Last Post for the Semester: The Citadelle!


The other photos of the Citadelle

My last week in Besançon, I went to the Citadelle with Tessa and Carrie. I think that this post will be very fitting as my last about Besançon because the Citadelle serves somewhat as a symbol of Besançon.

Our visit was pretty good. I was moreso just very happy because I finally got to visit it. From the outside, it just looks like a massive fort with some towers around the corners. From the inside, there is actually a lot to do (I was surprised by what is inside). There is a café, an aquarium, an insectarium, two museums, a “zoological garden,” et lots of other stuff.

First off, we went to the aquarium. There are two absolutely enormous fish in there and many turtles with really cool markings all over their bodies. We didn’t go to the insectarium because that’s not whatsoever my thing. Afterwards, we visited the “zoo,” which was really cool. I liked the flamingos and the birds (toucan, parrot, etc.) and the monkeys. It was really funny (and freaky) because some of the monkeys made cries just like a human would. Before leaving the zoo area, I found some kangaroos (which I’ve never seen before), so I took plenty of pictures.

Finally, we went to the two museums. Well, I went to one of them; I stayed outside the first because I was exhausted and there were way too many people in it. The second was pretty boring: it was “Le musée franc-comtois,” which is a museum displaying some customs and such of La Franche-Comté (my region).

So yeah, that’s about it for the Citadelle. This is my last post about Besançon! It was a great city, and I am very glad that I had the opportunity to study there. I made a lot of great friends and strengthened many pre-existing friendships. Maybe I’ll write more about it sometime…we’ll see. I assume I’ll write about one more post about a month or so after being home, to see what it’s like. Otherwise…goodbye to all!

– Matt Lipinski

 

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