MORE OF CRUISING THROUGH BURGUNDY

Rabelo is coming out of a lock with Chateauneuf in the background.

A view of Rabelo at her mooring in Vandenesse from Chateauneuf

At the end of last year we discussed where we would cruise this year.  We loved Burgundy so much we decided to return for a second season.  It was an excellent decision. There were more chateau to visit, villages to explore, restaurants with new cuisine for us, and markets to shop at.

Lock 8 on the Burgundy Canal is one of our favorite local restaurants.

Here was the menu.  Delicious.  It changes daily according to the chief's whim and what she found at the market that day.

This was the main dish.  Ok, it isn't a Michelin starred meal but it was excellent, especially for 14 Euro.

You would think that since we were cruising thru Burgundy which is famous for the delicious wines they produce, that we would be cruising through beautiful vineyards.  There is not a single vineyard to be seen from the canal.  Instead we see green fields, cows grazing, and the trees that line our watery path. 

We get to see different cows, not just the famous white cows.

A view of the Burgundy canal from Rabelo.

Again, fishing is a sport that no one is denied access to .

A great collection of old farming equipment we found on a walk down the Burgundy canal.

Another walk with beautiful scenery.

Tom caught this view of the early morning light.

Commarin is another chateau that we visited.  Since the family still lives in part of the castle only certain areas are open to the public and only with a tour guide.  The name of Commarin was first mentioned in 1214.  In 1476 it was shown as a castle with four big towers of which two still exist.  The Pigeonerrey, which was also built in 1476, fell down recently but was rebuilt with the same stone.  Since 1214 it has never been sold and has always been passed along the family thru inheritance.  It was fortunately spared by the wars and the revolution.

This is over the doorway of the stables

Inside the stables.

Chateau Commarin

Commarin from another angle

Barging Through Burgundy Continues… Chateauneuf and Semur-en-Auxois

Lunch at the beautiful Abbaye de lal Bussiere

Recently I was sitting under a large umbrella watching the leaves gently falling from magnificent old trees while bees were busily gathering pollen from the lavender plants.  It’s FALL here!

Since we are in Vandenesse–en-Auxois for an extended period of time and have a car we decided to explore the surrounding area. 

We lunched at the Abbaye de la Boussiere.  As you can see we were enamored by the whole experience there.

Abbaye de la Bussiere with a Michelin starred restaurant.  The owners took a run down Abbaye and have been lovingly restoring it and turned it into a magnificent hotel.

An interior view

One view of the grounds.

There are even little ponies grazing on the lush lawns.

Viewing Chateauneuf from the Burgundy Canal.  Can it get any better?

Picking berries coming down from Chateauneuf.  They were delicious!

We walked up to Chateauneuf.  Our reward was lunch at the top…two times.  We had a fabulous time there.  We met and got to know (briefly) tourists from all parts of the world.  The food at the crepe restaurant was delicous.

A detail in Chateauneuf over a doorway.

 We discovered the delightful town of Semur-en-Auxois in the heart of Burgundy.  The population is 4500 and lies half way between Paris and Lyon. It is a delightful medieval city and worth spending a day exploring by foot.

Semur city gate

Semur is a charming town.

Semur with its medieval buildings.

Notre-Dame Church with construction that started in the 1220's.  It was badly damaged during the revolution and restored in 1846.  It is an excellent example of Gothic Art.

These stained glass windows from the XV Century are for the chapel of the butcher. 

This is possibly the last boat-shaped-wash house left in Burgundy.  It was built in 1906.

Rampart and towers.

Look closely and you can see how they are trying to keep the tower from crumbling.

The distinctive white cattle of Burgundy.  Here is  a Charolles bull.

Barging Through the Burgundy Countryside

We drooled over grapes almost ready to be picked.

The Millers and McLean’s took Paris by storm.  Then the Hayes’ joined us to go barging thru the Burgundy countryside.

Once we were all together at the Paris train station it was off to Dijon.  Since we hadn’t been on board Rabelo in days it was time to market.  First stop was Grand Frais which has beautiful produce, a butcher, a cheese section, and extremely important…a boulangerie.  But we weren’t done.  We were missing some key items, so the next stop was E. LeClerc for wine and other sundry bits and pieces.

