Salins-les-Bains et Arbois (30 September 2024)

Hotel in Salins-les-Bains with one of the forts above it


We had not planned where to stay this night.  Arbois was a place I decided to drive to as it is the centre of the Jura wine region and also the Comte cheese area.  On the way there I noticed that a place called Salins-les-Bains had the tourist signs pointing toward it so I made a turn and we rolled into a little town that was a centre for making salt.  The town itself was set out along a narrow valley with two hills above it having been fortified. 

The old salt works and now Spa

 

In the past it was a place where salt was extracted from the saline waters and also a spa.  The latter is what it is well known for now and makes it a local destination.  We had a walk around the village and then got something to eat from the local boulangerie which we ate sitting in a park nearby. 


 

The area was classic Tour de France and sure enough as we were climbing out of the valley it was clear the road we had been on was a route that had been used a couple of years ago.  There was faded writing on the road with Thibaut Pinot’s name recurring.
 

Our next stop was a medieval town called Arbois which is the centre of the Jura wine area.  It was a very cute small town.  We wandered around the streets and ended up going to a fromagerie where we bought some Comté and then a little later three examples of the local wines.  We got to taste the wines which were very interesting.  The most famous wine is called Vin Jaune which is made from the Sauvignon grape and is aged for several years producing a sherry like wine.  It is quite expensive. 

Arbois Centreville

 

The town also celebrates Louis Pasteur who spent time there and did a lot of his research in the area.  He eventually settled in Besançon. 



 

We decided to stay in the town and Bev found a very cute hotel but when we wandered along to it, it seemed to be closed although it had a phone number to call.  When we did call the message spoken in rapid French did not make a lot of sense.

 

Instead we found another hotel which had rooms available.  The receptionist was lovely and even recommended several places where we could have something to eat. 

 

After checking in we wandered down to the town square and sat outside having a drink.  It was a lovely end to a day. 

Enjoying the end of the day  drink

 

We found out that our hotel had been around since the town was first built and was one of the relais hotels where those who were delivering the post would rest and,  I assume,  other travellers.  Hotel Les Messageries has continued as a hotel for  several centuries. 


 

The Tour de France had either started or finished in the town at least once.  It also had been on the route of the Le Tour a number of times.  So of course a bike had been sculpted to commemorate the occasion.



We are in wine countryside

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