Individual Days - France
A Special Day
September 27, 2023
We woke up early to eat breakfast, get one last view of the magnificent scenery, and say uf widerluege to Switzerland.
Sorry to post another cow video, but guess what? I got a fever, and the only prescription is… more cowbell!! (Shout out to Christopher Walken and Will Ferrell) But seriously, we were delighted to hear the cowbells of the cow parade one last time on our way to the gondola station.
Bienvenue France! Today was a special day, not only did we arrive in France, the final country on our grand European tour, but I got to celebrate my birthday in the beautiful medieval town of Beaune. Beaune is the wine capital of Burgundy.
Hôtel des Tonneliers
We checked into our hotel, or should I say hotels. The Hôtel des Tonneliers also owns the neighboring property, Les Remparts Hôtels et Demeures Historiques. Our room, the Richebourg, was on the ground floor of the Les Remparts Hôtel. The rooms are named after a famous surrounding vineyard. While it was easy to get lost in the maze of passageways in the hotel, we didn’t have to worry about that. Our room had its own private entry on Rempart Saint-Jean.
Beaune
Lisa led us on an informative walk around town. Our group then toured the Hôtel-Dieu de Beaune, a medieval hospital, before walking along the cobblestone streets on our own.
Hôtel-Dieu de Beaune
The Hôtel-Dieu was built in 1443 to serve as a hospital for the pôvres (poor). It received the sick, disabled, and destitute whom it treated free of charge for over five centuries (through the 1980’s). The hospices also included a small ward for the wealthy, a bakery, a pharmacy, a kitchen, a chapel, and courtyards. The Hôtel-Dieu de Beaune is considered a jewel of medieval Burgundy architecture.
There were several tapestries on display, but I photographed part of the tapestry showing the horse of Saint Éloi. Saint Éloi is the patron saint of blacksmiths and horses. The legend goes that Éloi cut off his horse’s leg so he could more easily shoe the horse. You can see the blood dripping from the horse’s leg. Éloi then miraculously reattached the leg. Hard to believe he was considered the patron saint of horses, but all’s well that ends well, I guess.
Wine Tasting
Before dinner, our group arrived at the Cellier de la Cabiote for a wine tasting. We met Emmanuel Peulson, the owner and wine ambassador for the Burgundy region. We got to try several different regional wines. What a fun birthday experience.
21 Boulevard
Throughout our trip, we have had fantastic local cuisine. Tonight was no exception. We had reservations at 21 Boulevard to experience Burgundy regional specialties in a 15th-century vaulted cellar. We both opted for the Chef’s Bourgignon Menu. There were 2 options for each of the 4 courses, so Mark and I selected different dishes so we could both sample everything. To begin, the chef selected an onion and leek spread served with toasted bread amuse-bouche.
Our first courses consisted of Cocotte of Burgundy snails (with Dauphiné ravioli and garlic cream) and Œufs en meurette (Ferme du Pontot eggs).
Second (main) course was Beef cheek Burgundy (with carrots and onions) and Poultry fillet (Berthaut Epoisses sauce and homemade mashed potatoes).
The third course was all about cheese. A plate of three matured cheeses and a bowl of cottage cheese and cream (we ordered the savory version).
For our fourth course and final course consisted of Gingerbread Mulot & Petitjean french toast style and Crème brûlée with Flavigny anise. The entire meal was wonderful. On our way out, the Maître D’ wished me a happy birthday. Every detail was perfect and put a smile on my face as we strolled leisurely back to our hotel.
We walked 6.9 miles today.