Journal Entry 17--Lyon to Beaune and on to Colmar--Friday, Oct. 31, 2014
This Burgundian could use a dentiste (et aussi un orthodontiste)!
Friday would be a travel day, so most of my things were packed even before I went down to breakfast. Everyone seemed quite satisfied with what they had seen on their own in Lyon yesterday afternoon, but most were rather quiet and intent on the business of the moment--eating and preparing to leave. Soon we were out of the dining area and returned to the lobby for departure.We had put the largest pieces of luggage outside our doors earlier, so all I brought with me today were camera, tote, and a large baguette from the breakfast room. Hard as this long loaf of bread would become, I thought I could carry it around "for protection," and for a fun prop.
After gathering in the lobby, Louis and Nicolas helped us board the bus, and we headed out of Lyon--northeast towards Baune, Burgundy. I marveled at Nicholas's skill in driving a bus through narrow, old French streets and around very sharp turns, but we were soon out of town and headed to Bourgogne. Most of the places on this tour were new to us, so few in the group knew what to expect, except for reading the itinerary. Geraldine was the exception. She had spent time in Alsace as a student and was familiar with Riquewihr, which she praised.
We knew we would end the day in the northeastern corner of France--in Colmar, Alsace, near the German border. On the way, our first stop would be in Beaune, which had a famous, old hospice, which was now a museum and site of an annual wine auction.
I knew that the red wine of Burgundy was famous and the well-known dish called boeuf bourguignon (or boeuf à la bourguignonne) was supposed to be delicious and originated here. If Julia Child recommended it, it had to be good, and the dish was on our lunch menu.
The Burgundians had sided with the English during the Hundred Years War, but with its conclusion, roving bands of fighters raided the countryside, killing and wounding many. One result was this hospital (Hospices de Baune ou Hôtel-Dieu) built in the 1400's to provide care for the poor. It is also referred to as a hospice because until the late 19th century, it was basically a place for the wounded or sick to come for care while they slowly died, so great was the mortality rate.
After the old provinces were broken up following the French Revolution, Burgundy as such ceased to exist. Now split into several départments, its boundaries were obscure to me.
As we rolled into Baune (pronounced "bone"), I could see that it was a well-kept, beautiful old town. There was much greenery, and the houses, yards, hotels, etc., seemed very nice, as befits a popular French tourist center. In the distance, I spotted a steeply-sloping roofline with a distinct design done in glazed roof tiles; it fairly popped out at us. The place beyond those distant walls turned out to be the hospice itself.
Hospice of Baune from a dstance
Soon we parked as closely as Nicolas could come and started a circuitous walk through the walled part of the old town that led to the hospice. Through colorful streets hung with plants, we made our way to the entrance of a large courtyard. Once inside, we waited briefly for our guide to appear, and I shot pictures of the roof, so beautiful and interesting was this amazing display of patterned, colorful roof tiles. It's considered one of the best early-Renaissance examples of a glazed-tile roof in all of Europe.
Early morning walk through Baune
Hospices de Baune
Glazed-tile roof--one of the best examples from the early Renaissance
Not just a roof--but an artistic masterpiece for the ages!
Now we entered the building and went through numerous halls, wards, chapels.
First large ward with altar at one end and beds all around
Mickey pauses to reconnoiter.
Ornate wood frieze and portal marked entrance to chapel at end of room.
The self-sacrifice of these nuns for the sick was phenomenal!
After leaving the wards, we looked at displays of religious objects, medical instruments, and the kitchen.
Goose-neck water faucets
EDITORIAL COMMENT--Style and art appear even in bronze pipes to deliver hot water. This love of art that reflects natural forms--here the necks and heads of geese--pervades everything, even down to the kitchen fixtures! Art in cobblestones, roof tiles, water spigots--gotta' admire this!
Multiple spits for turning meat
Did this place ever have copper pots!
Finally, we went through the pharmacy and emerged in the museum.
From the courtyard, we entered a gallery of fine tapestries et d'autres objets d'art.
Louis works on handouts du jour.
Beautiful tapestries lined the walls.
Baptismal font
Altar
Emerging from the Hospice at long last, we walked out into a maze of pleasant village streets filled with shops, wine stores, restaurants, and not a few French tourists. As we walked toward our lunchtime destination, I spotted a large, stuffed wild boar in front of a shop, and the Schullers and I traded picture-taking once more. Clearly, Burgundy produces more than wine!
Walking through Beaune
Christmas lights were already being strung.
What a boar, bourguignon that is!
Now it was time for lunch. We came to L'Incontournable and waited briefly while Louis went in and checked on things. The name translates roughly as Indispensible, i. e., a really neat place that one would not want to miss. Once we entered, we went downstairs into a wide "cave" room that seemed larger and less mouldy than the one in Bordeaux. We were about to eat an unimaginably good lunch of Burgundian beef, from Charolais cattle, accompanied by great bread and wonderful red wine. There would be barely enough boeuf bourguignon but plenty of bread and wine to put us all in a really fun, relaxed travel mood. We so loved the food that when we had cleaned our plates, we shamelessly sopped up every drop of sauce and trace of beef with pieces of wonderful bread. I got up from my seat and shot a few pictures of our table and the Kratovils at the end of theirs. That chair with the brown jacket draped over it was mine.
