Beaune-appetit!
Another great thing about a Rick Steve's tour is that you get to see not just the bustling metropolis, but also the smaller European towns. The village of Beaune was a welcome respite from the busy streets of fashionable Paris. Located in the Burgundy region of France, Beaune is a charming place to relax and enjoy a glass of red wine.
We were only on our comfy bus for a short time before Tony parked it and we walked on foot for a short ways to get to our hotel. Even though we didn't have to walk very far, I was reminded again of how thankful I was to have a small backpack instead of a rolling suitcase. I didn't have to deal with stopping at every curbside or hoisting a heavy load up to the third floor via the narrow staircase that lead up to our room. Our hotel was called Hotel des Remparts. We all sat in the courtyard among pots of bright red geraniums as the hotel staff handed out our room keys, appropriately festooned with miniature wine bottles. Our room had a skylight and lovely exposed wooden beams.
We were only on our comfy bus for a short time before Tony parked it and we walked on foot for a short ways to get to our hotel. Even though we didn't have to walk very far, I was reminded again of how thankful I was to have a small backpack instead of a rolling suitcase. I didn't have to deal with stopping at every curbside or hoisting a heavy load up to the third floor via the narrow staircase that lead up to our room. Our hotel was called Hotel des Remparts. We all sat in the courtyard among pots of bright red geraniums as the hotel staff handed out our room keys, appropriately festooned with miniature wine bottles. Our room had a skylight and lovely exposed wooden beams.
Once we had dropped off our luggage, we made the short jaunt to the town square, which reminded me of the town square in the WB show Gilmore Girls, only with people speaking French. It was like something out of a storybook. The carousel was spinning to sound of children's laughter, and the perimeter was dotted with sidewalk cafes and shops selling jars of mustard (the town of Dijon is nearby). After we grabbed a slice of quiche, we headed to the most prominent tourist destination of the town, Hotel Dieu. Hotel Dieu is a medieval-charity-hospital-cum-museum, with a unique colored tile roof, whose pattern can be seen repeated all over Beaune. As nurses, Roland and I especially enjoyed seeing the old medical instruments, and we came away thankful that most of them are no longer in use! In the main patient ward, people were forced to share beds with others during plagues and everyone had a jug of wine at bedside. We could still see the stream of water running under the building, where staff dumped the patient's bodily fluids. Hotel Dieu is still a working hospital, although it has a new location outside the stone walls in the modern part of the town.
Next, we journeyed to the other side of town, stopping at the town's 13th-century church on our way to Pere et Fils winery. This well-established wine house has over 13 miles of underground cellars! After paying the entrance fee, we were given a small metal souvenir tasting cup, and toured the caves unchaperoned. The cup came in handy at the end of the tour, where numerous bottles of wine awaited us atop candlelit wooden barrels. Both my husband and I enjoy drinking wine, but we were somewhat dismayed with most of the ones we tasted on our trip. We learned that in Europe the alcohol content tends to be lower, so maybe that's what we were missing!
We spent the rest of the afternoon meandering around Parc de la Bouzaise. The flowerbeds were blooming with poppies and lilacs. There was a huge cage full of exotic pigeons and another area with goats and chickens. We walked by swans taking a dip in the pond as we made our way to the vineyards that make up the Burgundy landscape.
Our final stop was Caves Madeleine, where I had made reservations two nights before. The owner was a most gracious host at this small restaurant, and was extremely knowledgeable about wine. After getting a weird stare from our waitress (apparently cheese is usually eaten after the main meal in France), we started off with a plate of regional fromage. Roland ordered a long-anticipated boeuf bourguignon. I braved another local specialty, terrine de jambon, a ham loaf with riddled with aspic. I know I will make Julia Child turn over in her grave by saying this, but the slices inevitably reminded me of Spam! Nonetheless, a huge part of traveling for me revolves around food, and I never feel as if I've had the true experience of a place unless I have partaken fully in its cuisine. We topped the meal off with an apple clafoutis, and bid adieu to France. Next: Swiss Alps.
We spent the rest of the afternoon meandering around Parc de la Bouzaise. The flowerbeds were blooming with poppies and lilacs. There was a huge cage full of exotic pigeons and another area with goats and chickens. We walked by swans taking a dip in the pond as we made our way to the vineyards that make up the Burgundy landscape.
Our final stop was Caves Madeleine, where I had made reservations two nights before. The owner was a most gracious host at this small restaurant, and was extremely knowledgeable about wine. After getting a weird stare from our waitress (apparently cheese is usually eaten after the main meal in France), we started off with a plate of regional fromage. Roland ordered a long-anticipated boeuf bourguignon. I braved another local specialty, terrine de jambon, a ham loaf with riddled with aspic. I know I will make Julia Child turn over in her grave by saying this, but the slices inevitably reminded me of Spam! Nonetheless, a huge part of traveling for me revolves around food, and I never feel as if I've had the true experience of a place unless I have partaken fully in its cuisine. We topped the meal off with an apple clafoutis, and bid adieu to France. Next: Swiss Alps.