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Published: September 9th 2008
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8th September
We were walking down the street we were about half way to the boring wine place that mum and dad wanted to go to and we noticed that we had forgotten the camera. We got Dad to run back to the camp ground to get it. We were actually staying in a camp ground for the night and not an Aires. Everyone wanted showers and we needed electricity.
Back to the wine. Dad returned with the camera and Mum had bought the tickets for the wine tasting. We were lucky enough to get a guide who spoke English and there were no other people in our group. We went down into the dark, cold cellars with all the old bottles of wine and mould over them and spiders webs. It was a neat place. We were shown bottles of wine from 1904 and some from 1943. The German soldiers didn’t find the old wine because the French would build fake walls to hide their wine. One bottle of the 1943 wine is worth 1000 Euros. Mum and dad bought some but not that bottle. I thought it was going to be quite boring but it was really interesting.
Mum
Wine tasting
Down in the caves had said she was taking us to an old hospital - I thought that would be boring too. But it was really interesting, like the wine really. This hospital is called Hotel-Dieu des Hospice de Beaune and it was built in 1443. That is older than the Treaty of Waitangi. Poor people and rich people went to this hospital but the rich people had beautiful paintings in their room. They were all over the roof and the walls. In 1987 when they pulled apart the then old people’s home ( because that is what it had become) to turn it into something to visit they found out that a river was underneath the room that they would put the dying people into and all their waste went into this river. The river went through villages that would clean their washing in and use for cooking. Not good planning.
We went and visited our friend in the bar that we went to last night. We had lemonade and mum used the Wi Fi. He teased us which we could understand even if it was in French.
Then the best part of the day was dinner. We went to Caves Madeleine. It
Hotel-Dieu
The roof was all different coloured tiles. is an awesome restaurant. They had big long tables and we sat at the head of one. Our waiter spoke English and Anton and I got to have three courses, entree, main and dessert. Anton ordered snails I had pork pate which mum ate cos I didn’t like it. We all tried the snails. I thought it would be a snail in a shell that you had to suck up. But it wasn’t. They were out of their shells in a bowl full of garlic, parsley and butter with one potato. Anton had one first he said it was the best. We all then tried them. I agree it was delicious and nutritious. (I think). Main courses - Boeuf burgundy for Mum, Blake and Dad, chicken in wine and cheese for Anton and I had a steak with spuds cooked in garlic and butter, yum. Desserts - chocolate cake, soft meringues in caramel sauce, blackcurrant ice cream cake (sour but delicious). We were given baskets of bread - most people at the table didn’t finish one basket we ploughed through four. I think it was the best meal on this trip yet.
9th September
Woke up to a beautiful
The Dinner
Anton eating snails. sunny day and hot croissants (I love France). Then we had to do some exercise. We left the luxury of showers, electricity, toilets and ping pong tables. After last night’s meal we have to start saving again so it’s back to the Aires. We drove out to the beginning of Beaune to the vineyards. There is 21kms of bike track through the vineyards. We biked through two little villages, Pommard and Volnay. There were beautiful old homes with flowers everywhere. No little kids because they are all at school. We saw lots of lizards sunbathing on the brick walls around the vines. The best part of the ride was the downhill back into Beaune. Anton and I gave mum and dad their bikes back just before we got back to Hugo so they could have a rest and we ran.
Back in an Aires camping ground now. Had baguette and cheese - we weren’t allowed to buy anything else because we’re saving up for another restaurant meal in Germany.
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