France (Part 4: Burgundy & Champagne)

• Abbaye de Cluny
  We continued from our drive from French Alps and Geneva, and got to our first stop, Cluny Abbey, in Burgundy at about 3:15PM.
  The Abbaye de Cluny was once the most powerful monastic foundation in Europe.  The abbey was founded by William the Pious, Duke of Aquitaine in 910.  Within 200 years, Cluny had become the head of major reforming order with monasteries all over Europe.  The abbey church, begun in 1088, was the largest church in Europe before St. Peter's was built in Rome in the 16th century.  Starting from the 12th century, Cluny had serious financial problems mainly because of the cost of building the third abbey (Cluny III). By the 14th century, however, the system was in decline.   The monastic buildings and most of the church were destroyed in the French Revolution. Its extensive library and archives were burned in 1793 and the church was given up to plundering. The abbey's estate was sold in 1798. Over the next twenty years the Abbey's immense walls were quarried for stone.  Although it was once the largest church in Christendom, little remains of the original buildings. Sadly, the surviving parts amount to only about 10% of the original floor space of Cluny III.
  

• Meursault
  We got to our Airbnb in Meursault (south of Beaune) at about 5:30PM.  It's a simple 2-story apartment in a small village, but it has the best vineyard views just from its deck.

Day 18 (7/7) ... 

• Sunrise, Meursault

• Beaune
  Beaune is the wine capital of Burgundy in the Côte d'Or department in eastern France.  Surrounded by the vineyards, the cobbled town is renowned for an annual wine auction held at the Hôtel-Dieu (Hospices de Beaune). Recognized by its colorful, geometric-patterned tile roof, this 15th-century former hospital is now the Hôtel-Dieu Museum.  The Hospices de Beaune was founded in 1443 by Nicolas Rolin, chancellor of Burgundy, as a hospital for the poor and remained as a hospital until 1971.
  

The collegiate basilica of Notre-Dame de Beaune is one of the last great Romanesque churches in Burgundy . Its construction was undertaken in the middle of the 12th century on the Cluniac model.  Notre-Dame de Beaune is well known for its tapestries relating to the life of the Virgin Mary, but it was not open for display when we visited the basilica in the morning.

• Sunflower Fields
  We had passed by many sunflower fields in the past few days (both in Bordeaux and Burgundy regions), but we always failed to find safe spots to park.  This time, luckily, we were able to find a good spot and walked close to the flower fields.

• Château du Clos de Vougeot
  Standing in the very heart of Burgundy's vineyards, it was originally a wine farm, built in the 12th century by monks from the nearby Abbey of Cîteaux. In the 16th century, a Renaissance style château was added to the existing buildings.   Clos de Vougeot is a wall-enclosed vineyard, a clos, and an Appellation d'origine contrôlée (AOC) for red wine from this vineyard.  At 50.6 hectares (125 acres), Clos de Vougeot is the largest single vineyard in Côte de Nuits entitled to the grand cru designation. 
  I booked the "Grand Climat" Experience which included a guided tour and an authentic Burgundy lunch paired with six wines (3 reds + 3 whites), including two Grand Crus, at "La Table de Léonce" in the château.  It gives visitors the opportunity to discover Burgundy by combining a tour of the Château with an informative winetasting and lunch.

While the Château du Clos de Vougeot no longer produces wine these days, it remains the symbol of almost a thousand years of Burgundy history.  After lunch we went back to the château ground and the old vat house for more self-guided tour and photos.

• Dijon
  Dijon is the capital city of the historical Burgundy region.   We visited the distinguished (and free) Musée des Beaux-Arts de Dijon, housed in the vast Palace of the Dukes, holds a rich collection of paintings, sculptures, crafts and antiquities.

The church of Notre Dame is famous for both its art and architecture. Popular legend has it that one of its stone relief sculptures, an owl (la chouette) is a good-luck charm: visitors to the church touch the owl with their left hands to make a wish.

Dijon was the center of mustard making in the late Middle Ages and was granted exclusive rights in France in the 17th century.  First used in 1336 for the table of King Philip VI, it assumed its current form in 1856 when Jean Naigeon of Dijon replaced the vinegar usually used in prepared mustard with verjuice, the acidic juice of unripe grapes.  We visited a mustard store (Edmond Fallot) to try a few different mustards at their Mustard Bar.

Day 19 (7/8) ...

• Abbaye de Fontenay
  Fontenay Abbey in Burgundy was founded in 1118 by Saint Bernard of Clairvaux, a leading French saint, and is the oldest preserved Cistercian abbey in the world.  With the beginning of the French Revolution in 1789 all of the monks successively left the abbey due to dechristianisation during the revolution and in 1791, the site was turned into a paper mill.   In 1906 Edouard Aynard, an art-loving banker from Lyon, bought the abbey and commenced its restoration and the abbey remains in the Aynard family to this day.    Of the original complex comprising church, dormitory, cloister, chapter house, caldarium, refectory, dovecote and forge, all remain intact except the refectory and are well maintained.  It is really a big contrast comparing to Cluny Abbey which is in total ruin today.

