A Very different view of the Basilica, Vezelay

Weather was supposed to be raining so I came prepared this time and of course didn’t need to. We drove to Avallon the town that uses frogs as indicators to explore the city same way Dijon does with owls. 

Old church there that needs maintenance, named Notre Dame-Saint Lazare. It is a pretty town with flower boxes lining the roadway and largely pedestrian downtown. 

Lunch was grilled tasty lamb at L’Horloge.

On to Vezelay to the Basilica of the Madeleine which is now very beautifully sympathetically restored. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/V%C3%A9zelay_Abbey

It is situated on top of the hill, town spreads out below it, most walk up the hill but there is parking on the hill, behind the Basilica.

What was missing wasn’t replaced, just cleaned up. 

So much better than the visit in 2019 with no boring tour guide that didn’t guide through the church. http://bevbrucelexi.blogspot.com/2019/08/ . I am not a religious person, as you know, so I wondered the difference between a basilica and a cathedral, here is your answer on a rather messy website in my opinion. https://askanydifference.com/difference-between-basilica-and-cathedral/

Christoph was looking for a particular book and the store there told him to go to another church, actually working monastery so we drove over country roads for about half an hour to get there using his phone GPS otherwise we would have been easily lost. 

Getting there expecting a large old church with nothing else we encountered the monastery with quite a few others wandering around and it’s relatively modern, likely the chapel was built in the 70’s surprise to us on both accounts. http://www.apqv.fr/ 

The full name is Abbaye Sainte Marie De La Pierre Qui Vire, no wonder they shortened the web name. 

Left at 10 am back at 6 pm made for a long day of driving for him and me trying my map skills because we couldn’t get cell signal on the back roads. But, it didn’t rain! 

Countryside is green due to the rain they have had, small herds of charolaise cattle, larger ones of sheep dot the fields and large fields of sunflowers. Landscape is rolling hills with woods between fields.

Road tolls that day were 8.30 Euros total

More touring to come...

Hello Dijon, my old friend

Christoph picked me up at the flat, we stopped to get him an antigen test and we both filled in paperwork to get into France to make sure we were “legit” if we got stopped. Didn’t happen, we did go through some toll roads and stopped for a brief break and lunch. Traffic was light and we made it in about three hours. 

This greeted me in the courtyard of the flat.

Brigitte let me in with warmth, we had become friends when I was here in 2019. I settled us in and I think Lexi recognized the place because she settled in rapidly. 

August 7 - we went to the large food Les Halles market, (above picture) a favourite of mine and I shopped for basic foods like tomato, bread, cheese (herbed goats) cucumber, coffee. Lunch was superb at Le 314 where I had salmon tartare and Christoph had beef bourguignon, service was attentive and great. It rained lightly but then came down hard causing us both to purchase umbrellas, we would have been soaked through without. We stopped by Christoph’s flat which is ideally located, tiny but also very clean. They had had a water leak yesterday and were fixing it today. Christoph was delighted to meet the couples involved in fixing it and had lengthy conversations with them. Mid-afternoon we headed to the north of Dijon to a gigantic mall which held a Carrefour, French supermarket. Shopping went smoothly but it was crowded in stores and parking lot pretty much full. Saturday afternoon after all and I really dislike those situations, so many people, adults and kids, Covid-19 makes me even more so want to avoid that. I did get heavy items stocked up which is a bonus and the reason for the visit. 

August 8, Sunday. Now for the real touring.

Travelled south heading for Castle La Roche Pot here is the website The "Castle" note that they say they are open and the website shows beautifully. This what we and others found, a completely derelict site looking nothing like the website and many, many years away from doing so. Very disappointing for us and the others that had stopped by.

Before that we had left Dijon about 11:00 am so had to lunch first, it was at O’Bar@20 in Nuits St Georges the hub for the Grands des Crus Route Grands des Crus Lunch at the restaurant, a locals place with lotto outlet and several televisions on the walls was excellent. Local fish with a cooked ratatouille vegetable and rice, decorated with borage flowers, drizzles of pesto and balsamic vinegar. Portions were not overly large but sated our appetites and good bread came with.

We took the above mentioned route from Dijon along through beautiful farmland with hectares and kilometres of wine fields, many bordered by low stone walls.

We stopped in Nolay where there was an artisan market and entertainment going on. 

Glass of wine and beer were had to discuss the day and plan tomorrow around the corner at La Comedie a local’s place. 

Weather has been great the last two days, not too hot,  with the exception of heavy downpour for about half an hour when anyone in it gets soaked to the skin. If you can shelter that, great, if not, you’d best be changing clothes soonest.

Aside: Fantastic lighting show in Positano.

Positano Italy

More touring to come.

Hello August!

I found out that Chada Thai is now open for Sunday lunch when it hadn’t been before so Christoph and I went and sat outside under the trees there for our usual choices. Sweet and sour veg and chicken dish for him and Pad Thai for me, these never get old and are always to the same high standards. Our servers recognized us with smiles under their masks. Just like everyone, everywhere, this occasion was something we took for granted being able to do 18 months ago and now is considered a treat. We walked the Botanical gardens after for a bit where they showcase plants from different areas of the world. Nice sunny but not too warm day out after last weeks rain as a result of the torrential rains in western Germany. 

Christoph wanted to visit the Landerer winery which we have visited for years now. I thought he had made an appointment but didn’t so he called her from working in the fields and she sold us a couple of cases. She was ashamed of her dirty fingers and I assured her that was not to be ashamed of, she’d been working. She said she had finished the work in the office and went to the fields which she loves. Honestly what I found unusual to me was she was wearing ballet type shoes with bows, they were dusty so assuming they were worn in the field, she also arrived by bicycle. Anyway as always a good but short visit, she had to cook lunch for the field hands who come from Poland and have been working with them for years. 

The next post will come to you from Dijon, my flat partners are coming here for a couple of months which is long overdue for them due to the pandemic. 

Unusual things seen from my windows: a stray balloon in the sky, the storks chasing the haying equipment, a fox in the field, two horses and horse and cart going down the pathway to the Mundenhof, lots and lots of birds visiting the balconies, they love the rain.

Lavender, now finished to be cut this week

Grasshopper, it was the time, rescued three in a few days.

Stray balloon, just floating.

On the balcony

Yes, another sunset, I have dozens of pictures of them.

Watching Canadian news and seeing the wildfire dangers makes me wish I could send some of Germany’s rain to Canada! July has been quite cool and wet. 

Cheers, Bev and the soon to be travelling Lexi Cat