Cluny

Since the last entry I've been to Dijon, back via Beaune onto the Voie Verte...or Green Path for cycling along thru the vineyards of Beaune Haut Cote stayed the night before last at Santenay then last night at Cluny. I've booked to go to a concert here tomorrow night.

The trip from Beaune to Dijon was along a beautiful valley with limestone walls, too narrow and shaded to grow grapes. I detoured off to a town called Cormantin because the rest of the day was a flat ride along the Canal de Burgoyne ;too easy. Cormantin was 10 km away and had a chateau thought the sign didn't divulge that useful information about the distance. Slow long grind up hill in the heat then an amazing down hill run (but what goes down fast has to go up again.. very slowly) to the chateau. As I rolled up to the gates they slowly but surely shut... automatically..not even someone to plead with or yell at. The garden was shady and nice and the boulangerie still open so I ate my tart de framboise took some photos and ..well ..."it was just another chateau"...rode painfully and determinedly (is that a word?) back up the hill. The Canal de Burgoyne was very pleasant though rather thick and green until it got to about 7 km out of Dijon when it accopanied a freeway. It did lead to almost the centre of Dijon which does seem quite large.

Dijon camping park was full ..really .. so I ended up staying in a boring Ibis hotel right in the centre. It is the capital of Burgundy and Burgundy was independent until the 16th century so it has quite a few heritage buildings and looks in the centre like a little version of Paris. These days the mustard is made from seeds imported from Canada and there is no regional licence for the name Dijon Mustard.

The ride from Dijon went via the quaintest little villages in vineyards via a low frequency traffic road specifically for cyclists which then joins a cycle track along disused railway all the way the Macon. There was vineyard after vinyard but the best thing I did was stop at a very old castle at Bevrey-Cambertin at 10 am . Noone else had arrived for the guided tour so the lass did it in English for just me. Like most old things in France most of the castle had been dismantled during the french revolution but it had then been bought for the remaining vineyards and partly restored and then kept in the same family since. It had a secret passage that lead to the church, a dungeon (called an "oubliette"..where you put someone and forgot) and a food cupboard where the lord put his food after it was tasted by a servant ; in case it was poisoned then waited . there was a second cupboard where the food waited in case of slow acting poison. Lucky I didn't live then. I wouldn't have the patience to wait. The best bit was the cellar where I got to taste a few mls of the Grand Cru Pinoit Noir..to die for. The grapes are handpicked.

That night I stayed in a B&B in Flagy Echezeaux but I could have stayed in Gilly La Citaux in a junior suite at the Chateau Hotel for 496 euro so I didn't. The man who ran the B&B made creme de cassis (blackcurant liqueur) and insisted we have some along with the vin rouge that his friend made while myself and a Dutch couple sat enjoying his beautiful garden.

The day following I headed off along the Voie Verte through more vineyard and higher up so that there were beautiful views of the valley. The riding was easy and I have little recollection of what I did. I ended up at the Santenay camping ground where I sat in a playground listening to a gospel choir in a tent next door belting out old favorites. I went into the town and had a very delightful dinner which I took photos of. I have had some really aweful food so this and the vin rouge were a pleasant change. The chef must have been off the plonk. The Dutch family who arrived at the camping ground at 11pm and whose teenage boys giggled until 1am did rather spoil the effects and I wished I'd had more than one glass. Grumpy old woman I am I was shushing away with absolutely no effect.

Well I'm staying in Cluny for a few day while my knees have a break. I went to Taize and I might go back to find outwhat its about. Its touristy and medieval. then I'm catching the train from Lyon to Aix en Provence to fill in the week before Kate arrives. A Bientot

Beaune

I cant get the gist of this. Is the real estate agent advertising that he is "gay" or doest gay mean he's an optimist and can get you the house you want? The sign on the left says Arthur L'Otimist. Cute shop facade though.

Tomoz heading off to Dijon for a round trip back to Beaune through the vineyards.. then south via a route I came by..The Voie Verte or green way which appears to be a bike and rollerblading path which goes all the way to Macon and possibly to Lyon..though that is a different area about which the Burgundian Tourist info has no information.
it sounds perfect and I have now 19 days to get to Lyon which even for and old chook sounds pretty easy.