• Reims
  After a quick lunch at a highway rest area, we arrived at Reims, the unofficial capital of the Champagne wine-growing region, at about 2:30PM.
  The Cathedral Notre-Dame de Reims has stood on this site since 401 but the present building was begun in 1211.  The Cathedral was the traditional location for the coronation of the kings of France, 29 Kings of France were crowned at Reims between 1027 and 1825.  When we visited the Cathedral, there was a children's choir practicing.  The children's pure and innocent sound resonated in the cathedral nave was like angels hovering in the sky.

One special but less-known museum that I wanted to visit in Reims is the Museum of the Surrender (Musée de la Reddition).  At 2:41 am May 7, 1945, three high officers of the German armed forces sat with American, British, French and Russian officers and signed a declaration of unconditional surrender, ending World War II in Europe (Another "official" surrender document was signed on May 8 in Berlin because this Reims surrender was not recognized by the Soviet Union for enforcement).  The signature took place at a red brick school just northwest of the train station in Reims, which was then the headquarters of General Dwight D. Eisenhower.  Since we started this France trip with WWI & WWII memorials in Somme and Normandy, I think this museum visit is the perfect closure to finish the trip.

• Domaine de Prin
  The Domaine de Prin is a beautifully restored chateau with many details (both indoors and outdoors) carefully arranged.  The hostess Carla is a really nice and elegant lady who had made our stay an unforgettable experience.  I am glad we chose the Domaine de Prin for our last two nights in France.

Day 20 (7/9) ... 

• Domaine de Prin
  We walked around the 70-hectare beautiful and well-maintained grounds around the chateau, strolled through the estate’s gardens and woodlands, and around the tranquil ponds.  We had a nice breakfast set up at outdoor with the best garden views.
  

• Epernay
  Epernay, self-proclaimed capitale du Champagne, is located in the heart of the vineyards and home to many of the world’s most celebrated Champagne houses.   The avenue de Champagne is the district of the world famous wine producers and merchants. It is decorated with numerous 19th century buildings of Renaissance or classical style. With hundreds of kilometers of cellars and 200 million bottles of champagne stored underground, the champagne houses and winemakers have made this avenue one of the city’s major tourist attractions.

• Moet & Chandon
  Moët & Chandon is a French fine winery and part of the luxury goods company LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton SE. Moët et Chandon is one of the world's largest champagne producers and a prominent champagne house. Moët et Chandon was established in 1743 by Claude Moët, and today owns 1,190 hectares (2,900 acres) of vineyards, and annually produces approximately 28,000,000 bottles of champagne.
  The tour at Moët & Chandon was very organized (starting from a nicely decorated and comfortable waiting area) and informative (we learned why Champagne is not just some regular sparkling wine); the wine cellar visit and the final champagne tasting were very amazing and interesting.  However, we found 2 glasses of champagne were a little too much for us that we needed to go back to the waiting room to sit down and take a rest...

• Champagne de Castellane
  Champagne De Castellane, founded in 1895, is another famous Champagne house in Epernay.  The tour also included the visit to their champagne making facilities and caves (but there was a "no photography" sign even though they have moved out their champagne production to a different site), and 2 glasses of champagne tasting.  At the end of tour, we can go up to the famous tower. At 66 meters high, it will bring you a breathtaking panorama of the town of Epernay and the surrounding Champagne vineyards.

• Reims
  We went back to Reims for a nice dinner at Restaurant Gabrielle, a roof-top restaurant right next to the Cathedral, to celebrate Woanyu's birthday.

After dinner, we went to the plaza in front of the Cathedral to wait to see the light show.   On every Saturday and Sunday in summer months (July and August), the light show starts at 10:45PM and lasts for about 15-20 minutes.  It is a multimedia experience with an immersive video projection show that envelops visitors in the emotional Coronation of the Kings, showcasing the diverse rituals that mark the ceremony.

Day 21 (7/10) ...

• The morning was bathed in a foggy and filtered golden light.  We had another delightful breakfast (but indoors) this morning.

Going Home ... 

After breakfast, it's time to drive back to Paris CDG Airport to fly home.  This was a long road trip to explore different parts and cultures of France:  from the sad memory of WWI and WWI to the exciting Paris Airshow, from the medieval abbeys to the majestic French chateaux, from the tranquility of vineyards and rolling hills to the magnificent French Alps.  Although we had many great experiences from this trip, we also had a few "special" memory to remember: I got 4 speeding traffic tickets; we could not really tell the differences between various wines; it's a little bit scary (for me) to stay in a 7-room chateau (for just 2 of us) at night; I lost 7 pounds in 20 days because of too much French food :-)

[Somme & Normandy] [Loire Valley & Bordeaux] [French Alps] [Burgundy & Champagne] 

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