French Christmas Adventure 2

This post is a little late going up but it is still worth looking back over good times. One of the great tasks we have when going back to France is "casser les noix" or breaking the nuts! These walnuts have been dried and stored since they were carefully harvested in mid september. They taste stunning and there is no comparison to those you might buy bagged in the shops; they are full of flavour and rich in their natural oil. Afterwards the brittle shells are used to light the fire in the morning and we often relax with a cup of coffee in hand watching the shells glowing red.

The marche in Besancon was a hive of activity throughout Christmas. All the butchers were busy displaying inticate pretty joints of meat, and many different types of specially raised foul from Bresse and elsewhere could be purchased. The rest of the stalls had magnificent displays of fresh fruit and vegtables. Winter reveals the wealth of smoked meats available in the this region which are particularly renknowned. I have been told that in Roman times the smoked ham was a prized export and I have no reason to doubt this. During Winter the region of the Haut Doubs could become isolated and its inhabitants cut off due to long periods of snowfall. In order to surviive it was necessary to prepare food and preserve as much as possible of it. The people were required to be self sufficient to survive on their communal stocks and stores in their large characteristic farmhouses, which would also be employed in the sheltering of the cattle and their feed as well. The typical farmhouse would have a large chimney indicating a smoking room and attached to a wall of most houses would be a hemisperical wood fired oven.

Le Reveillon was a magnificent marathon of a feast commencing with the extra special marinated foie gras of Jeannine Marie Reine Delacroix, followed by the prawns and monkfish a la bourgogne. After an interlude, when Pere Noel made an appearance to deliver gifts, the meal recommenced with Jeannine's slow roasted leg of lamb. In the south of France it is customary to have thirteen deserts, a task which I was thankfully spared. Instead, a selection of homemade berry sorbets and the buche du noel were served following the selection of locally produced cheeses.

Christmas day arrived and the snow had by now melted and the river Doubs had begun to rise, flooding the low lying fields that borded the river. Another marathon meal was planned, and I contributed a tart au citron and a tart aux pommes to the menu. The new taste for small courses served in verrines or small glasses, was much in evidence as a succession of courses were served during the afternoon prior to the principal dishes of snails which were followed by magret de canard served with a pumpkin gratinee and traditional sweet chestnuts.

After Christmas we planned a day trip north towards the Vosges Mountians and Alsace. The Irish have a long history in this part of France dating back many centuries; St Columban arrived in the vacintiy of the Vosges mountains now within the departments of Haute Soane and Alsace in about 587. He founded a monastary on the site of the then ravaged gallo-roman settlement of Luxonium, the modern town Luxeuil -les- Bains. Excavations had been taking place on the site of the funerary church of Saint Martin for a number of years, but from October and throughout December there were many media announcemnts on television and in the papers relating the recent developments and finds associated with these excavations. The excavations were concluding during January and among some of the most important finds disclosed in the reports were 125 sarcophagi dating to the Merovingian age, and the crypt of Saint Valbert.

Our day trip began early on the 26th December, and we took a train witha destination a little further north of Luxeuil into the Vosges to the city of Colmar in Alsace and the department of Haut Rhin. It was a bright still morning and through the lingering freezing fog we could see the countryside was covered with a mantle of thick coarse frost. The first part of the trip took a course along the banks of the Doubs which in places was still flooded and frozen, and in others where the valley narrowed and the river turned tighly around a succession of bends we saw the waters rise in great acts of rejection to counterflows and currents as the river swelled and flooded unpredictably. Leaving Mulhouse we entered a different landscape; a plain with the Vosges mountains bording the horizon.

Colmar

The foundation of Colmar is recorded to be in the 9th Century, but settlements such as this one often have an earlier origin. The site became one of the most important in the area by the 12th Century.  Today this quaint city is too easily passed and missed on the way to Strasbourg. At school I learned of the constant change of this region's borders; this struggle appears at this remove as a constant series of ceding and annexation of borders. While the ecclesiastical history has made a visible impact on the medeval city the proximity of Germany and its historical influence is also quite visible. On the edge of the medeval city there is a small quarter which has network of canals passing through it, and indeed small streams shaped the contours of some of the streets as they pass through the city. While St Petersburg and Amsterdam may be compared to  Venice, Colmar also shares this elegant quality and atmosphere.

