In Dole

September 26, 2024 to September 27, 2024

September 26

As promised, it rained today. All day, save for a brief respite in the late afternoon. The chill and winds remained, though the latter had lessened a bit. It was a good day to be off the bike.

I spent the morning planning the next steps for this last European tour of 2024. I had hoped to make it to Burgundy to visit friends in Noyers, but that plan was looking to be overly ambitious. On a positive note, I had contacted Keith Klein and we were set to meet for lunch tomorrow in Gevrey-Chambertin. The plan was to get an early start, cycle the 35 miles to Gevrey for lunch, and spend the night in either Gevrey or Dijon. On looking at weather app this morning, however, the forecast the forecast for tomorrow had markedly changed and it looked like it would be a wet, windy ride. Time to pivot. After exploring the various options on SNCF and Booking, I took the decision to end the cycling portion of the tour here in Dole. I would take the train to Gevrey for our lunch date, return for another night in Dole, and travel to Paris by train the following day. That would leave me six days in Paris before flying back to the USA.

All that planning made me hungry so I grabbed some lunch at a small family-run restaurant and then headed to the Pasteur Museum at Maison Natale, his birthplace. I may have mentioned before that I first fell in love with Paris while on a six-month sabbatical at the Pasteur Institute in 2015. Although he was a controversial figure, Louis Pasteur remains a giant in the field in microbiology. He was the first to disprove the widely held belief that “germs” arise from spontaneous generation and he developed the principles/methods for decontamination of milk and wine that we now refer to as pasteurization. He was also a pioneer in vaccines, developing methods to weaken, or attenuate, bacteria and virus and demonstrating that inoculation with these weakened microbes would protect animals and people against the more virulent pathogen. His development of a vaccine for rabies led to the establishment of the Pasteur Institute in Paris for the treatment/vaccination against this fatal viral disease.

I had visited the Museum at the Pasteur Institute while working there in 2015 and was very keen to visit the Dole Museum at his birthplace. Understandably, the museum in Dole was much smaller in scale and scope than the museum in Paris; however, there was some interesting information and memorabilia from Pasteur’s early years as well as a rather extensive display of his father’s tanning workshop. Also included was a display depicting key discoveries in the emerging field of microbiology and the scientists responsible for those discoveries. In all, it was a very enjoyable and worthwhile way to spend a rainy afternoon.

It had stopped raining by the time I left the museum so I took the long way home to explore a little of the town of Dole. I didn’t linger, as the rains began anew.

The Maison Natale, or birthplace, of Louis Pasteur - as viewed from my apartment window

Bust of Louis Pasteur at the Pasteur Museum Maison Natale

This room in the Museum contains memorabilia from Pasteur's days as a young man and student. The pastel paintings on the far left wall were drawn by Pasteur when he was 13. His passion as a painter was squashed by his father, who encouraged him to pursue a more lucrative line of work

A soup tureen made by Pasteur's grand-daughter depicts a child reading a book on the biographies of great men - opened to the page describing Pasteur himself.

A replica of the tanning workshop of Pasteur's father

The rear of Pasteur family home faced the canal, which provide the large volumes of water needed for working with hides and leather used in the tanning trade

A look back down the canal towards the Pasteur family home

Along the canal in Dole, with a view toward the Collégiale Notre-Dame de Dole

Interior of the Collégiale Notre-Dame de Dole

Decoration on one of the pulpits in the Collégiale Notre-Dame de Dole

Pipe organ of the Collégiale Notre-Dame de Dole

September 27

In the early days of planning this short tour, I had routed myself through Dijon in the hopes of a meet-up with CycleBlazer Keith Klein and his wife Sue. I had met them two years ago on a trip through Burgundy with Suzanne, Janos and Team Anderson - we had lunch together in Beaune and the next day we stopped at their home in Gevrey-Chambertin on our way to Dijon. I was very much looking forward to seeing them again.

It was an easy trip to Gevrey by train, especially when not accompanied by Vivien George. I arrived at the station after a ten minute walk through the streets of Dole and ran smack dab into a group of seven cyclists preparing to head up the Doubs River. They’d just arrived from Paris and exhibited all the enthusiasm one feels at the beginning of a tour – weather be damned.

Flash from the past - our 2022 visit to Keith and Sue during a Cycle Blazer group tour through Burgundy

The Parisian cyclists about to embark on their tour up the Doubs River

And they're off, excited and undeterred by the weather

Boarding the train was easy and stress-free, though I did take particular note of the location and access to the bike cars/bike space. There was a short connection in Dijon and then another train to Gevrey where Keith and Sue waited, waving to me from the platform. A short walk later we arrived at one of their go-to restaurants, a small bistro serving traditional cuisine where everyone knows your name. Keith and Sue have been living in Gevrey for more than 20 years and everyone did know their names, calling out warm greetings that immediately set the tone for a wonderful hour of bonhomie and hearty fare.

Afterwards, we walked back to Keith and Sue’s house, relaxing in the Stickley-style furniture handmade by Keith. It was our intention to take a spin through Gevrey center, but somehow the words and stories kept flowing and soon it was time to catch the return train to Dole. But not before Keith showed off one of his prized possessions, a beautiful custom-built touring bike. It had been a special afternoon, filled with tales of the past and hopes for the future. I am very much looking forward to a return visit with these two special people.

Relaxing after lunch, the time flew by and my guided tour of Gevrey will have to wait until the next visit

Keith showing off his custom touring bike

One of my many failed attempts at a group selfie, each of which brought great howls of laughter. Sorry Sue, this was the best of the bunch

Rate this entry's writing	Heart	11
Comment on this entry	Comment	4

Steve Miller/GrampiesOur timing is just ever so slightly off. We are meeting Sue and Keith in Gevrey (Wednesday Oct 2) at the same restaurant you went to, then continuing on to Beaune. Ah well, perhaps next time round we can organize ourselves better.
Reply to this comment
1 month ago

Susan CarpenterTo Steve Miller/GrampiesYes, it would have been great fun to all be together. And an epic 3rd Grampies meet-up in one year. We'll have to plan ahead in 2025.
Reply to this comment
1 month ago

Kathleen JonesSo good to see Keith and Sue.
Reply to this comment
1 month ago

Susan CarpenterTo Kathleen JonesIt really was a special afternoon, and well worth all the fast-changing logistics to make it happen.
Reply to this comment
1 month ago