Roman around France

When you say you’re going to France people tend to think “Paris”, but I go to the Franche-Comté in eastern France, not far from Switzerland and Germany. I also go to the country and a lovely place it is, as you can see.  Right now, much of Europe is in the grip of drought, so we saw lots of brown and lakes much lower than usual.  There’s been only one cutting of hay, which will cause winter to be a difficult time for farmers with livestock as well as for growing other crops.

Although my s-i-l and b-i-l live in the country, it’s not far to the city, albeit a city of only about 8,000.  Luxeuil-les-Bains (les Bains meaning “the baths”), has been a hot spot (so to speak) for many years, as far back as Celtic and Roman times, when people came to relax and heal in the thermal baths. In 590, St. Columban founded the Abbey of Luxeuil.  St. Columban (remember that name as you’ll be reading more about him over the next few weeks) was an Irish monk who, during the 500’s A.D., traveled extensively in France and, eventually, into Italy.  Luxeuil was destroyed and rebuilt a number of times, raping, pillaging, and destroying being popular pastimes in those days.  Saracens, Normans, Magyars, and Muslims as well as several other groups all took part in these exciting activities.

You can see Roman influences everywhere, even though modern shops find their homes under these arches.

Everywhere you look there are little interesting touches that most of us don’t see around home, shutters as well as these little guys hanging about on the corners of the buildings.

Part of Luxeuil’s heritage includes lace making.  I spotted these two examples as we hunted for a bakery.  The first is a lace rendering of part of the Abbey of St. Columban.  I didn’t quite manage to get completely out of the photo!

Not made for rain, but certainly for beauty.

Of course, there’s another bit of French culture that everyone enjoys, the macaron.  Don’t confuse these meringue-based cookies made with almond flour and filled with ganache, buttercream or jam, with the American version, the macaroon, made with shredded coconut.  Although back in the mists of bakery time, the two were one in Italy, sometime after Catherine de Medici brought her pastry chefs and their recipes from Italy to France, the two types of cookies diverged.   Macarons and croissants have become what most Americans think of when they think of bakeries in France, although trust me, there are many, many other goodies to be found and you’ll see some of them in later posts.  So save room!

for Jo’s Monday Walk