Budding out vineyards on way to Chateau Chalon
Street in Chateau Chalon
Lobelia in Chateau Chalon
Views from Chateau Chalon
I've made some feeble attempts to deflect jealousy by hinting at the hard work we do, complaining about cleaning out stables, hand-feeding giant schnauzers, mowing acres of lawn, turning cheese for hours on end, etc. but I can't keep up the charade - life is good on sabbatical. (Although we DO think constantly of Walt's brother Dave and his wife Linda in the hospital. I really miss her emails and hope her therapy goes well so she can write me again.) Our hosts here in the Jura stocked the cupboards and freezers well so we're dining on osso buco, sirloin steak, potatoes, leeks, and homemade spaetzle, brioche, Lindt chocolates, comte' cheese, and various kinds of homemade jams, homemade creme de cassis with champagne, etc. etc. Yesterday at a small grocery store we bought a charentais melon, a little round one, the kind I'd heard about in France but never had. We sliced it open for dessert at lunch today and I almost got knocked over by the aroma. Then I leaned over to lick the juice off the cutting board that had leaked out when I cut it open. That melon alone is enough of a reason to move to France, it was that good.
Weather dawned gorgeously sunny on Saturday, so after we dealt with veterinary/equine related issues with colt Alesha (I talked on the phone to the neighbor AND the vet's receptionist, in French! sort of...), ate lunch, showered, and dressed, we headed out in the car towards the SE, where I'd read something about some nice places called Chateau Chalon and Baume-les-Messieurs. We started on the motorway and as soon as possible turned off into a village to find the country road alternative. We got turned around in the village and as we headed back the other way an older gentleman flagged us down and asked where we wanted to go. We told him the name of the place and he started to point towards the motorway and I said, "Petite chemins!" (small roads) and he grinned broadly and pointed up the hill, showing off some English for us as he told us how many left and rights we needed to take. I tell you, I have yet to meet an unhelpful French person. We headed off into the hills and were rewarded immediately with long distance views and the discovery of a little village called Brery where I could happily live, at least on sunny days, and then we got closer to Chateau Chalon.
Well. You know you're in a nice place when other French people are visiting for the weekend. I've posted some photos of our afternoon above. Chateau Chalon was one of the most beautiful places I've ever been. We didn't have any money so we didn't stop for any Cote de Jura wine tastings while we were there, but in a few places as we strolled by we could smell it, and that was enough.
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