Livin' on the Bike-Side of Life

June 7th-10th

Every Saturday there is a wonderful market in Beaune.  The first thing I needed to shop for was a little coin purse because we are always getting coins as change since there is nothing smaller than 5 Euros in paper money.  Once that was accomplished we could concentrate on getting food.  As we walked along we smelled the chicken so that was our first purchase.  Next up was cheese and salami, fruits and vegetables and of course a baguette.  I just love the lively atmosphere and the displays are always so beautiful.

  

After having a quick lunch we hopped on the bikes for a ride through the vineyards toward Nuit-Saint-Georges and turned around at Comblanchien. This little village on the bike route was the place where Jay would drive to each morning for our baguette and croissants the first time we stayed near Beaune so it has fond memories for us.  The weatherman predicted wind for today and boy was it ever windy!  The 15km on the way out was a breeze (no pun intended) but on the way back we had to use our motors even on the flat to complete our 30km ride.

Our lovely apartment owners had invited us out for a beverage if we happened to be biking near them.  So we of course arranged to ride out and back to their village, Meursanges, which was another 20km roundtrip.  Pierre and Julie have a lovely home and a darling little 6 year old named Edgar who was happy to gain our attention at every moment.  Pierre has an amazing job with the government and is responsible for a large area regarding the environment.  He makes sure that the parks and other recreational areas are well maintained, etc.  He has a side business of offering hot-air balloon rides and has agreed to take us up when the weather allows.  I'm not big on heights but I really trust him so we are excited for the possibility.

In order to ride up the Burgundy Canal we drive for about half an hour to different starting points and do roundtrip rides varying between 30km and 50km.  Today we drove to Pont d'Ouche where the port is home to many barges for a layover on their way up or down the canal.  We love this picturesque ride with the lock houses, charolais cattle and amazing views. At our turnaround in Pouilly-en-Auxois we stopped for a cafe at a local bistro.  The caffeine always gives me enough of a jolt to return to our starting point so we can complete our 40km trip.  Dinner at Le Monge is a favorite and a close walk from the apartment. 

Chateauneuf

Another bike route in Burgundy is the Voie Bleu that runs between Luxembourg and Lyon.  The section we rode today was from Saint-Jean-de-Losne to Dole (50km roundtrip).  There was some boat traffic which is always fun and Dole is a beautiful place to wander around but we will save that for another day.  Back at Saint-Jean we sat along the quayside and enjoyed the view of the Saone River as well as a well deserved amber beer...Cheers!

Dinner at Le Carnot - Salade Bourguignon and Boeuf Bourguignon - Yum!

The Chateauneuf is actually more than a castle on a hill.  It is a tiny commune with ivy and flower covered very old buildings. Built in 1150 the Chateau belonged to the son of the Lord of Chaudenay. It was then passed down through the ages through marriages, purchases and grants until in 1936 the Count Georges de Vogue gave it to the State. There are plaques set into the side of buildings explaining the history, in French of course, so you have to use Google translate to transform the information into English.  We have ridden by this Disney-esque looking place several times but this year we were able to ride up using our wonderful Bike Friday petit motors.  

A fun way to end the day...N'es pas?