Le Tour de France en Suisse!


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Europe » Switzerland » North-West » Porrentruy
July 8th 2012
Published: April 9th 2013
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After one last family gathering in Switzerland, we were off to the train station, carrying our suitcases, the pottery purchased in France, an extra umbrella and the art we were now carrying (I had inherited some art, so Dave and my uncle devised a handy carrying case of cardboard, duct tape and string to carry it).

We were heading to a tiny medieval town in the Jura region called Saint-Ursanne, where my cousin had booked us a hotel room. The idea was to drop off our many belongings at the hotel, then to hop back on the train to Porrentruy, where the 8th stage of the Tour de France would be finishing that day. But as we exited the train at Saint-Ursanne, we noticed a lot of other people getting off too. As we approached the town, we noticed all the hand-made signs for Le Tour. Would the tour be passing through this picturesque and quaint little town with cobblestone streets?

Sure enough, it turned out that the hill behind the town was the last major hill for the day's ride. We decided to stay around town and hang out with the locals on the hill, Col de la Croix, on the suggestion of the hotel staff. We also figured a hill would be the best spot to actually catch a glimpse of the riders and get photos as they whizzed by. On a flat road, they certainly would be traveling much faster! And at the finish line, it would be crowded and busy and our chances of being near enough to get photos...well Saint-Ursanne seemed like a much better option! So we never made it to the city of Porrentruy.

Instead we stocked up on snacks and enjoyed one of the better coffees - we managed to get coffee served like we had in the south of France, aka, espresso with hot milk on the side. This style of coffee seemed to be much less bitter than any café au lait we had tried. By this point in the trip, we we aching for any coffee made with arabica beans instead of the bitter robusta beans that the French seem to love. And by this point in our trip, we understood why Nespresso had done so well in Europe. Let's just say we were nearing the end of our trip and starting to look forward to some comforts back home, such as good coffee.

But enough about caffeine - there was a bike race to watch! So we followed the crowds up the hill and found ourselves a lovely grassy spot on a turn, where the slope of the hill pretty much meant that people could sit in front of us and we would still be able to see, but close enough to the road to quickly get close to the action for photos. It was entertaining sitting there waiting for the action to start - the local restaurant staff were walking up and down the hill selling sandwiches, bottled waters and beer, while other businesses and groups handed out free merchandise or sold their wares. Finally, some action began - a father struggling to get his bicycle up the hill, with his toddler gleaming in the attached bike trailer. The crowds cheered and applauded and encouraged him to keep going.

Then the fun really began - the Caravan! The best prize was quite possibly the Carefour polka-dotted jerseys, which we promptly put on to get in the spirit. Vehicle after vehicle passed up the hill, fully decorated and full of advertising. Many had people tossing advertising items to the crowds, including pens, keychains, mini-sausage snacks, cookies, hats, laundry detergent, and many other mostly useless items that we fought over (and then ended up giving to the kids anyways!). The most useful item had to be the Vittel bottles of water and the free shower as the truck passed by, as by that point the sun had come out and we were cooking in the sun!

And then the riders. We got free updates via a megaphone from the family up the hill who were watching the footage on TV, so we knew in advance when the first riders would be coming through. And wow they were fast! When the peloton came by, they were going fast, but slow enough to get some decent pictures. It was all very exciting. And in between the groups of riders, the bar owner was coming by with trays of beers - at one point he even offered one of his last beers to the riders, and to the crowd's delight, the rider took the beer! (Does that count as a performance enhancing substance?)

Finally, the last of the riders came through and the crowds began the descent down the hill. We enjoyed a beer at a bar that decided to capitalise on the crowds, followed by a dinner at a little restaurant near our hotel. Raclette was on the menu, as in the Jura raclette is eaten year round. However, with roots in the Emmenthal, I was raised with racelette as a winter meal so I just wasn't in the mood...I don't recall what we had for dinner but I do remember it was yummy.

Unfortunately, our romantic dinner for two included a rather rude experience afterwards. At the end of the race, Dave had spoken with a fellow Aussie. This Aussie and his friend saw us sitting outside at this restaurant and decided to come chat. He mentioned he was working for a Swiss bank, and his conversation quickly turned anti-Swiss; upon finding out my nationality, he refused to apologise. Loud, obnoxious and rude, this guy did not do Australians any favours regarding their reputation abroad. Luckily we did not have any more encounters with rude people for the rest of the trip.

Our hotel, Hotel La Couronne, was absolutely lovely and is definitely worth a recommendation. The staff were great, the room was lovely, the food was good and the beds were comfy. Our room overlooked the main street, and our stay included the breakfast. And the price was certainly cheaper than a similar hotel stay in Sydney!

We also made sure to wander around the little town, admiring the medieval architecture and little cobblestone streets. It is a pretty little town and we had a great time. It was definitely worth the visit!


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