October 20, 2011
Arnay le Duc to Beaune: up and then down through beautiful vineyards
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WEATHER: Sunny morning, cloudy afternoon
Jean-Pierre served us a good breakfast in the morning on elegant white china in their elegant living-dining room. In their former life in Paris he had managed a national youth orchestra which travelled the world while Francine had been an administrator in the Ministry of Arts. She sat with us as we finished eating and talked about the politics of her former job and her passion for creating raku pottery--an interaction between the clay and the fire which she described as magical. She had only been doing pottery for three years, but she said it changed her life. She spoke English quite well, which made it easier for us to understand the subtleties of her conversation.
We felt privileged to have been able to meet Francine and Jean-Pierre as well as Elisabeth and Jean-Michel the previous days. It is so interesting to talk with people, albeit briefly, and get some insight into their lives; we have learned a lot this way, and for us it is one of the joys of travelling. Both chambres d'hotes were top quality and extremely good value as well.
We started off towards Beaune at about 10:00, having been told that we would have to climb 'Beaune Mountain' on the way. Al had planned a circuitous route on minor roads as far as our proposed lunch stop. However the D17, shown on the map as a major road, turned out to be smoothly paved and very quiet, so we followed that instead in pleasant sunshine. We stopped in Bligny-sur-Ouche just before 12:00 and sat in the sun on the restaurant patio for ten minutes until it opened for lunch. The meal was noteworthy for the desserts--an excellent tarte aux pommes for Al and a totally decadent huge slab of dark chocolate terrine for Eva. (It was really good, but she couldn't finish it.)
After lunch the sky clouded over as we followed the river for several kilometres before turning east steeply uphill--the start of a 6 kilometre grade. Just before the top we turned off to the right and came face to face with a 'Route Barrée' sign, saying the road was closed 4 kilometres ahead at the bottom of a long hill. With some trepidation, we carried on, assuming that the sign did not apply to bicycles. If a bridge over a river was gone, we'd be out of luck and would have to ride back up again. The downhill felt wonderful after our steep climb. We rode past fields, farmhouses, and finally the extensive vineyards of the Haute-Beaune appellation. It turned out that the 'Route Barrée' sign only applied to trucks, so no problem for us.
We reached the bottom of the hill near the village of Pommard and turned left into a wonderland of hilly vineyards bordered with stone walls as far as the eye could see. Al was smiling because he had seen photos of this area on Google Earth, but for Eva it was a complete surprise. The narrow paved road was a bicycle track and also occasionally used by farm vehicles, so we could look around as much as we wanted without worrying about traffic. It was a beautiful approach to the city of Beaune.
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Our hotel, the Alesia, was about two kilometres from the city centre, and we arrived at 3:45 just as it started to rain, to be met by a 'closed' sign on the locked front door. Apparently reception would open again at 4:00. We were a bit nonplussed and hung about under the eaves trying to stay dry for 15 minutes. The door opened promptly, and after getting settled in our room, the friendly receptionist gave us a map and information about restaurants and we headed off on foot to the walled city centre.
We like to walk a bit after a bike ride, and we usually don't mind staying a kilometre or two from the centre, but in this case, the only route to the nearest city gate was along a very busy road with noisy traffic and nothing interesting to look at--a strip. Once inside the arched gate, there were winding streets, some pedestrianized, old stone buildings and lots of shops and restaurants. We would be spending all day tomorrow in Beaune, so this afternoon just gave it a cursory walk-through and checked out all the restaurant menus. We decided on La Ciboulette (the chives), and headed back to the hotel to shower and rest a bit before dinner. The receptionist said it was a very popular restaurant, so she made a reservation for us.
It was lucky she did because the place was full and the dinner was excellent. We both had nicely seasoned gazpacho for a first course, then Al had supremes de volailles (chicken breasts) and Eva tried the pork with sauce Bourgogne. For dessert Al had the best tarte tatin yet, and for Eva the assiete de chocolatier--a plate of 4 different small chocolate masterpieces. The dinner prices were very reasonable, but the wine was expensive, so we each had a glass of white Meursault, a chardonnay. Before we left, we made a reservation for the next evening. The long walk back to the hotel was better than before since traffic had thinned considerably.
Today's ride: 42 km (26 miles)
Total: 338 km (210 miles)
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