 Church of St Martin built between 1234 and 1365

It was a day of firsts for me as I had decided to add to my Christmas girth by having a choucroutt with it meats for lunch with a local reisling wine. We commenced our meal with a tarte flambee, which was for me a lesser known Alsation staple dish. This is a very thin and crisp dough topped with creme fraiche, onions and lardons and cooked in a very hot wood fired oven. We followed it with my first choucroutt garni. There is no pomp and ceremony afforded to this dish of fermented cabbage and pork, but it worthy of some celbration. It was a considerable feast with various types of pork sausage, poitrine, lard and quenelles de foie perched on and around the mound of pale sweet cabbage. I failed to clear my plate, which is a statement in itself, but was sufficiently fortified to walk around the pretty streets of Colmar for the afternoon.

This unusual photograph I have included because I have come to associate a number of regions with their distinctive and indigenous local stone; locally quarried stone used in the edifaces and walls of many structures throughout a town gives a city a certain individual character. In Besancon there is the striking and austere grey and blue limestone, but a little further north I was greeted by the soft and warm combination of yelllow and red sandstones. This example comes from the side wall of the Unterlinden Dominican Convent which dates to the 13th Century. It is now known as the Unterlinden Museum housing primarily a religious collection and the Isenheim alterpiece, but there is also an archaeological collection with objects from the La Tene, Gallo-Roman, and Merovingian periods.

At Christmas time in Alsace many cities have special markets in the town's center and Colmar's Christmas market is quite exceptional. The curved and twisted short streets, and narrow or small squares of this medeval city were filled with huts selling everyting from artisanal bakers to vendors of vin chaud. The streets were filled with people wandering about gazing into these huts and musing over their wares. We purchased another Alsation favourite to nibble on the way home on the train: Kugelhopf is akin to an upside-down  brioche, being cooked in a barley twist mould containing dried fruit and dotted with sugar. The flavours and sights of Alsace and Colmar had escaped my attention previously, but it is worthy of severable visits and is again evidence of the great regional diversity of tradition, food and wine in France.

French Christmas Adventure

A variety of roots at the Marché in Besancon including beetroots, cerfeuil tubereux, parsley, Oca du Perou, crosne and topinambourg

The difficulty with uploading photographs and then not being able to move them is that I must compose a story around them or just ignore them completely.

Early on Saturday morning we had a phone call from Corinne`s mother explaining that the weather conditions were very bad, and that we might not make it to Besancon. A few minutes later there was another call, from my mother, who explained that the weather situation in Ireland was severe and that our flight may be delayed. I had already taken out the rubbish and wondered where this bad Irish weather was, or if it turned up since! It was not an auspicious start to our little trek but we stepped off the train in Besancon 14 hours later in good order. It was -14 Celsius and there was snow everywhere, but not too deep.

In describing poor driving conditions the French say "les rues sont delicates". This was the first of many double meanings which I might experience over the next few days! As the temperatures began to increase the weather changed and it also began to rain. It was still freezing and the roads. In France snow is either all good or all bad and the rain altered matters considerably making the roads deadly.

Butchers preparing meat at the marché in Besancon

The marché at Besancon is building up to the biggest family feast of the year; le Rèveillon. This is effectively a feast of gourmandies and as midnight approaches the children are put to bed just before Pere Noel (a.k.a. Santa Claus) arrives at midnight. This character, typically clad in red with a white beard, indulges in disappointent and never appears to wait around for the good childen of the land to open their presents. Obviously the disappointment of the children is short lived for the most part as they tear the wrapping from their presents.

The food is always the centre of attention during his time and the build up to Rèveillon is everywhere to be seen. The year end fixation for figures and statistics is bound up into this expectation and excitement. The chiffres (figures) reveal that there was 20,400 tonnes of foie gras produced in France in 2007. One newspaper article centered upon a producer from Alsace who had created an academy for foie gras. He elaborated on the characteristcs and qualities of the various foie gras; the vigeur (vigor) of the foie gras de canard and the douceur (sweetness) of the foie gras du oie. However, he also brought it one stage futher announcing "canoie"; a combination of foigras de canard and foie gras du oie (duck and goose livers). Foie gras forms an important part of the meal of the Rèveillon and its subtle flavours have gone through many fads and styles of preparation through the years; it is available smoked, salted or sweetened with figs and other fruits and now as canoie.

Corinne's mother has prepared her foie gras by placing it in milk for two days with salt, pepper and a little spice. After that it was wrapped in plastic and mascerated in a little port hile rolled into a cling film and bound in your best dish cloth! It tasted stunning this morning and no doubt will acquire a little more flavour from the port over the next day or so. In this part of France it is normally served with pain d'épices; a tradtional dence golden brown loaf made from honey and spices.