A pretty view walking thru a town.

With only 4 full days on Rabelo we wanted to show our friends as much as possible.  But sightseeing had to be balanced with the appropriate amount of time cruising.  After all, they can tour Burgundy on their own by car or bicycle, but most people don’t have the opportunity to see the countryside on a private barge.  Our days were full of cruising, touring, eating, drinking, eating, drinking and most important of all…being with great friends and time filled with laughter!  Lots of laughter!  What a wonderful way to enjoy our friendships!

Enjoying our fabulous dinner of fresh mussels on deck.

I felt like a cruise director with every day carefully scheduled to maximize our time together.  Our first morning we went to the Gaugry cheese factory.  Among the various cheeses they produce is Epoisse.  After touring the cheese factory it was time to move Rabelo.  We cruised to a village where we were able to walk around and see examples of the tile roofs famous in Burgundy.  We also viewed buildings from mediaeval times.  We enjoyed watching the children converging on their school.

The cheese factory Gaugry

Our friends came prepared.  They promised to be more than just "eye candy."

Who says I never allow anyone in my kitchen?

I found this little guy up on a building in a village we walked thru.

We were flashed!  It's always good to get off the boat and walk along the canal for a while.

There was a beautiful mosaic around the building of Moillard winery.

Clever painting on the exterior of a building.  One might think we were in the wine country.

 Our second day we spent the morning cruising, had lunch at Le Charlemagne which is a one star Michelin restaurant (which I would pass on in the future), went to Maillard to purchase some wines for Rabelo (without tasting) and then had a wonderful treat.  Thanks to our captain Julian we were able to get a private tour and tasting at the winery Domaine Gros Frere et Soeur.  Their grape vines are neighbors to the Romanee Conti vineyards, which are considered the most expensive red wines in the world.  Where we ate lunch a bottle of Romanee Conti was priced at $8000.00 U.S.D.!  What we bought from Domaine Gros Frere et Soeur was expensive for us but certainly not in that stratosphere.

We visited the famous Romanee Conti vinyards.

The redone floor in the tasting room of Domaine Gros Frere et Soeur.  Notice the grand piano behind our group. 

We had a fabulous tasting in the cellar.

Colette Richebourg of Domaine Gros Frere et Soeur was kind enough to guide us thru our tasting.  Since she spoke only French Julian was our translator.  Never have we seen a cellar or tasting room such as hers. The cellar we tasted in is over 300 years old.  In 2008 they added the lit flooring.  We asked what the hail did to their crops.  In the Cote-d’Or, the Cote de Nuits section lost 10% of their crop.  In Cote de Beaune they lost 70% of their grapes.  Since 1880 the winery has been in their current location.  Before that they were next door.  When I asked how many years her family had owned the winery she told me I would have to go to the cemetery to count the generations.

Our third day was Friday the best day to explore the covered market in Dijon, and I was on a mission.  Off we went by car for a tour.  From there we took our purchases (including the mussels that we wanted for dinner that night) and went for lunch at Au Clos Napoleon in the town of Fixin, which produces fabulous red wines.  We must like this restaurant because it is our third time having lunch there.  What isn’t to like when the food is excellent and the setting amongst the vineyards idyllic?

I counted out my Euro's to make sure I had enough to make the purchases we wanted.

They had some very old wine.

Ancien Vendangeoir des Moines de Saint Vivant de Vergy.  This is in the courtyard of Romanee Conti where I peeked in the gate.

Back to McDonalds.  Trying to stay connected.

Gotta love 'em.

Rabelo is changing her colors and looking goooood.

After touring the covered market, lunch in a vineyard, it was time to go cruising again.

Our last full day together was Saturday and we needed to keep the barge moving.  That allowed us to relax on board when we choose to, and walk along the canal for miles and miles.  There were so many happy pictures to choose from during the short time the McLeans and Hayes' were with us I could have filled a scrapbook.  I have included just a taste of what our few days together were like.

Parting is such sweet sorrow.