After a day off the bikes exploring Epoisses it was time to head out onto the canal paths again. From Montbard to Dijon we faced just over 120 kilometres of canal side riding over two days.
We had met a new French friend at the campsite in Montbard – a fellow cyclist Benoit. Whilst Cassy googled random stuff and Skyped her family, Benoit and I shared a couple of beers and he patiently conversed with my broken French. Which made me feel like the real French speaking man about France.
The next day as we pedalled up the canal we passed Benoit as he snoozed by the side of the path over his lunch. Then he passed us as we ate our lunch. We met him again just before we all cycled into Pouilly en Auxois together. Over the course of our day crossing paths with Benoit we covered 62 kilometres and ascended over 50 ecluses – gaining over 100 metres in elevation. The path was upwards all day without respite on a very warm day.
The three of us arrived exhausted in Pouilly en Auxois and we headed to the tourist information to find directions to the campsite. We were informed it was closed. A tough decision followed – 8 more kilometres to the next campsite or a night in a cheap hotel. Clearly the French have more staying power (although I think economics may have also been a factor ) because Cassy and I booked ourselves into a hotel whilst Benoit rode off into the sunset!
Having spent around 10 days in campsites since our last hotel, Cassy and I delighted ourselves with the simple pleasures of budget style indoor accommodation. And we dressed ourselves up for a great night out at Courtepaille – a French chain of restaurants that put Australian restaurant chains to shame.
The next day we were faced with a much easier task – the downhill ride to Dijon. Soon after starting the ride we encountered the engineering marvel of the Canal de Bourgogne tunnel. This tunnel beneath Pouilly en Auxois travels over three kilometres underground before turning downwards to Dijon. We rode over the top of the hill and rejoined the canal at the tunnel exit on the other side.
The rest of the day was a dream with the path downhill and the wind behind. Cassy lead the charge and we barrelled along the bike path into Dijon at speeds over 25 kilometres an hour. There was a minor drama when I almost took out a lady’s face trying to navigate a temporary pedestrian bridge on the outskirts of Dijon. But soon enough we were checked into our lovely hotel and searching (unsuccessfully) for a Laundromat and (slightly more successfully) for dinner.
Friday was another highlight of the trip (so many highlights – I am tempted to use the word “fantastic” again). We somehow managed to book ourselves on a wine and cheese tasting tour where we were the only guests. Our guide, Elohim, was a former winemaker and he gave us real insight into the winemaking process, the famous hillside stretching south of Dijon that hosts the Cote D’Or and Cote de Beaune and the peculiarities of Dijon. Do one of his tours if you are every in Burgundy - http://www.alterandgo.fr/
Elohim also had some hilarious pearls of wisdom:
· “There are two ways of making wine in Bourgogne – the ‘right way’ and the ‘other way’”
· “Once someone has learnt how to make ‘good wine’ they will make it for life. The same for bad wine.”
· “The vines are arranged on the hillside like they are seated in a cinema – they all have the same view of the sun.”
Pinot Noir and Chardonnay are the well known AOC grape varieties in Burgundy. Our good man took us to three cellars where we tasted some outstanding examples of these wines. He also told us about Gammay and Alligote which are lesser known AOC grape varieties in Burgundy. We finished our tour with some good wine in our hands – as well as some fine cheese. The tour included a visit to Fromagerie Gaugry so that Cassy could have another perspective on epoisses – including viewing platforms of the cheese factory.
An important aspect of a long adventure like this is that we are spending every waking and sleeping moment with each other. It was time to pursue our individual interests for the day. Cassy had her eye on some shopping in Dijon whilst I wanted to watch Dijon FCO (Football Cote D’Or) attempt to win promotion to the top league in French football. The match was a cracker – a full house watching Dijon coming from a goal behind to secure promotion. The only problem for me was that it was played the night before. Never trust an English language website to find the times for French football fixtures. With time to kill I opted for a four hour walk through the hills surrounding Dijon. I needed to work up an appetite.
Cassy had booked us into Chapeau Rouge for my birthday dinner. My real “no holds barred” innovative French cuisine and Burgundy wine birthday dinner. The evening was outstanding.
We started with an appertif of kir – a local drink combining blackcurrant liqueur and alligote. This was accompanied by two sets of four appertisers including a snail spring roll.
We immersed ourselves in a degustation of ten dishes sampling local seafood and delicacies washed done with various crus of Cote de Beaune Chardonnnay. Dish after dish of perfectly plated food – a sushi roll in a glass with a gel meniscus, perfectly cooked fish melting in rich sauces, soft shell crab and prawns fighting for attention on the one plate.
The pre-dessert was a foam of epoisses covering sweet grape tomatoes and epoisses. At that point I was so taken with that particular dish I said I would have paid the price of the whole meal just for that course. But I’m glad I didn’t, because dessert was similarly fabulous. We rolled home sated in so many ways.
