How (or why) did we decide to visit Bourg-en-Bresse in Ain department?

Just recently our supermarket has introduced new chili sauces of brand Bressico that are made of “piment de Bresse” (chili of Bresse), cultivated in the region since 16th century. The pepper used to be popular in the area until 1950, mainly made into powder to flavor sausages and cheese,  but was then forgotten until 2010, when it re-gained interest locally. In addition to the regular red sauce the sauce is made in three other  colors — yellow, green, and black — that use different flavorings: seaberry and cilantro, unripe chilies, and estragon and radishes, respectively.

We did some studying of this chili pepper, the region and former French province of Bresse, and its capital Bourg-en-Bresse, and decided it is well worth a short visit on the extended mid-November holiday weekend. When we made the plan the weather forecast was quite promising.

Let’s start from the beginning. We could have taken a train to Bourg-en-Bresse, but it would have lasted the whole day. Furthermore, since we planned to do some hiking, renting a car was much more convenient. So, the first thing to do on Saturday morning was to combine our weekly long run with the trip to pick up the car. It was particularly beautiful morning, so the pictures are worth posting here, too.

Our luck with the weather gods ran out on the second day. It opened cold and gloomy; it even rained at some point hard enough for us to seek shelter. Since we did not expect any rain during the whole weekend, only sunshine or overcast, we had packed no rain gear. We spent a couple of hours exploring the city center before retreating to our Airbnb apartment to watch tennis on TV (ATP finals).

Weather-wise the next day was equally depressing. We started with a mid-distance run around Lac de Bouvent. The shortest trail around the lake,  2.4km, was smooth and practically flat, and we looped it a little more than three times. The rest of the day was spent at the apartment, watching tennis and planning the next day hike.

On the final day of the trip our luck with the weather turned. It was also time to drive home. Before hitting the road, we went to shortish hike from Corveissiat to Eglise de St. Maurice d’Echazeaux in Revermont natural region, passing a couple of lookout points to the river Ain, some 250 meters below. The church dates back to the 11th century (at least), and the castle guarding the confluence of the rivers Ain and Valouse (see the picture at the bottom of the page) from 13th century.

Our drive back home through Revermont region and the Chartreuse massif was very scenic, but Google directed us to small serpentine roads with no places with a view to stop and take pictures. We were surprised how fresh green it still was, especially the grass.