European Diary

The daily diary of a wandering restaurateur in Europe
August 1 - Burgundy

(A little late being posted -- we could not find a phone line that would let us get online!)

What do you do with a day in Burgundy? As it was raining most of the day, a car tour seemed the sanest idea. First to Autun -- among the oldest cities in France -- for a look at some Roman ruins. Then to Beaune, the heart of the Burgundy district to take a look at the medieval town itself . . . and taste a little wine!

Margene is not much of a wino, so she went history-hopping while I descended into the candlelit cellars of the Marche aux Vins, sort of a wine smorgasbord. For a 50F fee (about $9.50) you get a tasting cup (which you can keep) and you can wander through a labyrinth of cellars, stopping at 18 different wine barrel tables, each offering a different local wine. The visit starts at the cellar where the really old stuff is stored. Some of these big burgundies go back to 1919! Then through the cellar at your own pace, tasting and making notes as you go. The tour ends in the old abbey . . . with the really good stuff! All in all, a wonderful experience and an idea that might have application in other areas.

For photos of the Marche aux Vins, click here.

Then we doubled back to the Chateau la Rochepot, a castle (with drawbridge but no moat) on a hilltop outside of Beaune. I have no idea how old this place is but I caught a picture of the old kitchen just for the fun of it (had to be sneaky because they are not big on photography inside.) Then we went to Vezelay, a walled hilltop fortress nearer to where we are staying. It is easy to forget that not all that long ago, life was a daily struggle to not get beat up by the bad guys. (I guess that is still true in some parts of the country! Whatever happened to moats and drawbridges?) The little restaurant we ate in dated from the 1100's physically, but operationally you would recognize all of the chaos!

For photos of La Rochepot and Vezelay, click here.

For the travelogue-type shots, click here.

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