Route des Gran Crus

We took the Route des Gran Crus through the vineyards of Burgundy from Dijon to Beaune. From Beaune, the route extends to Santenay, though we didn’t go that far on it. The entire route is 37.3 miles (60 km) long and goes through 38 wine villages and two of the Burgundy wine regions: the Cote de Nuits and the Cote de Beaune. The other Burgundy wine regions are the Chablis and Grand Auxerrois; the Cote Chalonnaise; and the Maconnais. Burdundy has a higher number of appellations d’origine controlee (AOCs; protected designation of origin) than do other French regions, which means that all wine and other products are held to clearly defined standards.

Route des Gran Crus

One of the wine villages that we drove through.

Route des Gran Crus

The many different wineries on the Route des Gran Crus often advertised themselves on the sides of buildings.

Beaune

We stopped in Beaune, the wine capital of Burgundy and one of the major wine centers of France. It was a walled city with 1.5 miles (2.5 km) of walls, towers, and bastions around it dating back to the 12th century. Parts of the wall are still standing.

Beaune

We walked into the town through the Porte du Bourgneuf, an old fortified gate that once had a drawbridge.

Beaune

The medieval town of Beaune. There were many wineries in the town.

Marche aux Vins

We visited the Marche aux Vins winery. They produce their own wine and also sell wine from other producers.

Marche aux Vins

Down in the Marche aux Vins wine cellar where wines are stored.

Marche aux Vins

We were given samples of Burgundy wines at the Marche aux Vins. Burgundy is best known for its Bourgogne Blanc (Burgundy white, a Chardonney) and Bourgogne Rouge (Burgundy red, a Pinot Noir). Other wines are also made in Burgundy including red and white wines from other grapes and also some rose and sparkling wines. The wine I liked the best here was Marche aux Vins’ Creme de Peche de Vigne, a strong wine but not too sweet. Actually, very good. We have such great wines in California where I live, many as good as the wines produced in France, that maybe I was looking for something different.

Marche aux Vins

The Marche aux Vins also had an art gallery.

I have put my photos of the Route des Gran Crus and Beaune on a slideshow. Go to http://www.peggysphotos.com/beaune–burgundy/
(Slide Shows, Western Europe, France–2, “Beaune, Burgundy”).

Beaune

We ate lunch in Beaune. The photo shows a picture of the Croque Monsieur I had for lunch. I prefer the French–American version of the Croque Monsieur that I get at a French restaurant in San Diego. Maybe we just get used to the American versions of foreign food.

Unisex Bathroom

The public bathroom in Beaune was unisex. Individual stalls that both sexes can use and communal wash basins. This is not the first unisex bathroom I have been to in Europe so I was comfortable with it. But the confused and shocked look on one man’s face as he entered the bathroom was priceless. Note: Here, you had to insert a 50 cents coin to open the stall door. If someone offered you the stall when they were leaving it and you went into the stall without paying, the door wouldn’t lock.

Lyon

From Beaune, we drove to the city of Lyon (pronounced somewhat like Lee–own). Lyon is an over 2000–year–old city which was founded in 43 B.C. by the Romans for refugees from a war with the Allobroges (Gallic tribe of ancient Gaul). Now Lyon the second largest urban area of France. It is also where the Rhone and Saone Rivers meet.

Roman Theater of Fourviere

We drove past the Roman Theater of Fourviere but we didn’t stop to visit it.

Basilica of Notre-Dame de Fourviere

We drove to the top of Fourviere Hill to visit the Basilica of Notre–Dame de Fourviere, which was built between 1872 and 1884. It was built by private funds to honor the Virgin Mary whom they attributed to having saved Lyon from many tragedies.

Inside the Basilica

The basilica was very ornate inside.

View of Lyon

From the top of Fourviere Hill, you can get really good views of the city of Lyon.

View of Lyon

And also some good close–up views.

Lyon

Our local guide walked us through part of Lyon.

Lyon

I had dinner with two of my tour mates at a restaurant here. We all read the French menu on a sign outside the restaurant incorrectly. We thought there was a good price on a meal, I think steak frites, but that was on the menu only for children. Easy to misread a menu when you don’t know a country’s written language very well. We had to order something else and missed having our steak frites. After looking at the meringues in the patisseries, I bought one––a large one––for dessert.

I have put my photos of Lyon on a slideshow. Go to http://www.peggysphotos.com/lyon/ (Slide Shows, Western Europe, France–2, “Lyon”).

Radisson Blu Hotel

We went to our hotel after dinner, the Radisson Blu Hotel. It was dramatic.