Chapter 7
Today we are meeting our friends from San Diego, Ken and Marette, to spend the day exploring Beaune. Not that we've exhausted our desire to explore more of the wine country, but we have not have any time to explore the town. Ken and Marette have been on vacation for about five weeks. You may recall we bumped into them in Carrassone and made a plan to meet here before we both head to Paris to wrap up our travels.
Our first stop was a mustard factory in town; other than wine this is one thing the area is known for world wide. With Dijon not far away, mustard is nearly a food staple here. We opt to skip the factory tour and head to the tasting room of Edmond Fallot. Quite a setup with about 15 different tasting stations for their 30 plus mustards. After tasting many delicious and unusual combinations, we purchase several mustards and head on to our next stop.
We visited the “Hospices De Bueane” or the hospital for the poor. Looking to leave a lasting achievement of his life, the chancellor Nicolas Rodin, Duke of Burgundy, with his wife Guigone de Salins used their influence with the Pope, the rich wine producers, and the city to conceive and fund the the Hotel Dieu. With the Pope's blessing the Nuns helped provide the nursing care, with the financial support from wine makers, and lastly the City’s gift of the land, the plan came together. It opened its doors in 1443 and continued for 500 years to care for the poor. It provided care for both rich (who paid), poor and soldiers during that time. It is funded now with an auction of wine casks donated by the growers and the production from 70 hectares of its own land. Also very impressive was the beautiful design, construction, and operation of the Hospice. It was a self-contained operation with a pharmacy, kitchen, gardens, and bakery. One can only admire the vision and dedication of Rodin and his wife to invest their wealth to benefit others.
Next we head the Musee du Vin; this was a very interesting spot full of the equipment and techniques from wine making through the centuries. There is also a great old film of the entire wine barrel making process - very enlightening. After the tour, we find a quick spot for lunch outside, even as the weather shows that fall is coming. After lunch Pam and Warren head back to our hotel for some rest and packing before dinner. The four of us met again for dinner at Le Fleury, another delicious meal and a fine bottle of Burgundy wine.
Monday is our last day in Beaune and we are up finishing Chapter 6, packing up and thinking about our return home. We finish the mundane routines of travel with enough time to walk around the Town Ramparts and see other sights. Beaune is a beautiful city, a vibrant mix of history, tourism, the wine trade and everyday activities. We pass a group of school children about our grandchildren’s ages and realize kids everywhere are so similar: lively, playful and so full of energy! It also makes us realize how much we miss them and our family and friends. After the walk we have enough time for lunch before heading to the train.
One thing we found out about Beaune is many local restaurant favorites are closed on Saturday and Sunday which seems odd to us for a tourist town. This a Monday and many shops as well as restaurants are closed, but we are in luck and find a local and highly rated brasserie. While small we find a nice table inside, since the weather has turned cool and windy. We decide to have the day’s special and special is was! Chuncks of beef in a cream sauce of shallots, mushrooms and cognac with roasted potatoes. To top it off there are a few very thinly slices of salami that added just the right amount of extra flavoring. The owner recommended some excellent Burgundy by the glass.
We left Beaune and lunch full and very satisfied and are now off to the train.
The first leg went fine and we enjoyed our last views of beautiful Burgundy. Fall is beginning to show with the weather, but also as leaves on the vines and trees are turning red and yellow. Unfortunately when we arrived in Lyon to catch the TGV we checked the schedule and found we have a 50 minute delay which is very unusual. It gets worse as the 50 minutes turns to 2 hours. Since the whole system is delayed due to a technical issue, the station is packed with travelers. We quickly learned that Train stations are not designed for such crowds. Fortunately we find a waiting room that is crowded but well equipped with charging stations, work areas and we use the delay to catch up on our blog. Finally the train is ready to leave and we are traveling north to the Charles De Gaulle station. After a long day we finally arrive at our hotel at 10:30 pm. We are tired so make a dinner out of bread, fruit, chocolate covered shortbread cookies and some very nice wine from the south of France. Doing the math, to be at the Airport 3 hours in advance, we realize we need be up by 6:30!
OK, OK the alarm says rise and shine. Pack our bags for the last time this trip, catch the airport shuttle, go through the check-in and security routine, and have time for some airport breakfast. The flight is full and they begin boarding an hour before departure, so there goes 3 hours. East to west travel is so different; we depart Paris at 11 am and arrive in San Diego at 6 pm although the duration of travel is 15 hours. Of all the great places we have been and experiences we’ve had, San Diego is home with its beauty, family, friends and comforts!
Ken
2018-09-27
You two had a great trip. It was a blast to see you in Bueane. I love hearing your stories and seeing your pictures. Why do you and I look like Trump just walked into the restaurant and Pam and Marette are smiling.
Rob
2018-09-27
Thanks for including us to receive your blogs. We really enjoyed reading your narratives and all the photos.
Brad
2018-09-28
So wonderful... love you sis!
Sue
2018-10-08
I had a mini trip to France via your log!