54. From Paris to Geneva by Macon, Ambérieu
and Culoz.
Express to Macon in 9½, ordinary trains in 12½ hrs.; fares 49 fr. 40,
37 fr. 5, 27 fr. 15 c. From Macon to Geneva by express in 5½, ordinary
trains in 7 hrs.; fares 20 fr. 60, 15 fr. 45, 11 fr. 35 c. Station in the Boulevard
Mazas, comp. p. 24.
As far as Dijon see p. 273. The line to Macon crosses the
Ouche and the Canal de Bourgogne (p. 273) and skirts the base
of the sunny vineyards of the Côte d'Or, which extend almost
the entire distance from Dijon to Châlons and produce the choicest
qualities of the Burgundy wines (Chambertin, Clos de Bèze, Clos
de Vougeot, Romanée, Tâche, Nuits, Beaune etc.). To the r. of
stat. Corgoloin is the village of Aloxe, another well-known wine
producing place (Corton, Charlemagne, Clos du Roi). Stat. Beaune,
with 11,000 inhab., on the Bouzoise, a town with several Gothic
edifices and a monument of the mathematician Monge, who was
born here in 1746 (d. 1818).
From stat. Chagny a branch-line diverges to Creuzot. The
line passes under the Canal du Centre, which connects the Saône
and the Loire, by means of a tunnel, intersects the Col de Chagny
and enters the valley of the Thalie.
Chalons-sur-Saône (Trois Faisans; Hôtel du Chevreuil; Hôtel
de l'Europe) with 19,000 inhab., the Cabillonum of the Romans,
is situated at the junction of the Canal du Centre with the Saône,
which is here navigated by steamboats (to Lyons in 5—6 hrs.).
The town contains little to detain the traveller. The early Gothic
Cathedral, recently restored, exhibits the transition to that
style from the Romanesque. (The express trains do not touch
Châlons, the branch line to which diverges from the junction
St. Cosme.)
The line follows the r. bank of the Saône; to the l. in the
distance the Jura is visible; to the r. in clear weather the snowy
summit of Mont Blanc, 150 M. distant. Stat. Tournus (5500 inhab.)
possesses a fine abbey-church (St. Philibert).
Macon (Hôtels du Sauvage, des Champs Elysées, de l'Europe;
Rail. Restaurant), capital of the Department of the Saône and
the Loire, with 18,000 inhab., is another great focus of the wine-trade.
The remains of the early Romanesque cathedral of St. Vincent
are interesting to architects.
Macon is the junction for Lyons, the line to which diverges
to the r. at St. Clément. The Saône is now crossed and the Departement
de l'Ain entered by the r. bank of the Veyle; in front
and to the l. the Jura Mts. continue to be visible.
Bourg (Hôtels de l'Europe, du Midi, du Palais), with 14,000 inhab.,
the ancient capital of Bresse, is situated on the l. bank of
the Reyzousse, ¾ M. from the station. The church of Notre
Dame de Bourg, erected from the 15th to the 17th cent. in a
variety of styles, contains several pictures, sculpture and fine
wood-carving. On the promenade Le Bastion is a *Monument
of Bichat (d. 1802), who once studied at Bourg, by David d'Angers.
The house in which Lalnade (d. at Paris in 1807) was born is
indicated by a tablet. — Bourg is the junction for Lyons, Mouchard,
Besançon and Mulhouse, the direct line between Lyons
and Strasbourg.
The celebrated *Church of Brou, in the florid Gothic style, erected in
1511—36 by Margaret of Austria, regent of the Netherlands, is situated
½ M. from the town. It contains the sumptuous *Monuments of the
foundress, her husband Philibert, Duke of Savoy, and her mother-in-law
Margaret of Bourbon. Her well-known motto: "Fortune infortune forte une"
may be seen in different parts of the church.
The line intersects the forest of Seillon. Near stat. Pont
d'Ain the Ain is crossed.
Ambérieu, a pleasant little town on the Albarine, situated
at the base of the Jura Mts., is the junction for Lyons.
The valley of the Albarine is now ascended. To the l. the
ruined châteaux of Vieux-Mont-Ferrand and St. Germain. The
valley which soon becomes wilder and more imposing, is quitted
at stat Tenay. Beyond stat. Rossillon a tunnel (587 yds.); then
to the r. the lakes of Pugieu. The line enters the Valley of the
Rhone at
Stat. Culoz, junction for Chambéry and St. Michel (Susa and
Turin), at the S. base of the Colombier (4700 ft.), which is
occasionally ascended for the sake of the view.
The broad, marshy valley of the Rhone is next traversed.
Stat. Seyssel lies on both banks of the river, which is here crossed
by a double suspension-bridge. To the r., on the opposite bank,
the loftily situated church of Bassy. Near stat. Pyrimont are
mines of asphalt. Then four tunnels.
Stat. Bellegarde (Poste), at the entrance of the valley of the
Valserine, is the last French station. Custom-house formalities
for travellers entering France.
Above the influx of the Valserine, ¾ M. from the Hôtel de la Poste,
is the so-called Perte du Rhone. When the river is low, the water is
"lost" in a rocky gulf, which however has been considerably widened by
blasting. These rocks are covered when the stream is high.
Immediately beyond Bellegarde the train crosses the great
Valserine Viaduct (to the r. far below is the bridge of the road)
and enters the long Crédo Tunnel (2⅓ M.). The rocky ravine
next traversed is bounded by Mont Vuache (3475 ft.) on the r.
and the Jura (Les Grandes Crêtes; Col de Farges etc.) on the l.
The Fort de l'Ecluse high above on the l, completely commands
this defile. Several small stations, then.
Geneva (On the l. bank: *Métropole; *Ecu de Genève; *Couronne.
— *Hôtel de la Poste and *Hôtel du Rhône, moderate. —
On the right bank: *Hôtel des Bergues; d'Angleterre; Victoria,
Genève) see Baedeker's Switzerland.