Chocolate snowmen or bonomme de neige at Hirsinger, Arbois

Chocolate shops do a roaring trade in France over Christmas. There are sweets everywhere from the humble papillottes to the more elaborate pieces produced by master choclatiers. The papillotte is the equivalent of our crackers at the table. They are typically a chocolate covered praline sweet and are covered in bright eye catching wrappers. While our crackers have jokes the papillottes contain questions to be posed to your fellow diners. For example "How heavy is a big male chimpanzee? a. 70 kgs; b. 90 kgs; c. 110 kgs". The answer of course, as everybody knows, is 70 kgs and more impotantly we are informed that he is three times stronger than a human male of the same weight! In contrast Corinne and myself pulled a cracker together before we left, and I was left explaing the following joke contained therein; "The local police station was burgled recently. The police had nothing to go on".

Le Morillon - a cheese stuffed with morelles

There was almost 50,000 tonnes of Comté cheese produced in Franche Comté this year, a fact based upon the offical chiffres or statistics. Cheese mongers are far from left out in this season of feasting; cheese is an essential course and every region celebrates its own produce. The fromageries or fruiteries in Franche Comté are stunning emporia and often produce their own cheese on the premises, some only selling what they produce such as bleu de gex, Comté, or Mont D'or. One shop in Champagnole sold a number of locally produced buches de chèvre or goat's cheese which I had never seen or heard of. They included Truffe ventidor, Tanpiniere and Bicaillon which were all stunning looking and quite individual in their appearance.

The scenery of the Haut Doubs of Franche Comté is dominated by pastures, forests, large farm houses and cow sheds that often resemble large farm houses. When the snow arrives it becomes a winter wonderland and the Montbeliard cattle are nowhere to be seen as they have retreated to the safe havens and sheds where the chill of the wind and snow will not be felt.

Winter in the Haut Doubs

Mandeure - Epomanduodorum Roman Theatre

View of the remains of the Roman Theatre at Mandeure from the West

As I have already related, the first city of the Sequanii was called Vesontio which is situated on the site of the modern city of Besancon. To the north east and further up the river Doubs can be found the second city of the Sequanii, known then as Epomanduodorum.

The site of Epomanduodorum is close to the modern city of Montbelliard, and located between the villages of Mandeure and Mathay, and is situated on the inside of a long sweeping meandering bend in the river Doubs. The Roman theatre can be found just outside Mandeure and has had a mixed history of discovery and rediscovery. The first recorded archaeological discovery at Mandeure, a hoard of coin, was in 1548. However, it was not until later in the 16th century that Frederic de Wurtenburg-Montbeliard ordered that excavations take place on the site. Excavations back then revealed the remains of many Roman buildings, carved stone and masonry, coloured marble and rare stones, and an inscription recording the a donation made by one Flavius Catullus for the decoration of the thermes in marble.

Views from the existing top ridge of the Theatre

Interest was revived in the site and the Roman theatre again in 1820 when the hillside, known locally as the "cirque" was investigated and excavations have taken place there on a sporadic basis over the last two hundred years. In 1889 fragments of colossal statues were unearthed on a scale similar to those discovered recently at Sagalossos in Turkey, and some of these fragments can be found at the Musee du Chateau des Ducs de Wurtenburg, Montbeliard.

The size of the Roman theatre, being a public building, would suggest that Epomanduodorum was a substantial town. While not a civitas as Vesontio was, Epamanduodorum thrived during the 2nd Century A.D. when this part of the Roman Empire was relatively settled. The site appears to have had some strategic or commercial significance for the Romans. Its position and proximity to the Doubs must be relevant. Indeed the Doubs river may have been an important trading route and means of transport giving easy access though the region.

What is certain, is the fact that the town was a noteworthy stop on a Roman route. The Tabula Peutingeriana records a town by the name of Epomanduo on a route running between Matricorum (Metz) and Augusta Rauricum (Kaiseraugst). One issue that arises when one considers the map is that the Doubs is not represented, while rivers and other waterways are referred to on the map. The schematic nature of the map, its scale, and the fact that it may be a combination or conglomerate of other original maps, may be taken into account when one considers the relative positioning of Epomanduo, other towns, and the omission of the river Doubs and other important topography.

