Stormy Weather

August 25th

Thunderstorms were predicted for today and the first crack of lightening happened about 6:30am to wake us up.  The rains came in a downpour so we waited it out until after lunch.  Rainy days are good days to do laundry so that's what I did.  

We walked around town a bit and learned about the old belfry that we walk by several times every day.  The lower portion of the belfry was probably built by monks in the 13th and 14th centuries.  In 1395 the Duke of Burgundy forced the monks to give the tower to the town in exchange for excluded them from paying tax on their wines. The tower was eventually topped with a flemish style bell tower making it 41 meters high and it still rings daily.

   Here are some other places we pass by frequently

The Hotel de Ville (Beaue City Hall)

Our apartment is located on Place Jules Marey and there is a statue of Marey in the little square. We learned that Marey was a scientist and significant in the field of cardiology. He became interested in analyzing heart beats and respiration and in 1859 developed a wearable sphygmograph to measure the pulse. What a coincidence that we are staying here with a view of Monsieur Marey from our window.  I mentioned our stairs before so thought I would show you a couple of pictures so you get the idea of how steep they are. Thank goodness for the railings.

Our apartment is on the top floor

We had dinner at a little burger place called Le Cercle.  Burgers with an epoisse sauce and frites were just right to end the day.