Dijon, France - Part Four, Avallon and Vezelay

Tuesday found us in Avallon, where we walked the town with the church and archway.

As you can see, the tower covers the street.

Lunch was wonderful, a roasted turkey leg, in a garden at Dame Jeanne www.damejeanne.fr

Then it was on to Vezelay for the Basilica, Basilique de la Madeleine viewing. It, honestly wasn’t what I was expecting and not really in a good way. Large beautiful building, under construction for the last five years to be finished February 2020. The "tour" (there was no tour as such) guide took us up scaffolded stairs to the third floor where he lectured on the entire project while we stood there in the heat, dust and construction noise, viewing the main sculpture of Christ (In my mind similar to the one in Autun but apparently quite different, couldn’t see it myself.) 

Unfinished and in the process of being redone, workers tools in evidence on benches.

I kept thinking of ways to politely excuse myself but not wanting to do damage to Christoph’s reputation, I endured very reluctantly, honestly it was about a half an hour I will never get back of supreme unhappiness. Christoph, however, was very excited to go there and see it again, understood the French guide completely and learned a bit more than he knew before. He did say the guide was technically correct but had a rather dry delivery. 

I wanted to see a place that makes cassis, or current fruit products which is a tradition in this area, syrup mixed with champagne or wine is called a Kir Royale. Christoph found a small independent place up in the hills above Nuits-Saint-Georges, fairly close to Dijon. It seemed to take an age to get there but little to come back, the usual, although I think we were steered (thanks Sofia) the longer distance going. Anyway, we didn’t get to see production as such, just the store but the owner was friendly. It’s called la Ferme Fruirouge at Hameau de Concoeur, website www.fruirouge.fr

Now I've "met" some of the local food specialities, the mustard, the cassis, and while I haven't had the snails, I have had the egg cooked in red wine, croque monsieur (grilled ham and cheese), diced ham in parsley aspic. I am booked on a food tour in a week so we'll see what that turns up.

Cheers, Bev