One thing this area of France (Dijon, Bourgogne), and really much of France, is known for is wine. With 60 km of vineyards spanning a few hundred feet across, from Dijon down to Macon, the area produces some of France’s most famous wines.
We had the pleasure of taking a bus trip down the Côte de Nuits to the town of Beaune. On the trip we passed by 20 km of vinyards and several small villages. The bus driver maneuvered through narrow streets in old French villages, coming within a few feet of buildings on turns.
We stopped at Beaune and visited the Hotel Dieu, which used to be a hospital/nursing home. We went through the building, with our guide from the Burgundy School of Business guiding use and offering valuable information.
Inside the courtyard, we could see the roof of the building had colorful tiling – similar to other buildings in the area, like the cathedral in Dijon. Inside there were wooden beds with red blankets and white pillows lining the walls in a cathedral-like room that had an altar at the end – because it was necessary to attend mass even if you couldn’t move.
After finishing there, we went to see the Palais des Ducs, which I didn’t find too impressive, actually. But what was amusing was our journey for the palais started at rue Paradis (Road of Paradise) and ended on rue d’Enfer (Road of Hell).
We had some free time and ate some decadent pastries while drinking some hot drinks (coffee/cappucino/hot chocolate).
On the way back to Dijon, we stopped at the winery our guide, Claude Chapuis, owns. He gave us a tour of the facilities and a breakdown of the process of making wine – then we tasted some white wine – which was good – in the cellar!