We had met a new French friend at the campsite in Montbard – a fellow cyclist Benoit. Whilst Cassy googled random stuff and Skyped her family, Benoit and I shared a couple of beers and he patiently conversed with my broken French. Which made me feel like the real French speaking man about France.
The next day as we pedalled up the canal we passed Benoit as he snoozed by the side of the path over his lunch. Then he passed us as we ate our lunch. We met him again just before we all cycled into Pouilly en Auxois together. Over the course of our day crossing paths with Benoit we covered 62 kilometres and ascended over 50 ecluses – gaining over 100 metres in elevation. The path was upwards all day without respite on a very warm day.
The three of us arrived exhausted in Pouilly en Auxois and we headed to the tourist information to find directions to the campsite. We were informed it was closed. A tough decision followed – 8 more kilometres to the next campsite or a night in a cheap hotel. Clearly the French have more staying power (although I think economics may have also been a factor ) because Cassy and I booked ourselves into a hotel whilst Benoit rode off into the sunset!
Having spent around 10 days in campsites since our last hotel, Cassy and I delighted ourselves with the simple pleasures of budget style indoor accommodation. And we dressed ourselves up for a great night out at Courtepaille – a French chain of restaurants that put Australian restaurant chains to shame.
The next day we were faced with a much easier task – the downhill ride to Dijon. Soon after starting the ride we encountered the engineering marvel of the Canal de Bourgogne tunnel. This tunnel beneath Pouilly en Auxois travels over three kilometres underground before turning downwards to Dijon. We rode over the top of the hill and rejoined the canal at the tunnel exit on the other side.
The rest of the day was a dream with the path downhill and the wind behind. Cassy lead the charge and we barrelled along the bike path into Dijon at speeds over 25 kilometres an hour. There was a minor drama when I almost took out a lady’s face trying to navigate a temporary pedestrian bridge on the outskirts of Dijon. But soon enough we were checked into our lovely hotel and searching (unsuccessfully) for a Laundromat and (slightly more successfully) for dinner.
Friday was another highlight of the trip (so many highlights – I am tempted to use the word “fantastic” again). We somehow managed to book ourselves on a wine and cheese tasting tour where we were the only guests. Our guide, Elohim, was a former winemaker and he gave us real insight into the winemaking process, the famous hillside stretching south of Dijon that hosts the Cote D’Or and Cote de Beaune and the peculiarities of Dijon. Do one of his tours if you are every in Burgundy - http://www.alterandgo.fr/
Elohim also had some hilarious pearls of wisdom:
· “There are two ways of making wine in Bourgogne – the ‘right way’ and the ‘other way’”
· “Once someone has learnt how to make ‘good wine’ they will make it for life. The same for bad wine.”
· “The vines are arranged on the hillside like they are seated in a cinema – they all have the same view of the sun.”
Pinot Noir and Chardonnay are the well known AOC grape varieties in Burgundy. Our good man took us to three cellars where we tasted some outstanding examples of these wines. He also told us about Gammay and Alligote which are lesser known AOC grape varieties in Burgundy. We finished our tour with some good wine in our hands – as well as some fine cheese. The tour included a visit to Fromagerie Gaugry so that Cassy could have another perspective on epoisses – including viewing platforms of the cheese factory.
An important aspect of a long adventure like this is that we are spending every waking and sleeping moment with each other. It was time to pursue our individual interests for the day. Cassy had her eye on some shopping in Dijon whilst I wanted to watch Dijon FCO (Football Cote D’Or) attempt to win promotion to the top league in French football. The match was a cracker – a full house watching Dijon coming from a goal behind to secure promotion. The only problem for me was that it was played the night before. Never trust an English language website to find the times for French football fixtures. With time to kill I opted for a four hour walk through the hills surrounding Dijon. I needed to work up an appetite.
Cassy had booked us into Chapeau Rouge for my birthday dinner. My real “no holds barred” innovative French cuisine and Burgundy wine birthday dinner. The evening was outstanding.
We started with an appertif of kir – a local drink combining blackcurrant liqueur and alligote. This was accompanied by two sets of four appertisers including a snail spring roll.
We immersed ourselves in a degustation of ten dishes sampling local seafood and delicacies washed done with various crus of Cote de Beaune Chardonnnay. Dish after dish of perfectly plated food – a sushi roll in a glass with a gel meniscus, perfectly cooked fish melting in rich sauces, soft shell crab and prawns fighting for attention on the one plate.
The pre-dessert was a foam of epoisses covering sweet grape tomatoes and epoisses. At that point I was so taken with that particular dish I said I would have paid the price of the whole meal just for that course. But I’m glad I didn’t, because dessert was similarly fabulous. We rolled home sated in so many ways.
