Bourgogne trip

We've been on a few little trips lately.  Here's a recap of one of them...

In early October we spent a weekend in Bourgogne (aka Burgundy).  We meandered toward our b&b via back roads, stopping to see Pontigny Abbey, eat lunch and drink Chablis in Chablis, and visit Vézelay - a hilltop village that is a UNESCO world heritage site. After staying one night at Le Domaine de Drémont bed and breakfast, we stopped at an archaeological bath/mineral springs site on our way home.

Pontigny Abbey was founded in 1114.  It's very old.  This colored writing was painted on one of the walls.  There wasn't much information posted in the abbey, so I'm not sure when it dates from or what it's significance is.  But it's interesting to look at!

In Chablis I ate a snail.  It wasn't gross or anything, but it's still not something I would order for myself.  It's the idea of it that gets me.  However, I did get a kick out of the special device made specifically for holding the shell while you dig out the snail.  We also drank some very good Grand Cru Chablis with our lunch and then went for a little stroll around the town.  The weather wasn't so hot, but we got a few moments of sun during our walk.

Vézelay was quite nice.  There is one shop and restaurant-lined cobblestone street leading up the hill towards Basilique Sainte-Marie-Madeleine, which is the main attraction of the town.  It always seems wrong to see people dressed in modern clothes strolling around on medieval streets like that.  We browsed the shops, visited the basilica, and ate dinner in one of the restaurants.  The view from the grounds of the basilica at the top of the hill is really lovely.  No matter where we go, the views over the French countryside are always my favorite part of the trip.

The bed and breakfast that we stayed at is located on a working farm.  There were sheep and horses that I could see, and these two amazing dogs that just sort of trotted around like they owned the place.  The walls of the living/dining room in the b&b were upholstered in a really lovely fabric.  I am a sucker for upholstered walls.

At the archaeological site on the way back, we sampled some of the salty mineral water.  It didn't taste very good, but we got the full experience.  We browsed around the foundations of the different rooms of the ancient bath house.  It was quite cold outside that day, and I took a moment to be grateful for indoor plumbing and the fact that I don't have to hike across a field and take a bath with 50 of my neighbors in a slimy stone pool.