28 May ’04. Friday. Dang!!! IT WAS COLD last night !!! River valley or mountain top, it really got cold once the sun went down. We huddled well past 9am and we had to be tough on each other in order to get the day started. As it was, once we got our shower and breakfast taken care of, the sun had already warmed it up enough that we knew better than dress for winter for our trip to the citadel. Donning the backpack and camera we headed off on the same route to town that we had taken yesterday afternoon (there is only one way into town !!!). When we paid for our passes to the Dinant Citadel (la Citadelle Dinant) we had a choice of walking up the 408 steps or taking the cable lift…THE CABLE LIFT IT WILL BE !!! We were very lucky as the weather was absolutely perfect today. This also made the view from the top stunning to say the least. It seems that the name Dinant was first recorded in 800 BC. The first Citadel was built towards 1040. the main activity was the manufacturing of copper. Charles the Bold destroyed Dinant in 1466 but was rebuilt in 1523 and that is when they built the 408 step stairway that we “DID” walk down. This town was also occupied by Louis XIV from 1675-1698. During the struggle for independence of Belgium it was occupied as a penal battalion. In 1878 it was finally sold to the public but then it was taken during violent conflicts of both World Wars. It was very interesting to see the way it was designed to defend the city and the bridge below. The 2 meter thick walls and the slits that were made for the rifles and the larger openings for the canons. We even walled in the trenches of the Yser of 1914. We walked on the stairs and floor of the “collapsed shelter cave. Keeping your balance was tough. Well, time to grab a quick sandwich and head for the river and the trip down the Meuse. 45 minutes of beautiful visual entertainment...“sit back and let the world go drifting by” Tomorrow….Caves of Dinant