The rain continued overnight, and we awoke to a drizzly morning, so we then went back to sleep again. When we finally got up, I thought I should do something about getting some shore power for the boat, since we had none last night and I wanted to ensure that the batteries didn't get too low after a couple of nights of mooring without services. So we stepped out the distance from our inlet socket to the nearest bourn, and found that it was too far way, even with our extension cord and with moving the boat as far as we could to get closer. While we were doing this, a familiar figure rode past, in the shape of Volker, our German cyclist friend from a couple of nights ago. He had limited his cycling in the rain yesterday, and was only now catching up with us (even though bicycles are usually much faster than barges). So we sat down and had a coffee in the port cafe, and learned a little more about his life and family. Strangely, with all the people we meet like Volker, we learn a lot more about them than they learn about us, since we find that questions to them always seem to elicit a response which keeps the conversation going.

After coffee, he headed off up the canal to continue his ride home to Germany. We then went to talk to people in the VNF office (because the Capitainerie was closed on a Monday) to see where we might be able to connect to power. We had already examined the pontoons and hammerheads, and found cracks in the aluminium welds, so we didn't think we could use the pontoons. They advised us that we were moored in an area reserved for VNF boats (the VNF guy yesterday must not have had the heart to tell us this in the midst of the torrential rain!), and advised that we try further up along the stone quai. So I went and measured the available gap and found that it was about 18m; since we are only 16.7m, that gives us over 600mm at each end! Simples! So we cast off and headed up to the gap on the quai. With a lot of toing and froing, and bowthrusters and rudder and people at each end showing available space, we made it with ease, with about one metre at each end! The guy in front seemed happy, but the guy behind looked a bit concerned. The doubled power cord, thankfully reached the nearest bourn.

In the afternoon, we went for a short bike ride up the canal to a parkland area, that had a science theme. Alongside one path, they had small noticeboards with the names of the Sun and all the planets, arranged in order and magnitude of distance from the sun. The Sun is at bottom left (below), the Earth is the fourth board, and Rita is riding her bike to find the more distant planets. A great way for kids, and others, to learn a bit about science in a non-threatening and fun way.

The park also featured a topiary hedge maze. It provided a helpful map at the entrance, for those with a good memory and sense of direction. However, since we had other things to do later that day, we declined to enter the maze.

I found an elevated space nearby to give an overview of the maze, and it looked like fun.

We checked out several other exhibits, and the park looked like somewhere you could spend lots of time, especially with kids. But we wanted to go check out the old city (and hoped it wasn't as disappointing as Baume les Dames). Our first view of the old city was promising, as we rounded a corner and saw one wall of the old Chateau (old Montbéliard is built on a natural hill on the centre of the city, surrounded by high walls).

So we walked up the hill to the old city to check out some of the buildings. Unfortunately, because the old city is built on the hill, the view from the old city is all "new" city, which wasn't all that attractive. So after a while we came down the hill and then walked through the pedestrianised shopping street leading to the Gare. This was quite attractive, with lots of small shops, and people wandering back and forth. We stopped for a drink and some pastry to enjoy the passing parade.

We then continued down that street to find our way back to the port. As we crossed l'Allen, we noticed that someone in officialdom has a sense of humour, with the giant ducks (Grande Canard) in the river.

We continued over the canal to do some shopping at the Intermarche on the other side of the canal, then returned to the boat. When we got there, we found a note on our door from the American couple on the boat (Moving On) ahead of us, saying that they were leaving at 10am in the morning, but were unsure whether they could get out in the space we had left for them. So we went and talked with them, and said we would get out of our space in the morning to allow them to leave, and then move Kanumbra into the mooring space that they had been using - Win/Win.

As we sat on the boat that afternoon, a knock on the door saw us soon talking to the Dutch couple on cruiser Jouk. We had been following and criss-crossing with them for the past week since Saint Jean des Losne, so now we had a chance to chat since we were both in the same port. But they cut the conversation short as we saw storm clouds gathering, and they decided to return to the safety of their boat.

The rain soon arrived, but it didn't seen to worry the many ducks (and one water hen) in the port, who gathered round the boat when the sun re-appeared, in the hope of a feed.

As the evening progressed, the moon rose over the buildings in Petit France on the other side of the canal.