Cheers to 49 Years! 👫

August 11th

I guess it is fitting that we toured the Hospices de Beaune Museum today since Jay spent most of our 49 years together working in a hospital.  This is a must see when in Beaune.  The building itself is beautiful with a colored tile roof in mosaic and the interior is well restored so you get a glimpse of what life was like for the nuns and the patients whom they treated. Otherwise known as Hotel-Dieu it is a former charitable hospital and was founded in 1443 by Nicolas Rolin, chancellor of Burgundy, as a hospital for the poor.

 

We took a walk out to Parc de la Bouzaize which is just beyond the ring road surrounding the walled part of the city.  The Bouzaize river actually flows under the Hotel-Dieu and in the Museum there is a section exposed under plexiglass for viewing.  The park is quite large and there are lovely pathways to stroll along.  The lake has waterfowl, mostly ducks, and rowboats for hire. There is a playground for the young and a carousel for the young at heart.  The views are gorgeous and a peaceful break from the tourists in town.  Thanks to Rick Steves there are more than enough.  He does a great job finding the gems of Europe but we Americans sometimes overrun them.  Luckily most of the tourists here in August are actually French tourists.  We love traveling to experience different cultures but not run into other Americans so much.

We stopped at the patisserie for a delicious lunch of crepes. We tried to order them for dinner the evening before but they stop serving savory ones at 6 and it was almost 7.  Such a simple meal and beautifully presented, n'est pas? 

Dinner was at a favorite little restaurant, Le Bacchus and it was a fabulous meal as usual.  The pictures don't do it justice but my Oeufs en Meurette and Boeuf Bourguignon were scrumptious as was Jay's chicken in an Epoisse cheese sauce.  Of course we added a glass or two of great burgundy wine. We decided this was a wonderful way to get started on our 50th year of marriage!

A wonderful champagne was left for us when 

we arrived and it was a perfect way to toast the

occasion!