Beaune

Got to Beaune late arvo, mainly because I was dog tired and despite it being a rather easy day cycling wise I guess I'm feeling my age after 6 days riding. Beaune is the prototypical French tourist town as well as the heart of the wine growing business in Burgundy. There are "caves"..cellars for tasting and buying everywhere. The buildings,including the ancient Hospice set up in the 12th century and run as a hospital until 1983 are beautifully preserved. It has fabulously restored 14th century paintings and tapistries. Its the one with the decorated roof which is characteristically Burgundian. The town has a wall with Portes which makes it very quaint. The town extends well beyond the walls bu the tourist area within the walls is gorgeous. Lots of clothing shop and Salon Du The's" with beautiful cakes. I decided to have a rest but despite the weather being beautiful I slept most of today and I'm in a restaurant with Wifi gratuit..the best sort.. enjoying the cool of the evening. I'm also trying to get my head around the labels on the wine. Its a bit differnt ot Oz where I tend to pick out the wine based on the art or graphics on the label and the grape variety. Here there is the grape variety, the type of soil composition, the vintener and whether he bottled it all on a very sober label.

Moulinet

I struggled on and up through forests and timber mills and came across this group of old houses with this tower. It was "Propertie Privee" so I didn't get to find out what it was all about. It was probably a grain storage facility. As usual it was in the middle of the day when everyone retires for lunch, shuts their shutters and its like I'm the last person on earth. Its also annoying that when you feel like dejuner , the shops are shut. I'm smart now and get to the boulanerie early , then stick my baguaette on the pack rack. AVERY sad thing occurred just after passing here...my Chablis from Chablis fell of the back and broke.I'm in mourning..it had surveved one fall and 250 km...boo hoo.

Chateau Sully

This wasn't bad first thing in the morning. This Chateau was originally commenced in the 13th century and passed from one family to another as they went broke. In the end an Irish immigrant doctor married the widow . he was a MacMahon. Lots of Irish immigrated in the 7th century and they were called "The Geese" Thats how come Hennesy Cognac is French. It is quite stark on the outside and dark but with amazing paintings which we were not allowed to take photos of.

Autun

This is the modern extension of the military college overlooking the cemetery. I hope they take note. Signing off . On to Beaune tommorrow day 6 then a few days R&R before Lyon.

Autun

The rooves are decorativly patterened. This is the roof odf the military college. The roman arch below I'm not sure about and the street is looking back ot the square beside the church.

Autun

Well here I am after a long downhill through really pretty farmland, in Autun. Its where Napolean Bonaparte went to school. It has a beautiful Cathedral BUT DOGS ARE NOT ALLOWED IN! These dogs are not happy about it and I think that if dogs are allowed anywhere, which they particularly are in France, that the house of God is a reasonable expectation. These dogs were very upset so I had to pat them.

Mt Beauvray

Today was the big climb day. Up up then very steeply up to the summit of Mount Beauvray. Its more of a hill but quite steep so I had to get off and walk. It was found to be the site of a Gaul city so has been dug up and bits put in a very beautiful EU funded museum. The city and the museum are called Bibracte. It has very good models and diagrams of the fortifications , the lifestyle (men killing things and others and making jewellry), women cooking it. Dates from 300 bc or b4 and the Gauls lost the plot when the romans came and civilized them round 200 0 years ago. The top of the hill is cleared and has been used for 1800 years for country fairs..which one can imagine with all the shady trees around.

This was the nougat glace... though I have to admit that the layout is a little like Ronald McDonald's head

Chateau Chinon

This one's for you Bryan. Road on for another 50 km with the hills getting a bit bigger. Stopped and had a great lunch..steak and something called Nougat Glace at a place called Planchez. It was a lovely restaurant but it was a pity that there was only me and a large man with loud nose breathing. Then feeling much better about the hills on to Chateau Chinon (no chateau) whose claim to fame was theat Francois Mitterand had been mayor there before becoming President of France.....and this fountain.

This a Chateau Hotel 4 star which I didn;t stay in. I headed further south into the Morvan. It is really out of the way timber country ...sort of like the Dargo of Burgundy. There are adventure sports , lots of mauled forests , pine plantations, bugs and its cold. So much for the light weight sleeping bag because France will be so hot. Ha ha. Froze my buns off at St Brisson.. a town of very little food or merit.

Chablis

To Chablis where I tased and purchased a bottle of the original. It fell off the bike but survived so I'm keeping it till the troups arrive to help me drink it..if it doesn't fall off again.

