movie.

The print shop beyond has classic hot-metal linotype machines, with what the French call saumons, fish-shaped bars of lead and tin that are melted and cast into the typeface.

The press still has a newsprint roll in place.

The reporters’ room has an early Macintosh – the death knell for traditional newspapers – as well as some wonderful old typewriters. I had one of those and loved it dearly.

This was a great nostalgia trip. The smells of the newsroom and the printshop still seemed to linger. And although at first we were the only visitors, later a family arrived, and the children seemed to be intrigued by these strange machines.

But Sunday lunch is a serious matter in France, though we found the dining room at the Cheval Rouge hardly crowded.

This blog was supposed to have a gastronomic flavour this year, so here is the amuse bouche – mini moules marinières with cheese puffs, followed by:

Escargots, smoked salmon and salmon terrine, and, of course, the famous Poulet de Bresse à la crème. We needed the longish walk back to the boat after all that.

Tomorrow is the big poultry market, and then we will head off down river. Not far from base now.