BEAUJOLAIS, and the Jura Mountains
autumn in the vineyards... full of Eastern promise
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DATES: October 12 - 22, 2009 ( 10 nights). LED BY: Barbara van Zanten. |
In keeping with our determination to take you to photographic destinations that are unusual and WAY off the beaten track our fall photo tour to the Beaujolais and Jura Mountains tour will take us to an authentic corner of France, largely overlooked by tourists, but with stunning landscapes, vibrant fall colors, tiny back roads, and a succession of villages, each prettier than the last. Jurassic Park: The vineyards of the Beaujolais and the mountains of the Jura are found in the regions of Eastern France known as the Rhone Alps and the Franche Comte. With the ski resorts to the east and Provence to the south, tourists just hurtle by this lovely region on the Autoroute, leaving it to photographers like us to discover it. Lying in the shadow of the mighty Alps, the landscapes of these regions rock and roll with undulating hills and valleys. In the Beaujolais region these hills are covered in vines. Further east, pushed up against the easterly border of France with Switzerland, the Jura is an region of steep slopes and deep valleys. Intimate in scale, the lower slopes of the Jura mountains are covered in vines, while further up deciduous forests punctuated with pastured plateaus cover the landscape, eventually giving way to forests of pines. These are not the jagged peaks that are found in the Swiss Alps, but softer more undulating folds lying like fluffy comforters on the earth's surface. It is a region of outstanding natural beauty and is one of France's National Parks. In previous times these hills were lapped by warm seas and inhabited by dinosaurs, indeed the Jurassic Age gets its name from this very region. Our tour starts with a pick up at Lyon airport from where we will drive to the Jura Mountains. Listed in 2007 as "one of the Best Places You've Never Heard Of" by Budget Travel magazine, this is a region where the people and villages are still "in their juice" as the French saying goes - meaning they remain unchanged and un-modernized. The area is seldom visited by tourists and retains its rustic charm. The regions not given over to vineyards are covered in deciduous forests (the word "juria" is low-Latin for forest) and most species of tree grow here. This means, of course, that in the fall the mountains put on a spectacular display of fall color. This region was formed during the same period that massive movements of the earth's crust threw up the Alps and it has its fair share of dramatic geological rock formations. One of these is the spectacular Cirque de Baume deep in which nestles, like a jewel in a box, the beautiful village of Baume-les-Messieurs. This village also has the classification "One of the Most Beautiful Villages of France" and it probably has one of the most beautiful locations. We will be based here for four days at the wonderful bed and breakfast establishment called "La Grange a Nicolas". This is a renovated 18th Century building surrounded by a park bordering on a river. The stone interior is delightfully decorated with antique floor tiles, contemporary peaceful colors and is run by a couple of artists. From here we will drive out early each morning to catch the sunrise over any one of several spectacular mountain vistas and spend the rest of the day exploring the scenery, vineyards and villages of this wonderful region. The Jura is a region of France rarely visited by Americans but where some of the best images and vignettes of "true France" can be found. Because of its isolation there are many tiny stone built medieval villages nestled in one valley or another, or built in improbable positions on a hillside or hilltop. These villages are away from any tourist bus tours and have been protected from the worst aspects of modernization. There is an innocence about these villages that is quite disarming and the inhabitants will raise their eyebrows in surprise at the sight of a group of energetic and fanatic American photographers walking their streets and lanes. Up to the 1950s and 1960s the inhabitants of these villages lived a humble life of anonymous poverty. This makes their descendants solid representatives of la France Profonde - "deep France". The old houses are built in various types of stone of all different colors as you move from one valley to another. Many of the houses will be covered in bright red Boston ivy at this time of year. The clean crisp air and mountain mists in the morning remind you that the ski-resorts of the Alps are not far away. The views and landscapes are stunning. From each turn in the mountain roads we will see majestic vistas and rolling cloud formations, and in fall