Burgundy, France

Dinner at my favorite restaurant William Frachot in the Chapeau Rouge Hotel in Dijon.

I warn you not to look at these pictures if you are hungry.  October was the Burgundy Tasting Menu which included Snails, Frogs Legs, Egg in Red Wine, Beef Burgundy, Blackberries in Meringue and a Gingerbread Soufflé.  These were all delicacies made famous from Burgundy.  I'm giving you the English translation so there is no question as to what we dined on that evening.

A little starter to tickle the taste buds.

The brioche is so good I must contain myself and eat only one.

The chief's version of escargot (snails) with mushrooms now in season.

Egg in red wine sauce

I was wondering how I was going to find room for the Beef Burgundy course which is normally a hearty meal in itself.  The chief brilliantly deconstructed the dish and served a small amount but amazingly tasty. 

Beef Burgundy which melted in my mouth.

This is France, and the cheeses from Burgundy are incredible.  After so many courses (not all shown) how will we find room for the cheese course?

The Chapeau Rouge cheese selection some of which I hadn't sampled before.

A few new cheeses plus some old favorites.

Blackberries with Meringue...a unique presentation.

Tom had the Gingerbread Souffle

I can't wait to return next spring for another delicious meal at Restaurant William Frachot in Chapeau Rouge Hotel.

Things didn't go as smoothly as we would have liked this year.  From losing our wonderful captain shortly after the season started, to the pilot house breaking down, and finally losing our electronic gear shift so we couldn't move the boat...it was difficult.  I almost forgot that the boiler (which heats the boat) decided to give up.  And it was getting cold!  (Fortunately, our air-conditioning system has a reverse cycle which works well to heat the boat so long as the outside temperature doesn't go below 40 degrees F.  And that's exactly how low it was at night.)  In spite of these setbacks we still had a great time.

Being stranded on the Burgundy Canal between St Jean de Losne and Dijon, Tom made the executive decision to rig up a pulley system whereby he could give directions to Nathalie who became our gear shifter.    It wasn't easy but we made it to Dijon.  Under perfect weather conditions maneuvering our 130 foot 200 tonne boat is challenging.  Unfortunately this was when the weather decided to throw us another curve ball and it became very windy.  At least if we were going to be stuck for a few weeks waiting for repairs, being in Dijon would mean we had access to food, and a lovely town to hang out in.

Nathalie as our Top Gear.

The system of lines and pulley's from the transmission to the wheel house so we could get to Dijon.  It's looking like our crew kept the engine room clean, neat and tidy.

When guests visit us on Rabelo we normally have a plan.  We like to give them the experience of cruising, walking along the beautiful canals, and then do some sightseeing by car.  We all know about the best laid plans.  Unfortunately our friends Ilana and Tom arrived during this time of limited heat on Rabelo, a rather chilly month, and no way to go cruising.  We decided they should see some of Dijon which is a wonderful city to explore.

The Museum of Fine Arts in Dijon was founded in 1787 during the Age of Enlightenment.  It is known for its collections related to the Dukes of Burgundy and is located in their former palace.  I love viewing the tombs of Philippe le Hardi (Bold), Jean sans Peur (John the Fearless) and Margaret of Bavaria with their mourners.

Beautiful tomb with the intricately carved mourners below.

Detail of the mourners.

One of two exquisite gothic style gilded altarpieces from the 14th century.  They were used to tell the bible stories to the citizens.  They were made in three sections and designed to be closed.

Detail of one altar piece. 

View as we walked from the Burgundy Canal up to Chateauneuf.

Looking up at Chateauneuf.

Chateauneuf

Visiting Santenay, and watching the Dragon Boat Races in Saint Jean de Losne, France

Another successful visit to Domaine Chateau de Santenay.  Note the beautiful and traditional Burgundian tile roof.

Some of you may wonder why we return to the same places over and over again.  There is the comfort of seeing something familiar while traveling in a foreign country.  Then there is the excitement of experiencing something new in a familiar place.  With all of our traveling we've never seen a harvest and crush actually taking place.  We have seen the bare grape vines, the grapes maturing on the vines, the trimming and pruning of the vines, but never the act of grapes being picked, brought into the winery where they are de-stemmed, crushed, and placed into the barrels or steel tanks for aging.  This year we were lucky.  We had returned to the lovely little town of Santenay where we always visit Domaine Chateau de Santenay for some tasting and certainly the purchase of their wine.  While our Rabelo wine refrigerator is full and the season coming to a close, I couldn't resist purchasing a few more bottles for next year.  Unfortunately (or fortunately depending on how you look at it), even my spare closet is rapidly filling with the bottles of wine and champagne that don't fit in the refrigerator.

A beautiful day for picking grapes.

Grapes being brought in from the fields.

The grapes were lined up waiting for the next step.

Freshly picked grapes are placed in this vat where they are moved into the de-stemming machine.

Grapes are separated from their stems.

Someone has a green thumb.

The views as we cruise along the Canal du Centre are lovely with little old villages alongside the canal and fields of grapes running up to the tree line.

For hire boats are popular and we encountered a traffic jam in Chagny.  We moved aside at the turnout so the faster, smaller boats could pass us.

Free range chickens we encountered during one of our walks along the canal.  I was disappointed to discover they only sell to the public on Saturday mornings.  I'm still trying to find fresh eggs that we can purchase direct from the farmer.

The weather is changing.

Art and flowers by a lock in Fragnes.

Misty morning walk in Fragnes.

A young baker hard at work.

The last lock on the Canal du Centre before entering the River Saone is 35 feet deep.

It was a very tight fit for us with only inches to spare front an back.

Once we were on the beautiful River Saone and out of the canal system, we could travel faster.  The leaves were changing, enhancing the scenery with the different fall colors.  The car and motor scooter were on deck since we were traveling back to Saint Jean de Losne and wouldn't need road transportation for a few days.

Cruising on the Saone River

We returned to St Jean de Losne in time to watch the Dragon Boat Races.  Of course we had no idea what the Dragon Boat Races were, but we were sure we needed to experience them.

This is what the front of the dragon boats look like.

Behind the face of the dragon sits a drummer beating on a drum as hard as they can while screaming for the team to paddle as hard as they can in unison with the drum.  The racers were men and women with an assortment of ages.

One Dragon Boat Team.

Each race that we saw went quickly.  The person standing in the back of the boat handles the rudder.

 While the boats were racing along the river there was a marching band entertaining the few spectators that had turned out for the races.

The marching band had musicians of all ages.

I had never heard of a Yarn Bomb until a fiber artist friend explained what I was seeing all over Saint Jean de Losne.  I honestly don't understand why anyone would go to such time and expense to knit up all sorts of garments in order to decorate a town. It did bring color and humor to the town.

The french need to stop smoking.  This is a common view all over.  In 2012 30 billion butts littered the sidewalks, parks and beaches of France.  In Paris alone there were 350 tonnes of butts.  Paris has now enacted a fine of 68 Euros if you are caught dropping a cigarette butt OR not cleaning up after your dog.  It's a beginning but I'd like to see this fine enforced all over France.