Hotel Ibis Autun

... really got what, but it all tasted good.

Our trip to Burgundy would not be complete without a stop in Nuit-St. George, where we again employed the "look for the sign of whoever is open" tactic and were not dissapointed. We got to try some excellent Pinot, C******nay, and even some Aligote (a white that they mix with Creme de Cassis for an aperitif) from some of the local producers.
Now its up to Champagne!

... types of their particular wines and finally experienced the touch or feeling the wine has in your mouth. It was very interesting listening to him and his extensive knowledge. He also explained the grade of wines and why they are those grades which would help us later on in the day when we did some more tastings and eventually buying!

Beaune is the essential French town and very cute. Its one of the few remaining walled cities in the country and historically ...

... so we rode in. Pastis and a (small) glass of rose for 2.20eu. Bit of a difference to Troyes where we were charged 8.10eu for a beer and a cold cafe au lait.
The site is fre but requires tokens for electricity (3eu for 1 hour) and water (3eu for 100 litres).This is pricey by French standards (the usual charge for 100ltrs of water - where not free - being no more than 1eu) but not too bad for such an attractive site.
One novelty spotted - a large BMW ...

... several attempts (and an hour of our time) to contact my Visa company to find that out.

Armed with some fresh yummies from the boulangerie, we hopped in our car to take in the Wine Route through Burgundy. It took us through fields of vines, quaint little villages, and a breathtaking stone cliff. We stopped at the Chateau Rochepot, a medieval castle destroyed in the Frech Revolution and partially restored ...

... to say the least, but the next thing I knew...

...it was quarter-to-nine, Friday morning! We had blithely planned an early monring kick-off - but so much for bold plans! Still, by 10.15 we had hit a Carrefour supermarket for munchies, filled up with diesel (still seeming delightfully cheap!) and been amused by a regrettably named German coach in the supermarket car park. Soon we were heading south once more.

Booked a site off the A6 en route to the south of france - again we are the youngest by about 20 years and Lauren is practically embryonic!The site is opp. some sort of manufacturing base but hey the pool is across the river and the wine is great in this region... Talking of pools - Stu was stopped in his tracks and asked to disrobe of his board shorts and don a very tight fitting pair of trunks ...

... of wine. Some people took it upon themselves to drink more than they should have. As a result, the group became a little boisterous and caused the waiters to Shhsh everyone. It was not too big of an issue, for we had to leave to catch our trains anyways. Our group of girls waited at the tracks for awhile only to find out that it really had been cancelled. Many of the girls became distressed, and there were a few emotional breakdowns. Ultimately, we ...

... headwinds continue. It doesn't sound like much but as I normally cycle at about 10 mph its twice as much effort to make average progress. So today has also been a useful rest day while still making progress. I don't intend to do it routinely; if hotels were cheaper it would be different. Anyway the countryside was pretty; Much bigger rolling hills and vineyards more common. Also the bare trees were bowing to the wind. Getting off the train was quite simple ...

... center." I'm not kidding. Also interesting were some of her vocabulary words. (All the tours are bilingual, so she said everything in French and then in English.) For example, did you know that dynamite can be used as a verb? As in the sentence, "this bridge was dynamited in 1944." Now, I realize that I make PLENTY of mistakes in my French, and I greatly appreciate the fact that the French make efforts to speak English, but I really couldn't help but laugh. It was also pretty ...

... veini degusteerimiseks. Selle poolest tõesti, et ig*s poes meelit*v*d sildid sinn* t*sut* veini degusteerim*. Esm*lt kül*st*sime *g* hoopis M*rché *ux Vins nimelist koht*, kus *nti sissepääsu juures pisike met*llist nõu j* sooviti he*d degusteerimist. Ed*si läksime keldrisse, kus oli võim*lik proovid* 18 erinev*t veini! Aus*lt öeldes pettusime seni kiidusõnu kuulnud Burgundi* veinides, sest need tundusid kuid*gi hoopis m*itsetum*d kui teiste piirkond*de suumärjukesed. Muidu ...