The Église Saint-Michel (aka Abbatiale Saint-Michel) is a church in Nantua which got its start as a monastery during medieval times and was improved over the centuries. Some of the older elements remain but most of the church dates back from the early 19th century.
Last spring, I went on a hike in Nantua, a small town in Ain located between Bellegarde-sur-Valserine and Bourg-en-Bresse: I walked a loop around the lake (Lac de Nantua), first going along the cliff above it, then coming back following the shore.
Earlier this spring, I went on hike to Le Vuache, a mountain in the Jura located on the other side of the Rhône from Fort l’Ecluse.
At the end of winter, I walked on the Via Gebennensis from Col du Mont Sion to Frangy, continuing the Camino de Santiago where I had left off the last time.
At the beginning of spring, I went on a hike to Tête de la Mandallaz and Lac de La Balme-de-Sillingy, north of Annecy.
Last winter, I walked a small part of the Camino de Santiago: I took the Via Gebennensis from Cathédrale Saint-Pierre in Geneva to Col du Mont Sion, in Haute-Savoie.
Fort l’Écluse is a fortress near Bellegarde-sur-Valserine. It guards the Rhône valley between the Vuache hills and the Jura Mountains and is a natural entrance into France from Geneva. The fort was founded by the Duchy of Savoy in the 13th century and, after it was ceded to France along with the Pays de Gex during the reign of Louis XIV, completed by Vauban. It was destroyed by the Austrians in 1815, but was rebuilt by the French and considerably strengthened and heightened. The fort is open to visitors during summer.
Earlier this summer, I went on a hike in the Bellegarde-sur-Valserine area: I visited the Pertes de la Valserine, Fort l’Écluse, Rocher de Léaz and Pont de Grésin.
The Promenade des Pertes de la Valserine in Bellegarde-sur-Valserine is a short and easy walk that follows the Valserine, a river that takes its source in the Jura mountains and empties into the Rhône. Starting near the train station in the city, the path goes upstream to the Pertes (French for “losses”), where the river disappears in natural canyons dug into limestone rocks.
Earlier this year, I went on a hike to Salève, a mountain in the Jura that overlooks the south-west side of Geneva but is actually located in Haute-Savoie. There are many trails to reach the plateau at the top of Salève and walk on once up there. For myself, I decided to cross the mountain along its length, starting from Col du Mont Sion and finishing at Etrembières.