I hesitated: Jura or not Jura ? His neighbouring province had already warned me: you must be careful and, when in Doubt, do nowt! I’m an investigative journalist, good heavens, I must investigate dauntless, I can’t stop at any table. No dishes can discourage me, no hotels frighten me and this is a great thing. There isn’t a place, as godforsaken as it may be, that is able to put me off, not even this one, overrun with wolves and beggars in rags who live in the wood and talk in dialect…Let’s go mate, take the blue TGV (the high-speed train), speed off, stuff your face among the trees! And there you are in Lons-le-Saunier, astonished that the TGV goes so far away: these blokes even have the electricity ? Nobody can stop the progress! While I’m telling to my entourage about where I’m going to cheerfully investigate, here there are the ambiguous jokes and to describe it, you shouldn’t say Jurassic but of the Jura! Lons-le-Saunier is a lively and pretty small town which has a centre, not really a thalassotherapy next to the sea, but a balneology centre. Mudbaths, Turkish baths, saunas, swimming pools, massages and aquarobics …
That’s it, but it is twice or three times cheaper than a thalassotherapy!
The Jura is like a good appetizing cake, you don’t really know how to eat it and when, in summer or in winter, but also in spring and autumn. Here, it is possible to use the bicycle or to practice fresh water sports, you can go horse-riding or harness, climb, go skiing, have short or long walks by yourself, with your family or with a donkey. Actually, I sometimes don’t really know the difference, but now, I’m talking of a real donkey. The Vu d’en Haut de la Ferme du Berbois’s association organises pony-trekking, walks and people are accompanied by a donkey of burden or by a mule. Sylvie and Jean-Yves love this region and prepare for the tired city-dweller some revitalising routes that last several days. These routes include a night at an inhabitant’s place or in a cottage. They personalise the walk. Everything is possible. They are members of the donkey and walk’s federation that offers more or less everywhere in France donkeys for rent to carry bags, tents, or youngest children… In the Jura, they like what they do, they don’t go mad and recommend people who do a good job. In their booklet, Sylvie and Jean-Yves recommend Didier Méjart, a guide of the lakes’ region, and Jean-Luc Gouttefarde, the harness specialist in the Bresse of the Jura Mountains, with covered wagons like in the cow-boys movies.
The Jura, which goes beyond the imagination, will be pleased to welcome you, to give you pieces of information, help you preparing the holiday or the week-end of your dreams! Look at what they have done of Fort des Rousses, one of the biggest in France, that has been a centre of commando training for a long time. Since 1998, the Jura Flore society ages its 6000 comté cheeses in kilometres of underground tunnels that can be visited. The rest of the enormous building has been colonised by a group of crazy people that harness you before sending you on huge Tyroliennes (toggle-rope), or on trees linked together by rope bridges. You can also yomp all over the rampart, next to the walls… It is absolutely wonderful and unforgettable, Robin Hood spends his holidays at Tarzan’s place… That’s Fort des Rousses Aventures, always opened, so that everybody can try.
Then, in the Jura food and drink are really good! Who doesn’t know the straw wine? It is so called because in the past the grapes were dried on straw beds. Nowadays, they are fixed above the ground outdoors for at least six weeks, so that they loose 80% of dampness. The straw wine is easy to recognise, also because it is kept for at least three years in oak casks. And the yellow wine? It is harvested later. At first, it is made into wine, it ages for at least six years and three months (and four hours and twelve minutes, the Swiss Jura supplies the chronometer). Not even a millilitre of water is added to compensate for “The Share of The Angels”. That’s what gives to the wine the flavoured and spicy taste. It is only sold in 62 centilitres bottles because, how it is said there, a unique bottle for a unique wine! In the Jura, they also produce white and red wines, the Crémant and the Macvin, a liqueur obtained from the grape must the fermentation of which is stopped by some grapes of the Jura …
A good balneotherapy is not inappropriate, especially because the Jura knows many ways to prepare cheese (and not only the comté cheese), fish (ah the Jura’s trouts!), mushrooms and the fowl (they are next to the Bresse. Aren’t they?).
A nice hotel, the Bois Dormant in CHAMPAGNOLE, with such a safe closed car park that you could wear all your jewels there, and a gastronomic restaurant the chef of which is Mr. SCLAFER, a regular party-goer since ancient times. Take advantage of a gastronomic week-end at a cost of less than 160 € per person at the Maison de la France Comté in Paris. There is also a Franche-Comté restaurant that I couldn’t visit, the Franche-Comté Table (avenue de Tourville), but you should go, keeping the eyes closed and sensitive taste buds. Who told me to do that, knows what he’s talking about!
The Jura, the Doubs, the Haute-Saône and the Territoire de Belfort are all parts of the Franche-Comté, the capital of which is Bessançon. You can contact the regional tourism committee to receive the Désirs d’authenticité’s booklet, which includes fourteen routes to discover the region, lots of ideas for week-ends, fishing, fluvial tourism and canoeing, trapper and cross-country skiing…Besançon is two hours and a half away from Paris and three hours away from Lille by TGV. You can also call and ask the Maison de la Franche-Comté in Paris to send you the original selection of 46 places of interest of the Franche-Comté region chosen by 14 European women. This selection made possible the creation of “Élu par des Européennes”, and having it is very important to see the region in a different way!
During these holidays nobody will disturb you and when someone asks how it is the Jura, you’ll certainly answer it’s good, it’s very good.
The is a heaven for horses and walks’ lovers and for your taste buds !
Published on Gazoline in August and in September 2001
Pierre-Brice LEBRUN & Gazoline
Le Jura, le Doubs, la Haute-Saône et le Territoire de Belfort, c’est la Franche-Comté qui a pour capitale Besançon
La Ferme du Berbois
Le Nerbief, 39370 LA PESSE
03.84.42.70.43, ou par mail
FNAR, Fédération Nationale âne et randonnée
Le Pré du Meinge
26560 EOURRES
04.92.65.09.07à propos d’ânes, visitez absolument l’excellentissime site bourricot.com
Thermes Lédonia 03.84.24.20.34
forfait soins et hébergement
auprès de Loisirs Accueil Jura
tous les séjours à la carte ou sur catalogue, tous les prix, pour tous les âges, 03.84.87.08.88
Thermes Lédonia
Parc des Bains - B.P. 181
39005 Lons-le-Saunier cedex
03 84 24 20 34
Télécopie 03 84 24 87 43
ou par mailFort des Rousses Aventures
03.84.60.35.14 ou par mail
informations touristiques sur le massifdujura.com et avec jura-tourisme.com : vous voulez d'autres adresses de sites intéressants ?Le Bois Dormant
Route de Pontarlier
39300 CHAMPAGNOLE
03.84.52.66.66Office de Tourisme du Mont d'Or et des Deux Lacs, à Malbuisson, 03.81.69.31.21
télécopie 03.81.69.71.94
Hôtel du Lac ***, restaurant gastronomique et restaurant du fromage (03.81.69.34.80)
Hôtel de la Poste ** et restaurant à la ferme (03.81.69.79.34)
Hôtel Beau-Site ** (03.81.69.70.70)