Le boeuf bourguignon était formidable!
Chef Robert Lavier
My empty seat next to the Schullers
LED lights were strung along the ceiling.
Jane and Joe Kratovil à l'Incontournable
Crème brûlé pour le dessert à l'Incontournable
Soon, we walked up to street level and gradually back to the bus for the trip to Colmar. We would be heading toward northeastern France with the beautiful Vosges Mountains to our left much of the way. Basically, I rested and took in the scenery during the leg. I had almost expected Alps to our right and to the east, but instead I was surprised to see the Vosges to our left and west of us; this lovely range was a very pleasant backdrop for this part of the tour. I really enjoyed looking over at these verdant mountains!
The Vosges Mountains
Scenic drive through northeastern France
J'adore les Vosges!
Something I did to pass the time and orient myself and others to Paris in advance was to read aloud a chapter of a book I liked to my neighbors on the bus. At the risk of skewering my own state, I read part of John Baxter's The Most Beautiful Walk in the World. The chapter is titled "The Great La Coupole Roundup"; here Baxter recalls his experience as a Paris walking-tour guide with three "ladies" from Amarillo, Texas. It was just too funny to resist, and the audience said they really enjoyed listening to this.
Having savored our lunch in Beaune and our views of he Vosges along the highway, we stopped at an accustomed roadside tourst center en route for a much-needed break. While I was there, I noticed an awesome old Peugeot convertible from the 1920's on display and took a few pictures.
Une vieille Peugeot
When I get to Paris, should I sit where Owen Wilson sat and hope this will come by at midnight?
We arrived at Colmar somewhat rested, which was a very good thing considering the amount of walking we were about to do. Exiting the bus at the edge of the town center, which was nearly all-pedestrian, we met our new guide, a pleasant, well-informed woman from Alsace who would be with us this afternoon and tomorrow. She explained our next moves. We were to walk to the Bartholdi House and Museum, and after touring it, we would come back to the bus to transport our luggage to the Hotel St. Martin. After that, we would later walk to the Wistaub Brenner for dinner.Colmar was quaint and full of very old, half-timbered buildings which made it look far more German than French. As it happened, this area had been German many hundreds of years before Louis XIV obtained Alsace and made it part of France. It's gone back and forth twice since then.
Notre guide alsacienne
We start our trek through Colmar.
Eglise St. Martin
Daytime view of Hotel St. Martin in pink to left--with section on side street around corner
Along the way in Colmar
Canal in middle of town
Patterned roof in Colmar
As we walked down narrow streets bordered by canals, motorcycles and scooters moved loudly around and through us and often obliged us pedestrians to move out of the way. That and tourist noise far into the night would be my only real complaints about this place. I had read that Colmar is very popular with French and German tourists, and sure enough the foot and cycle traffic grew greatly as the weekend approached.
The Bartholdi Museum is a fine, three-story house where Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi was born and reared. Obviously, this famous sculptor came from an prosperous family. Later, his parents and he moved to Paris but always retained this home in Colmar. He would go on to create numerous famous statues, the best-known of which was the Statue of Liberty. The fountain in Lyon was one of his earliest commissions.
Courtyard in front of Bartholdi's house
As for Miss Liberty, Bartholdi designed it and worked on the project till it was completed. He chose Bedloe Island for its location and was aided by Gustave Eiffel who built the interior framework. France donated the statue, and the United States provided the site and built the stone pedestal. Incidentally, Auguste was a Freemason and created famous statues of Lafayette and Washington who fought side-by-side in our Revolutionary War and who were both Masons themselves.
Bartholdi bust of LaFayette
Columbus
Washington meets Lafayette
Models of Statue of Liberty
Bartholdi self-portrait
Sculpture prize won by Bartholdi
Nighttime walk through Colmar to Hotel St. Martin
Incredible corner balcony of wood
Nighttime walk to our hotel
There at last!
I entered my room and was ASTONISHED to find I was in a corner of the attic level where the roofline slanted down sharply to a low wall with windows on the street side. HEFTY EXPOSED TIMBERS were on all walls and corners. When this building was built in 1360, this was the area
where servants probably lived.
Mon Dieu, quelle chambre d'hôtel!
TV in a hotel built in 1360
The bathroom also had steeply-sloping walls that barely allowed me to stand up when entering or exiting the tub. I quickly accepted all of this as part of the fun of staying here. I would soon regale my companions with tales of my Colmar corner, an attic room in a timber-frame inn where Chaucer could have stayed.
It sloped, but it worked.
Notice the warming rack for towels.
I started to unpack and decided to photograph the room as it was, with the bed nicely made and without my things spread all around. Staying in this angular, timbered quarters would be one of my most memorable experiences in northeastern France!
Soon we gathered in the lobby for our walk to Wistub Brenner. Wieners and sauerkraut would suit me fine for a nice Alsatian dinner.
Wistub Brenner in the daytime
We enjoyed Alsatian food here.
After a good, restful time at this very nice restaurant, we returned to the St. Martin, and I headed back up to my wooded corner. Just getting into and out of the bathtub without banging my head took some practice, but I soon adjusted. Then I took my nighttime meds and went to bed. I would need all the rest I could get before touring Strasbourg and Riquewihr tomorrow.
Fin
