Leaving Epinal it was straight onto the cycle path we were to follow for the day.

People were out walking their dogs. We’ve noted that cleaning up after your dog not a ‘thing’ here, so lots of dog poop everywhere.

Nice statue in the park.

The path followed the Moselle canal. The river was always in sight too, shallow and not yet navigable.

The path was mainly sealed but sections of compact gravel.

The canal crosses the river in places through elevated canal structures and bridges.

These fascinate me and also reminded us of our trip to Wales, staying with Alan and Sue who took us to the Llangollen canal and bridge.

These are not as elaborate but the concept is the same.

The view from the canal bridge overlooking the Moselle river.

Further on, we passed our first canal boat the “peace vegan” from Basel.

We watched it pass into this lock, with the lock waters raising, opening the gate, boat enters.

We saw a few other canal boats, and many locks today.

Riding the cycle path bypasses most towns and villages. At road crossings there are often signs indicating nearby villages.

We detoured to a small village mid morning, grabbing a hot drink (it was only 6C), and something nice to eat.

Whilst I ordered Tony took this photo.

He also took this. There was a boutcherie open, with these rotisserie chickens cooking outside. The smell was super enticing.

How we thought about these chickens later in the day, when everything in Toul was closed.

There are some lovely aquatic parks, with lakes formed from the Moselle.

Fishing is super popular. Lots of serious fisherman set ups along this section.

Typical pathway and vegetation today.

Crossing a road, signage for an upcoming cycle event.

We stopped for a stretch here. Pathway at the rear, and a boutcherie vending machine. Behind the doors are lots of protein options you can purchase.

Arriving in Toul early, we cleaned our bikes with this view of a pretty fountain and gardens in the roundabout.

We did contact the Air BnB owner to see if it was possible to arrive a bit earlier. They agreed to one hour early, so we waited then rode only about 600m.

We are in a nice unit. The owners are currently working in Saudia Arabia.

This unit has a washing machine, with a strange rotating drum that you seem to need to lock. We could not figure it out so hand washed.

Heading out to explore, it was discovered Tony’s phone battery very low, so only a few photos as the local Cathedral. Another seriously old church.

The Cathedrale St-Etienne began in the 13th century, taking over 300 years to build. It suffered damage during World War II.

This section is beautiful. To either side, the vaulting is not in good repair, and there is netting everywhere to catch falling parts.

I’ve borrowed this local tourism photo.

Toul is an octagonal fortress city, encircled by the Moselle and the Canal de la Marne.

You do not get a sense of this riding in. You can see the church we just visited. Our overnight stay is quite close by.

The citadel was built in the early 18th century, from which the ring of defensive waterways and the octagonal city ramparts remain.

Dinner provided difficulties. Nothing was open. Supermarkets and restaurants all closed, being Sunday. We’ve experienced this before but near the fountain photographed early, we found a small convenience store open and grabbed a frozen lasagne to cook in our oven.

The days ride was flat, easy and very chillaxing. Just turn the feet over as overall we descended a few hundred metres.

Still we covered 92 km.

Tomorrow we head to Metz, a much larger city, inching our way closer to the German and Luxembourg borders.

Thanks for reading and joining us vicariously. We do appreciate it. ❣️😊🚴