A Day in Burgundy

Greetings from Beaune!  This is a really pretty old town...pretty small, actually.  Today after breakfast, we went to the Hostel Dieu, which is a hospital that was founded in the 15th Century to serve the poor and dying.  We came here 16 years ago and found it just as interesting this time.  Beaune has a lot of interesting old buildings with whimsical stone carvings on them. 

It was about noon when we finished at Hostel Dieu and headed out into the vineyards.  We had lunch in Meursault -- a wonderful "Salade Gourmande" with greens, meat turines, vegetables, etc.  It was good and filling.  We then drove to La Rochepot, a 15/16th century chateau that has been somewhat restored and has some furnished rooms.  The guided tour was in French, but the guide gave a brief summary in English for our benefit as well as for that of some Australians.

Then we got lost...well, not really...we finally decided we were on the wrong road, going in the wrong direction, so turned around and when back, finding our way back to Beaune.  Beautiful vineyards and where there are not grapes there are cows -- lots of the white Charolaise (sp).  They seem to have a lot more personality than our normal cows at home.

We got back to the hotel around 6:00; just in time for a short rest before going back to Le Grande Bleu for dinner.  This time foie gras, chicken cooked in red wine (the sauce was wonderful, but it was a really old, tough bird), and burnt cream.  We needed the walk back to the hotel.

We are looking forward to doing our own cooking as eating out is wearing on us & "tres cher" (very expensive).  We plan to cook dinner "at home" tomorrow night when we settle into our house in Provence.  We plan to have a rest day on Sunday - maybe find a village with a Sunday market and just explore the immediate area without doing too much.  We're both ready for a good rest.

It may be a couple of days before I can post again since the house does not have internet access, but there is a place in a nearby village that does have Wi-Fi, so I'll probably head there every couple of days.

In the meantime, take care and au revoir.