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Today we will be heading off to
the Loire Valley, but we will first make a few stops here in Burgundy before
heading on our way. We have a bit of a lazy morning in bed and finally
check out of the hotel around 11 AM. Our first stop for the day is the
old town of Beaune once again. We noticed yesterday that they seem to
be blocking off some of the streets for today, so we figure that there must
be some sort of market or other function. We decide to check it out - it
turns out that they have a market every Saturday morning. |
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We have a good time wandering
through and checking out all the items on sale, from clothes and table
clothes and windows to roasted chickens and bread and meats and cheeses and
lots of other food. We decide to take the opportunity to pick up a
couple of kilos of strawberries. We also figure that it is a good
place to pick up lunch - we get some bread, a freshly roasted chicken, some
cheese and a bag of nuts. |
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It is then time for lunch (we
have not had breakfast), so we find a quiet spot to sit down that is out of
the wind - which is very chilling. After our lunch of fresh produce,
it is time to head off. But before we leave Burgundy, we have time for
a couple of more stops to check out the wine. We head back to Pommard.
We first decide to check out the large winery of Pommard, but after parking
and wandering into the grounds, we are told that the tasting (and tour) is
ten Euros each. We pass. So, instead, we go in search of the Michelot
winery located in this town. We find the center of town with an
information board and are able to locate it. |
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A short drive later and we are
warmly enclosed in their cellar out of the biting wind. They are
friendly and offer us a tasting session. This Michelot does not take
his tasting as seriously as the other and here we pretty much just take a
sip from the glass of wine and swallow (just as our host does - he seems to
enjoy these tasting sessions). In the end, we buy a couple more
bottles of wine. |
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Now it is time to head off to the
Loire Valley - we have a long drive ahead of us. The weather is not great -
while not pleasant for driving, better than this being a sightseeing day
with all the rain.. We leave Pommard and Burgundy shortly before 2:30
PM. We drive straight through, taking the highway pretty much all the
way and arrive in Amboise at 6:20 PM. We had picked Amboise out of
the guidebook we glanced at last night - it is a sizable town with a
selection of accommodation, has one of the famous châteaus
that the area is famous for, and got good reviews as a place to stay. |
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The tourist information office is
closed for the day, so we are on our own in finding accommodation. We
park our car in a pretty central location and then go for a walk. The
first place e come to is a bit of a disappointment - a bit expensive and the
guy at reception is pretty rude and short. So we give it a pass.
But we soon come upon a second place and the rate is reasonable and the guy
friendly and helpful, so we decide to stay there - at the Hotel La Chaptal. |
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After checking in to the hotel,
we head further into the old town to explore a bit and see if we can find a
place for dinner. We check out the outside of the château
and see what time it opens. We then find a cute little place for a
light dinner which we enjoy with a bottle of wine. After our dinner,
we slowly make our way back to our hotel. Before heading of to bed we
spend some time working on our journals. |