With a forecast of 34 degrees today, we decided there was no way we were going to sit around on the boat all day and boil to death. So we jumped into the car, with newly fixed A/C, and headed off into the Jura plateau highlands. We weren't sure exactly where we would go, but Rita had heard that Baume les Messieurs was a nice place, so we figured that would be a good starting point. So around 11am we found ourseves approaching the town boundary, past an old church and entering a long deep valley.

We later found that the "long deep valleys" are known as "reculee" and that the Baume Reculee is the most extensive in the Jura region. Reculee are deep, long, flat-bottomed valleys with an abrupt ending, known as the Cirq because of the typically circular shape. Reculee are formed in limestone or karst landscapes, when a layer of permeable rock (from a former inland sea) lies above an impermeable substrate. Rainwater percolates through the permeable limestone rock, creating caves and underground rivers. Today, where these rivers emerge from the rock they often form cascades. Over millions of years the water percolation and erosion of the limestone creates giant caves which collapse on themselves, forming the valleys.

We drove up the reculee till we reached the Cascades des Tufs, where we parked under the 200m-high cliffs.

The Cascades were not as spectacular as we had expected, so I stopped to take a photo of the display board near the falls which shows what they would be like in more normal times. The current heatwave in France is just part of a much longer dry spell which is affecting many natural water features such as the cascades, and even the water levels in the canals.

We then walked up the hill to find the source of the water coming over the cascades. Along the way, we passed under the wall of the "cirq". The car is included in the photo to give an idea of the scale of the cliffs.

After 10 minutes we reached the mouth of the caves (grotto); unfortunately, the next guided tour was at 2.30pm and it was only 11.50am. So we decided to skip the cave tour and just have a look around outside. The mouth of the cave was impressive.

A short walk around the base of the rock wall led us to a source of the water flowing over the cascades, small though it was at the moment, given the current dry spell. However, for comparison, I also found a photo on the internet showing what the source is like in more water-abundant times!!

After enjoying this area for a while, we decided to walk down the hill along the stream leading to the cascades. As luck would have it, Rita discovered some pools in the stream which looked very inviting, so a quick change saw her taking the plunge.

But the water was MUCH colder than she expected (about 8 deg celsius), so the swim was very short, even though it was still very hot out of the water. So we continued walking down to the Cascades, then jumped in the car for the trip out of the Reculee towards the Abbaye in the village at the base of the Reculee, the spire of which can just be seen at the right of the opening.

Soon we were at that village and looking over rooftops back up the Reculee.

We paid for the self-guided audio tapes at the Abbaye office and soon were exploring the history of this fascinating place (well worth the few euros spent!). The spire looked in such good condition that I thought it must have been a recent restoration (perhaps after damage during one of the World Wars). But I soon learned that the "recent renovation" had been done in the 15th Century - a toally different time scale to Australia!

We entered the main church building on the last stage of our tour, and given that no one else was inside, Rita pulled out her flute for the traditional tune to test the accoustics of the church! As always, they were first rate.

When we returned our audio headsets at the end of the tour, Rita got talking to the tourist shop proprietor, and asked her about the possibility of Scotch&Dry playing in the Abbaye in September (we thought the sound of harp, violin and steel pan would fit nicely into this environment). To our surprise, she pulled out an appointment book and found that there was a gap in the program in the last week of September, which is exactly when David and Di will be with Rita. Another gig on the tour calendar!

It was 2.30pm before we left the Abbaye, so we thought that lunch in one of the nearly cafes would be out of the question. But we managed to get two large salads, and cool drinks, in a small family-run cafe. As the Lady of the House sat at a nearby table drying the cutlery, she started singing Amazing Grace (very well). Rita and I looked at each other, and then started to accompany her by humming our steel pan versions of the song. This naturally led on to a music conversation, and we found she was in a local choir. So Rita mentioned the Scotch&Dry gig in late-September, and the lady promised to tell all her music friends about it - nothing like drumming up an audience early!

After lunch, we headed down the valley towards another town we had heard lots about - Château-Chalon. But just out of town, we saw a camping ground alongside the River Seille that we had spotted on our way in earlier that day. Rita hoped that the water had warmed up a little after flowing down the Reculee and went in for another dip. But just a couple of seconds after lowering herself into the water, she made a hasty exit! Surprise, surprise, it was no warmer!

We headed north from Baume-les-Messieurs and turned right near Nevy-sur-Seille, to follow another Reculee up to its Cirq at Ladoye-sur-Seille. We then climbed out of the valley and headed back along the ridge to Château-Chalon.

We found a parking spot in an off-street site reserved for patrons of the Hotel le p'tit Castel. Since we had used their parking area, we thought we should become a patron, so we dropped in for a quick drink. And what a good decision that was, as we were rewarded with a beautiful panoramic view, for which Château-Chalon is famous.

Afterwards we went for a walk around town, and found that Château-Chalon was hosting an art show in the streets and gardens of the residences. An interesting mixture of sculptures, photographs and other more whimsical creations. I liked this little display in a front grarden, and thought the "relaxing frog" could become my Facebook photo for the duration of my stay in France this year (to complement my new t-shirts which I had made for this trip, with the musical notation of "extended rest").

But my favourite exhibit was this photograph of Château du Pin in winter. Despite today's mid-30's temperature, just standing in front of this photo made me feel much cooler.

By following the sculpture path, we arrived at the Bélvèdere de la Rochette, which gave an even more panoramic view of the Ladoye Reculee, the vineyards and the adjoining farmlands and town of Voiteur, as captured in the slideshow below:

When walking back to the car, we passed the Château-Chalon church. A bit smaller than the Abbaye church at Baume-les-Messieurs, but Rita never lets an opportunity go by. Different church, different tune, same flute!

Since we were already up on the Jura Plateau, we decided to drop over and see friends Sarah and Albon in Besain, just 15 minutes from Château-Chalon. On the way, we were reminded that Albon, along with all the other farmers in the region, would have been out in the fields for the past week "making hay while the sun shines"!

We arrived in Besain just before Albon got home from the afternoon milking of the cows, so after he had a quick shower, we settled down for a relaxed apero, while the two boys went for a swim in their small pool and Rita helped Sarah with the tomatoes that Rita had planted in their vegetable garden the last time she was here.

I was fascinated to see that the "ridged" potato chips we were nibbling on were advertised as "positive eating"! I must remember that when the steelband is munching on "fat chips" after rehearsal every Monday night back home.

We stayed for dinner and had a good chat and many laughs (in between me following the World Cup Cricket match between Australia and New Zealand). I didn't take too much convincing that I'd had one too many Jura Reds and should stay overnight, rather than risk a run-in with the gendarmes.