It was hard to believe that we were heading for our last country today. I think it all started to dawn on the group that in just a few short days this adventure of a lifetime would be over and we would go our separate ways.
Thankfully, Paul kept us in good spirits and provided a solid distraction from the inevitable. We made a comfort stop and stopped at a French shopping center for lunch. I enjoyed some fast casual pad thai with some of our group before boarding the bus and heading for Beaune. I had to admit, I was really looking forward to this stop on the tour. I am a little bit of a Francophile and I was excited to explore Burgundy's wine capital.
We arrived in the late afternoon and had plenty of time to get settled before our visit to the Hotel Dieu. Hotel des Tonneliers won the best bathroom award on this trip. The tub was huge!
After meeting outside the hotel, we walked over to Hotel Dieu for a self guided tour. Paul gave us our orientation walk to town and some restaurant recommendations along the way. Before turning us loose for the tour, Paul made sure we knew when to be back at the hotel by so we could leave together for the wine tasting.
The Hotel Dieu was another gorgeous old building. The traditional tiled roof was a highlight for sure! The guided tour was informative with an interesting narration style. The exhibits were thorough and covered everything from the religious aspects of the hospital to the cooking.
Once we had our fill of Hotel Dieu, a few of us went on an adventure to explore the town. This included a trip to the post office, a visit to one of the churches and a stroll around a beautiful park. It was nice to get out and get walking after being on the bus all morning! We enjoyed our little slice of small town French life, too.
We meandered back through Beaune to our hotel where we stopped for our first glass of French wine with some of our other tour mates. Before we knew it, it was time to meet Paul for our local wine tasting.
Our wine tasting was at Cellier de la Cabiote. The tasting was held in an actual wine cellar which I thought was neat. Our host was quite knowledgeable about not only the wine itself but the Burgundy region, too. We tried three wines and the local black currant liqueur. The wines were tasty, the company was great, and the experience was educational. What more could you ask for?!
Everything we tried was available for purchase and I made the maybe foolish decision to carry a few bottles with me for the remainder of the trip. Totally worth it!
After our tasting, we were free for dinner. Several of us went back to the square and found one of Paul's recommended restaurants. I started with a local cremant, which is a sparkling wine similar to champagne. I followed with beef bourguignon. I'm not normally one for beef stew situations, but this was delicious. For dessert, I went with a local cheese plate. I never met a cheese I didn't like, so this was perfect!
We wrapped up dinner and walked back to the hotel just in time for it to start raining. Our timing was impeccable! I had time to repack and adjust for my new treasures before tucking in. I was sad to have only one night in Beaune, but Paris awaited us tomorrow!