6/15 To Knutange

Another rainy day with a big walk scheduled. Tammy still not feeling the best -sick really- and with a summer of walking ahead it seemed prudent to rest. So we decided to move downstream to our next days lodging via train to Thionville and bus to Knutange. We arrived about 1:30 in improving weather and got right into our room. Tam crashed out and I went for a walk. I decided to explore our exit route for the next day. The first cross street north of the hotel leads to the cemetery and a path which continues past it up the hill. There is a green dotted path which will go back to the GR5 more towards Fontoy, but using the GPS I followed a tractor cleared route after a few turns to join it further south. I then walked north along the route descending into the pretty setting of Fontoy and then climbing again the hill north of town. This led to broad open grain-fields of wheat and perhaps oats with poppys beside it. Beautiful warm walking. I eventually steeply descended back to the woods eventually meeting a road which leads to Algrange. This is the area I had planned to exit the GR5 had we walked here this day, so I followed and walked about 2-3 km back to town and the hotel. Its an old industrial town with blast furnaces visible up the valley at Hayange and steel related industries. This was a nice walk given how the day had begun and I returned to a Tammy who was showing some pep for walking tomorrow. My impression of the trail marking is that it's easier to follow and better marked at least through here with additional signs to off trail places for food/lodging . Back to the white over red slashes!