The vendor from the covered market at Dijon said he would be at the market in Pouilly-en-Auxois today, Saturday. At least that is what we understood. We had some shopping to do anyway, so we headed to Pouilly looking for a market. There is no market in Pouilly today, but the tourist office is open and we gathered a few brochures. Dave also gathered itineraries for a half dozen hikes in this area. The shopping at the grocery store was quickly dispatched. This time we bought meat for several meals so we won't have to go back to the Super U grocery store so often.
After lunch at home, we headed to Beaune for the afternoon, taking the scenic route along route D970. It was a beautiful drove through the rural countryside and small picturesque towns, which we declared we must visit one day. We found parking near the medieval city center just outside the medieval city walls.
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| Beaune is known for its colorful tiled roofs |
We've figured out how to use the pay stations at these lots. But there's always one troublesome step that makes us have to try a second time: the license plate number. At the pay station, you put in your credit card (or coins), choose how long you want to stay by adding time to the free half hour, then you have to put in your license number before completing the transaction. We always have to run back to the car to get the plate number. Once completed, you put the slip of paper in the window of your car. It notes when the parking expires based on how much time you entered. The cost is nominal - often around one or two Euros for several hours. You can get a parking ticket if your time is expired and the traffic officer notices.
Beaune is a small city of about 22,000 people. But it is important historically and geographically. Geographically, it is the capital of wine making because it is surrounded by some of the most prestigious vineyards in Burgundy. Its central location along the Côte de Beaune and the Route des Grands Crus has made it the center for servicing the wine industry (for example, tractors, barrels, and equipment for wineries). It is where most of the "wine negociants" have their offices. These are the folks who buy grapes, juice, or even finished wine and then bottles it under their own name. Beaune also has a famous charity wine auction every year on the third Sunday in November in Les Halles de Beaune.
Beaune, like Dijon, has a permanent indoor market (Les Halles) which is open Wednesday (a smaller market) and Saturday (a large bustling market with 150 stalls that spills out onto side streets near La Place de la Halle with even more vendors.
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| What the market hall looks like at the end of a market day (about 2 pm) |
The history of Beaune goes back to Roman times, but the current center of the city is very medieval in character, still surrounded by defensive walls. It is known for its colored tiles used in roofing these medieval buildings.
The Hospices de Beaune is the most visited site in the town.
Founded in 1442 by Nicolas Rolin (lawyer and Chanceler to the Duke of Burgundy) and his wife, Guigone de Salins, the Hospices de Beaune's mission was to provide hospital care to the poor. Rolin was an excellent manager for this endeavor. He not only built the building, he laid out how it was to run and he provided endowments to make sure it could be sustained after his death. He founded "les soeurs hospitalières de Beaune" to provide nursing services to the patients. The building he built was not only functional but also beautifully decorated.
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| The courtyard of the Hospices de Beaune |
To make it self-sustaining, he donated a parcel of vineyards. He later added a more elaborate hospital wing to house rich patients who could pay for their care, thereby helping sustain the costs of care. Grateful ex-patients also gifted parcels of vineyards to the Hospice which helped keep the hospital self-sustaining. Since 1859, each year in November, the wine from the vineyard has been auctioned off and the revenue from the sale of wine given directly to the Hospice. The hospital operated until the 1970s when it was closed and later re-opened in its medieval form as a tourist destination.
The wine auction is still held each November and the proceeds are given to the city hospital. In 2018, the wine auction raised 14 million Euros (just over $15 million).
With the help of a map of the Hospices and an English audio guide, you explore the Hospice at your own pace. There is even a route for wheelchairs This is perhaps the best audio guide I have ever heard. The voices of Nicolas and Guigone explain each stop along the tour.
We started in the courtyard where the colored tiles of the roof immediately grabbed our attention.
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| Roof of the Hôtel Dieu, Hospices de Beaune |
Then into the hospital room where 15 beds line the two long walls. In medieval times, tables would have been set up in the middle of the room for meals.
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| curtains could be closed on the outside and opened on the back side where nurses could care for the patients in private. |
The colorful beams which start and end in the mouths of animals draw the eye up to the high vaulted ceiling.
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| painted beams (Clark H. photo) |
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| painted beams (Clark H. photo) |
At the end of the room is a chapel.
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| On left, Nicolas Rolin, founder of Hospices de Beaune. Behind him, his son. |
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| Chapel in Hospice de Beaune |
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| altar painting (reproduction) in Hospice de Beaune |
We next visited the room where the wealthy were cared for. The kitchen provided meals for everyone in the Hospice.
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| preparing meals in the kitchen |
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| preparing meals in the kitchen |
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| stained glass |
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| stained glass |
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| carved linen chest |
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| carved linen chest |
Clark had researched a potential wine tasting. It's a bit difficult in Beaune because wine tasting is often very expensive and purchasing wines in Beaune is beyond our budget. We followed a back street to the address Clark had found. They do wine tasting, but on Saturday it is by reservation only. Out of luck for today.
We continued around the corner and ran into the back end of the Collégiale de Notre Dame church. It is a mixture of Romanesque with Gothic and Classic additions and renovations. It was built in the 13th century inspired by Cluniac architecture. We explored the church briefly.
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| Collégiale de Notre Dame, Beaune |
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| porch of the Collégiale de Notre Dame, Beaune |
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| rear of Collégiale de Notre Dame. Lowest levels are Romanesque while upper part is Gothic and the tower is classic. |
As we were leaving the church area, we saw a sign for wine tasting at Domaine Loubet-Dewailly.
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| Clark Hunsinger photo |
Ten Euros per person. Inside the front garden of the domain house is set up with colorful picnic chairs and tables.
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| Clark, Dave, Lynn at Loubet-Dewailly |
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| wine tasting in Beaune |
A lovely young server who speaks good English served us 5 wines. They were all good, especially the 47 Euro bottle, but they weren't so great that we would pay premium prices for them when we are getting really nice wines at the grocery store for less money. (Shhhh....don't tell.)
What a great way to end a productive afternoon of discovering Beaune. Sometimes just having a starting point and being open to what comes along makes for a rewarding adventure. Another successful day in France.
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