Burgundy Landscape

On and up through the landscape of tiny villages wth thier church spires and red roof houses, wheat and cornfields

Vezelay

I went to hae a look in the basilica and Mass had started but it was a sung mass and done by the nuns and brothers . it just rand in the huge space . They wore white robes and the apse was lit . It was so beautiful it brought tears to my eyes. THEN 4 women had a concert of medieval chants so I went to that too and it was truly spectacular. No need for amplification. Then there were fireworks and a disco in the square with lots of biere.. so I hit the sack .

to Vezelay

Thats where I was going. Its actually a UNESCO World Heritage site. The Basilica is atop the hill and the village on the side. The basilica is to Mary Magdalene (La Madeline in French). It just happened to be the Feu de Madeline. WOW..ussually I'm there the day before or the day after any happenings but I was right on time.

The Vallee de Couzin

Then on thru the Vallee de Couzin along the Couzin river under a canopy of oakes. ts easy to imagine the knights galloping along to Avallon. Theres even a very old tower where the valley narrows where guards could keep watch.

Day 2 was a ripper

Lunch at Avallon as in Knights Templar fame

La Tente

he "Camping municipal " was also fortifed with ancient walls and a locked gate. Nifty system is that you get the key with 15 euro's deposit then when you return it you get it refunded and pay the hefty sum of 1.5 Euros per night. For that you get a shower that works and one of those toilets..theyre a bit hard on the cycling knees

Noyers

A quick 38 km and I was in the heart of Burgundy and noyers is a touristy medieval village..walled with lots of artists and crafty people selling great stuff. Sdaly , I couldn't oblige.

Auxerre

Bugger, got the wrong one and not sure how to erase. Got up early Friday after a good nights sleep.. ..the wine helped me ignore my neighbours.. and got on the train for Auxerre. Its about 2 hrs from Paris in the south east direction and part of northern Burgundy (Burgoyne). its on a river..name escapes me.. and is a base for canal boating. Its also old with cobblestone streets and half timbered houses.

This one is a big mountain of trash spilling forward with a metal pipe sticking out. Mmmmm what was he thinking...nb the trash didn't smell so I thing the authenticity is a bit flawed.

Exhibits at the Palais

This one is a bit hard to see. The flash , which works all the time when you dont want it to, didn't ..but basically its a likesize elephant made of fibre glass but he surface felt VERY like elephants skin...I think. Its standing on its nose.

Other things at the Palais

This exhibit is a room full of Darth vaders

Creations at the Palais

Bongettis in Paris

Drinking Andrew's wine in their Paris appartment.

Wandering round in Paris

At 9 pm you dont have much choice in hotels. I headed to the area of the Gare du Lyon and the hotel Viator which we stayed in last time. Its gone a bit up market since then and I think the sight and smell of me was reason enough for them not to have any rooms. Next few I tried likewise. The the 2 star "Hotel De France" with free wifi could give me a room for the exorbitant price of 75 euro per night ...BUT...It was a room sort of on the first floor which didn't really need the elevator...too bad if I was unable to climb the stairs with my 10 tons of luggage b'cos the elevator didn't stop on that floor. AND...workman would be in to repair the flooring at 9am the next morning. They didn't mention that the wifi didn't work and that the walls were so thin that the couple somewhere in the vicinity "enjoying themselves" would go on half the night...plus the hole in the false ceiling with wires hanging out. I am just a grumpy old woman! Had to do a deal about the wifi to get free brekkie the next morning and headed off feeling somewhat vindicated. I've seem most of the big tourist attractions in Paris (except the sewers..not my cup of tea though Bryan raves about them) so I decided to buy a novel and get a ticket on the boat that goes up and down the Seine ..I could admire the city from the boat and wouldn't have to move unless I felt motivated. Sometime round lunch time I thoght that a trip to the Orangerie, whic I'd missed last time , would be interesting. It was closed for lunch first try so I had lunch in the Tuileries Garden then trotted off to wait in the inevitable queue. The collection of impressionist paintings was pleasant and familiar but it doesn't have the breadth of the Musee Dorsay. Very nice collection of Modiglianis though and some lovely Renoir's. After that I thought I'd look for the museum of modern art that I saw from the river. I was crossing the road to get back on the boat when someone called out "Sue!" It wasn't the usual auditory hallucinations that you tend to get on your own after a while..it was the whole Bongetti family, who had spotted me. Le monde est petit alright. We ended up having tea and spurred on by Andrew's bravery I had esgargot...little grey curly things swimming in garlic butter. I did get to the museum of modern art but went in the wrong bit to the "Palais" which had very modern stuff...