the mountain slopes will be covered in a spectacular display of autumnal colors. In the mornings mysterious and atmospheric invasions of mist stretch into the valleys providing definition and chances for unique, moody and beautiful images. From Baume we will make our way to the Beaujolais, the most famous unknown region in France, where we will spend the rest of our tour. The wines of the Beaujolais are very famous but the region where they are made is largely unknown to travelers who prefer the more famous regions of Burgundy to the north and Provence to the south. It is the most bypassed of French wine regions, which is odd because it's one of the most appealing. North of Lyons and south of Burgundy, Beaujolais is a perfect picture postcard of the French countryside. At the very edge of the Massif Central mountain range it is a region of exquisite pastoral beauty with a string of plump hills laced with tiny roads that twist around vertical vineyards. The roads plunge up and down the hillsides affording stunning views and glimpses of tiny ancient villages, complete with pointed steeples perched gloriously on the undulating landscape. In the southern part of the region the villages are built in a warm golden stone called Pierres Dorees. Largely unchanged for hundreds of years their narrow cobbled streets, alleys and stairways thread between honey-colored cottages with glimpses of the surrounding countryside in the distance. If they were in Provence or Tuscany these villages would be crowded with tourists, but in this out-of-the-way-region, few people ever visit. In October, the autumnal colors of gold, red and rust will be surrounding each village like a sea of pumpkin soup. We will get up very early to capture the morning light on the landscapes, and spend the rest of the day touring the villages, some of them with pretty names such as Fleurie, Julienas, and Chiroubles. If you are a wine lover you will enjoy being surrounded by the wine culture of the Beaujolais. The white wines are made from the Chardonnay grape, (we will be visiting the village of Chardonnay where it all started). The red wines here are made from the Gamay grape, which combined with the unique soil and climate of Beaujolais make a wine that is friendly and very drinkable. Unlike neighboring Burgundy or the Bordeaux wine growing regions the wine makers of the Beaujolais do not take themselves too seriously, and are proud that they can make great wines from a grape varietal that is unsuccessful in other regions. The famous Beaujolais Nouveau will not be ready yet, but the great wines from the Brouilly, Fleurie and Macon vineyards will be available everywhere for us to taste. On our itinerary will be a visit to the wine hamlet of George Dubeouf ( Mr. Beaujolais Nouveau himself). This is a unique wine theme park with an old railway station complete with steam train and retro platforms, a beautiful garden, excellent restaurant, and everything connected to the production and drinking of wine.This is a concept that could be dreadful but in actual fact it is extremely well thought out. We will be based in a chateau winery in the Brouilly vineyards, a bed and breakfast establishment we stayed in during our 2007 X-treme photo tour to this region. We had a whole house to ourselves and really enjoyed the vast bedrooms and the facilities that enabled us to prepare our own snacks. We also really enjoyed the fact that the tasting rooms were just three steps from our front door and we could buy a superb bottle of wine any time for about 4 euros... Also on the itinerary will be one of the best preserved medieval villages in France - Perouges. Built totally of stone it is perched on a hilltop and surrounded by ramparts. Perouges is a model of medieval architecture with narrow winding cobbled streets and ancient Gothic and Renaissance houses. The oldest houses have projecting upper storeys and inevitably this village is on the list of "One of the Most beautiful Villages of France”. Perouges was voted the most popular destination by participants of our 2007 tour to the Rhone Alps. During our tour we will set up one or two of our popular still-life arrangements. We buy fruit, flowers and props from the markets, add any vegetation or flowers that we find growing, perhaps put in a local newspaper to add a sense of place and "Voila!" a lovely still-life to hang in your kitchen or give as a gift to a friend who likes cooking or fine dining. We will also join in any local celebrations or festivals marking the end of the "vendanges" or grape harvest. There will be few or no tourists around and we can feel like part of the Beaujolais wine scene for a week or two. |
Everything was wonderful from the planning, the accommodations, locations and the surprise itinerary when we returned home - D.G. ML
