Bonjour France
Trip Start
Sep 10, 2010
1
10
12
Trip End
Oct 09, 2010
Beaune, Burgundy, France
Thursday, September 30, 2010
After all the train travel, we were actually looking forward to the normality of having a car. That feeling didn't last long and we were glad to get rid of it 2 days later. But at the time, we were happy to have it in our possession.
Michelle kindly loaned us her Tom Tom and we're so glad she did. But it did lead us astray the first time we used it. Instead of taking us south west to our chateau in Melin, near Beaune, it took us to another Melin in the north east. Unfortunately, we didn't realise this until we'd been driving for 90 minutes. We didn't dare complain too much though, as I can honestly say this is the very first thing to have gone wrong during our trip.
We finally arrived at Chateau de Melin late in the evening. A trip that should have taken us less than one hour took us 2 1/2 hours, so we were all starving hungry by the time we arrived.
Our host, Helen, showed us our room and directed us to a "very good restaurant down the road". Well, it wasn't quite "down the road". We would never have found this restaurant without the Tom Tom, or our way back to the chateau afterwards. And the "very good" part of Helen's description was also questionable. The restuarant was, well, very French! I know that's a ridiculous statment to make, but that's how it was. I have never felt so inadequate or helpless ordering food. Now, you'd think that I'd eaten at enough French restaurants to recognise one or two French words on a menu. But not this menu. A patient waitress, who spoke one or two words of English at the most, tried her best to explain the dishes when she saw my look of utter despair. But it was futile. The only word I could identify was the French translation of beef, so I pointed to it and stuck up 3 fingers. Between the waitress and I, we also concluded one dish was chicken with a mushroom sauce. I pointed at that and held up one finger. I also said "no sauce", since this dish was for Julia and Lauren to share and I was too tired for food hassles. The waitress appeared to be extremely surprised at my request, and I immediately regreted it. I had visions of the Griswald's first French meal, where the chefs were in the kitchen cursing them, calling them "stupid Americans". We had a bit more success ordering dessert, but the meal could only be described as a disaster.
Our chateau was built in 1551. Our room was on the thrid level, acccessed only by a 500 year old spial staircase. We didn't even bother trying to get our two big suitcases up there. Instead, we took items out of the car as we needed them.
We woke the next day to gorgeous autumn sunshine. After we eventually worked out which of the bolted doors leading off the spiral staircase led to the dining room, we enjoyed a nice breakfast. We then drove into the nearby town of Beaune (pronounced "Borne"). It's a charming town. We had no itinarary, so we enjoyed wondering around the narrow, medievil streets and visiting some of the shops. We also visited a medieval hospital, now open as a museum, and found it fascinating.
The only negative experience I had in this town was trying to find a toilet. I had a terrible time. My lack of French combined with the local's lack of English made it near impossible. As arrogant as this sounds, I expected more people to speak English, or at least have a basic understanding.
After exploring the centre of town we visited a local park and playground. The girls discovered what they concluded to be the best playground ride they've ever experienced. After the girls got their opportunity to play, Jeff and I thought they owed us a drive to a nearby village. Jeff was keen to explore the medieval castle and I wanted to look at a village awarded as one of France's prettiest. It didn't disappoint.
On our way back to the chateau we admired all the grape vines, just starting to change colour. And that night we went to Beaune for dinner, where we found numerous bisto style restaurants with menus I could understand. Jeff, Kate and I ordered Beef Burgundy of course, as this was one of our requirements during our visit to the Burgundy region. I'm still not sure if I was pleased or diappointed that my Stephanie Alexander Beef Burgundy is slightly better than the version we ate in Burgundy.
We left the chateau early the next morning. To be honest, I was glad to leave. I had a difficult time appreciating its rustic, medieval charms. Instead, I thought the place was old and rather creepy.
Our drive back to Dijon was, unlike our first trip, quick and easy. The only problem we encountered was trying to find a petrol station near the train station. Jeff's cursing made me grateful I'd chose train as our primary means of transportation, rather than car.
When we got on the train to Paris I reminded the girls this was our very last train journey. They we relieved, just as I was. Travelling through three countries by train has been an adventure in itself. But I'd definitely travel that way again.
See you in Paris - our last European destination!
Comments
We have your experiences very interesting, loved every moment of it from a readers point.
Looking forward to seeing you all soon.
Maria