Cluny and Beaune
Trip Start
Jul 31, 2010
1
15
25
Trip End
Aug 15, 2010
Cluny and Beaune, Burgundy, France
Saturday, August 7, 2010
The landscape all around is beautiful, very pastoral and undeveloped. We passed by many of the famous white cows of Burgundy, lots of vineyards, and fields of corn, wheat and sunflowers. The towns look like they are from a storybook, with churches, chateaus, and castles thrown in for good measure, as well as perfectly groomed trees lining the streets like topiary. We have yet to see a wal-mart which is very encouraging! In fact, it is hard to Imagine where they do their shopping, as there are no big stores anywhere. But once we got to Cluny, we saw weekly market shopping in action. Cluny is famous for it's big monastery, a piece of catholic church history. And today was market day!
Laced thru the old town, vendors had set up their wares. Some had fruits and veggies, spices, breads, meats, purses, clothes, fresh cheese and butter, baskets, some prepared foods, wine, and even a stand with escargot! This is why they do not need a walmart! Plus, there is a basket-equipped donkey to carry your purchases for you when you are done. It was fun to mingle with the locals, all equipped with baskets for purchases, as they got stocked up. We wanted to buy it all, and did end up buying a few things to nibble on the bus. April made friends with a vendor who traded a handful of cherries for a treat from his stand.
After lunch back at the ship, we headed to Beaune, the capital of the Burgundy wine region, and a town with numerous architectural treasures, as well us a wine tasting Mecca. We did not know that most burgundy wines are white. We toured the Hospital Dieu,which dates to the 1400's, and has a gorgeous colored tile roof. We also went below the village, into the famous wine cellars and had a wine tasting event. The wines were very good. We took a bottle back to our ship to have with dinner, because tonight is the captain's dinner onboard, and our last one on this ship.
The dinner was a grand affair, finishing with a parade of crew members carrying a flaming baked Alaska! And the wine made it even better. We are tired, but packed up and ready to move on. April will fly home tomorrow, while the Branby's are flying into Paris. We will travel by bus, thru Auxerre, and meet up with the Branby's at the next ship!
