Gourmet Weekend Part II (5/15/1983)

Sunday, May 15, 1983

It was pouring rain outside. Jan had us vote on what we wanted to do that day, giving us the choices of seeing 1) grottos, 2) Pasteur’s house, or 3) walk in the woods. None of these received a vote, so I suggested seeing the waterfalls near Champagnole, and that was agreed upon. We got dressed, half dressy (our tops) and half casual (our pants). We paid the bill and drove back into Poligny. The Gourmet Magazine had tried the tea at the Hôtel de Paris here, so we inquired and found that breakfast was only for hotel patrons. The hotel was very luxurious, but the restaurant was cheaper than the one in Arbois (probably did not have a famous chef!). We walked to the main square and saw a pot store. Inside, Jan & Kirby saw the cocotte they were searching for, but of course the store was closed! We had a petit déjeuner complet/full breakfast for 15.50 FRF/$2. Hot chocolate, a baguette and a croissant. Plus butter and jam.

Then we drove in an unbelievable downpour to Champagnole, which turned out to be a huge city. There was a lot of traffic, including people on horseback. Apparently this is an equestrian center. We continued southwest to Doucier, following the l’Ain River valley, a valley so wide we never saw the river. We passed a lake and the scenery was really pretty despite the rain. In Doucier, Jan consulted a town map to determine where the waterfalls were located. We headed out of town on a narrow road that followed a flooded meandering stream. The valley narrowed and the cliffs got higher on either side. After a long drive, we came to a parking lot where two tour buses were just leaving! We hiked along the tumbling stream and despite the rain, it was a pleasant walk.

Swollen stream

Suddenly we came upon a huge waterfall, one of several of the Cascades du Hérisson/Hedgehog Falls. This one was bigger than we expected and was called Éventail/Fan Falls.

Éventail/Fan Falls

We climbed to the top of the falls where an overlook went right into the overflowing stream!

Jan & Kirby at the top of Éventail/Fan Falls

Gorge cliffs

Hérisson/Hedgehog River

Swollen stream

We continued to Grand Sault/Big Jump Falls, which were taller than the Fan Falls, but not as pretty.

Grand Sault/Big Jump Falls

We returned to the parking lot and had to inquire in the restaurant about the souvenir shop. A lady opened up the shop so we could buy postcards.

We backtracked to Doucier, and took the turnoff towards Châtillon. Just before we crossed the Ain River in a deep ravine, we found the country inn of Chez Yvonne. It had a terrace overlooking the river, but because of the rain we went inside. The décor was casual with a huge wardrobe lined with varying sizes of champagne bottles. Sayings about drinking hung on the walls. Like the Hôtel de Paris in Arbois, the tablecloth and napkins had the chef’s name embroidered on them. Unlike the Hôtel de Paris, the silverware was not real silver. However, the plates had Chez Yvonne decals on them. Jan & Kirby chose the 73 FRF/$10 menu and I the 83 FRF/$11.50 menu. Jan asked for a recommendation other than the Arbois blanc for wine, and we were given Cotes du Jura, which was only slightly better. Our first course was a country paté that was supposed to have truffles in it. Bread was served in a plastic basket and water was served in a funny ceramic pitcher. Next we had a whole trout to behead and filet, and it was dry despite lots of butter. Then morel mushrooms in a stock sauce with one tiny piece of toast for each of us. But lots of morels! Jan & Kirby each got a half chicken de Bresse (local breed), which was better than Kirby’s from the night before. They also had salad. I only got a tiny quail on a soaked piece of toast. It was very tasty, and I thought it tasted like chicken, until I tried a bite of the regular chicken, which then seemed to have relatively no taste! We had Crème caramels for dessert, and coffee.

I went to the restroom and passed through a cute back room with old furniture. The hotel rooms here were even cheaper. My share of the lunch bill was 100 FRF/$14. It was going on 15:00 when we left to head back to Champagnole, then Pontarlier. This time we followed the flooded Doubs River in another picturesque valley. We passed a sign for a grotto, and stopped at the next one we saw, the Chapel of Notre Dame de Remonot. Apparently a Mass had just finished. The front of the chapel was covered with glass in green iron frames, and a fancy altar and plaques and statues decorated the interior. Deeper behind the altar was a cave, but it was too dark to see. You could hear water dripping or splashing. They were turning out all the lights, so we left to go back to the first grotto we saw. We had to hike through the woods until we came to a large opening in a cliffside wall. We also searched for lilies of the valley because we saw a man climbing a nearby hillside carrying a bouquet of them.  Only found questionable plants!

French Jura countrysside

We continued to drive along the Doubs as the valley narrowed. At a grassy point under a cliff, Jan spotted deer. As we got closer, the thin curved horns identified them at chamois. We saw another on a ledge of a cliff. Also saw a heron.

Later we climbed through a narrow pass and entered Switzerland, being waved through customs. We came through the town of Le Locle that had high rises, which were a big change from France. We continued through La Chaux-de-Fonds, Sonceboz, and into Biel. After buying gas, it was determined that I owed 20 CHF/$10 for my share. I was deposited at the Personalhaus at 18:00.

After going to bed, I awoke with a stomachache. I figured I had eaten too much in the last two days. The next day Jan & Kirby reported they had stomachaches, too! A Gourmet Holiday!