We left Chalon sur Saône on a rainy cool morning but luckily the rain was light, let up fairly soon, and the ride to Beaune was less than 50kms. The first half of the ride was along a canal and the latter in the vineyards. This is the first vines we’ve seen on this trip and they are everywhere, no ground left empty. It’s very clearly a major industry here. We are riding right through the vineyards on roads also used by the vineyard workers but mostly we just see other cyclists as it is a designated cycle route. We are rarely on the roads with the cars.
Beaune is a lovely small city and a major tourist centre for people looking to do wine tasting and touring. There’s definitely some high end accommodations and restaurants here for some of the wealthier travelers, maybe those shipping expensive wine back home. Our accommodations are more modest but usually very comfortable. We are here to enjoy the scenery and do a little tasting once we’re done riding for the day. We found another walking tour to do around the old city and then visited a museum/hospital/chapel, the Hôtel Dieu, built in the 15th century that stayed in service until the 1980s! One evening for dinner we were able to find some beef bourguignon, and it was très tasty.
The ride from Beaune to Dijon was entirely through vineyards and the small communities that support the wine industry. It is very scenic and a cyclist’s dream to ride here. There are many chateaux dotting the countryside as well and many have beautiful polychromic ceramic roof tiles. The churches also often have this style of roof, it is very burgundian. The weather was good today for riding, about 20, mostly sunny and not much wind. It has been a bit cool and wet so today was appreciated.
Our accommodation in Dijon is another apartment close to the centre so this is handy for tourist activities as well as having our own kitchen for lunches, breakfasts and some suppers rather than having to buy all the meals. Unfortunately we found there was no hot water! Our host explained that the water only heats at night (!) so if it runs out (previous tenants) you have to wait until morning. He suggested we forget about this issue by drinking the bottle of wine he supplied. We found more walking tours here to help us get acquainted with the sites. We also visited the Musee Beaux Arts which was very good as the art collection is housed in an historic Duke’s palace dating from the middle ages so we also got some history along with the art on display. We learned about a famous sculptor from here, Francois Rude, who sculpted one of the 4 friezes on the Arc de Triomphe, and saw many of his works. We were also able to climb a tower (Tour Philippe le Bon) in the same palace to get a spectacular view of the city. This was guided so we learned a bit more about the history of the area. The owl (here called chouette rather than hibou) is a good luck symbol for Dijon, we’re not quite sure why, but they are everywhere. There’s one carved into the side of the Notre Dame Cathedral and you are supposed to touch it with your left hand for good fortune.
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