After having now spent a month in Paris, I much appreciated getting away from the city for a little bit and seeing another part of France that I never been to nor had known much about. Fortunately, my program organized a weekend trip to Bourgogne, or known as Burgundy for us anglophones, to further our cultural and linguistic immersion, and I was fortunate to grab a spot on the trip. For those who are unfamiliar with Bourgogne, it is a region just a 90 minutes south of Paris (by TGV of course) that is known not only to be very scenic, but also to be the food and wine capital of all of France. As you will see from the following photos, we ate and drank very well during our short time there and profited much from what this region has to offer.
Sidenote: In terms of what I have been up to these past ten days, I have been keeping very busy with my school work, but have found time to: see a production of "Tartuffe" at the Comedie Française, visit the "Revoir Paris" exposition at the History of Architecture Museum, participate in Cocktail Week, and of course, like many Americans, watch the epic match that was known as Superbowl 49.
DIJON:
Our first stop in Bourgogne was Dijon, and we were able to get a good feel for the city's (and region's) history and flavor due to a very capable and friendly tour guide.
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| The variety of moutards |
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| Cathedral of Dijon: the Black Madonna Wooden Statue |
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| Museum of Beaux Arts: The Magnificent Tomb of Philip the Bold, One of the Four Great Dukes of Burgundy. |
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| Given the tomb's intricacy and splendor, our tour guide told us that it is considered to be a masterpiece from the Middle Ages by many art historians. |
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| The Duke's Palace, which is now home to the Museum of Beaux-Arts |
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| In front of Dijon's own Arc de Triumphe and while we may be smiling, do not be fooled: we were absolutely freezing. |
In the afternoon, we traveled to the petite town of Pommard, and visited its lovely Chateau, which, as you can see, is home to a splendid vineyard. Oui, oui, we came here to taste this chateau's wine, and above all things we did and saw this weekend, this had to be my favorite activity.
THE 5 PROPER STEPS OF TASTING WINE:
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| 1. Gently swirl the glass |
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| 2. Smell the wine's fruitful aromas |
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| 3. Toast, clink your glass with your partner's, and drink slowly |
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| 4. Spit out the wine so that you can drink many more glasses without feeling the "effect" Note: this step is optional, and typically performed by real wine connoisseurs |
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| 5. Discuss the wine and share your thoughts and opinions of it (while getting ready for the next wine) |
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| The grand chateau |
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| All the wines we tasted |
In preparation for our tour of this charming town the following day, we spent the night in Beaune, but before retiring for the evening after a rather long day, we enjoyed a lovely French dinner, composed of: 1) an apparatif: small pieces of bread with garlic butter and meat along with kir (my new favorite drink); 2) appetizer: green salad with salmon drenched in a lovely sauce along with Pinot Noir; 3) Dinner: cooked chicken, potato gratin along with Chardonnay; 4) Dessert: Apple Crumble; and 5) A Small Café to cleanse the pallet.
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| Hotel de Dieu: The 15th century hospice that was renowned not only for its exterior, but for serving as a hospital to those without means for 500 years. |
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| It truly was an interesting building with a fascinating history (with much credit given to our tour guide) |
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| Where the ill were attended to |
Last, but not least, we visited a Gaulois-Romaine architectural site (along with the museum that accompanied it and displayed the objects that were discovered here.)
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| The Remains of the development's Grand Temple |
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| My tour guides taught me two new words this weekend to describe my experience with this weekend's weather: 1. Frileuse (adj.): very sensitive to the cold 2. Frigorifié(e) (adj.): being as cold as a refrigerator REGARDLESS, it was a great weekend, and I look forward to many more weekend trips! |