Back in France..Paris actually

I rode to the border of Holland and Belgium in one day then on Tuesday tried to ride thru Belgium in one day. It is small but not that small I realized as I rode on into the evening...vowing to stop at the next anything resembling accommodation at 6pm but not actually finding any until reaching the town of Namour at 9pm. 50 km short. I was dead. If it wasn't raining steadily from Namour onwards I think it would have been the nicest area I've been to. A narrow valley with steep rocky sides, forests and the beautiful Meusse windi, ng thru. The river looks very calm and still because of the spillway and lock system
There is both commercial and pleasure traffic on the river and some bicycle pathways. The area is called the "Ardenne" Just the odd nuclear power plant peeping over the hills. Finally got back to France and caught the train to Paris last night . Trying to do some washing ( and there's the matter of the hemhorroid which has made the cycling a little bit more painful..yes too much information) and recover before the next ride which will in Burgundy from Auxerre to Dijon then on to Lyon to meet Kate.

Bikes in Holland

Holland is a flat land. There is apparently one hill but otherwise it is all flat. Damian describes it as one big drain. Bikes are an institution. Everyone rides. From birth you ride with your mum or dad. If you have 2 children close in age you get a bike like this. You then teach your kid to ride as early as possible. hey yhen can ride to school which they do rain hail or snow. Most bikes are old and teenages wouldn't be seen dead on a new flashy bike. Old rusty bikes are de riguer for teenagers. Young girls will be riding along talking on the mobile dinking a friend. Very few of those pesky 50cc scooters thank heavens. Middle age woman ride fully laden with groceries. You can tell the tourists. They're the ones wearing Lycra and bike helmets. The odd guy training in lycra will wear a helmet but its a bit of a joke training on flat terrain on a bike path. They cant train anywhere else. Its actually illegal to ride off a bike path and the motorists will soon tell you"verboden, verboden!!" How do I know? I was trying to cross a waterway and attempted to via a freeway on ramp. Told off by several motorists. Fine apparently is heavy. Shopping centres and stations have bike racks and lockups the size of which is indescribable. The bike paths are everywhere. You dont generally have to pick a small road on the map as you would do in other countries to avoid heavy traffic as all roads of a certain size appear to have paths with signage and lights. Smaller roads have a well demarcated bike lane besides. AND BIKES HAVE RIGHT OF WAY OVER TRAFFIC!!

Love these small lifting bridges..theyre all over Holland. Reminds me of that Van Gogh painting.

Utrecht

I couldnt miss Utrecht but by the time I got there it was late afternoon and the tourist attractions (Climbing the tower of the Dom, galleries) were closed. It is very old , older than Amsterdam and long time a centre for arts and commerce. The canals are below ground level with restaurants and bars. I went to the trendiest bar...I know because Damians son Aussie Luke works there "Broewers" meaning "brothers. Luckily I didn't run into him at first so I didnt have a cocktail..just a cup of tea and pink cake. Sally I thought of you as I took the first bite and quickly whipped out the camera.

Amsterdam form the boat

Amsterdam

I had only planned to stay a few days in Holland. At the wedding I met Barbara, who was appaulled that I should not see Amsterdam so took me there for the Sunday morning. She thought that the best way to see Amsterdam was via the canals. In Holland there is water everywhere and the cities are all surrounded by canals with usually a canal running through. Amsterdam has a series of concentric canals joined by other little canals with beautiful old houses . The canals go out to the river/estuary. The canals used to be so clean that the beer was brewed from the water centuries ago.People live on canal boats serviced by sewerage and other utilities Now not so but they do flush the canals out. There is, unlike France, a lot of modern architecture (think Mondrian and Mies Van Der Rohe) .

The Wedding Crasher

I took the liberty, what with being on the same continent , of dropping in for Karen Dove's little brother's wedding in Odijk in Holland. (Sorry about the quality of the photo. I have finally worked out how to reduce the aperture on the camera permanently. ) The wedding was held at Marsbergen a beautiful spot where Princess Margaretha was married.Brenda's dress was red raw silkand she and Damian glowed! The service was in Dutch and was followed by a BBQ...what else? Karen looked alright too. Peta, Denise and Karen's daughter Vicki were there along with Des and Kath and they were all squished into Damian and Brenda's abode. Des showed me Damian's physio practice which he built in Houten 2 years ago.It is very modern and going great guns.