Just back from a fabulous week in Burgundy, a name I'd only previously known as a color and a wine. An ancient land about an hour's train ride southeast of Paris, Burgundy's rich heritage dates back to Roman times as a trading center on the old Roman road, and later as the famous wine-producing region with vineyards dating back over a thousand years. Another product the region is famous for is the world-famous Dijon mustard. Burgundy abounds with gastronomic delights — in addition to some of the world's great wines, there are a number of Michelin three-star restaurants. My first two nights were in the charming riverside town of Joigny where I stayed at La Côte Saint-Jacques, home of world-famous three-star Michelin chef Jean-Michel Lorain. Dinner was a four-hour tour de elegance including a visit to the wine cellars where some of the bottles were the price of a new car! I asked my waiter in my rusty French for a wine cork as a souvenir, and he brought me back the wine labels from the bottles we had shared — soaked off the bottle, mounted on vellum paper and encased in plastic, which he presented to me after dinner.
The next day we toured the fabulous Fontenay Abbey, founded back in the 10th century, where hundreds of monks had toiled through the centuries inventing the first water-wheel-powered machinery, which in turn gave birth to the Industrial Revolution. From there we visited the town of Saulieu, a Roman trading town and home of another three-star chef, Bernard Loiseau. Lunch was a masterpiece of taste and presentation hosted by the chef's wife.
One of the most fascinating sights in Burgundy is Guédelon, where a group of dedicated artisans are building an authentic 14th-century castle with 14th-century technology — all hand-built, no machines — and they expect it will take 25 years. They are now well into the project and it looks fantastic! On the way to Dijon we stopped at Vézelay, a quaint medieval town and UNESCO World Heritage Site with a beautiful basilica that served as the launch point for King Richard's Crusade.
Just 30 miles south of Dijon is the wine capital of Burgundy, the town of Beaune. This medieval treasure is filled with ancient ramparts, castles and the famous Hospices. We spent a splendid afternoon touring the vineyards by bike and learned much about an industry that has served the region for over a thousand years. It always amazes me that this land, which has seen people tramping over it for so many years, has remained so beautiful and unspoiled.
Dijon, the capital of Burgundy, has a well-preserved medieval center with ducal palaces, 9th-century crypts, cathedrals, art museums and all the cultural attractions of a much larger city. The beauty of Burgundy lies in its unspoiled elegance, unequalled gastronomy and quiet pace of life that has endured down through the millennia. A place not to be missed.
