After 13 months in Switzerland, my parents have been able to come visit. When they arrived (very jetlagged) we had fun unpacking...it was like Christmas for me! They were able to meet Barbara and Norbert and the girls and have 2 fabulous dinners with the family. I toured them around Basel and they also got to see the VanGogh exhibit at the Basel art museum. After a couple days in Basel we rented a car and were off to France.
We stayed in Beaune, the heart of Burgandy and GREAT wine! Beaune was very nice...Frenchy! We explored the small town, toured the Hotel-Dieu, rode bikes, and drank wine! Beaune still has portions of the old wall around the city that you can walk around and see; we enjoyed this walk, but we LOVED the bike ride we did! We rented bikes for an afternoon and thought that we would ride to some vineyards and taste wine...we didn't realize we would ride through NOTHING BUT vineyards and have lots of wine drinking oppurtunities. We would ride through vineyard countryside and at each town, in many garages, were people making wine!
We did a nice self guided walk through the Hotel Dieu. It was built in the 1200s after the plague as a hostpice for the poor but was sure nice! The buildings were asbsolutely beautiful, especially the ornate roof tops. The building also has the most weather vains than any other building in France! It was interesting to walk through the hospital wards, chapel and the pharmacy. It is also home to some beautiful tapestries and paintings.
Beaune is the larger town in the area so we spent a day cruising the Burgundy countryside driving...destination Chateau Alil. We took little back roads and drove through some of the cutest little towns I have ever seen. My parents couldn't believe how you have this idea, postcard beauty, of what it will look like, and in this area, IT DOES! The chateau was really pretty and had great views of the valley. We continued on to Pully-Montrachet and tased lots of great wine.
Beaune is also where we ate Burgundy food...and was it amazing! Escargo, chevre salads, everything cooked in wine, a separate cheese course...we managed to do pretty well! Next stop...Chamonix!
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