We arrived this afternoon at Chamonix in the French Alps. Spectacular scenery although a little cloudy so its hard to see the top of the highest peaks.
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| French Alps |
Since collecting our car we motored through more of Burgundy. Karen, our GPS (whom some of you may remember from our previous trips) was happy to be let loose and start navigating. Unfortunately her French accent has not improved and with this she continues to provide us with much amusement. However, true to form she let us down at a critical point entering one of the towns and stopped working completely. Was it something we said or was she jealous of the iPhone ? Anyway she remained in a catatonic state for a few days but finally decided to work again.
The first day after leaving Joigny, we drove to Vezelay to see the Basilique de Marie Madeleine which dates back to the 9th century and is a UNESCO World Heritage site. It was a renowned stopover for pilgrims on the route of La Compostela de Santiago. In 1945 towards the end of the war, a procession of several thousand people from Belgium and France converged on the church carrying 14 crosses. Some German prisoners of war asked to be involved in the procession. So they were released and a 15th cross was hastily made. The cross is in the church as a lasting symbol of world peace.
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| Semur en Auxois |
That night we stayed in the picture postcard village of Semur en Auxois, a fortified town, with remparts still standing, although there are big cracks appearing in the towers. From there we moved on to the historic town of Beaune in the heart of wine country where we stayed two nights. At both of these places we stayed in chambres d'hotes or bed and breakfasts, where the hosts spoke scant English, so we communicated in French as best we could!
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| Our hosts Pascal and Marianne with Siruse |
In Beaune one of the major draw cards is the well preserved and maintained Hotel de Dieu built in the 15th century by Nicolas Rolin, a wealthy philanthropist - a man well ahead of his time. It served as a hospital for the poor and needy, run by nuns, and it was still being used as a hospital until 1984 - more than 500 years. It was bequeathed a vineyard and its annual wine auction pays for maintenance and upgrade. Whilst in Beaune we took a side trip out among the vineyards to the Chateau de la Rochpot, a 13th century medieval relic.
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| Hotel Dieu |
| Hotel Dieu |
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| Chateau de la Rochepot |
After leaving Burgundy we headed southeast into the Jura Departement of France, quite different to other regions. Our first port of call was at Baume-les-Messieurs, an interesting little town built in a box canyon called a reculee. Sheer cliffs surround it.
We have enjoyed some wonderful food on our travels so far. Fran has been particularly impressed with the desserts on offer.
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| Pannacotta enough for three! |
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| Yet another delicious dessert! |
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| Waterfall at Baume -les-Messieurs |
Parts of the Jura are heavily forested, very green with many lakes and waterfalls. We spent an enjoyable few hours walking to the top of the Cascades de Herisson, a series of 5 waterfalls. It was very tranquil. And at the very top was....a brasserie, serving lunch, coffee and cold drinks. It was a welcome sight. Then on to the town of Sainte Claude for one night before hitting top gear and merging onto the autoroute where the speed limit is 130 kph!!
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| Sainte Claude from our hotel |
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The Alps look beautiful, hope you have had a great time there, and in this part of France. Di
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