Pasteur!!!!!

This morning we woke up earlier than we would have liked and headed on an early bus to Jura. No one was exactly excited to get on the bus that early, due to a previous evening’s festivities, but it was well worth the journey. Even after this mornings coffee, everyone managed to fall asleep on the bus. After about two and a half hours of driving with a short (and very upscaled/modernized) rest stop break in between here and Jura, we had finally arrived. We went to the Salt Mines which as considered a Unesco World Heritage site.   The mine was 10meters underground and still partially functioning – though the salt was not for consumption.After this, we soon broke for lunch covered for by Rutgers. I had trout for the first time, along with Creme Brûlée and a cafe. After indulging in a much needed hot meal, we hopped back on the bus for a trip to Arbois.

We walked around the town once we arrived, and saw the vineyards where Pasteur had concluded that yeast created good wines and bacteria created bad wines turned to vinegar. Soon after that, we checked into our hotel and had a day filled with Pasteur. We went to his house, and also a local park which had a large monument dedicated to him. We then got to go to his house! It was filled with a beautiful landscape as well as his lab where he determined that yeast creates good wine, a great discovery for us all!  As a scientist, this experience was quite incredible!
Non-science people might not particularly understand this man’s importance, but our group of scientists were nothing short of captivated! After this, we went to a wine tasting from a local winery, but none of us in particular was fans of the wine.

Then we went out to dinner and ate a four course meal. There was so much food, it almost felt like torture having to eat it. At least I walked my 10,000 steps today, because I could not move after that food. A meal consisting of salad, sausage, cheese, and potatoes, more salad and then dessert just about pushed my gastronomic limits. The meal was filled with good company and food, including our bus driver! We soon returned to the hotel to get rest for another day fun filled day of activities!