We left Auxerre today for the small village of Puligny-Montrachet, along the Route de Grand Cru.
Halfway to Puligny is the hilltop village of Vezelay which dates to the 11th-century. The village and its basilica are designated UNESCO World Heritage sites. After a short stop in Vezelay, we headed south another hour or so to Beaune in the Cote d’Or, the wine capital of Burgundy. It’s a beautiful town noted for its wine, Burgundian tiled roofing and the fantastic ‘Hospices de Beaune’. We didn’t schedule enough time here – next time!
Puligny is great, as is our lodging. Our host, Suzanne, provided excellent recommendations for dining and a wine tour – all within walking distance. Way too easy.
D.
Today we are transitioning further south. We get an early start and are on the road by 9AM. We are driving to Puligny-Montrachet with stops in Vezelay and Beaune. We stop in Vezelay to see the Abbaye de Vezelay, St. Madeleine Basilica. It is said that the holy relics of the Saint Mary Madeleine (Magdalene) are interred in the crypt and we did see them. Who am I to question whose they are? Parts of the Basilica date to the 9th century and are remarkably preserved. The interior was beautiful, but not as elaborate as I expected given the significance of the building.
We then drove down to Beaune (ranked one of Burgundy’s most beautiful villages). We toured the Hospices de Beaune, very interesting. A beautiful building that was built in the 16th century as a hospital for the poor. The benefactor spared no expense on the building and wrote a charter that preserved his vision of health care for the poor and infirm into the 20th century. It only stopped being a hospital at the current location within the last 50 years. We also took a quick tour around the Collegiale Notre Dame, before stopping for a libation and a cheese plate to hold us until dinner. The one thing about all these lovely little villages is that English is rarely spoken and my French can be circumspect to say the least. Sometimes there is a lot of pointing but we all get it in the end.
We reach our lovely accommodations in Puligny-Montrachet, “La Chouette” around 5. This is the quintessential small French Village located in the middle of the Route de Grand Cru in Burgundy. It is harvest season, life is good.
M.
