A tale of two weekends
So this weekend was our trip to Burgundy to celebrate our anniversary (yeah us!). We had an interesting discussion when planning the trip. I suggested that we stay in a chateau in the country (something we had never done before), but Gretchen thought that, for a variety of reasons, we should stay at a hotel in town somewhere. In the end, we chose a chateau:
It was quite nice, but it was in the middle of NOWHERE. At one point we opened our window and literally the only thing we could hear were sheep eating grass (that's not an exaggeration--you'd be surprised how loud they can chew). I guess being in the middle of nowhere is part of the charm, but it threw us off. Then, Saturday morning we drove a half-hour to the charming town of Beaune, where I was promptly seized with a bout of stomach distress that was anxiety-inducing (for me) and frustrating (for Gretchen) that resulted in us having to drive back to the chateau and my spending most of Saturday in bed. What a fun anniversary weekend! Later that day when I was feeling better we decided we needed a change of plans so on Sunday morning we ditched the chateau and spent our last night at a hotel in Beaune instead. It was like our weekend started anew.
We drove through the vineyards of Burgundy, where the leaves had turned a vivid gold (the region is known as the Côte d'Or, and evidently the name comes from the turning of the leaves in fall).
As we drove through the town of Nuits-St-Georges, we noticed that almost everyone was carrying at least one baguette. You would almost think it was a parody, it was so stereotypically French-looking. So naturally we had to explore, and sure enough we came across a boulangerie with a line out the door (on a Sunday, no less--even in the touristy parts of the Alsace, shops are seldom open on Sundays). So we got in line, bought a fresh baguette, and wolfed it down by the time we got back to the car.
And most of all, we really enjoyed Beaune itself. We tasted and bought some good wine, ate some good food, and were fascinated by the history and ornate glazed-tile rooftops of the Hôtel-Dieu (Hospices of Beaune).
So the beginning of the weekend--not so good (although we would actually recommend the chateau for anyone who was looking for a real getaway). But the latter part of the weekend--excellent. Overall, I give a big thumbs-up to Bourgogne.
It was quite nice, but it was in the middle of NOWHERE. At one point we opened our window and literally the only thing we could hear were sheep eating grass (that's not an exaggeration--you'd be surprised how loud they can chew). I guess being in the middle of nowhere is part of the charm, but it threw us off. Then, Saturday morning we drove a half-hour to the charming town of Beaune, where I was promptly seized with a bout of stomach distress that was anxiety-inducing (for me) and frustrating (for Gretchen) that resulted in us having to drive back to the chateau and my spending most of Saturday in bed. What a fun anniversary weekend! Later that day when I was feeling better we decided we needed a change of plans so on Sunday morning we ditched the chateau and spent our last night at a hotel in Beaune instead. It was like our weekend started anew.
We drove through the vineyards of Burgundy, where the leaves had turned a vivid gold (the region is known as the Côte d'Or, and evidently the name comes from the turning of the leaves in fall).
As we drove through the town of Nuits-St-Georges, we noticed that almost everyone was carrying at least one baguette. You would almost think it was a parody, it was so stereotypically French-looking. So naturally we had to explore, and sure enough we came across a boulangerie with a line out the door (on a Sunday, no less--even in the touristy parts of the Alsace, shops are seldom open on Sundays). So we got in line, bought a fresh baguette, and wolfed it down by the time we got back to the car.
And most of all, we really enjoyed Beaune itself. We tasted and bought some good wine, ate some good food, and were fascinated by the history and ornate glazed-tile rooftops of the Hôtel-Dieu (Hospices of Beaune).
So the beginning of the weekend--not so good (although we would actually recommend the chateau for anyone who was looking for a real getaway). But the latter part of the weekend--excellent. Overall, I give a big thumbs-up to Bourgogne.
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