Along canals and rivers to Besançon

The cycling route in France will take me several hundred kilometers along canals and rivers. From Mulhouse to Montbéliard I went up the Canal du Rhône au Rhin. The elevation profile actually showed a permanent gradient. I wasn't sure how that worked, but it was impressive how it went steadily uphill. Every few hundred meters there was a lock with a difference in elevation of a few meters. At the end the waterway even went over the river with a bridge.

Unfortunately it was raining all day (hardly any photos). Montbéliard wasn't particularly exciting either, with lots of kebab shops and mediocre accommodation, so I decided to go straight to Besançon the next day. My bike and I were able to travel one leg of the way in a warm train along the Doubs and despite the changeable weather we managed to do a bit of sightseeing. I was particularly impressed by the bluish-beige natural stones used to build almost all of the houses and the huge citadel at the top of the mountain.