The proximity of the Rhine would strongly suggest that the armies were based in these towns and lived in peace with and alongside the local population. The Roman settlements to be found between Vesontio and Augusta Ruaricum, known in French archaeological terms as the "arc juracienne", are notable for their romanisation with significant structures such as theatres and amphitheatres, which the armies were capable of building, possibly with a view to winning the "hearts and minds" of the Sequanii, Ruracii, and Helvetii tribes in return for their loyalty, but it is likely that they were also be used to entertain the armies while wintering in these locations. The remains of other Roman theatres have been found in the region at Augusta Ruracum and Aventicum [Avenches], and both measure approximately 120 meters in diameter.

The period of transition and romanisation began early after the initial conquests and one indication of this transition is marked by the romainisation of the name of the local chief of the Sequanii. Inscriptions on coins from the period of "TOGIRIX", in the 50s A.D., were gradually changed to "Q. IULIUS TOGIRIX". This romanisation and development did not take place to the exclusion of, or replace the indigenous cults and beliefs, because the remains of a substantial Gallic sanctuary and temple, which was constructed in the Gallo-roman period, is located 300 meters to the west of the theatre.

The Roman theatre at Epomanduodorum measures 142 meters across and in excess of 25 meters in height. It is estimated to have been capable of seating in excess of 20,000 people, far greater than Mandeure's population today, which is in the region of 5000 people. The dimensions available suggest that this was one of the largest theatres built in Roman Gaul. Only the Roman theatre at Augustodunum [Autun] is bigger at 148 meters. While the Roman theatre at Vienne (just south of Lyon) measures in the region of 130 meters across. (A partially excavated structure reported to be a theatre in Meaux is reported to be in the region of 150 metres in diameter).

Be cause of the variation in size of theatres that have been built throughout Gaul, one consideration which comes to mind is the possibility that the size of the theatre or amphitheatre in a particular town may be linked to the number of soldiers based there and not just simply dependent on the number of inhabitants normally living in that town. Obviously, a town's population would swell in winter months due to the fact that the armies were not likely to be on campaign and this would also effect the size of an audience at a theatre.

View from the south looking across the remains of the scaenae frons

View looking down towards the vomitoria on the south side of the theatre

Excavated and partially restored vomitoria on the north side of the theatre

Excavated wall which follows ridge line around the theatre

Part of an excavated outer wall set behind the ridge and the wall in the above photograph

Like many Roman theatres the example at Epomanduodorum was constructed using the natural sloping hillside to support the main body of the theatre or auditorium, and four layers of seating or cavea. Very few theatres were built freestanding, because these would have been very expensive and time consuming to construct. The surrounding walls of the theatre would have been articulated with four levels of arcading. At either end of the theatre there are the remains of structures which provided a means of access and egress to and form the cavea, and these were known as vomitoria. The upper level, would have originally run most of the way around the theater, was used as a walkway and would have had a roof.

Visiting the site today you cannot but be impressed by the scale of the theatre and the panoramic views from the top of the hill across the Franche-Comte countryside, and along the Doubs. There is little evidence of the town of Epomanduodorum across the fields and pasture that exist today, and it is easy to conceive how this structure became overgrown and was lost for just over a thousand years following the collapse of the Roman control in this area in the 4th century A.D.

Besancon

View looking South over the rooftops of Besancon from Fort Griffon towards the Citadelle

I first arrived in Besancon in March of this year and have been back a number of times with Corinne (my better half). The East of France and the Franche Comte region had eluded me up to this time, and admittedly I knew few details of its history, culture and folklore; I was in general terms aware of the expansion of the Roman provinces in Gaul and a little more recent general history of the area but was totally unprepared for the uniqueness of the region incorporating the Doubs, Haut Doubs and Jura.

Upon leaving the train station at Besancon, I was driven away by Corinne's father on a circuitous route, which navigated its way through old fortifications, redoubts and ramparts in the north of the town and then eventually eastwards along the Doubs. This city is not big but impressive and located on a significant strategic site, on a vast sweeping bend in the river Doubs. It has been settled for many thousands of years, but came to prominence as Vesontio over two thousand years ago, when it was the first city of the Sequani tribe. They in turn came were subjugate by and came under the influence of the Romans, under the command of Julius Caesar, and despite a number of revolts during the early empire the site was further developed and romanised with an aquaduct, lavishly decorated buildings, an amphitheatre and triumphal arch known locally as "la porte noire".

Roman Amphitheatre remains at Besanson

Neptune Mosaic found on the site of the Abbey of St. Paul in 1973, Musee des Beaux-Arts et d'Archeologie de Besancon.

