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| There's the silver and grey-green of wheat blowing in the wind |
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| There's the green of spring wildflowers |
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| There's newly mowed lawn green |
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| And there's the green of new wheat standing tall above Mont St. Jean |
How many colors of green are there? As we look out over the Burgundian hills, we are amazed by how many greens there are. What a magnificent place to be in the Spring!
This week, we have had a difficult time. We could barely tear ourselves away from this gorgeous town to see the other sites in the area. We simply didn't want to move or to drive anywhere, because we were so happy here. So for another day, we enjoyed the local sites, walked some new trails (new to us), had a relaxing picnic lunch out on the terrace and met some interesting locals. The people here are very friendly and welcoming.
Then, the following day, we decided we needed to head out to explore some of the other towns and villages in the area. Here is a sampling of what we saw.
On Tuesday morning, we took a quick walk around town, then drove over to Chateauneuf.
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| 360 degree hilltop view above Mont St Jean - we like to walk every morning before our adventures and this is one of the views |
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| The end of the "trail" carefully manicured by the locals who care so much for their community |
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| The wine we enjoyed from our neighbor's "garage" |
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| Dragon water spout - art for the mundane |
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| On our way up the hill to Chateauneuf - quite a dramatic setting - to intimidate the enemy! |
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| Chateauneuf advertising |
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| Entrance to the Chateauneuf castle. |
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| We enjoyed a delightful country lunch of "coq au vin" and "fried ham" in this little local cafe -in Chateauneuf |
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| Castle moat |
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| Entrance, where the drawbridge used to be |
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| Impenetrable walls...the villagers were comforted by its presence |
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| You can see the drawbridge supports at the back of the castle |
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| Using local materials for a trellis - lovely simplicity |
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| For comparison shopping |
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| Lovely stained glass window at Chateauneuf cathedral. |
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| Whimsical animal carvings by a local artist |
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| Peonies flourish here |
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| Garden borders made from woven twigs |
After lunch we drove over to Beaune - the center of wine tasting and the famous hospice which resides in the Hotel Dieu.
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| Note the elaborate tile work on the roof of the Hotel Dieu - the famous Hospice of Beaune |
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| Even the metal work on the well is elaborate |
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| Hospice interior - where the poor and the ill were well cared for in individual beds beginning in the 1400's. This remained a hospital until the 1970's when it finally was closed and opened as a museum. The yearly wine auction now provides funds for the maintenance of the site. |
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| Hospice chapel available for the sick to attend right from their bed |
On Wednesday, we decided to take the whole day to drive a circle-route to the northeast and visit Sameur en Auxios (an ancient fortified medieval village known for its colorful houses and beautiful setting), the Abbey of Fontenay (a UNESCO world heritage site and one of the oldest Cistercian monastaries remaining) and Flavigny - designated as one of the "beaux" villages in France (also of Chocolat fame). We weren't disappointed.
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| Semur en Auxois - a small colorful village - this was a cold day at 12:30 and everyone was inside the cafes; all the shops were closed from 12:00 till 2:00 as is the custom. |
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Cathedral at Semur en Auxois
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| Bright colors on a cloudy day |
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| A house built into a tower |
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| The wall protected the town from invasion |
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| Fontenay Abbey offered manicured lawns and a beautiful setting |
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| The chapel was simple and elegant in its simplicity |
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| The cathedral had dirt floors and plainly decorated columns so that the monks would not be distracted from their worship |
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| Everything here was beautifully serence |
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| Inviting corridors provided us protection from the rain |
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| The chapel windows were adorned with leaves and the glass was tinted pale green and yellow |
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| The monks slept together in this room on pallets placed directly on the dirt floor. |
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| Romanesque architecture |
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| The garden setting was sublime |
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| Engraving on a burial stone |
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| When we arrived at charming little Flavigny, the hail and rain started to come down in buckets. We found shelter in the cathedral where a very nice French lady provided us the history of her church and the story behind many of the secular icons displayed there. |
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| Welcome sign |
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| We visited the charming little "Anis bon bon" shop which originated in Flavigny and now offers a multitude of candy flavors. |
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| Narrow streets of ancient Flavigny |
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| It was a cold rainy day and no one (not even the tourists) were out. |
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| In the medieval ages, at times the cathedral housed up to 2000 monks and hence a second floor was built to accommodate everyone worshiping there. Often the poor brought along their entire families, including livestock, in order to find refuge. |
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| This boutique window and door is the famous window from the film, Chocolat, where she defiantly displayed her tempting treats during Lent - right across the square from the cathedral. |
On Thursday, we decided to view some Roman ruins, so we drove Southwest to Autun. Here are a few of the things we saw:
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| The St. Gene Cathedral was huge and filled with numerous styles of stained-glass windows |
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| Fountains in the village square |
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| Soaring gothic ceilings greeted us as we entered |
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| Ornate carvings covered the walls and columns |
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| A massive organ dominated |
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| Pride of ownership - squirrel nutkin ironwork |
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| The Roman amphitheater - said originally to accommodate up to 20,000 spectators. |
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| 2000+ year old stone steps were well worn, but still lasting into the 21st C! This amphitheater is still used by the locals for sports events. |
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| The tower of "Janus" misnamed by a researcher in the 18th C. The deity worshiped by the Romans remains unknown. |
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| The temple - two sides remain standing. Cows graze happily in the pastures nearby. |
We were tired that night and enjoyed another wonderful dinner at Les Roches.
Today, Friday, we decided to stay in Mont St. Jean. We took a nice walk around town and had a lovely lunch out on our deck looking over the fields and the cows. What a great place to be! Tonight we pack and tomorrow we head out for Caromb, Provence, where we will be staying for two weeks. There, Val will be joining us and we are very excited about seeing her again!
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| Fortress walls around town - Mont St Jean |
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| We really like these doors - a clever way to hide a front door or a garage door. |
We have so enjoyed the beauty here and the countryside (the magnificent green of everything). Burgundy has been a marvelous place to spend this past week!
