Burgundy

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The best way to forget about obnoxious Year 8 students who readily tell a teacher to go forth and multiply (albeit using more colourful and blunt language) is to spend a few days in the province of Burgundy in France. We stayed in a little village called Culles-les-Roches, not far from the town of Dijon (made famous by the mustard they produce - I had it on just about everything). We were staying with a group of friends in a place that has been converted from an old railway station, overlooking rolling hills and pastures. It was simply stunning and all thanks to the amazing generosity of a friend's family. With the region being of renown for its wine and cheese, it was with great pleasure that I drank many bottles of the local pinot noir and devoured many cheese wheels! We spent the days doing little trips out to nearby villages, one of which was Beaune, once the home of the Dukes of Burgundy until they moved to Dijon in the 14th or 15th century. The colourful patterns of the roof tiles on the hospice there were stunning, as were the rooms and paintings within the building. One morning we went to what is known as a 'puce', which is basically a flea market. We had a competition to see who could buy the most ridiculous item under two euros. I hit the lead early with a monkey carved out of a coconut, followed closely by a goat hoof key ring (from a real goat!), but we were upstaged by our host who managed to find a rather lude French cartoon book. On another day we visited a nearby chateau, taking a tour through its many rooms which still resembled the era of its construction, followed by a dash through the hedge maze to see who could find their way to the central tower in the shortest time. As for the evenings, the group of us spent them either taking a bicycle ride between the vineyards, relaxing in a swimming pool, engaging in lively debate over dinner and often finishing with a game of cards (maybe a little tipsy by this stage, once again thanks to the local pinot).

Spending time in regional France was wonderful and gave me a completely different perspective on the country after only seeing Paris before. The countryside was dotted with villages consisting of stone dwellings and ancient stone churches that still ring out the bells every hour, with the sound rolling down the hillsides. All work stops for lunch, with everyone returning home for a meal. It was great to see - and it is only an hour and a half away from Paris on the TGV.

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