Reading the ancient historian's and source's descriptions of places, and routes taken, it is easy to be misled by dry narratives evoking generic landscapes, mountains, rivers and passes, however Julius Caesar in his De Bello Gallico describes this settlement with extraordinary clarity, care and conciseness. Roman preparations for war left little to chance and Julius Caesar identified a base that could sustain his armies in Winter and through the Summer, with the unsettled and enemy frontiers not too distant.

Book 1:38 recounts as follows:

"When he had proceeded three days' journey, word was brought to him that Ariovistus was hastening with all his forces to seize on Vesontio, which is the largest town of the Sequani, and had advanced three days' journey from its territories. Caesar thought that he ought to take the greatest precautions lest this should happen, for there was in that town a most ample supply of every thing which was serviceable for war; and so fortified was it by the nature of the ground, as to afford a great facility for protracting the war, inasmuch as the river Doubs almost surrounds the whole town, as though it were traced round it with a pair of compasses. A mountain of great height shuts in the remaining space, which is not more than 600 feet, where the river leaves a gap, in such a manner that the roots of that mountain extend to the river's bank on either side. A wall thrown around it makes a citadel of this [mountain], and connects it with the town. Hither Caesar hastens by forced marches by night and day, and, after having seized the town, stations a garrison there."

An early incription refering to Vesontio possibly dating to the period of the Emperor Trajan

Following the demise of the provinces of Roman Gaul, Besancon was eventually incorporated into the Holy Roman Empire until it came under the influence of the Dukes of Burgundy, and thence following a strategic marriage, the Habsburgs. In 1674 Besancon became a French town and a few years later the city was in effect transformed by the arrival of the military architect Sebastien le Prestre de Vauban. He was commissioned by Louis XIV primarily to redesign and reconstruct the Citadelle, a grand task which took 30 years, being completed in 1711.

Other fortifications, on hilltops around the city received attention including Fort Griffon, and these forts, ramparts redoubts and defences still dominate and characterise the city today. These new strategic defences were planned in great detail and utilised the local contours, terrain and features of the land upon which they were constructed, a particular feature of Vauban's planning and engineering; the Roman amphitheatre was incorporated and utilised in the establishment of some of the outer defences and ramparts at Fort Griffon.

View of the inner entrance gate of the Vauban Citadelle

Palais Granvelle 16th Century

Buildings on the banks of the Doubs in Besancon

One of my primary interests when arriving in a town is to discover the food and local produce, and local markets are key to this experience. In Besancon, as with most French cities and towns, there is a covered market selling produce daily and an open air market in front of the Musee des Beaux-Arts et Archeologie selling fresh fruit and vegetables.

Before I ever thought of visiting Besancon I was aware of the two most famous cheeses produced in the area; Mont D'Or and Comte. The local breed of cow is the Montbeliard, and these cute docile beauvines are primarily used for dairy production. Smoked hams and sausages called saucise de morteau are full of flavour and are traditionally boiled and served with boiled cabbage and potatoes. However, more modern recipes combine the saucise with reductions of local wines, such as a Poulsard. Artisanal charcuteries such as the one operated by Pierrette and Daniel Buchiex [www.lafermettecomtoise.com] produce a wonderful selection of cured meats and charcuterie; not always shaped in the familiar manner of a sausage, a small square not dissimilar to a pont leveque make these cured meats very tempting indeed. While some features and characteristics of Besancon are thoroughly French, there is an undeniable connection and suggestion of a German or Swiss tradition and the proximity of the Swiss border and the mountains is inescapable.


One surprise for me was the fact that the Theatre in Besancon was built to the designs of Claude Nicolas Ledoux. Ledoux, a unique architect for his time, was favoured by royal commissions for a period prior to the revolution and was commissioned to design and build the Royal Saltworks at Arc-et-Senans, not far from Besancon. He has since gained notoriety for his futuristic designs and projects proposed in the area of the Loue valley, but sadly many of these were not undertaken. The designs produced by Ledoux for the theatre were ground breaking for the time, and incorporated a sunken orchestra and sound box behind it, to project and enhance the acoustics of the theatre. Unfortunately, due to a fire all that remains today of the original theatre is the exterior facade.

In my recent adventures, I have also visited the Royal Saltworks, Haut doubs, Loue river valley and other places of interest in the region and hope you will visit this webpage again in the coming weeks to catch up, or take some time out during your day to see these places and read my comments.