Val d'amour, Jura, France

For those of you who know me, you also know that I have had a passion for France, all things French, and a certain Frenchman that has lasted for the last 30 years. My little portion of France is off the beaten track. Their seem to be a lot of Dutch tourists that know about it, but very few others.

This is the  beautiful city of Dole on the banks of the river Doubs, and the birthplace of Louis Pasteur. He made   some of his important discoveries while working in the vinyards close by.

Lunch is caught in the  mountain fed streams  and eaten  canalside   the same  evening,

The very unusual tasting and delicious Vin du Jura........ before and after. The second picture is from my father-in-laws, long abandonned workshop. He was the local carpenter in the village of Ounans.

A magical evening in the middle of the forest. Everyone brings, wine, and food and sharing is half of the fun. Followed later by a concert in the woods with   folk songs  from the Jura and comedy in the local patois. Enchanting

The climate in the Jura is very similar to Toronto, hot in the summer and snow in the winter. There are ski hills close by, in the Haut Jura and Geneva is two hours away over the Jura mountains.
 
 
 

 
 

The coolest place on a hot summer day is in the beautifully restored Cathedrale, that sits atop the town and has been welcoming tourists and the faithful for over 500 years, and after extensive refurbishments, it now looks brand new, inside and out.

The money pit.  This is our house in France and it was completed in 1777, but was probably already in existence before this time. The huge attic area covered in red clay tile was originally used as hay storage. Right now it is empty, but with the right contractor, a beautiful second floor living space could be added. It is a heritage building, so it's tricky getting approval to do any major reno's that alter the look of the building. It was once a working farm, and it is still surrounded on two sides by working farms.

stay tuned for more scenes from France............